Archie #4: Comic Review

In our continued review of the Archie relaunch, we have issue number 4 by Mark Waid and new artist, Annie Wu.  Upfront, I have to say I was not a big fan of the artwork with Annie Wu.  Her pencils are not nearly as clean as the previous artist, but that would be me nitpicking.

Finally this issue reveals the #lipstickincident.  Its been hinted at since issue #1 as to why Archie and Betty are no longer the "It" couple at Riverdale High!  The issue starts off with Jughead and Archie playing in Archie's garage and of course Archie being the klutz, something happens.  As he is regrouping himself, Jughead offers him a Goo-Bar and this makes Archie pause and walk off.

Archie breaks the 4th wall and begins to narrate to us why the Goo-Bar is a bad reminder of the worst day of his teenage life.  He begins with the recap of young love blooming in Riverdale.  Archie and Betty have been best friend since they were kids and now are each others first love.  This plays out wonderfully in the panels.  Teenage, high school puppy love and the artwork and splash pages are fantastic.

On one of these teenage dream dates, the young lovers share a Goo-Bar and somehow that bar is infected with ants and this sends Betty rushing in a panic to the public bathroom.  There she runs into Riverdale gossip and fashion hound, Sheila Wu.  They tell Betty she needs a make over and invite her over to change everything about her( clothes, make up, and even her name "Lizzy".)  For some reason, Betty consents to the make over before her next date with Archie and we see all the pedis and plucking and combing to turn our sweet Betty Cooper into something she is not.

When Archie comes to pick her up.... I love the fact that he does not have the old, red jalopy, he sees the New Betty and does not know how to react.  Betty looks hot, but not in that tomboy kinda hot. Betty is smoking hot in a red dress and Archie is blown away- but not in a good way.

Their date is awkward and they move throughout not really knowing what to say to one another.  They go to eat and to a movie with hardly anything in terms of convo.  Finally the dam breaks and Archie admits he does not like the New Betty. He liked Old Betty and that sends Betty over the edge and she swipes at Archie with her lipstick- hence the #lipstickincident.

The book follows Archie after the #lipstickincident as he tries to reconnect with Betty... all via text- never a phone call.  That is such an updated version of kids/adults today!  Archie comes back and breaks the 4th wall to let us know that is what happened and as he heads back to the garage to link up with Jughead, he finds that Juggy is gone but Veronica is there and she would love to have Archie play her a song.  To which he happily obliges. The air lifts Archie's tune, "Veronica" to the ears of Betty at her home and this infuriates her.  She and Jughead have decided that Archie needs to be rescued from that she-devil Veronica and they could only think of one vile and deceitful person to make that happen..... Reggie Mantle.

Big fan of this issue and finally the introduction of Reggie.  He is such a vital piece to the friendship puzzle in Riverdale and of course he would be involved somehow/someway in something to screw with Archie and Veronica.  The fact that Betty and Jughead seek him out only adds to the intrigue.

Great book and a continued awesome read in this relaunch!

The Producer

I'm not calling these Ghostbusters

From the title, people gonna think I'm hating on these New Ghostbusters because they are women and that is so far from the truth.  Women being able to open large, tent pole summer movies is long overdue.  There needs to be more space and time for women and people of color in the medium of film.  With all that being said, I think the women who are starring in this movie, primarily Melissa McCarthy and Kristen Wiig are not funny and are highly overrated.  But they are not the reason I wont be seeing the remake.  The main reason is that source material, Ghostbusters isn't that good.
I know this is blasphemy in the halls of geek and nerdom but my reply back to them and you would be, "Have you attempted to watch Ghostbusters as an adult?"

Ghostbusters came out in 1984.... I remember going to the Salem Mall in my hometown with a bunch of my buddies to go and to see it.  We took the bus out to the mall and even tho now it may not seem like a big deal, going to a PG movie without your parents was a huge deal in 1984.  Once it was over, we  thought Ghostbusters was the funniest shit ever. And it was... because I was 13.  Later, when I saw the movie as an adult, I was kinda like, "Um, this is not really that funny!"  I mean the movie had some top notch( white) comedy talent at the time.  Bill Murray before he was trying to win Oscars, Dan Akroyd, Harold Ramis, Rick Moranis.  I mean these dudes were the kings of( white) comedy in the 80's.  From Animal House, CaddyShack, Stripes, Dr. Detroit, Blues Brothers... I mean these dudes made some funny movies. But Ghostbusters ain't one of them.  I watched Ghostbusters the other day because it was on AMC and I was shocked as to how much of the movie I did not remember. I mean you remember the proton packs and Sigounrey Weaver getting possessed and whatnot but  the most memorable things about the movie are Slimer, Stay Puff, and The Ray Parker, Jr song.  The jokes are mad corny and the movie is a mess in terms of editing, and direction. As the movie is progressing, I could physically hear myself breathing because I for damn sure was not laughing.

See I think Blerds my age probably remember more fondly the Real Ghostbusters Cartoon that ran from 1986-1991.  Called the Real Ghostbusters because of a movie rights issue,   This cartoon is funny and even tho it overuses Slimer, the cartoon adventures probably fit more to the subject matter than it did on the big screen.  Plus the cartoon allowed The Ernie Hudson character, Winston to shine- unlike he did in the movie.  Ernie Hudson still pissed about that movie role!

So Ima pass on this remake.  I mean it may be funnier than the original,  but thats not really gonna be that hard- truth be told. And don't even get me started on Ghostbusters 2!

The Producer

Worst possible Lando's

Young Han Solo Casting

So the Star Wars people are moving right along with giving us this Star Wars related movie a year plan of theirs.  One of the side angle movies is going to be a young, Han Solo story and Disney is in the process of trying to cast a young, Han Solo.  A list of actors dropped in the article above and to say its underwhelming or non-inspiring would be an understatement.  Each of them is wack in their  own, special way, and, say what you will about Harrison Ford, he was a great Han Solo and them is some large, Wampa sized shoes for any actor to try and fill.

But people forget, because he was the only Black dude in the movies, how big of a star Billy Dee Williams was.  He owned the role of Lando as a handsome, smooth talking, ruffian- the equal to Han Solo in that regard.  So putting just anybody in that role would not go over well in the Blerd community!

But my thought was, if that sorry ass list was the best actors they had for Han Solo, the list of actors they must have for Lando is probably even worse.  There is no way they do a young, Han Solo movie without introducing us to his sometime friend, Lando Calrissian.  So I said to myself, "Self, who could possibly be the WORST actor they could cast as Lando?  I am sure we all hope for the best and Michael B Jordan or Chadwick Boseman takes the role and we'll all sleep better at night.  But if they pass, who could Disney hire that would make Black Twitter want to riot on the Internet streets?

My top 3 nightmare hires.... In alphabetical order!

Nick Cannon

He would be thirsty enough to audition and drum up support for himself on line like he did for the Richard Pryor bio-pic.  Hell no to the former Ms. Mariah Carey.  I would burn all my Star Wars shit if he got the role.

Kevin Hart

He is probably too busy making other bad movies to do this. Plus he would need a booster seat to actually fly the Millennium Falcon.

Jaden Smith

Just NO. Please God, NO!  Please no more science fiction movies for you for a few more years. Please allow the stink of After Earth to die!


Leave your worst suggestions in the comments section or on our Facebook feed or on Twitter!
#worstLando

Man, Fck Hal Jordan!

Chris Pine not offered GL

So this news that Chris Pine was NOT actually offered Green Lantern dropped this week.
In the article, Pine says he was never offered the role and that was pretty much the end.  The rumors were pretty hot that he was going to revive the role of Hal Jordan to play Green Lantern in the Justice League movies for the DC expanded Universe.  I like Chris Pine.  I think he is a fine actor and all that, but enough already with Hal Jordan as Green Lantern.

There is nothing remotely interesting about Hal Jordan as Green Lantern- except when he lost his mind and killed a bunch of Green Lanterns. That's it!  Its the reason DC creators made such a drastic change for Hal Jordan because the character is as milk toast as you could possibly get.  People were way more interested in Hal Jordan as the Spectre than they were with him as Green Lantern.

 Plus we have already seen this version of Green Lantern fail in a movie already.  The Ryan Reynolds Green Lantern movie should/will go down as one of the worst comic adaptations ever along with Catwoman.  DC should be thinking all the way outside the box on Green Lantern.

John Stewart

The logical succession is John Stewart.  And I know people reading this is gonna think I'm saying this because he is black and that is part of it- there needs to be representation of people of color on the screen in Justice League and its perfectly OK to have two black people be on the team with Green Lantern and Cyborg( I am not sure how to qualify Aqua-bro, yet). John Stewart's back story as a military man could play right into the Justice League movie.  Maybe he works with/for the Amanda Waller and CADMUS?  Maybe he was recruited from his military service to be Green Lantern?  There is so much to explore with John Stewart as Green Lantern.  But, honestly,  my overall wanting to have John Stewart has more to do with him NOT being Hal Jordan.  John Stewart is more interesting and people who grew up on Justice League and Justice League Unlimited on Cartoon Network are more familiar with this version of Green Lantern.  It just makes sense on multiple levels. But who could play John Stewart?  There have been rumors of Tyrese and Lance Gross.  Friend of @brothascomics Curtis Cook has also had his name thrown out there.

But if they don't go with John Stewart, lets look at the other two logical choices.

Kyle Rayner

Now you'd have to be a hardcore DC head to know that Kyle Rayner is actually half- Mexican.  His real dad was a CIA agent and Mexican- even though he is drawn fairly Caucasian in the comics and they rarely acknowledge his Hispanic heritage in the books.  If Black people are not represented in comics and sci- fi/fantasy, Hispanics are even less represented. Kyle Rayner would make a good, young Green Lantern.  Maybe he could be trained by Hal Jordan and the Green lantern Corp,  or succeed Hal Jordan as the Green Lantern of Earth.  Again, anyone but Hal Jordan.  Who could possibly play Kyle Rayner? If they cast him as Hispanic, there are a few actors out there who would make sense. I like Victor Rasuk.  He is a good actor and could definitely play the role of young, Kyle Rayner!  But Prince Royce would be a good choice, too.

Guy Gardner

Well if Blacks and Hispanics are underrepresented, Gingers are underrepresented, too.  The best thing about Guy Gardner as Green Lantern is that his give a fuck button is all the way broke! This "be the hero, anti- hero" thing could work well in a movie and could make for some awesome constructs from him with his power ring.  His backstory as a former juvenile delinquent, turned cop could give his character some needed back story.  Plus his Deray vest would like sweet as hell on film.  Trying to find a real redhead actor, who is also a bad ass in Hollywood would make for some crazy casting.  I am sure they would just dye job up somebody!  But my choice would be Ewan McGregor; although I think the Star Wars craziness put him off fan boy movies forever!

I swear if DC thinks we need to see sorry ass Hal Jordan again as the star of movie, they really don't have a clue or give a damn about their fans.  I mean honestly, I'd rather see Kilowog star in the movie before Hal Jordan again!

Hopefully DC sees the error of their ways and goes another way! I'm begging you DC, please no more Hal Jordan!

The Producer

Who Should play Cable

Who Should Play Cable

Our friends over at Cinema Blend got a chance to talk to the creator of Deadpool, Rob Liefeld and he made a suggestion on who should play Cable in the Deadpool sequel..... Jon Hamn.  Mr. Mad Men himself as Nathan Dayspring?  As much as I hate Rob Liefeld, that is a perfectly good suggestion.

For those who are unfamiliar, Cable is the child of Cyclops and his cloned wife Madelyn Pryor.  He is a class 5 level mutant with telepathy and telekinesis and even though he was born in "our" timeline, he was sent to the future because he was infected with a techno virus and had to be sent away for a cure.  Cable grows up in an era where Apoclype rules the world and he spends most of his time time traveling back and forth to prevent his future from happening.  That is like the most 90's comics thing I have ever written.

Now Cable's look in the comics is absolutely ridiculous( we owe Mr. Liefeld for that) and definitely would have to be adapted greatly for the big screen.  But as an actor, Hamm could pull it off easy. But where do you put Cable? Does he go into Deadpool 2 if the movie is successful enough to spawn a sequel( I have my doubts).  Do they place Cable in any of the other mutant movies that Fox appears to want to throw down our throats( New Mutants or XForce- he has ties to both teams).  Fox is basing all their non Xmen plans on Deadpool. Its a risky strategy to expand the mutant universe outside of the Xmen but #foxgonnafx.  We will all find out when Deadpool hits theaters on February 12!

The Producer

Gambit: What could I have done?

"What more could I have done?"
"There were warning signs, I should have paid more attention!"
"Looking back, you could see there were problems."

These are not quotes from the latest mass shooting in the United States.  These are the quotes fan boys and girls will be making after the Gambit movie makes its way into theaters in 2017 or later....

Gambit Production begins March 2016

The news dropped today that production on the Doug Liman directed and Channing Tatum starring, Gambit will begin production in New Orleans in March, 2016.  This is after many pre production delays including contract renegotiation's with the star, the original director dropping out, and script after script revision.  Finally, production will begin this spring with a TBD actual release date of the movie.

I fear we will all be making these statements after the movie is released- hell probably before once set leaks come out and we see "Bucket Head" Channing Tatum dressed as our favorite Cajun.  I have been hard pressed to find one person who has been on board with his casting( He's too big". He's too dumb!" He can't act. He can't get the accent right").  So I wonder why Fox is so full steam ahead of making this movie?  Gambit is top five in terms of most popular Xmen, right?  So him HAVING a movie is not that big of a surprise.  The surprise is why Fox is not allowing or the character to grow BEFORE giving him a headline movie.  Why not place the character in an X-Men movie first and then spin him off from there( like Marvel is doing with Black Panther).  This way, the character has some backstory and audiences are more familiar with the character.  This way you don't have to spend 45 minutes of the Gambit movie telling an origin story that no one wants to see.

And on top of that.... If Gambit is top 5 in terms of popularity and you believe so much in the character and his importance in the X-Univrse, you telling me you couldn't find someone better than Channing Tatum to play the lead?  C'mon man?!  I am not sure if he is too big for the role but I know dude cannot act and there will be a level of smooth that the character needs to pull off and Channing Tatum cannot do that.  Maybe I'm wrong but I doubt it!

So now we are left with a movie with every possible pre- production concern moving forward.  Could we have done more as fans? Should there have been on line petitions?  Sit ins? Boycotts? Rain dances? Voodoo dolls? Something/anything to stop this travesty from happening?  What more could I have done? Sadly, I think its probably too late!

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Comic Shop Profile: Tate's Comics

Tate's Comics
4566 N University Drive
Lauderhill, FL 33351
954-748-0181

A new feature we are adding to Brothascomics- Comic Shop Profile.  The first comic shop we are going to profile is Tate's Comics in Lauderhill, Florida.  I picked Tate's to profile first because it was my shop for over 13 years when I lived in South Florida and it is literally one of the best shops in the country.

Just some background... when I moved to Florida and got my first adult paying job, I was looking for a store to get books.  I went to a few that were more local to my house for a while but they wound up going out of business.  Then one day, i was just driving down University Drive and saw their sign and pulled in and I never went to another store.

The owner is Tate Otati and his back story on how he came to own the store and the history of the store can be found on their website.   Tate's dad, Tony, who also works at the store, was a school teacher( like me at the time) so we bonded over comics and the state of education in Florida.  The place just felt like home.  Wednesday's at Tate's became like a religion for me and I always felt welcomed- even as a blerd.

The store is a treasure trove for all your nerdly needs.  Of course there are comics, but the collectibles and statues are top notch. There are movie props galore and all of it is for sell if you got deep pockets.  The staff is wonderfully adorkable and can answer any geekly questions that you throw at them.  This does not even speak to the Japanese snack tastings, the Not at Comic Con Comic Con event and the huge party they throw on Free Comic Book Day.  Hell, there have been date nights and movie meet ups for the latest and greatest nerd features.  Plus, Big Hutch would kill me if if I didn't plug their Gaming Satellite for all your RPG needs.

Since I have moved, I've been back to visit a few times and people still remember me and always treat me as kindly as the first day I walked in.  Great store, great staff.... If you ever get a chance to visit South Florida and you are a nerd/geek/blerd, you need to check out Tate's Comics!

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Check out our video profile of the store and look for the camera shy owner Tate Otati!  Thanks for Joanne for the interview and the staff for being so kind to me while we shot inside the store.