Alan Rapp

Morning Glories #34

/ / Comics

Morning Glories #34The latest issue of Morning Glories is all about dealing with loss both in the present and the past. The focus of the issue is split between Jade dealing with the loss of her mother in a traffic accident and in the present Jade gathering together with Jun, Guillaume, Casey, Ike, Hunter, and Vanessa to have a secret farewell to the loss of Hisao who sacrificed himself to save his brother’s life.

What stands out about Morning Glories #34 is the chance for present-day Jade to take charge. Although we’ve seen what the older future version of the character is capable of, the version stuck in Morning Glories Academy hasn’t done much to speak-up for herself. Here Jade steps in-between the squabbling Casey and Jun to lead the entire group with a speech containing more words than she’s likely said to anyone at one time since arriving at the school.

It wouldn’t be a Morning Glories comic without a WTF moment and this one comes in the final few panels showing us Hisao wasn’t the only one with limited power over life and death. Worth a look.

[Image, $3.50]

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The Shadow: Year One #6

/ / Comics

The Shadow: Year One #6The early days of Lamont Cranston and Margo Lane‘s relationship continues as The Shadow hits the streets looking for answers about the oppressive force he feels lurking behind the gang war and Margo, in an attempt to prove her use to her scary new friend, decides to help the vigilante find missing crime boss Big Gun Massaretti who once tried to have the former lady of the evening thrown off a rooftop.

I’m very surprised that six issue into the eight-issue mini-series our hero is still largely blind to his true adversary. Given that only two issues remain I’m guessing the eventual confrontation between the two may be relatively short given that our hero has yet to even learn his name.

Issue #6 plays on a common damsel in distress theme as Margo takes a foolish chance that puts her in danger with The Shadow nowhere in sight. Since we know Ms. Lane isn’t destined to die, I’d expect The Shadow to make a miraculous save before returning to hunt down his true enemy. Worth a look.

[Dynamite Entertainment, $3.99]

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Short Term 12

/ / Uncategorized
  • Title: Short Term 12
  • IMDB: link

Short Term 12Written and directed by Destin Cretton, Short Term 12 is a little rough around the edges but delivers a compelling tale of supervising staff members and kids at a foster care facility for troubled children and teens. Brie Larson stars as Grace, a supervisor with a troubled past which is reawakened by Jayden (Kaitlyn Dever), the newest addition to the facility who reminds Grace of issues she’s done her best to suppress over the years.

Limited to mostly the locations of the foster care facility and Grace’s home with her boyfriend and co-worker Mason (John Gallagher Jr.), Cretton’s film focuses on the challenges Grace and Mason face every day as well as Grace slowly going off the rails due to an unexpected pregnancy and raw emotions and memories Jayden’s presence cause to resurface.

Cretton isn’t interested in making a mainstream Hollywood film. There are no easy answers. No one is fixed or healed completely as the credits roll. But despite the subject matter the movie is far from bleak.

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Green Hornet #7

/ / Comics

Green Hornet #7Reunited with Kato, the Green Hornet makes a discovery that the wealthy industrialists behind The Voice weren’t working alone as the Hornet finds a way to keep his cover and save the life of a FBI agent while uncovering the fact that the group are receiving orders from a mysterious voice on the other end of the radio. The real villain? Nazis!

As the Hornet gets back to business as usual, big changes are in store for Britt Reid who opens his new radio station and woos Lenore Case away from The Sentinel into joining him not only in that venture but his late night activities with Kato as well.

Personally I’m hoping the radio adventure is short-lived as there’s just something about the character that fits the mold of a newspaper man and the series, in the early issues, have used The Sentinel well by establishing it as another character. Case being introduced to her boss’ secrets begins to widen the network the vigilante can rely on while also laying the groundwork of possible romance down the line. Worth a look.

[Dynamite Entertainment, $3.99]

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Arrow – Keep Your Enemies Closer

/ / Television Reviews
  • Title: Arrow – Keep Your Enemies Closer
  • wiki: link

Arrow - Keep Your Enemies Closer

After Amanda Waller (Cynthia Addai-Robinson) informs Diggle (David Ramsey) that his friend Lyla Michaels (Audrey Marie Anderson) has gone missing while searching for Deadshot (Michael Rowe) in Moscow, Oliver, Diggle, and Felicity head to Russia along with Isabel Rochev (Summer Glau) who decides to horn-in on the group’s cover story of inspecting Queen Consolidated’s overseas holdings. Contacting an old Russian friend (David Nykl) and fellow prisoner aboard Dr. Anthony Ivo’s (Dylan Neal) freighter, Oliver learns Lyla was caught while attempting to break into Russia’s most secure prison known housing the country’s most insane murderers and psychopaths.

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