Your hub for Blerd news, mobilized by AT&T.
Reason One: Fan Service
People who watch Game of Thrones know how this show works. The important characters never really die. No matter how brutal they may be treated, the really vital players live to the end. Most of the Starks who were murdered were not that vital to the end game, but Jon Snow is. In fact, in season 5, episode 8 titled “Hardhome,” he could have died when he was fighting one of the others when he was attempting to get the dragon glass.
Five years after the original Heroes ended, Heroes Reborn will reintroduce fans to the world of EVOs or Evolved Humans (ordinary people with special abilities). The 13-episode miniseries will reconnect fans to the first season of the original. After a terrorist attack in Odessa, Texas, the government blamed the EVOs for it and have staged a manhunt for all of those with extraordinary abilities.
There are a lot of similarities to X-Men in this miniseries. The show has always played with comic book tropes and explored ideas that have been done before. However, the show’s creators have managed to put a spin on those ideas. Heroes Reborn will feature characters from the original series like Hiro Nakamura (Masi Oka), Matt Parkman (Greg Grunberg), Mohinder Suresh (Sendhil Ramamurthy), The Haitian (Jimmy Jean-Louis), Angela Petrelli (Cristine Rose) and Micah Sanders (Noah Gray-Cabey). There will also be new additions like Zachary Levi as Luke Collins, a vigilante who will cause trouble for the EVOs. The series will begin Sept. 24 on NBC.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FLHB2zB_cA
Source: YouTube/NBC Universal
The Beginning
In 1993, the comic book publishing company was founded as Milestone Media by a group of Black artists and writers, including the late Dwayne McDuffie, Denys Cowan, Michael Davis and Derek T. Dingle. From 1993 to 1997, the company produced nearly 300 comics with Black characters as leads. The titles were published through DC Comics as a separate imprint in its own universe.
Kara Walker (Nov. 26, 1969)
Walker is a painter and printmaker who has become famous for her paper silhouettes. Her work addresses race, gender, stereotypes and Black history. Walker has made a career out of controversial works that force people to see the ugliness of the world. In 1997, the painter won the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation “genius grant.”
Gwendolyn Bennett (July 8, 1902- May 30, 1981)
Sadly, Bennett was an overlooked poet, painter and writer from the Harlem Renaissance. She was multi-talented in a variety of areas. Bennett worked alongside intellectuals like Alain Locke. In addition to writing and painting, she served as a journalist working for the New York Herald Tribune, The New Republic and the New York Amsterdam News.
Two weeks ago, the Internet went on high alert with misleading news of Ava DuVernay’s apparent job offer to direct Marvel’s Black Panther flick.
However, that was not the case. DuVernay nor Marvel’s Kevin Feige confirmed the hire. “There are a lot of fans hoping that she will get the job, but at this time, there is only known information about meetings with multiple directors, not just DuVernay, ” a Blerds report said.
“It wasn’t for me. I loved exploring it. I loved the character. I love that they called me about it, but ultimately, when I delved into it, it wasn’t a good match, so I wish them luck.” DuVernay told The Huffington Post last week at the Essence Music Festival.
Marvel’s reputation for not giving auteurs the creative breathing room necessary to work continues to grow. Director Edgar Wright was a prime example. He left the upcoming Ant-Man film, a film he pitched and wanted to work on at Marvel but left due to creative differences, opening the door for director Peyton Reed.
Joss Whedon has also reported that Avengers: Age of Ultron is his last Marvel film.
However, the Marvel machine keeps on trucking and so does DuVernay. She has two projects in the early stages of development that should appease her fans. A scripted drama for the OWN network and a Hurricane Katrina love story starring David Oyelowo are all slated for future release.
The Early Days
At 10 years old, Octavia Butler (June 22, 1947-Feb. 24, 2006) was dead set on becoming an author. As a young child, she had dyslexia and an unwavering love for books.
The Patternmaster
Butler started her career at Pasadena City College, where she earned an associate’s degree. She later moved on to UCLA, where she finished her education. In 1976, she wrote her first book “Patternmaster” which is part of her Patternist Series. The book focus on a group telepathic individuals in a sci-fi setting.
There have been plenty of rumors that the new Green Lantern film could feature more than one Green Lantern. That means that Hal Gordon, Kyle Rayner, Guy Gardner, John Stewart and others could be at the center of this brand new project from DC Comics.
In the past few weeks, there has been speculation that R&B singer and Fast and Furious actor Tyrese Gibson would be John Stewart, one of DC’s first African-American characters.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, the actor stated:
“There are certain things I can’t speak on. But I will say, however this works out, it’s definitely the fans’ fault. I was at home minding my own business and fans start creating these fan-made videos of me as Green Lantern and I looked into it. I’ve been a fan of the Green Lantern. I took the oath, and I had a meeting at Warner Bros. and certain things were said and talked about. We’ll just see what happens. ”
Fans may have some trepidation about him and the role because he primarily plays comic relief roles in his films and that may not be the way fans envision John Stewart.
One of the bones of contention surrounding comic book films, in general, is the filmmakers’ vision versus the fans’. Comic book fans expect a lot out of the filmmakers and expect them to create stories that are true to the source material, but fans can’t tell directors, writers and others how to interpret that source material. Fans have to wait and see like everyone else.
So will Gibson be a good choice for this iconic character? Maybe. Some may root for Idris Elba. But who knows at this point? There are about three years before the final product is released. Let the speculation build.
Science-fiction can take the average person to awesome unexplored worlds or strange dimensions with different life forms. It can introduce new species and new ideas about the universe we all share and visions of the future we would like to see and what we wouldn’t want for humanity. Surprisingly, sci-fi also is a great way to infuse a variety of people in these new and interesting stories that other genres fail to do. Black actors have gained great notoriety for their roles in these types of films.
‘Book of Eli’ (2010)
This neo-Western takes place in a post-apocalyptic world where a book is the most prized and sought-after object. Denzel Washington is the star and portrays Eli, the protector of the book. Washington’s intensity is what makes this film worthy of watching.
‘Star Wars: Episode V — Empire Strikes Back’ (1980)
Lando Calrissian aka Billy Dee Williams is the leader of Cloud City and a close friend to Han Solo. He was a vital role player in episode six when the Rebel Alliance launched a final attack on the Empire. Calrissian had nuance and a swagger that could not be replicated.
All of this week there has been news that Ava DuVernay has been chosen to direct the Black Panther feature film. In fact, she has been meeting with Kevin Feige, the president of Marvel Studios, about the job, but no one has confirmed it. DuVernay has yet to confirm nor has Feige or any other official Marvel representative.
“The DuVernay choice could be great news for the future of the Marvel franchise not only because of the more diverse perspective she could bring to the table (she’d be the first non-white, non-male director to see a Marvel film to its completion), but also because in hiring someone with such strong vision, Marvel could combat accusations that its lucrative franchise is a creatively stifling place for directors,” according to writer Joanna Robinson for Vanity Fair.
There are a lot of fans hoping that she will get the job, but at this time, there is only known information about meetings with multiple directors, not just DuVernay.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Feige was asked if Marvel has chosen a director for the upcoming Black Panther and Captain Marvel films, and he says:
“I think by the end of the summer, we’ll have most of those things. Black Panther especially.”
There is still a great amount of speculation and anticipation on who will get to direct the Black Panther film, but until it comes directly from Feige, we will not know for sure.
The First Black Comic Convention in Philadelphia
The ECBACC was created in 2002 in Philadelphia to serve as a place for Black comic creators and fans to meet and network. This was back when Facebook, YouTube and Twitter didn’t exist so people had to meet face to face. The convention founder and president is Yumy Odom. He is a strong advocate for Black creators, and that is why he founded the convention. For more information on the leadership board, visit the ECBACC website.