Black Panther #1&2 Review

Written By: Ta-Nehisi Coates

Art By: Brian Stelfreeze

Publisher: Marvel

Rating: T+

Price: $3.99 Each

Since this will be my first time doing a review for a Marvel book on this site, I decided not to include spoilers. The pics will give you an idea of how the book looks as well without giving any key points away. This is the first comic series that Ta-Nehisi Coates has ever written, and I was interested to see how it turns out. I remember the first time Kevin Smith wrote Daredevil, and looking back on those issues I can say that they are not as good today as they were when they came out. For those not familiar with Coates, he is an accomplished and award winning writer, but how will he write the "funny books"? Let's find out as best we can without spoilers!

These panels give T'Challa's armor an organic feel. 

Stelfreeze does a great job conveying the feeling of Black Panther using his abilities. 

The book picks up right away focusing on Black Panther and gives us insight on his state of mind, and what he is looking to do for his people and his country. The art stands out right away, and reminds me a bit of the DC Milestone team that worked on Icon (I really miss that book!). Brian Stelfreeze has a very interesting style to say the least. His panel layouts are traditional, but seem to stand out more than other artists currently working on Marvel titles. I also like that each character has a unique face, something that many DC artists need to learn.  

This is how each title page looks. It's simple but it stands out with Stelfreeze's art in black and white.  

In issue #1, it is near the middle of the book giving it that cinematic feel.

After page five we do not see T'Challa until the last page, and I didn't even notice this on my first read through. The story was so well paced and the characters were portrayed in a way where I was interested and not just waiting for some action or splash page to get wrapped up in. By the time the last page came up I was chomping at the bits for issue two! 

So a month later I snatch issue two and read it before my DC books (Don't tell Jim!), and it picks right up from last issue. It has a character description page letting you know who the main players are and we do not have all that cheesy dialog most Marvel books have explaining what just happened only one issue ago. That is a pet peeve of mine, and I think it is interesting that for someone who never wrote a comic before did a great job transitioning between issues without being redundant, This issue has three plots running throughout and does a great job going back and forth. I also found it interesting that in a book about Black Panther, who is one of my favorite Marvel characters, that I was more interested in the characters called the Midnight Angels. I want to go in more detail about them, but not in the spoiler free review. I will more than likely need to do a spoiler review for issue three, but you guys should be up to speed by then. The character development between them was done so well that when we got back to seeing T'Challa, I was wondering what would happen to them. This was what impressed me most about Coates, he has me interested in his overall story and not just Black Panther. This is a book that I enjoy reading and hate when it's over since I have to wait a full month before getting more. I try not to read solicits to avoid spoilers myself, so I am not sure how long Coates will be on this book, but I hope it is for a long time. I can see him giving this book a solid run like Bendis did on Ultimate Spider-Man, especially since he writes supporting roles so well. 

Here is a good example of the art in a fight sequence. 

Since I am covering both issues, I will give them a combined score. Both books did a great job setting up the story and the characters, but issue two really set the tone for me with the Midnight Angels and combining story and action. I would have to give these issues a 9.5/10.  

 Issue #1 digital code. First come, first serve! I apologize for the print, that is how it came.
 Issue #2 digital code. First come, first serve!
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Issue #1 Hip Hop variant cover.

​Issue #2 second printing. I had to buy this one as soon as I saw it.

Power Man and Iron Fist #5 Review *SPOILERS*

  

Power Man and Iron Fist #5

Written By: David Walker

Art By: Flaviano Armentaro

Publisher: Marvel

Rating: T+

Price: $3.99

First I would like to start off by saying that this series is a blast to read. David Walker changed up the status quo for both characters, and it actually works! I will do a review of the first four issues as well, but wanted to do this one since it is the most recent, and it doesn't tie into any story arcs. This is an easy jump on point for new readers, and a good break in between arcs for those of us following since issue one. 

The Story starts off with a radio DJ talking about a fight between Power Man and Manslaughter Marsdale (That name is superbadass!). Caller #1 is the kid that put up the video and made it go viral. He tells you his point of view of how the fight went down. Caller #2 Tells them that this is not Power Man at all and that name belongs to another hero, but the DJ ain't hearing it and dumbs her from the line.

Here we see the kid's perspective of the brawl. 

We cut to the stars of the show and we see Iron Fist working on what seems to be a car that looks very familiar. I wonder if this pays off later in the book. Anyways, we are back to the DJ and caller #3 gives their perspective, and it's Manslaughter Marsdale himself. All I can think of as soon as I saw this was Birdman demanding them to "PUT SOME RESPEK ON MY NAME!" He is pissed off and he gets into an argument with the DJ for mocking and ridiculing him. 

Ya'll better put some respek on my name! 

Of course Marsdale's story is totally bogus, and he makes himself out to be the victim. He claims Power Man just bumrushed him for no reason. Needless to say, the DJ ain't buying that and hung up to take caller #4's story.  He claims that Marsdale was shaking him down for protection money and Power Man flew in to save the day. Wait, what?! Power Man FLEW?! That can't be right, but he swears he saw hi m flying with his own eyes. 

We cut to Power Man yelling at Iron Fist blaming him for all the stories being told on the radio, and them being blown out of proportion. So Power Man heads off and says he will take care of this and Iron Fist of course had to tag along. So they show up at the Radio Station to tell what actually went down. Power Man explains that Iron Fist built his own FantastiCar, which he wanted to name the Power-Fist (Lovin' that name!). Power Man hates the name and is asking why there is no seat belts and if it is even safe enough to drive. We then see them cruisin' in the FantastiCar and Power Man gets dumped out as Iron Fist tried some new maneuvers and he lands on Marsdale as he is eating a hot dog. 

It turns out this was all an accident, and they landed on him after he was shaking down the hot dog vendor for protection money and a dog. So that explains why the vendor thought he was flying in to the rescue at least. And as Power Man continues to set the story straight we get rudely interrupted by Marsdale! All hell breaks loose as they try to beat a guy that feels no pian, so they out smart him and make him tire himself out using the ol' rope-a-dope. Marsdale passes out and the radio producer recorded the whole thing and posted it online. I can see Marsdale getting pissed again after seeing this video and coming after them again to get his revenge on the duo. Now we get Power Man at home relaxing with his wife Jessica Jones, who has been home the entire series! I don't get this at all since she can more than handle her own. I would love to see the three of them out battling baddies while we see Squirrel Girl babysitting and getting into mischief or even tagging along. I guess when Marvel rebooted, one of the things that we lost was Squirrel Girl as their sitter. 

With my small complaint aside, I would have to give this issue an 8.5/10 overall. It was fun as hell and I enjoyed it, but since it was just a filler issue It did not hold up as well as the previous issues. Be sure to check in here and on my blog for Marvel reviews on previous weeks releases. 

Until next time, DatBeardedBastard is out...

Weird Detective #1 Review **SPOILERS**

                                                                

Weird Detective

Dark Horse Comics

Written by: Fred Van Lente

Art by: Guiu Villanova

Inks by: Mauricio Wallace

Cover Price: $3.99  

This was the book that I was anticipating most this week. Even with all the Rebirth issues that DC has been putting out, I wanted something different and that I can just jump right in on. This is not the first appearance of this character, but if you never read his arc in Dark Horse Presents you will not be lost. Fred Van Lente does a good job of filling in the details as the story unfolds. 

It starts off with some kids playing in the local swimming pool trying to have a good time, but they soon discover a body on the pool floor. They all take of like bats out of hell and the cops show up. We are then introduced to our star if the show Sebastian Greene and learn that the body is just the outer skin. As Greene is putting the pieces together he learns that he is being forced to have a partner due to a new "policy" within the department. It appears not everyone is convinced that Green is exactly how he presents himself. Greene is able to piece together the conversation his new partner Sana Fayez is having with the Chief of Detectives using his "powers". The chief thinks something is up since Greene was a less than average detective for 15 years, then all of a sudden he is a "supercop". We learn that she is assigned to be his partner to keep tabs on him and report back to the chief of her findings. 

Fayez is questioning the janitor at the pool when Greene asks him why there is a hidden camera over the boys showers. The perv freaks out and bolts. Green tells Fayez to circle back, but it was to keep her from seeing how he will take care of the freak on his own. He is able to see through the wall as the janitor goes by on the other side, then reaches through the wall grabbing the bastards hair and cracking his skull into it. Fayez thinks the janitor fell and that Greene was no help at all. 

 Take that, you perverted pony tailed bastard!

It turns out that the janitor was selling the video tapes to other creepy bastards as he is lugged off to jail. Fayez asks Greene to go get lunch and get to know each other better, but he is not interested. He heads back to his apartment and talks to his cat. HE TALKS TO HIS FREAKIN' CAT! It is all telepathically, but this part raised my interest even more. Creepy deaths, a Weird Detective, and a cat with an attitude, what's not to love?!

This cat rules he "speaks" his mind, and the dialog between him and Greene is to this point the most interesting part of the book. 

 If my cat was this cool, I wouldn't feed it canned food!

So we are introduced to two new characters who are about to have a date in a building that was "destroyed" by flood damage, but looks fine. From the dialog it appears it could have been part of a bogus insurance scam. The dude heads into the restroom to take a dump and starts screaming. As the girl opens the door she sees her boyfriend getting pulled down the crapper. She spazzes and tries to run away, as some unseen force seems to send her sailing off the building and she breaks her neck on the fire escape stairs. 

Looks like he needs more than Pepto!

It turns out that the girl is the daughter of a crime boss and he is about to get revenge. The dad has no idea that the boyfriend is dead, so he gets the guy's father and calls his cell phone. It turns out that Greene has the phone and he answers it to hear the crime boss screaming his ass off and threatening to kill him if he doesn't show up. 

Meanwhile, Fayez is talking to her wife about their jobs and their baby and we transition over to the crime boss with two creatures as they beat the boyfriend's dad up pretty bad. They say her mom wants revenge and we see a creepy female creature come out of a chamber and chews on the poor bastard. 

Now Fayez is doing a stake out on Greene, and it appears he is aware. He goes out for a stroll and Fayez follows, unaware that she is now in over her head as she is attacked by a group of creatures. It looks like Greene has some important business to conduct and he can't have someone getting in the way. I actually feel bad for Fayez here, since she had no idea what she got mixed up in.

I left out a few points, since I did not want to do a full spoiler review. So, how would I rate this book, and did it meet my expectations? I would have to give this book a 9/10 beards and it meet my expectations with the "weird" story line alone. The cat and the true appearance of the Weird Detective pushed it above my expectations and has me wanting more. One of the things that I did not like was the running gag or the reoccurring "joke" throughout the book. It didn't ruin the book in any way, I just thought it could have been a little bit more creative or just left out completely. I would say this book is a must buy, and a good alternative to super hero books as most Dark Horse books usually are.

DHP vol. 3 #8 is the first appearance on the Weird Detective. It is basically the first few pages of the #1 issue. It will also give you a feel for a DHP book, if you have never read one before. Check out the link for a preview: 

http://www.darkhorse.com/Comics/24-123/Dark-Horse-Presents-8

So until next time, DatBeardedBastard is out...

I will be posting some comic strips on here from time to time.

New comic strip coming soon...

Rocket Jockey *Card Game Review*

Publisher: Mayfair Games, Funfair Line                     

Players: 2-4                                                                      

Ages: 10-15                                                                      

Amazon Price: $12.02                                                   

 

This was a game that I got from my local comic shop. The guy had a few games and was not sure why he ordered this and asked me if I was interested. I was, but I didn't want him to know that so I told him I would give him $5 to take it off his hands. I got it home and busted the bad boy open. 

 Game contents. 

The game includes:  

9 destination cards

27 cargo cards

32 maneuver cards

16 co-pilot cards

2 alien cards

4 score cards

1 plastic rocket 

 Top and bottom of the box.

So after opening the game, I was going through everything and noticed that it was missing one of the co-pilot cards. This was not too bad at first since it was just my son and I playing. I wanted to make sure that I had it in case we had a four player game. I lost my receipt and the shop only had one copy of the game. I decided to email Mayfair about this and the replied within ten hours asking me for my shipping address. They didn't ask me for the receipt or any questions, and about four days later I had a set of co-pilot cards in my mailbox. I have to say they have a great customer service department. They even emailed me to make sure I received the cards. 

Game cards.

There is not much to the game, but it is simple and actually quite fun. You are basically an outer space delivery man. Something like Han Solo transporting goods from planet to planet. The cards you draw will allow you to transport from one planet to another, and if you string some together you get extra points, One side of the card sheet helps you score your cargo drops and the other side helps you score your planets. You can claim cargo with your co-pilot and only you can transport it, but you want to hold on to your co-pilots to get bonus points. 

There is nothing included to track your points, so you will need to keep track with a pen and pad or as my son and I always do, use dice. We always have a crap load of dice at all times for instances like this. The game can last between 30-45 minutes, but we have had a game take about an hour before, so if you want to play this with a younger child, they may get bored. 

Overall, I would say that this game is well designed and worth the $12.02 price listed on Amazon. If you find it even cheaper, it's a no-brainer to pick up. If you are looking for a game that doesn't have much set up and is easy to learn and play, this game is for you. 

I would give this game an 8/10 beard rating. 

Until next time, DatBeardedBastard is out...

Sovereign of the Seas *Board game unboxing*

Players: 2-6

Original Publisher: LCRL '79

Current Publisher: Excalibre Games Inc.

Ages: 12+

Amazon Price: $29.95 +$5.99 Shipping and handling

The game shrink wrapped. 

I was digging the simple presentation.

I came across this game at my local Half Price Books store. The back of the box was just a blank white box, and for some reason that intrigued me to buy this game just see what the hell this game was all about. I'm always a sucker for board and card games, so i figured for $7.99 brand new I would be a sucker not to buy it. So this will be the unboxing of the game, ans as soon as I can convince my wife and/or wife to play this with me I will follow up with a review on how the game actually is. 

 This is what it looks like when you open it up. 

So upon opening it up for the first time, my initial thought was, "I am glad as hell I only paid $7.99 for this damn thing!". I started researching the game to get some info on it, and it turns out it was originally made in 1979. So maybe they were trying to keep it the exact same as it was created back then. 

 Classic dice and game pieces! 

I always love them, but usually just swap them out 

with pewter warriors and wizards. 

 Very simple cards as well. 

I think I could have printed up better ones on my old Lexmark!

Okay, so after seeing the classic pieces and cheap printed cards, I was starting to worry that I got swindled into buying what I thought would be a pirate game and instead got a box of pieces I already own and printer quality cards. So I put all that to the side and see the instructions along with cargo charts and a payoff chart! Okay, I'm back to being intrigued. I am going to be shipping goods to different ports around the world. But where is the game board?!

 The cargo and payoff charts, instructions, 

and what appears to be the game board. 

Okay we have a game board, but it is thin cardboard that fits together with six tiles. It was pretty cool once it was all placed together. I just wish that it was more durable. I can see it creasing up or the corners getting dinged up pretty easily. 

The map all assembled. 

So my overall feeling as of right now is that I got what I paid for. I checked Amazon to see what it was going for there and was shocked to see it was going for $29.95 +$5.99 Shipping and handling, so I was at least happy that I paid less than half of what it is selling for. I was unable to find out much more about this game online, so I will need to play this to see if it is actually fun or a waste of time. As soon as I am able to do so, I will post a full review. 

If you know about this game and want to pick it up cheap, run over to Half Price Books and grab one before they are gone. If you are a board game addict like I am get one just because it is so damn cheap. 

So until next time, DatBeardedBastard is out...

Lil Keke: SLFMADE *Album Review*

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• Release Date: April 1, 2016
• Label: Seven 13 Music
• Total Length: 50:48
• Genres: Rap

1. Slfmade (feat. Mo City Soulja)

2. Don't Change (feat. Scarface) 

3. No Lie (feat. Mr. Lee) 

4. Miss Our G's II (feat. Z-Ro & Mike D) 

5. Never Met Her (feat. Mo City Soulja)

6. Summertime 

7. Remember (feat. Bam Rodgers)

8. Scheming on a Million (feat. Og Ant) 

9. I'm on My Way (feat. Lil Brent)

10. Nothing to Prove (feat. Bam Rodgers) 

11. Southside Groovin' (feat. Big Pokey)

12. This Is Why We Ride (feat. Propain)

13. Talkin' Down (feat. Paul Wall)

14. Before Yo Name 

15. Bout My Bizness (feat. G Hustla & Marcus Manchild) 

Todays rap music usually falls into one of three categories; commercial, crap, or independent/underground. Those three can be broken up into subcategories, but that's a topic for another day. I would definitely place this album in the latter category, but how would this compare to others in this group, well lets find out.

As soon as the first beat started, I was asking myself if this was the right album. I was not used to this type of beat on a Keke album, but as soon as I heard him rap i knew that this was going to be interesting for sure. I'm used to hard hitting and slowed beats when it comes to most albums from Screwed Up Click alumni, but this works. Then "Don't Change" came on and I was already convinced that this album was going to be better than 90% of the albums that I've heard this year. I am a huge Scarface fan, but I have to say that Keke out did Face on this track. It seems that with the passing years Keke has been able to adapt and change up his flow with the times. 

The third track, "No Lie" was solid but "Don't Change" is a hard act to follow. The track has more of his freestyle or S.U.C. flow, which is still better than a lot of the music being played on the radio today. "Miss Our G's II" took me back, and any track with Z-Ro singing and rapping on it is an A+. The bad thing is that it reminded me how many Houston rappers are no longer with us. It made me want to pile up all my old albums and just play all of them right there. 

Then came the track, "Never Met Her" and I was hooked with the beat, but it turned out to be an obligatory sex track. I know there will always be a fan base for songs like this, but it took me out of the vibe the album was setting before this track. Maybe I'm too old for songs like this anymore? It's possible, but I'll digress and move on. So I moved on to "Summertime" and it seems Keke got back on track. This track makes you want to play it in your car and just drive. It gave me a "Swangin' and Bangin' vibe (God, I feel so old). This was a great track.  "Remember" comes on and I was into it with the Bam Rogers intro then it turns into another track about sex. I ask myself why these tracks really don't appeal to be and it could be that I am burned out on them since I grew up with 2 Live Crew, or that I prefer better lyrical content. But again, I think it's more than likely a combination of both. 

"Scheming on a Million" starts and right away the beat makes me think of a Witchdoctor album and I'm hooked. The lyrics are pretty hard on this track, but for some reason that doesn't bother me. I guess I'll never be to old for tracks like this. Then "I'm On My Way" comes on and it's another sex track, but wait a minute, I hear some Bobby Womack on the beat and I'm in! This track was more sexually explicit than the previous ones, but it was catchy as hell. Back to Bam Rogers on "Nothing To Prove", and I loved this track. I am definitely going to have to listen to his mixtape after this. The best way to describe him would be a singer/rapper with a trap vibe. 

I would like to take this time to say that I grew up on old school hip hop and I watched movies like Breakin' 1&2, Beat Street, and Krush Groove. So When "Southside Groovin'" started I was shocked to hear the Krush Groovin' song as the tune of a track released in 2016. It seems like a lot of Texas rappers quit taking the old school songs and flipping them like they did in the 90's. It was another great track for sure, and featured another favorite of mine Big Pokey. "This is Why We Ride" was another hard track, but the whole time i kept thinking Propain sounded too much like Plies. 

Now to the track I was really worried about, "Talkin' Down" with Paul Wall. I am not the biggest fan of Paul Wall, because I remember him from the Color Changin' Click and his flow was different back then. When he split from the group I felt like he tried too hard to sound like Keke and it bothered me for the longest time. I actually wouldn't buy his albums and usually skipped tracks that featured him. This time I decided to just listen to it for the sake of the review and it turned out to be one of my favorite tracks. I am still not a fan, but I feel like I gave him a chance at least. "Before Yo Name" was a solid track, but definitely the weakest track in my opinion. The last track "Bout My Bizness" was the track that I was leaning on the fence about. The beat was really good, and all three did a great job lyrically. So I went back and listened to it again, and in doing so I think its solid and one of the better tracks on the album. 

So, how would someone who grew up on old school hip-hop and followed the S.U.C. from the beginning rate this album? There were a few tracks that I felt took away from the overall vibe of the album, but I admit that I may be overly critical. With that in mind I would rate this album as a whole 8.5/10. 

Until next time, DatBeardedBastard is out...