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Words:Shannon Wright /Art: Shannon Wright/

“Halley’s Cosmic Combo is a meal deal good enough to attract denizens from every corner of the galaxy. The catch? It comes once every 75 years…”

When Shannon tweeted that she was debuting this comic at TCAF, I was hyped as I love her work as an illustrator and in truth, I really thought this would be a super cute story.

After finally reading it, I’m not wrong. It IS super cute.

As a lover of comics, I can and do appreciate a story that evolves into several volumes. I appreciate a narrative that develops into months and even years of pages that become a web comic. I’m here for a tale that can be as old as time and be a lengthy ride.

However, I also believe that a single story, a solo dolo adventure, a one shot, when done right can be equally as powerful. Castor & Carina: Halley’s Cosmic Combo is one such of those stories by Shannon Wright.

These two precious children, dragon children, Castor and his twin sister Carina are, if you were trying to measure their excitement, on ten:

The two get themselves ready, and it’s such a fun ride to read: it is as relatable for those of us who had mommas who worked hard and couldn’t do things we wanted at times but also for those who have siblings–it’s a reminder of the hijinks you into with your siblings when you were young, myself included. I believe the heart of this offering is the quest for adventure, the longing to obtain “the thing,” and the dangers and obstacles they’ll have to get there and get a taste. The fact that they’re going to Halley’s for burgers, which I’m assuming is the Holy Grail In-N-Out of the Galaxy, endears me to them even more.

The story takes some turns and throws us some surprises, but it all comes to a satisfying (and also relatable) ending which made me want to reminiscence on the wild adventures I had with my brothers eons ago and text them. It’s a feel good story with some funny moments about some persistent kids who just want a taste of adventure and have to rely on each other to get it. The comic itself is set in a Black and White toned format which makes Wright’s art stand out more especially with outer space settings. Castor and Carina are obviously adorable characters here, and there’s an emphasis on the small details like the vivid facial expressions and the word bubbles.

At only 24 pages, this is a fun ride. It’s part slice of life, part sci-fi, part fantasy and just a whole cup of cuteness and brown skinned characters with natural hair, what more could you want? Buy a digital copy of Castor & Carina: Halley’s Cosmic Combo here.

9.7 Best Combos In The Galaxy Out Of 10

Update: If you’ve loved these two siblings, it looks like they’re getting their own series–more of their adventures in the realm of slice of life and possibly more in space to come!

See more of Wright on her personal website, on Twitter and see more of her comics for sale here on Gumroad.

Hey peeps, my name is Shannon and I’m an illustrator and cartoonist! I’m really into using bold colors & exploring the mundane & fantastical. Oh, and I’m a sucker for fanfiction. #visiblewomen

Website: https://t.co/YWhqLE0ugH
IG: @shannondrewthis
Ko-fi: https://t.co/PYwKH8q38a pic.twitter.com/a8VupZOLKh

— ✨ShanFiction✨ (@shannondrewthis) February 13, 2018

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The post Castor & Carina: Halley’s Cosmic Combo Review appeared first on Black Nerd Problems.

It’s impossible not to get excited for any project from the creatives who delivered the perfection that is Avatar: The Last Airbender, which is why The Dragon Prince instantly draws the eye, but, now that we’ve gotten the first trailer courtesy of SDCC, the show also appears to contain much of the same DNA that made ATLA great.



Slow-ish frame rate aside, the trailer is an excellent tease of action, goofiness, and the kind of character designs that were hallmarks of ATLA. One character even appears to throw air during a fight. No doubt The Dragon Prince will be its own animal, though. The show focuses on a conflict between humans and elves through the alliance of two princely brothers (Jack DeSena’s Callum and Sasha Rojen’s Ezran) and their would-be elf assassin (Paula Burrows’ Rayla).

If an elf is trying to kill you, befriend her. That’s good life advice.

The Dragon Prince is a collaboration between ATLA head writer Aaron Ehasz, Annie award-winning ATLA director Giancarlo Volpe, and Uncharted 3 director Justin Richmond. Obviously the personnel is brimming with potential, but the show also has a glowing magical toad named Bait, so bingeing every episode when they land September 14 feels appropriate.

The most exciting thing is the opportunity to see more of Ehasz’s world-building. These characters already feel familiar, and I couldn’t fault them if they used a hefty amount of the ATLA formula as a starting point, but that showed excelled in its scope and the way it revealed the world’s nooks and crannies along the way, which is why The Dragon Prince could be another standout of mythological proportions.

Images: Netflix

Evelyn Magley has made history as the first African American woman to ever own a male professional sports league in the United States. Magley and her husband, retired NBA player David Magley, are the founders of The Basketball League (TBL), a newly formed minor professional basketball league which acquired the North American Premier Basketball (NAPB) league and is scheduled to debut next year.

“I am thrilled to start a league that treats our players with the greatest level of respect thereby impacting our community in a manner that is consistent with our faith, by serving those who need it the most,” said Magley in a statement. She was named as the CEO of the league while her husband operates as president.

The league has targeted 40 markets in the U.S. and Canada and expects to start with 12 to 16 teams in January 2019. Some of the teams include the Kansas City Tornados, Ohio Bootleggers, Nevada Desert Dogs, Vancouver Knights, Raleigh Firebirds, Tampa Bay Titans, and San Diego Waves. Each team will play 32 games that will be available via livestream.

TBL offers athletes who don’t make it in the NBA or G-League another option to play ball professionally and earn anywhere from $1,500 to $7,500 a month. TBL is also dedicated to providing families with affordable and quality entertainment as well as community support through the launch of an upcoming philantropic arm, youth camps, clinics, and nonprofit organizations. Plus, the league gives individuals and groups an opportunity to own a professional sports business with a relatively low cost barrier to entry.

David Magley, who most recently served as the Commissioner of the National Basketball League of Canada, said Mrs. Magley brings a “unique vision” to the new league as the wife of a pro athlete and the mother of four children who played sports collegiately. “Her passion for people allows us to build on a vision of impacting community through giving young men opportunities that do not exist today, then leveraging our platforms to engage each local market to benefit the youth and non-profit initiatives she is so very passionate about,” said the former Cleveland Cavaliers small forward in a statement. He was drafted in 1982.

According to her bio, Magley is the former Director of Community Engagement for the Brampton A’s of the NBL Canada, where she scaled the forward-facing programming of the NBL team and nonprofit organizations within the community at large. She graduated from the University of Kansas and worked as a professional music educator and music therapist. She also co-founded an inner-city ministry focused on mentoring children through the gospel, academic services, food, and music called Children with Purpose.

The post Meet the First Black Woman to Own a Male Professional Sports League in the U.S. appeared first on Black Enterprise.

In a recent town hall meeting, Pennsylvania State Senator and gubernatorial candidate Scott Wagner took a question from 18-year-old Rose Strauss, who wanted some answers regarding her rep’s stance on energy.

“Two-thirds of Pennsylvanians think climate change is an issue that needs to be addressed but you have said that climate change is a result of people’s body heat and are refusing to take action of the issue,” she said. “Does this have anything to do with the $200,000 that you have taken from the fossil fuel industry?”

That’s a totally reasonable question about a real thing Wagner once said. Rather than actually answer her though, he responds with a patronizing dismissal.

“You’re 18 years old,” he told her. “You’re a little young and naive.” In the video above, you can hear some of the crowd laughing and applauding. Videos taken from other angles though, make it clear not everyone thinks that’s at all funny. You can hear one man yelling at Wagner to “Answer the question!”

Instead, Wagner asked the crowd, “Are we here to elect a governor or are we here to elect a scientist?”

That’s a ludicrous response. Wagner doesn’t have to know the intricate, scientific details of climate change, but then he can’t also expect to go unchallenged when he spouts inane, fake “facts” dismissing actual science.

It’s true that a lot of young people pride themselves on their idealism, but idealism is not the same thing as naivete. Strauss is a member of Sunrise Movement, an organization made up of young people determined to make climate change a top political issue. These are informed, engaged, politically active young people. I don’t know what about that says “naive” to Wagner. Too bad for him, they are young, but, at least some of them, like Rose, are not too young to vote.

If being young and naive means wanting action on climate to protect the health and safety of millions of people around the world, then call me #YoungAndNaive.

— Rose Strauss (@rose_strauss) July 20, 2018

If being young and naive means expecting our politicians reject campaign contributions from the fossil fuel executives threatening our futures, then call us #YoungAndNaive. @rose_strauss @sunrisemvmt #NoFossilFuelMoney

— Sunrise Boston (@SunriseBoston) July 20, 2018

If being “young and naive” means we believe no one should be lose their home to a flood, a fire, or another climate disaster just so a handful of wealthy corporate executives want to make a profit, then call us #YoungAndNaive. https://t.co/OAq4z22YtM

— Sunrise Movement 🌅 (@sunrisemvmt) July 20, 2018

If being Young and Naive means asking politicians to care about the health and wellbeing of our communities then I’m proud to be #YoungAndNaive

— Anam Rathor (@AnamRathor) July 20, 2018

#YoungAndNaive may well just kick his ass at the polls.

— Politicab (@Politicabbie) July 20, 2018

“Young & Naive” may well be Generation Z’s “Nasty Woman.”

While we’re on the subject of women refusing to accept the condescending dismissal of men in politics, take a look at this video from Sharice Davids, who is running for Congress in Kansas’ 3rd District. She’s Native American, an MMA fighter, loves the Arrowverse*, and she’s also gay.

At a town hall event, Davids used her time allotted for a closing statement to address some dismissive comments one of her opponents made about gender non-conforming and LGBTQIA people. I cannot find the comments themselves, but when she said she was going to address them, she was met with wild applause.

Her is the statement she made:

One of the most important things I see in this campaign is the way that people are dismissed, the way that people are silenced and erased, not just from our history but from our current conversations.

We have a lot of decision-makers who talk an awful lot about the voice that they want to be. And that’s not what we need. What we need is someone who will listen. What we need is someone who cares about the voices that have already been talking for so long and are not being listened to. This is why we don’t have leaders in Congress, because they don’t want to listen, they just want to talk. They’re decision makers, but not leaders. And we need leaders.

*Full disclosure: That interview was conducted by my husband, Brock Wilbur, and we are both very disappointed that Davids is running in the district next to ours because we want to vote for her very badly.

(image: Shutterstock)

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