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Writer: James Tynion IV / Artist:Tony S. Daniel, Guillem March, Tomeu Morey / DC Comics
Bruce Wayne has a design for this city.
It’s 2020 and after nearly four years of King steering the Dark Knight (to varying degrees of success), the mainline Batman title has a new writer at helm. James Tynion IV is no stranger to the DC Universe, having written arcs on Detective Comics, Batman and Robin Eternal, among others while also currently weaving the delightfully devious tale that is Justice League Dark. And it’s very clear from the start that Tynion IV loves Batman and has a different trajectory for this character post “City of Bane,” which I am inclined to welcome.
Batman #86 marks the start of “Their Dark Designs” and where as King started his arc with a meditation on what a good death for Batman would be, Tynion IV’s Batman finds himself asking what a Gotham without Batman would look like. Given all of the different struggles that Batman has found himself these last four years, this thought makes a lot of internal narrative sense. It’s a clean pivot in ideology and sets the tone for the arc asking questions that many fans and non-fans have been asking for years; namely, for all of his ever-abundant resources why does Batman decide to dress up and play vigilante. Batman #86 does not pretend to answer the question, but rather plants the seeds that will surely sprout in later issues.
Tynion IV knows Batman’s voice as well as the immediate supporting casting. He absolutely captures Lucius Fox’s tech insights and Selina Kyle’s lovable roguishness. His mastery of the featured villains of the week is equally commendable and drives the different levels of conflict well. It’s helped by both Daniel’s artwork in the main story, March’s artwork in the epilogue, and Morey’s color in both bridging the gap. Daniel in particular does a fantastic job with the action sequences in the back half of the book.
This is a start of a new chapter in Batman, and it’s very much a solid Batman story. We have a good contrast of the continued duality of Bruce and Batman. We have a supporting cast that’s there to support Batman in this time of mourning and transition. We have villains who are still going about their business and have no intention of giving him a break. But it is also just a start, and while the repeating of chorus of “Bruce Wayne has a design for this city” is a tantalizing one, we’re going to need see more of what these designs are to figure out if it’s more than just solid.
8.4 “Designs” out of 10
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The post New Year, New Team, Same Hero – Batman #86 Review appeared first on Black Nerd Problems.
Writer: James Tynion IV / Artist:Tony S. Daniel, Guillem March, Tomeu Morey / DC Comics
Bruce Wayne has a design for this city.
It’s 2020 and after nearly four years of King steering the Dark Knight (to varying degrees of success), the mainline Batman title has a new writer at helm. James Tynion IV is no stranger to the DC Universe, having written arcs on Detective Comics, Batman and Robin Eternal, among others while also currently weaving the delightfully devious tale that is Justice League Dark. And it’s very clear from the start that Tynion IV loves Batman and has a different trajectory for this character post “City of Bane,” which I am inclined to welcome.
Batman #86 marks the start of “Their Dark Designs” and where as King started his arc with a meditation on what a good death for Batman would be, Tynion IV’s Batman finds himself asking what a Gotham without Batman would look like. Given all of the different struggles that Batman has found himself these last four years, this thought makes a lot of internal narrative sense. It’s a clean pivot in ideology and sets the tone for the arc asking questions that many fans and non-fans have been asking for years; namely, for all of his ever-abundant resources why does Batman decide to dress up and play vigilante. Batman #86 does not pretend to answer the question, but rather plants the seeds that will surely sprout in later issues.
Tynion IV knows Batman’s voice as well as the immediate supporting casting. He absolutely captures Lucius Fox’s tech insights and Selina Kyle’s lovable roguishness. His mastery of the featured villains of the week is equally commendable and drives the different levels of conflict well. It’s helped by both Daniel’s artwork in the main story, March’s artwork in the epilogue, and Morey’s color in both bridging the gap. Daniel in particular does a fantastic job with the action sequences in the back half of the book.
This is a start of a new chapter in Batman, and it’s very much a solid Batman story. We have a good contrast of the continued duality of Bruce and Batman. We have a supporting cast that’s there to support Batman in this time of mourning and transition. We have villains who are still going about their business and have no intention of giving him a break. But it is also just a start, and while the repeating of chorus of “Bruce Wayne has a design for this city” is a tantalizing one, we’re going to need see more of what these designs are to figure out if it’s more than just solid.
8.4 “Designs” out of 10
Reading Batman? Find BNP’s other reviews here.
Want to get Black Nerd Problems updates sent directly to you? Sign up here!
Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram!
The post New Year, New Team, Same Hero – Batman #86 Review appeared first on Black Nerd Problems.
On day 7 of the ESSENCE Full Circle Festival, attendees participated in a Day of Service to the local Ghanaian community by spending the afternoon with various local non-profit organizations during five separately-themed experiences. Experience themes centered around youth empowerment, women’s health, education and empowerment for girls, entrepreneurship, the creative industry and leadership.
Among the experiences that came to life during the EFCF Day of Service was The Circle of Sisters.
Circle of Sisters Founder Chiedza Makonnen offers encouragement during the EFCF Day of Service in Ghana.Photo by Sean WellingtonThe Circle of Sisters is a Girls Leadership Initiative run by Chiedza Makonnen, a fashion designer and returnee who has lived in Ghana for more than ten years. Under her Revolutionary Underground Foundation, she supports young girls in the Korle Gonno area through education and after school activities to help them become leaders in their own worlds and realize their dreams. Miss Makonnen funds the initiative through proceeds from her fashion label, Afrodesiac Worldwide.
A young girl smiles while participating in a group activity during the EFCF Day of Service in Ghana. Photo by Sean WellingtonSeveral EFCF attendees whose careers have landed them in various fields including law, entertainment, health and education, joined some of the young women from The Circle of Sisters initiative for a day of mentorship and group exchange. After the group exchanged introductions and each of the young ladies shared their career aspirations, they were grouped according to their potential future career paths.
Girls United co-founder Sophia Dennis interacting with young girls during EFCF Day of Service in Ghana.Photo by Sean WellingtonAmong the EFCF attendees present for the Circle of Sisters was Sophia Dennis, co-founder of Girls United by ESSENCE, which aims to serve as a safe space for young women and girls of color to come into their own and help them find their life paths. An inspiring young leader herself, Ms. Dennis shared her experiences with girls whose aspirations were limited by a lack of access to technology.
EFCF attendees engage with young girls from the Circle of Sisters initiative in Accra, Ghana.Photo by Sean WellingtonThroughout the day, EFCF attendees rotated to have conversations with each group, sharing their own experiences as each group bonded and each of the girls got to know more about leading and owning their power as young women.
ESSENCE Full Circle Festival – Day of ServicePhoto by Sean Wellington—Scroll through For more of everything you missed at the first-ever ESSENCE Full Circle Festival, head back to ESSENCE.com
The post ESSENCE Full Circle Festival Teamed Up With Designer Chiedza Makonnen To Empower And Educate Young Girls In Ghana appeared first on Essence.
Locke & Key fans first thought they were going to see the beloved graphic novel come to life on screen back in 2011, after Fox had showed the series’ pilot at that year’s San Diego Comic-Con. But that was as far as that version ever went. After other possible adaptations, both for television and the big screen, had come and gone over the course of the decade, Locke & Key seemed destined to be stuck in the terrible dimension of developmental purgatory. But now the wait is finally over—Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez’s comic is set to debut as a new Netflix series. But after so long, is there anyway it can possibly live up to years of anticipation? The first trailer for the show certainly won’t lessen fan excitement. And it’s likely to generate plenty of interest from newcomers to the story.
“After their father is murdered under mysterious circumstances, the three Locke siblings and their mother move into their ancestral home, Keyhouse, which they discover is full of magical keys that may be connected to their father’s death. As the Locke children explore the different keys and their unique powers, a mysterious demon awakens—and will stop at nothing to steal them.”
Locke & Key is based on the popular IDW horror comic book series that ran from 2008 to 2013. The “coming-of-age mystery about love, loss, and the unshakable bonds that define family” spans centuries and multiple dimensions. It combines gore and the supernatural along with mind-bending imagery. Yet the story is also touching and heartbreaking, focusing on a family dealing with unimaginable grief. And as this trailer show, they are also dealing with forces (and keys to strange places) they don’t totally understand.
Netflix might prove to be the perfect home for Locke & Key, as the streaming site isn’t afraid to embrace prestige horror (The Haunting of House Hill), nor is it afraid to develop vast and potentially confusing source material (looking at you The Witcher). This initial trailer indicates that the show’s creators Carlton Cuse (Lost and Bates Motel) and Meredith Averill (The Haunting of Hill House) want to make something that truly captures the spirit of what made the comic special. The show will be a huge success if they can live up to Gabriel Rodriguez’s artwork for the comic.
IDW
Locke & Key stars Darby Stanchfield (Scandal) as Nina Locke, Jackson Robert Scott (It) as Bode Locke, Connor Jessup (American Crime) as Tyler Locke, Emilia Jones (Horrible Histories) as Kinsey Locke, and Bill Heck (The Ballad of Buster Scruggs) as Rendell Locke. The cast also features Laysla De Oliveira as Dodge, Thomas Mitchell Barnet as Sam Lesser, and Griffin Gluck (American Vandal) as Gabe.
Original author Joe Hill (The Fireman, Heart-Shaped Box) also serves as an executive producer on the show.
As good as this trailer looks though, ultimately we’ll have to wait to see if it lived up to our oversized expectations. Hopefully it does, and then we can all start complaining about waiting for the show to come back.
Season one of Locke & Key comes to Netflix on February 7, 2020.
Featured Image: Netflix
The post LOCKE & KEY Trailer Is Like a Psychedelic Horror Narnia appeared first on Nerdist.
First, let me say that I went into Ford v Ferrari with the mindset of “This is going to be a film, and it is going to be a film that I have watched,” and I left yelling, “Vroom vroom, cars go fast!” Second, give Noah Jupe the world. Ford v Ferrari focuses on the real-life story of Ken Miles and Carroll Shelby, two men who brought the Ford Racing Company into existence and won the Le Mans ’66 together.
Basically, the kind of movie my parents would watch and tell me was really good, but I would never want to sit through. So, what is it that makes this movie so interesting to me? I guess it’s probably the fact that it is, somehow, a comedy about two men who love each other that then devolves into the saddest ending I’ve ever seen, so I just sat there and cried for ten minutes.
Let’s get into. Ken Miles (Christian Bale) is a hot-headed driver, and when Carroll Shelby (Matt Damon) cannot race because of his heart condition, the two begin to really work with each other. Miles is hard to work with, but Shelby continually campaigns for him because he loves him, and the two are constantly trying to help each other while still following orders from the big guys: Ford Motors.
Henry Ford II (Tracy Letts) is angry that his company is basically falling apart because of sports cars (men, amirite?), and so one of his employees, Lee Iacocca (Jon Bernthal), suggests getting them into the racing business to, essentially, take out Ferrari. The battle begins when Ford tries to buy Ferrari, since they’re broke, but Ferrari just uses their offer as a pitch to Fiat to give them more money.
Angry, Ford then agrees to hire Shelby to help start the racing division, and then the movie gets into a lot of car talk that I just nodded along to because boy oh boy do I know absolutely nothing about cars. There is a point in the movie where they just LITERALLY swap out a brake system in a car, and I said, “Is that even possible?” and then remembered it was based on a true story and said, “Okay then.”
Maybe once I unpack more of this movie, I’ll realize that I didn’t like it that much. But right now, I’m still thinking about them going real fast and Matt Damon pulling little tricks trying to win the Le Mans ’66, and how he just loves Ken Miles so much. Maybe Ford v. Ferrari rules?
(image: 20th Century Fox)
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