Author: Shawn Taylor

I write (mostly about sci-fi, popular culture, parenting, and food), I travel quite a bit and teach.
Animation, DC Comics, Television9 Comments

NOC Recaps Vixen: The Animated Microseries

Shawn Taylor

Watch the episode here.

I was probably more excited than most when it was announced that DC Comics’ Vixen would be animated for the small screen. Vixen is one of my all-time favorite characters and if you aren’t up on her, check out this and this. Marvel may be the heavyweight champs of the cinematic landscape, but DC are the lords and masters of the animation realm. Rarely does DC miss with their animated properties. So far, with Vixen, I think I’m going to have to put the first five-minute episode in the ‘eh… maybe’ column.

[Spoilers Ahead]

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Movies, Music, Nerd Nostalgia4 Comments

Nostalgia vs. the Present: What to Keep and What to Throw Away?

Shawn Taylor

Over the weekend, I was going through all of the media that I own. Granted, nowadays it is a very small amount because everything is on tablets or a hard drive. I used to be that dude who collected everything from magazines, to comics, to laserdiscs, to CDs, VHS tapes, Blu-rays/DVDs — yeah, moving sucked. As I perused my stash, I noticed that most of the physical things I held on to were from the ’80s-’90s. They were talismans of nostalgia, reminding me of when I was fully immersed in the pop-culturescape. Do you remember that feeling?

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Comics2 Comments

Concrete Park Vol. 2: R-E-S-P-E-C-T: Another Huge Endorsement

Shawn Taylor

I can only talk about the second volume of Concrete Park, “R–E-S-P-E-C-T,” in relation to music. I wanted to use other graphic novels or films as benchmarks, but I’d be talking more about the evolution to make the book, the shift in materials and not the meta-shift I want to capture here. While I enjoy what GeekCulture has to offer, it doesn’t transform me the way that music does. There has yet to be a geek-influenced film, comic, graphic novel, or anything else that has affected me the way Bad Brain’s 1983 life defining album Rock For Light did.

Well, that is until now.

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Art, Crowdfunding3 Comments

Coming Soon: MaeJay and the Mech

Shawn Taylor

Close to a decade ago, I met a Blaxican artist at Dr. Comics and Mr. Games in Oakland, CA. We had mutual geek interests, as well as an undying love and connection to hip-hop culture — the vibe was pure fiyah. He was already a parent, and I was about to be one. We became friends. He’s a visual artist, toy maker, animator, and filmmaker. I’m a writer, marketing guy, pop culture scholar, and performer. Match made in geek heaven. We bandied about ideas on how best we could work together, but nothing really panned out. Then, something happened. I don’t know what his catalyzing agent was, but mine was WonderCon. Continue reading “Coming Soon: MaeJay and the Mech“

Comics, DC Comics3 Comments

Five Reasons You Should Pick Up Cyborg #1

Shawn Taylor

[Full Disclosure: David Walker is a good friend of mine and I told him that I would only write something, if I liked the book.]

I’m a Teen Titans fan from since Raven first got the team together. Cyborg (Vic Stone) was never my favorite character, or a character I particularly liked. I mean, how many damn times were you going to use X amount of decibels from your white noise generator? Not to mention that Cyborg is the most dehumanized superhero of color in all of comicdom. Folks are mad that Vic is beginning to look “more human.” I have a question: Why were you okay with him being a walking and talking negroid PS3?

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Marvel, Movies4 Comments

I Saw Ant-Man, You Should Too

Shawn Taylor

[Disclaimer: I did not see Ant-Man in 3-D. Minor spoilers ahead. I know nothing about the Ant-Man character, aside from the Ultimates storyline and what I remember from the ’70s and ’80s.]

I went to see Ant-Man on a whim. My not being all-in with the Marvel Cinematic Universe is pretty well-known, so I wasn’t too sure if I was going to see it. I am glad I did. Most people will compare it to the other MCU films and find it lacking. It isn’t the universe/dimension/globe-spanning adventure of the other films, and this is precisely why I liked it.

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Comics, Sci Fi5 Comments

Concrete Park Vol.1: You Send Me — A Huge Endorsement

Shawn Taylor

I had the pleasure of meeting two-thirds of the Concrete Park creative team at the Black Comix Arts Festival (BCAF) in January 2015. Not only were Tony Puryear (ill on the keyboard and with the pen) and Erika Alexander (Hollywood demigoddess) beautiful and amazing beyond all possible measure, their property was absolutely insane. There are very few things I want to teach in my classes, but Concrete Park Vol.1 You Send Me is a book I am rearranging my fall syllabus to include. It was my favorite thing (and I bought a whole lot of stuff) I picked up at BCAF. Did I mention that their property is off-the-rails crazy?

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Fantasy, Interview, Literature1 Comment

In Conversation with Daniel José Older

Shawn Taylor

First off, I want to apologize for the video quality. We did this at the time of  day that is heavy with Internet traffic, and we experienced some delays. I also didn’t label the speakers, but you know who he is.

This was some of the most fun I have ever had interviewing someone.

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Movies, Nerd Nostalgia, Reviews4 Comments

My Thoughts on Dope

Shawn Taylor

[I wanted to write this reflection the weekend of its release. I decided that I needed a little more time because the film hit home in too many ways and I needed some space from it to get a better handle on how I wanted to approach it. This will not be a typical review, nor will it be an endorsement — despite my endorsing the film whole-heartedly. I have no idea what this is, but I needed to get it out.]

Hip-hop is fandom. While it may not be explicitly geek/nerd culture, it is fandom of the highest order. If anyone chooses to refute this, they aren’t being intellectually or culturally honest. Never has this connection been so blatantly displayed than in Rick Famuyiwa’s 2015 gem of a film, Dope. [I have a lot more to say about this. Watch this space in the next month or two]

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Literature, Sci Fi4 Comments

The Liminal People: An Endorsement

Shawn Taylor

The Liminal War: A Novel by Ayize Jama-Everett drops this week. In preparation for this much awaited sequel, I urge all of you to read the book that started it all, The Liminal People: A Novel. You will not be disappointed. I will post a Liminal War review in within the next week, or two.

First off, The Liminal People isn’t the X-Men and [insert some other superhero franchise]. Whenever there are characters with extra-normal abilities, someone always wants to toss the X-franchise about. If you wanted to make a more accurate comparison, you would have to compare The Liminal People to the old ’60s British television program, The Champions (Google if you don’t know) — albeit the book is a lot more diverse. In a Spec/Fic publishing world that loves little white vampires and werewolves, or little white magic users, or little white vampire hunters, or little white companions on a quest to fight the big black enemy, Liminal is a refreshing burst of the real world. It is the first truly global Spec/Fic book of the 21st century.

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Comics2 Comments

Remember Comic Books?

Shawn Taylor

Remember comic books? Those flimsy sheets of paper emblazoned with colorful superheroes battling diabolical supervillains in space, in an underground lair, in a bunker, under the sea, or in parallel dimensions? Those passports to wonder that are the progenitors of the DC and Marvel Cinematic Universes and their respective television properties? Yeah, they’ve been completely overshadowed by their on-screen interpretations. Most people enjoying super heroics on the big and small screens aren’t comic fans. This isn’t a bad thing. I know tons of people who loved the Harry Potter films, but have yet to read word one of J.K. Rowling’s epic texts. There are still some of us who are huge comic book fans, and have been feeling a little cheated by the Big Two.

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Gaming, Movies, Sci Fi5 Comments

Riddick: A Meditation

Shawn Taylor

[I did not include the Riddick-verse video games or animation as I am unfamiliar with the material.]

In 2000, a little movie named Pitch Black dropped in select movies houses. I had no idea what it was about, but the posters and the one trailer I saw intrigued me. I was also a lightweight David Twohy fan based on his 1996 alien invasion film, The Arrival. So, me and my boy Corey walked into the theater without any expectations. When the film ended, we sat quietly through the credits. We said nothing to each other until the lights asserted themselves. I looked at him, and he looked back and almost in unison we said some variation of: ‘What the hell did we just see?’ Without any verbal confirmation, we sat in the theater and watched it again.

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Star Trek, Television7 Comments

Star Trek is a Television Program — Period

Shawn Taylor

In the last few months, there has been plenty of talk about Star Trek. Whether it is the news that Simon Pegg (Star Trek reboot-verse Scotty) has been hired to make the franchise less “Star Trek-y” or Popular Mechanics’ wonderful “8 Things a New Star Trek TV Series Must Have,”  or the legion of fan films, or Adam Savage’s construction of the Enterprise’s Captain’s chair, or the frequent talk about how Trek has influenced the real world — all this, but there is no Trek property. No show. No amusement park. No decent toys to speak of. Just speculation, scuttlebutt, and rumor. Yes, there is a new film coming sometime in the future, but do we really need it? Continue reading “Star Trek is a Television Program — Period”

Marvel, Television6 Comments

Daredevil is the Hero We Need and Deserve

Shawn Taylor

Eric is doing weekly recaps of each episode of Daredevil, but this column will be a review of the series as a whole. I will try and keep this as spoiler free as I can. I really will try.  I promise.

For a good long run, DC was the king of bringing their properties to the large and small screens. From 1943 with the Batman serials, to Superman I and II  in 1978 and 1980, to the glory that was Batman: The Animated Series (1992-1995), DC had the televisual and cinema game on lock. Marvel did their thing, but nothing Marvel did could hold a candle to Justice League Unlimited. Not a Hulk, Thor, Daredevil special. Not any animated iteration of The X-Men or the Avengers. Not anything, animated or not. Then in 1998, Blade happened.

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Comics1 Comment

My Answers to an Oft Asked Question

Shawn Taylor

I have been asked some variation of the following question more times than I can count: “Which comics or graphic novels would you recommend that are by people of color, or address people of color in a holistic way, and also books for people who may not ever read a comic or graphic novel?” This is a very hard question as there is just so much out there that is great. There are books that I have taught in my classes that are neck and neck with the books I’ve bought as gifts for people who I am trying to convert to our four-color ways. While the below list is in no way comprehensive, they are my go-to books for whenever I’m asked the question. Please feel free to add your own picks.

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Animation, Movies, Reviews1 Comment

An Endorsement of Home: It’s Daughter Approved

Shawn Taylor

In the immortal words of Jim Carrey: “How was your weekend?” For the new DreamWorks film, Home, it was a very good weekend indeed. As of this writing, Home has raked in $54 million and is the #1 movie in the U.S. — despite some naysayers‘ predictions. This is the studio’s highest non-sequel opening since 2009’s Monsters vs. Aliens. And it is daughter approved:

“Daddy. This movie is official.”

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Martial Arts, Movies2 Comments

Enter the GTFOH

Shawn Taylor

On March 21, 2015 Ain’t it Cool dropped the mother, father, cousin, and incarcerated uncle of all bombshells: Brett Ratner wants to remake one of the most iconic films in cinema history, which starred one of the most iconic leading mean in the history of film. To even have the gauldacity to fix your imagination to entertain the idea is Greek tragedy level hubris. How could he even think that he has the talent, vision, heart, and narrative ability to remake Enter the Dragon? Who in our modern cinematic landscape has the charisma, charm, physique, sex appeal, and martial talent to even mimic Bruce Lee? I assure you neither Scott Adkins nor Ronda Rousey have it. No diss to them, but, no.

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Fantasy, Literature6 Comments

Half-Resurrection Blues: An Endorsement

Shawn Taylor

A spoiler free endorsement.

Daniel José Older is the type of writer that forces you to reevaluate your likes and dislikes for particular (sub)-genres. Up until I read Half-Resurrection Blues, I declared a moratorium on anything even resembling urban fantasy. Most urban fantasy almost supernaturally privileges European myth/folk/legend and leaves zero room for stories or influences from other cultures. Fairy court intrigues, battles amongst the Sidhe, and some kind of blonde or “flowing raven haired” chosen one or outcast or bi-species offspring rule the urban fantasy space to such a degree that reading these books feels like looking at a “No Melanin Allowed” billboard written in fairy dust. With Half-Resurrection Blues, though, Older makes a very bold departure.

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DC Comics, Movies19 Comments

Aquaman Revealed: All Hail the King

Shawn Taylor

Let me be as transparent as I can about my DC Cinematic Universe gripes.

Superman isn’t that interesting of a character. Peep the last two attempts. While it would be easy to hang the blame on Bryan Singer and Zack Snyder — these directors did not have too much to work with.

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Comics, Conventions1 Comment

Get Ready for MECCAcon 2015 This September

Shawn Taylor

Comic conventions are like traditional meals. They are either wonderful and make you feel like you’re at home, or they are so terrible they induce nightmares and have you screaming, “You had the ingredients and the recipe. How did you screw up so badly?” From what I’ve been told, MECCAcon is home for a whole lot of people.

This September, Maia Crown Williams — the founder of #MECCAcon2015 and all around comic-culture badass — is making Detroit, Michigan the center of the universe for comic-culture for and by folks of color. While there has been some geeklash about how events like this, BCAF, OnyxCon and others are “exclusive” events; the overwhelming majority of people see the necessity of these events.

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Comics, Conventions7 Comments

BCAF 2015: Report Back

Shawn Taylor

This past weekend was so much more than a con for me. I’ve been to over one hundred cons in my life, and I have never felt like this two days later. Most con experiences are a blur — panel after panel, film premiere, then hundreds of dollars later I go home and the memory of the con evaporates. I read all the books, rock the shirts, find choice places to display the exclusives I copped, and then it is on to the next. But BCAF was an entirely different convention. Convention is too limiting of a word for the inaugural Black Comix Arts Festival that happened in San Francisco over this past the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King holiday. Church? Still too limiting. Black Sacred Space is closer, but it still falls short. BCAF was less a convention than it was a reinvention, commitment, and celebration of the black image in fantastic space. It was a form of resistance.

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DC Comics, Television2 Comments

Constantine: 13 and Done?

Shawn Taylor

I’ve been holding back from talking about NBC’s Constantine because I try (I really do) to honor the effort and vision of media makers. Putting together a comic, film, or a television show is a lot of hard work and I want to respect that. And truth be told, I try to give sci fi and related genres more latitude than I should because I love them so much.  Another reason why I held off for so long is that John Constantine is in my top five favorite comic book characters of the past decade or so, and I wanted to make sure I could be somewhat neutral.

We will NOT be speaking about the 2005 Keanu Reeves joint.

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Animation, Marvel, Movies14 Comments

Big Hero 6 aka Why They Do the Brotha Like That?

Shawn Taylor

Is it possible to love and be angry at a piece of art at the same time? These are the feelings that are vying for dominance after seeing Disney’s first foray into the Marvel archives: Big Hero 6.

My daughter and I saw it in 3-D in a theater where every seat was taken by people of color. Indian, Arabs, AAPI folks, African-Americans… I’ll type it again: In the sold out theater, every person there was a person of color. It was an astonishing sight and feeling. So much of the pre-film chatter were parents talking about “feeling comfortable” bringing their kids to see a film where the heroes “finally look, well, something like them.” This was the exact same reason that I brought my daughter… and the film looked cool as hell. And it was.

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