https://blacknerdproblems.com/magic-the-hidden-planeswalker-1-review/
Writer: Mairghread Scott / Artist: Fabiana Mascolo / Boom! Studios
There is a lot going on in the Magic: The Gathering universe, and Boom! Studios has been producing lots of quality comic content that shows off the colorful cast of characters (pun very much intentional unfortunately). It’s been lots of fun following the main line series and the occasional one-shot, which brings me to the latest comic: The Hidden Planeswalker, focusing on none other than the iconic Liliana Vess.
The opening page of Magic: The Hidden Planeswalker #1 evokes stained glass. Mascolo’s line work alongside Segela’s color make for a visually striking spread as Scott perfectly captures the snarks and quips always alluded to in the character’s flavor texts in the cards. The comic aligns quite nicely with the recent expansion Strixhaven (that also recently received a D&D companion book as well), and the opening sequence has the ‘Bride of Death’ do what she does best: necromantic magic and intimidation. The backstory is incorporated seamlessly and efficiently, allowing us to reach the main thrust of the story as Ral Zarek and Kaya from the mainline come to solicit Liliana’s help.
From there, the story teases some developments of the larger scope villain of Marit Lage (a name that I still recognize from Ice Age and am always happy to see floating around), and the more immediate threat of Tezzeret. Liliana jumps at the call, surprising her recruiters, but I suppose that’s what happens when the fate of the Multiverse is at stake.
The back half of The Hidden Planeswalker #1 gives Liliana plenty of time to flex her incredible magical prowess, while furthering texturing the narrative with fun allusions to prior events. It all culminates in an exciting duel of magics. Mascolo does such a wonderful job depicting the different types of magic and planeswalking in the world, and Scott’s storytelling is compact and effective at keeping the reader engaged.
For any fans of the extended universe that Boom! Studios is cultivating and fans of Liliana Vess, this is a must read. For anyone, this might just pique your curiosity into the universe, but the mainline probably will act as a better starting point. Still, as someone who mostly follows Magic: The Gathering in passing, I have greatly appreciated having these comics to keep the spark of interest alive and well.
8.9 “Vendettas” out of 10
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The post ‘Magic: The Hidden Planeswalker #1’ Review appeared first on Black Nerd Problems.
Writer: Mairghread Scott / Artist: Fabiana Mascolo / Boom! Studios
There is a lot going on in the Magic: The Gathering universe, and Boom! Studios has been producing lots of quality comic content that shows off the colorful cast of characters (pun very much intentional unfortunately). It’s been lots of fun following the main line series and the occasional one-shot, which brings me to the latest comic: The Hidden Planeswalker, focusing on none other than the iconic Liliana Vess.
The opening page of Magic: The Hidden Planeswalker #1 evokes stained glass. Mascolo’s line work alongside Segela’s color make for a visually striking spread as Scott perfectly captures the snarks and quips always alluded to in the character’s flavor texts in the cards. The comic aligns quite nicely with the recent expansion Strixhaven (that also recently received a D&D companion book as well), and the opening sequence has the ‘Bride of Death’ do what she does best: necromantic magic and intimidation. The backstory is incorporated seamlessly and efficiently, allowing us to reach the main thrust of the story as Ral Zarek and Kaya from the mainline come to solicit Liliana’s help.
From there, the story teases some developments of the larger scope villain of Marit Lage (a name that I still recognize from Ice Age and am always happy to see floating around), and the more immediate threat of Tezzeret. Liliana jumps at the call, surprising her recruiters, but I suppose that’s what happens when the fate of the Multiverse is at stake.
The back half of The Hidden Planeswalker #1 gives Liliana plenty of time to flex her incredible magical prowess, while furthering texturing the narrative with fun allusions to prior events. It all culminates in an exciting duel of magics. Mascolo does such a wonderful job depicting the different types of magic and planeswalking in the world, and Scott’s storytelling is compact and effective at keeping the reader engaged.
For any fans of the extended universe that Boom! Studios is cultivating and fans of Liliana Vess, this is a must read. For anyone, this might just pique your curiosity into the universe, but the mainline probably will act as a better starting point. Still, as someone who mostly follows Magic: The Gathering in passing, I have greatly appreciated having these comics to keep the spark of interest alive and well.
8.9 “Vendettas” out of 10
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The post ‘Magic: The Hidden Planeswalker #1’ Review appeared first on Black Nerd Problems.
Before discussing Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, we gotta talk some Moon Knight. Episode 6 is in the books and we need to talk that diversity and inclusion talk! We’ve already covered the big spoiler-free, mid-season reasons you should get down with Moon Knight but the spoiler shackles are off and we’re goin off! The series season? finale wrapped up and gave us more than most fans would’ve ever expected, especially our Marvel fans that identify as women and little girls across the planet.
I could dive into Marc and Stevens trip to the afterlife, tear inducing balancing act and, or resurrection. I could go off about the Beast Wars savagery that Ammit was on when she beat the brakes off Khonshu. But naaa we here to talk about the Scarlet Scarab baby!
Layla El-Faouly has been popping up all throughout this series, flexing her next level hand to hand combat game, saving Marc/Steven every now and then, being baffled at what’s going on with her husband then BOOM. Episode 6 we see her finally give into the request to become an avatar, but she doesn’t become Khonshu’s next envoy like it’s been hinted at all season. Instead, she agrees to being Tawaret’s. Sporting Archangel type metal wings, gold swords and a sick ass costume, the Scarlet Scarab is born!
In an instant, Moon Knight goes from an extremely diverse show with brown folx all over the place to crushing the inclusion game by introducing the world to the first Egyptian female superhero and allowing people in the show to fan girl out on our behalf! The moment the Scarlet Scarab saves that girl from being crushed by the car with her bare hands, then gets ready to jump back into the Arthur Harrow ass beaten action, we see a young lady on the sideline ask her if she’s an Egyptian superhero. The reaction that goes down after discovering her home also has someone to call their own in this superhero world was absolutely priceless and worth the Moon Knight watch for that moment alone.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is not the movie it is marketed as. It’s not even the Doctor Strange movie I wanted to see, but it was the movie that was needed for this pivotal moment in the MCU. After Spider-Man Into The Spider-Verse introduced us to the land of layered universes and Loki expanded on that groundwork in the MCU, we were ready for a full length feature. That seems to ultimately be the reason Doctor Strange is more of a direct follow up to WandaVision and Spider-Man No Way Home than a wildy extended episode of What If…?
I said it at the top and I’ll say it again, the spoilers will be coming at you rapidly and Thorkell relentlessly, so unless you prefer to bask in the spoil, please direct your attention elsewhere until you’ve seen Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
This movie is being packaged as a good Stephen vs. an evil Stephen so powerful that the good doctor needs to recruit Wanda to win, kind of a movie.
Instead, this movie is Scarlet Witch meets Nightmare on Elm Street, and it was awesome. As each act continues to unfold, and Wanda gets more and more desperate, the horror elements continue to ramp up and look more like a Freddy or Jason chase film with spells, creatures, and heroes.
America Chavez is the hunted and, ultimately, the thread that ties the entire movie together. The opening scene sets the stage as Chavez and Strange are chased down by a demon chases from another universe before they could obtain the book that they needed to defeat the person hunting the young hero. Guess what? It’s Wanda. She’s the evil magical monster mob boss sending mystical goons after the kid to steal her powers. What powers you say? The power to traverse the multiverse of course!
This movie becomes a direct follow-up to the mayhem and trauma that resulted from Wanda having to shoot a hole through the head of her husband and live with the fact that she enslaved an entire American town. That pain and loss of family manifested in her Chavez hunting ways because stealing America’s powers would allow her to find a universe where her children are still alive and love her.
Easier said than done when the girl you’re hunting falls into the protection of the Master of the Mystical Arts and Sorcerer Supreme. Strange and Wong spend a pretty hilarious afternoon getting to know America Chavez, and it’s there that the heart of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness lies. America is dealing with perhaps the heaviest version of loss; one that was caused by her own hand. A child shouldn’t have to fathom what it’s like to lose not one parent but two. They shouldn’t have to relive the memory of using their powers for the first time and opening a portal to an undisclosed universe that their parents got sucked into and most likely died in. But America Chavez shoulders that burden and the actress who plays her, Xochitl Gomez, does a dam good job of showcasing a range of emotions in this superhero movie about family, grief, and growth.
Before we wrap up, I gotta give a *hood nod* to Marvel for leaning into the diversity they invested in. After the whole whitewashing of America Chavez casting, they didn’t let the fans’ anger and backlash stop them from making her a badass Boricua with a decent character maturation arc, that is proud of her Spanish speaking heritage.
Speaking of Spanish, this may not seem like a big deal to you, but the fact that we not only saw America Chavez and her family speaking Spanish on another planet, but the opening scene features Chavez and an alternate universe Strange speaking Spanish back and forth for a bit. Wong drops a line or two, and he and Chavez clown Stephen 616 for not knowing the language. That was a really dope moment that no one should take for granted. There was definitely some intentional as well as natural inclusion throughout Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, but that bonding moment between Wong and America takes the cake for me!
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Afronerd Radio can now be heard LIVE courtesy of Apple Music/Itunes
First off, Happy Mother's Day to our passionate and consistent Afronerd Radio listenership! Next up, check out the latest installment of The Grindhouse, airing this Sunday at 6 p.m. on the BTalk 100 internet broadcasting platform. Listen to the inner thoughts and musings of your AFROnerdist hosts as they decipher the following issues: rising and polarising YouTube sensation, Kevin Samuels, has passed due to a heart attack, and social media can't stop wondering what happened and how does this affect the burgeoning "Black Manosphere?"; and regrettably another person of note leaves our mortal plane, iconic illustrator and graphic novelist, George Perez succumbs to pancreatic cancer at the age of 67; Finally....Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness premiered this weekend to a stellar post-pandemic box office ($450M) and we give your our first impressions; Dburt was able to get a good look at the upcoming and oft-delayed trailer for Top Gun: Maverick, the 36-year old reprieved sequel to the '86 Top Gun original;
Well, there's a new (the 14th) Dr. Who coming up on the horizon, and the UK's iconic sci-fi character will be, for the first time, portrayed by a Black actor-Ncuti Gatwa (Sex Education); noted author/graphic novelist, David Walker has yet another interesting and provocative independent and crowdfunded project entitled, Imposter Syndrome that appears to be worthy of discussion (and investment); Lastly, the first episode of Paramount plus' Star Trek centered Strange New Worlds premiered this week and again, we give you our thoughts.
One thing that Dburt is doing (finally) is investing in cryptocurrency, courtesy of Roundlyx. We would implore our followers to investigate, discern and then explore by using our referral code: afro-87A4BF
Call us LIVE at 508-645-0100. AFTER CLICKING ON THE HIGHLIGHTED LINK, GO DIRECTLY TO AFRONERD RADIO!!!
Also, Afronerd Radio's podcast format can be heard via BTalk 100 Pandora, Spotify, and, IHeartRadio....more formats to follow!
Remember when Marvel tried so hard to explain away magic by being ‘science we justified don’t understand?’ In a world with super advanced tin-man armor, Gods, and super soldier popsicle men, actual magic was just a step too far. Thankfully, Marvel began letting magic into their worlds. And now, we have Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and let me tell you, it’s out there. Like, WAY out there. We’ve come a long way since the very first Iron Man and Doctor Strange continues to keep things fresh and exciting keeping us looking forward to future films.
One aspect of Multiverse of Madness (MoM) that really stood out to me was the acting. Benedict Cumberbatch still brings the smarmy charm to Strange to the multiple Stranges he gets to play. There’s a lot more introspective for the character this time around, and Cumberbatch does put his all into it. But the real standout is Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff/The Scarlet Witch. Wands has been broken since the end of Infinity War, and her journey was one I wasn’t quite expecting but was pleasantly surprised to see. To say anymore would spoil the movie, but her journey is really enjoyable to experience. It is important to watch her Disney+ show WandaVision to get the full experience.
Benedict Wong gets a little more to do this time as the Sorcerer Supreme, and Rachel McAdams is a bit underused as Christine but still brings it in every scene she’s in. I really want to spotlight Xochitl Gomez as newcomer America Chavez. Someone is after Chavez’s power, and she has been hopping universes trying to stay alive. It could have been real easy to have this character be the generic “spunky with attitude” trope but they wrote her well. Xochitl Gomez portrayal is full of heart, and I’m excited to see her not only in future Marvel flicks but grow as an actor and be more out there.
MoM has been pushed as Marvel’s “horror” movie and honestly, yes and no. This is by far the scariest Marvel movie out there, but no one is going to choose this movie for their scary movie night. You’re not going to be nervous in your seat or anything, but there is an overall dark and creepy vibe throughout the film that I think works for it. A lot of that has to do with the director Sam Raimi in the best way. It’s dripping in his signature style, and that adds on to the general vibe they wanted. I was surprised in how dark and violent it got at moments, but it’s never so bad that kids in the theater will be traumatized.
Sam Raimi really nails that Doctor Strange weirdness as well. The initial multiverse hop is trippy as you’d expect, but it is a little short lived. Don’t expect to visit a ton of different dimensions; however, this was a smart move. You get time to really take in the worlds we go to. Marvel packed a lot in each location, so you never feel like you’re missing out. In fact, there are some cameos that even with all the “leaks” and speculations still blew my mind. They get a lot of mileage out of time in each world, so you get a lot without feeling like it’s over stuffed. And there is a lot here.
In fact, that might be an issue for some. With over 10 years of movies, fans know you gotta keep up, but it’s always been in the movies. Now, with the Disney+ shows, there’s so much more to keep up on. You NEED to watch WandaVision to get a full understanding of her choices in this movie. If you don’t, you simply won’t understand the choices she makes. And will that become a barrier for some? The Marvel movies are finally starting to feel like the comics where you have to read multiple titles to get the full story. At some point, that may end up collapsing in on itself when audiences don’t want to keep up with it all anymore. For now, it only adds to MoM.
Sam Raimi fully leaves his footprint in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Maybe the darkest and most violent Marvel film to date, it’s just a whole lot of fun. It gets you really excited for what next in the 616 universe, and I, for one, can’t wait.
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