Moving On

As of 8/30/2008 I have move to my new site urbanhorror.wordpress.com

On 10/1/2008 I will elimnate this blog to reduce confusion 

I look forward to hearing from you :)

Obama the Comedy Central Version

Princess & the Frog Sneak Peek

Black & Blue Print

The Black Male Handbook is a collection of essays for Black males on surviving, living, and winning. Kevin Powell taps into the social and political climate rising in the Black community, particularly as it relates to Black males. This is a must-have book, not only for Black male readers, but the women who befriend, parent, partner, and love them.

The Black Male Handbook answers a collective hunger for new direction, fresh solutions to old problems, and a different kind of conversation -- man-to-man and with Black male voices, all of the hiphop generation. The book tackles issues related to political, practical, cultural, and spiritual matters, and ending violence against women and girls.

The book also features an appendix filled with useful readings, advice, and resources. The Black Male Handbook is a blueprint for those aspiring to thrive against the odds in America today.

Click here for more

Skip a Flick Read a Book

3 Quick Questions

When will this drop?



What were they thinking?



Was this the coolest series or what?

Sheer Genius

Preview Pilot Season Genius #1

Pilot Season: Genius #1 (W) Marc Bernardin, Adam Freeman (A)Afua Richardson (COV) Afua Richardson Alexander, Hannibal, Napoleon, Patton. What if the greatest military mind of OUR generation was born in strife, surrounded by violence and combat since birth? When the gauntlet is dropped, the question isn’t “How did 17-year-old Destiny Ajaye unite the gangs of South Central into a killer army and declare war on the LAPD?” No, the question is, “Can anyone stop her?” From the minds of writers Marc Bernardin & Adam Freeman (The Highwaymen, Monster Attack Network) and innovative illustrator Afua Richardson (Half Dead), Genius is a book that will have readers talking for months to come. Full Color 32 pages $3.99 pilot issue

Click here for interview

Click here for preview

video trailer

ICONIC Return

Two opinions on the return of Milestone Comics after a decade



"I specifically stayed away from saying that,(minority characters) because that’s not what it’s about. There is a depth to these characters, there is an awareness to these characters, there’s a strength in personality, and there’s great development in these characters. When you have characters like ICON, Static, Hardware, the Shadow Cabinet...these are great characters and great concepts in their own right. This isn’t about a diversity issue – this is about bringing great material into the DC Universe, and being able to add value to everything that we do. "
Dan Dio DC Comics interview



"I believe this is a huge mistake that will, over time, work to the detriment of these characters instead of their benefit. By losing the uniqueness that made them stand apart from the crowd, the Milestone heroes will, sooner or later, become as far removed from their roots as the Marvel family is now."
The Glyphs article

LeSean Thomas

Lesean Thomas is the Co-Director & Supervising Character Designer of "The Boondocks" on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim. Season 2 AIRING NOW! StoryBoard Artist on BEN10:ALIEN FORCE and artist extradonaire'

His Space
Deviant Art
Blog

The Event Designer

There are event designers and then there is Preston Brailey, whose style transcend the term

Above the worlds largest wedding bouquet

Check out his books here

Check out his web here and his blog here

Chop Shop

Alejandro, a tough and ambitious Latino street orphan on the verge of adolescence, lives and works in an auto-body repair shop in a sprawling junkyard on the outskirts of Queens, New York. In this chaotic world of adults, young Alejandro struggles to make a better life for himself and his 16-year-old sister, Isamar.

The Return of Milestone

Static - co-created by Dwayne McDuffie, the fan favorite writer of DC's top-selling "Justice League of America" - will be joining "Teen Titans" as an active team member.

The supercharged hero is arguably the former DC imprint's most recognizable character thanks in large part to the animated series, "Static Shock," that ran for four seasons from 2000 to 2004.

Late Saturday night, McDuffie, one of Milestone's co-founders, also confirmed for CBR News that two of his most popular creations will appear in his next arc of "Justice League of America," beginning in #27.

"You will definitely see Icon and you'll definitely see Hardware," revealed McDuffie. "And the Justice League will be going up against Milestone's Shadow Cabinet too."

Icon is an ageless alien stranded on Earth, who possesses the abilities of superstrength, superspeed and flight while Hardware, is an alias for Curt Metcalf, an inventor who battles crime with his high-tech gadgets.

Along with "Static" and "Blood Syndicate," "Icon" and "Hardware," were amongst Milestone's first launch of titles in 1993.

Shadow Cabinet has been dubbed "the JLA as run by the CIA."

As for Static, McDuffie said, "He's a 15-year old fanboy, who has ended up with superpowers. And he has decided to be a superhero because that's what you do when you get superpowers. He's just like any of us if we got superpowers."

"And despite everybody asking him all the time," quipped McDuffie, "he's not related to Black Lightning."

Most of Milestone's heroes are based in the fictional Midwestern city of Dakota.

A city, according to McDuffie, that has always been planted firmly in DCU.

That being said, McDuffie couldn't say how the two worlds eventually collide in terms of DCU continuity, but did say that question would be answered in the months ahead.

"There is something a lot more complicated going on from the point of view of all the characters in the DC Universe," said McDuffie. "The city of Dakota has always been there. There's something else going on but that won't play out for quite sometime."

He did confirm the 'complicated something' has nothing to do with Grant Morrison's "Final Crisis."

McDuffie said he is thrilled the two companies were able to make this announcement today.

"We're really excited to see it happening. These are great characters. I think we found a way to make them a good fit in the DC Universe. It's a good fit for both companies and for both sets of characters and I think the fans are going to be really pleased."

He also confirmed DC and Milestone had been talking about this deal for 'about a year.'

"Both sides hoped we could pull it off," said McDuffie. "There is a lot of complicated stuff both contractually and creatively. We had to come up with stuff that made sense to both sides but we finally did.

"And it really is going to be great for us to have our characters be in books that are so well known and alongside Superman, Batman, etc. And we are going to add a bunch of exciting, new, young characters to the DCU. So everybody wins."

Black Panther on BET

The Black Panther is coming to BET, I'm not that fond of the art (couldn't you guys have talked with the folks over at the Boondocks) But its a success because BP is coming to the screen

Here the creators discuss the project

200, 000 Germans Can't Be Wrong

I Guess Sistah's Don't Watch Block Buster Movies

I was planning on doing a blog on this but Margeaux Watson nailed it

It's Time to Put Black Actresses in Hollywood Blockbusters Margeaux Watson

I like Will Smith as much as any other black woman — as much, for that matter, as any person, given that he has once again proved that he is the most bankable star in the universe. But I did not like Hancock. (Spoiler alert!) Smith's relationship with Charlize Theron was just plain bizarre: She's secretly superhuman! They've been married for eons! She's also married to Jason Bateman! What gives?
But the duo bothered me on a deeper level, too. Why is it that once an actor like Smith reaches A-list status, Hollywood never seems to pair him with a black actress in a potential blockbuster? From Denzel Washington (Training Day) to Dwayne ''The Rock'' Johnson (The Game Plan), leading African-American actors have been increasingly matched with non-black love interests. The sci-fi comedy Meet Dave (out now) finds Eddie Murphy romancing Elizabeth Banks, while Smith is paired with Latina actress Rosario Dawson in his next film, Seven Pounds (out in December). It's obviously a strategy to make these films as accessible as possible to all audiences, but I think it also expresses an implicit fear: A film featuring the coupling of a black actor and actress is too ''urban'' for the masses.
Just imagine how refreshing Hancock would have been if Theron's heroine had been played by a black actress like Tracee Ellis Ross (TV's Girlfriends), Paula Patton (Déjà Vu), or even Smith's real-life wife, Jada. Would the movie have tanked? Will Smith's last seven films have opened at No. 1, and Charlize Theron didn't star in any of those.
I don't have a thing against Theron — I loved her in Monster. And I don't have anything against Will Smith, either — he's done an enormous amount for African-Americans in Hollywood by proving to studios that actors of color can open movies here and overseas. I don't even have anything against interracial couples on screen — in fact, that's a nice sign of progress. My beef is that Hollywood opts for these couples again and again. The result? Black actresses are getting the shaft, and reality as I know it is not getting portrayed on the big screen. (And please don't mention Tyler Perry's name to me — Madea doesn't represent me either.)
Right now, with the exception of Halle Berry, Queen Latifah, and occasionally, Beyoncé Knowles, African-American women rarely get above-the-title billing in mainstream movies that pull in big numbers. Even when they do end up in supposedly plum roles as the love interest of a white male, most of their screen time is spent talking about and dealing with the fallout of that relationship. Just look at Sanaa Lathan, who freaked out when Simon Baker discovered she wears a weave in Something New. Or Zoe Saldana, who struggled to get her father (Bernie Mac) to accept her relationship with Ashton Kutcher in Guess Who.
And Lord knows I can't wait to see Lakeview Terrace, due out Sept. 19. This thriller, which is produced by Smith, finds Kerry Washington and Patrick Wilson playing an interracial couple living in L.A., suffering the wrath of their disapproving neighbor: an angry black cop played by Samuel L. Jackson.
C'mon, Hollywood, this is tired territory. Haven't you redone Guess Who's Coming to Dinner enough? Why can't black actresses play lead roles in benign romantic comedies like 27 Dresses and Made of Honor — or Hitch? Here's the real hitch: Until women like Nia Long and Gabrielle Union are cast opposite big guns like Smith and Washington, they'll never gain the recognition they need to open their own films. And until that happens, well, I'll always have Dreamgirls. nailed it

Memin in Context?

I made the same comment in yesterdays blog over at Glyphs, this was the response from Journalist Adalisa

Sorry it took me so long to come and comment here. First of all Rich, thank you for linking to my blog. I never expected so many people to read my post, but now that it has happened, I have a much better idea of what is going on, and what can be done to reach a better understanding on this tricky business.

@urbanhorror: I am afraid that we’re probably passing each other by with our mutual points. I’m aware,as I say in my post (Although I clarified it in an ETA after reading yours and other comments like this) that the image of Memin is offensive, and it draws from very racist stereotypes. I’m currently organizing with a friend a group of mexican artist to redesign Memin to take him away from those stereotypes. What I was trying to explain is why Mexicans say the story is not racist. because there are a couple of things that were completely distorted in the news report because of the language and cultural difference.

In Fairness Adalisa deserves the opportunity to put Memin in contest below is a snippet from her blog

This is not the first time that Memin has caused controversy on the states, but last time I held on hopes that someone from my country would step up and explain what Memin is about, but no one did. Most of the posts in México were about how hystericals americans were at some stuff, not delving in the fact that there's a huge cultural difference between the States and México, and that most of the problem American's have with Memin is due to those cultural differences click here for the whole article

Crash Course in Cultural Sensitivity

Its always an amazing thing when a group tries to explain to the offended party that their actions are not racist and that the offended party, just dosen't understand




The character spurred debate in 2005 when the Mexican government issued a stamp commemorating Memin. At the time, many U.S. activists and political figures called the character racist.

The Mexican government protested the characterizations, asserting that Americans simply do not understand Memin’s cultural significance in Mexico.

That debate spurred the publisher to re-issue the old comics in a collector’s series that are available for purchase in the United States as, well as Mexico.

Diversity in Entertainment: Why Is TV So White?

Cleveland Brown -- a cartoon voiced by a white guy -- is the only minority character to anchor a new series in 2008-09. What gives? As the broadcast networks prepare a predominantly white fall schedule, we examine where all the color has gone

CLEVELAND BROWN How did it fall to him to become TV's great black hope?

Fox
Cleveland Brown favors gentle words, and few words at that. He likes yellow T-shirts and baths. He is also fiercely proud of his African-American heritage, as evidenced by his ''Two Decades of Dignity'' board game and that nice talk he had with a racist cop about how a black bowling ball might feel when surrounded by white pins. It's a good thing, too, because Cleveland Brown is shaping up as network television's great black hope for the 2008-09 season — he's the only minority character anchoring a new series on the Big Five networks. Granted, his Family Guy spin-off, The Cleveland Show, didn't even make it onto the fall schedule (it's slated for midseason). Yes, Cleveland himself is merely a figment of animation. And true, the person who provides his voice, Mike Henry, is actually white. But hey, it's a start, right? click to continue

Man-ning Up

Barack Obama told the NAACP that he’s not going to stop calling on African-Americans to take more personal responsibility even if it angers people like the Rev. Jesse Jackson. A Hardball panel debates: Has the torch been passed to a new generation of African-American leaders?