Abubakr Ali Cast as Titular Anti-Hero for Netflix’s ‘Grendel’

September 14, 2021September 15, 2021 Swara Ahmed

Middle East and North African (MENA) and Muslim people have had scant options when it comes to the superhero genre or comic book adaptations generally. Arab and Persian people in particular have most often been vilified in popular media through the decades. But this is thankfully starting to change, such as with the Tarazi siblings on DC’s Legends of Tomorrow for Persian people, but perhaps now for Arab people with the news from Deadline that Netflix is developing a Grendel series, based on Matt Wagner’s comic series of the same name, and has cast The CW’s Katy Keene star and Abubakr Ali in the starring role!

Comics, MarvelLeave a comment

New ‘Amazing Spider-Man Beyond’ Trailer Introduces a Familiar Comic Face

September 14, 2021September 14, 2021 Adonis Gonzalez

Spider-Man has had some truly iconic moments in his comic book history. From Peter Parker’s initial debut as the wall-crawling webhead in Amazing Fantasy #15 in 1962, to the introduction of the vast Spider-Verse in 2014. Arguably one of his most controversial moments was during the “Clone Saga.”

Comics, Fantasy, StreamingLeave a comment

New Trailer Unlocked for ‘Locke and Key’ Season 2!

September 14, 2021September 14, 2021 Mike Manalo

Last year, the long awaited live action adaptation of Joe Hill’s Locke and Key dropped on Netflix and did not disappoint fans of the original comic series (yours truly enjoyed it)! It proved to be a fun, whimsical, and somewhat lighter take on the source material, but was anchored with some interesting ideas and strong performances. And since its debut, fans have been eagerly awaiting their first glimpse at the next chapter if the adventure!

Comics, Streaming

Raise Your Brellies! ‘The Umbrella Academy’ Season 3 Has Wrapped

August 28, 2021August 30, 2021 Jamal Michel

Hargreeves stans rejoice because The Umbrella Academy has officially wrapped production of season three. Gerard Way and Gabriel Bá’s stellar graphic novel turned groundbreaking Netflix series has fans eagerly waiting for its release. Per the series’ official Twitter page, the super kids turned badass time travelers (oops, spoilers I guess?) came together to announce the end of production and how excited they were for fans to dive into the new season. With the end of season two came countless questions, like who the hell is the Sparrow Academy, why is Ben their leader, what planet is Sir Reginald Hargreeves from, and where’d Lila go at the end of it all?

Comics, Movies

New Red-Band Trailer for ‘The King’s Man’

August 26, 2021August 26, 2021 Mike Manalo

Whoo! This December is looking to be one for the records folks! In addition to the extraordinary-looking Spider-Man: No Way Home, WB announced a new Matrix film for the holidays as well, entitled The Matrix Resurrections. However, not to be outdone, 20th Century Studios is also releasing a minor bazooka of its own — the long delayed The King’s Man!

Comics, Movies, Toys

‘Snake Eyes’ Now Available to Own Digitally; Blu-Ray in October

August 17, 2021August 17, 2021 Keith Chow

It’s no secret that Snake Eyes holds a special place in my heart. No matter the critical reception of the film, it was always going to be a movie I celebrate. While I would’ve approached the movie differently, I am still holding out hope for a follow-up film so we can see the further adventures of Henry Golding as Snake Eyes, Andrew Koji as Storm Shadow, and the rest of the cast.

Art, Comics

‘La Borinqueña’ Returns with Issue #3 and New Heroes

August 10, 2021August 16, 2021 Zhouweiwen

Eisner Award-winning graphic novelist and philanthropist Edgardo Miranda-Rodriguez has released La Borinqueña #3, the long-awaited third issue in the creator-owned independently published graphic novel series. La Borinqueña #3 completes the first major story arc for Miranda-Rodriguez’s series with a new story with plot twists, revelations, and the introduction of the new superhero team The Nitainos.

Comics, Television

Take a Look at the New Poster for the Return of ‘Riverdale’

July 27, 2021July 27, 2021 Sophia Soto

August 11 can’t come soon enough with Riverdale fans desperate for the show’s return. Yesterday, fans were treated to a brand new trailer for the second half of the fifth season. Now, The CW has released a new poster to hype up the show’s return even more. The poster gives fans a look at KJ Apa as Archie, Camila Mendes as Veronica, Lili Reinhart as Betty, Cole Sprouse as Jughead, Madelaine Petsch as Cheryl, Casey Cott as Kevin, Charles Melton as Reggie, Vanessa Morgan as Toni, Erinn Westbrook as Tabitha, and Drew Ray Tanner as Fangs.

Comics, Television1 Comment

Let’s Break Down the Latest ‘Riverdale’ Promo

July 26, 2021July 26, 2021 Sophia Soto

August 11 is almost here and to celebrate we have a brand new Riverdale promo filled with A LOT of crazy and noteworthy moments. The series stars KJ Apa, Lili Reinhart, Camila Mendes, Cole Sprouse, Madelaine Petsch, Mӓdchen Amick, Casey Cott, Mark Consuelos, Charles Melton, Vanessa Morgan, Erinn Westbrook, and Drew Ray Tanner. Riverdale is currently on its fifth season (already renewed for a sixth) and had its mid-season finale on March 31.

Comics, Movies, Toys

NOC Exclusive: Meet Akiko, Played by Haruka Abe in ‘Snake Eyes’

July 15, 2021July 15, 2021 Keith Chow

In one week, Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins hits theaters everywhere, and Paramount is introducing each of the main characters via these short video promos. The NOC is proud to be the first place you get to see and hear Haruka Abe in action as one of the Arashikage’s deadliest warriors: Akiko!

Comics, Fantasy

Bestselling Writer and Producer Mark Millar to Release ‘The Magic Order’ Sequel

July 15, 2021July 15, 2021 Jamal Michel

Bestselling writer and producer Mark Millar (Jupiter’s Legacy, Kingsman: The Secret Service) makes a triumphant return with The Magic Order 2, expanding on the the magical world he created as a live-action Netflix series in this second volume of the comic book adaptation. Olivier Coipel (Amazing Spider-Man, Thor) was recruited to draw the first volume and delivered some of the best work of his career. This time around, legendary artist Stuart Immonen (Empress, Star Wars, New Avengers) will be in the chair of the highly-anticipated sequel. The Magic Order 2 #1 will launch this October from Image Comics.

Comics, Reviews

Ray Fawkes’ ‘One Line’ is a Visual Symphony

July 14, 2021July 14, 2021 Amanda L. Andrei

There’s something oracular about Ray Fawkes’ One Line — the whole One Soul series, frankly — but this book particularly stretches the boundaries of sequential art and meta-comics, and reading it gives me the sense that as I turn the pages, the book is also reading me. You don’t need to have read One Soul or The People Inside to enjoy One Line, though it helps in appreciating the journey of the series’ experimental, multilinear form.

Comics, Movies

New Special Look at ‘The King’s Man’ Debuts

July 6, 2021July 6, 2021 Mike Manalo

Ever wonder about how the top-secret British intelligence organization known as Kingsman came to be? This December, wonder no longer! Long before the days of Harry, Eggsy, and Merlin, the world was plagued by the worst evil masterminds and tyrants. And in that chaos, an agency rose to the occasion to stop them all! This is the story of The King’s Man!

Comics, Video Games

Blizzard Announces Afua Richardson Comic Covers and ‘Overwatch’ Rewards for Their 30th Anniversary

June 24, 2021June 25, 2021 Jamal Michel

With the recent launch of Cross-Play for Overwatch across PC, Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo Switch, Blizzard Entertainment also announced that Ashe’s Deadlock Challenge is now live across all platforms. Additionally, if gamers play and watch Overwatch from June 22 to July 5, they have the opportunity to earn sweet rewards, including the new Legendary Ashe and B.O.B. Skin.

Cognitive Dissonance, Comics3 Comments

Warren Ellis and the Lack of Accountability, aka Comics Culture Needs to Be Safer

June 24, 2021June 29, 2021 Shawn Taylor

Our public discourse has been overrun with the phantoms of “Critical Race Theory” and “Cancel Culture.” These ideas are like energon cubes for a section of white people. It has become their raison d’etre. They have become empowered by their imagining of a thing, instead of the thing itself because, in the case of the former, they have absolutely no idea what it is.

Comics, Marvel

Marvel Celebrates Miles Morales’ 10th Anniversary with Variant Covers

June 23, 2021June 23, 2021 Adonis Gonzalez

Like most folk, I’m not too keen on reminders of my ever-increasing age. But this one, well, it’s not too bad of a milestone reminder.

Miles Morales, Marvel’s best Spider-Man, debuted nearly 10 years ago! You read that right, it’s been almost a decade since Miles inherited the Spidey title from Peter Parker and immediately one upped the kid from Queens.

Comics, Reviews

‘Adora and the Distance’ is an Inspiration

June 15, 2021June 15, 2021 Adonis Gonzalez

The classic “Hero’s Journey” is probably one of the most common and cliche methods of storytelling in media. It’s everywhere, and pretty hard to avoid, as the foreword for Adora and the Distance demonstrates. From Star Wars to Back to the Future, the majority of tales out there feature the classic story of a (usually white male) protagonist going on an impossible journey in order to stop the forces of evil from ruining his life as he knows it.

Comics, Television

The CW Announces Fall Premiere Date for ‘Riverdale’ Season 6

June 15, 2021June 15, 2021 Sophia Soto

The CW has just revealed its premiere dates for the Fall 2021 primetime schedule! It was announced back in May that Riverdale would be moving to a new night in The CW’s schedule after season 5 finishes, which will continue airing on Wednesday, August 11. For its sixth season, the show will now share Tuesday nights with The Flash. Both shows will begin their new seasons with five episode special events on Tuesday, November 16. Riverdale‘s timeslot will be 9 – 10 PM ET/PT, after new episodes of The Flash.

Comics, Interview

‘Home’ Comics Creator, Julio Anta

June 11, 2021June 11, 2021 Patrick Strange

Yo! Yo! Yo! It’s Kuya P back again with another interview for my friends here at the NOC! I recently sat down for a conversation with Comics Creator, Julio Anta to discuss his project with Image Comics’ Home which I’ve previously highlighted here on The NOC as a series that you should be picking up! Check out our conversation and then head over to your LCS so that you can give it a read!

Comics, Crowdfunding, Interview

‘Joystick Angels’ Comics Creator, TJ Sterling

June 11, 2021June 11, 2021 Patrick Strange

Hoyyy! It’s Kuya P back again with another interview for the people! I recently sat down for a conversation with comics creator, TJ Sterling to discuss his latest comics project for RAE Comics’ Joystick Angels! Check out our conversation and then head over to Kickstarter to support and secure your copy of Joystick Angels!

Comics, Streaming

New Images and Release Date for Netflix’s ‘Locke & Key’ Season 2

June 10, 2021June 11, 2021 Mike Manalo

Thanks to Netflix Geeked this week, a ton of new news regarding some of your favorite genre shows dropped all over. Caught in the mix of it all was the announcement about when the new season of Locke & Key was dropping.

Get ready, fans, because Season 2 is coming this October!

Comics, Fantasy

Marc Bernardin and Ariela Kristantina Present Original Graphic Novel ‘Adora and The Distance’

June 3, 2021June 8, 2021 Jamal Michel

Just in time for Father’s Day is award-winning writer and FatMan Beyond co-host Marc Bernardin’s first ever YA graphic novel Adora and The Distance. The novel is inspired by Bernardin’s daughter who was diagnosed with autism as a toddler and tells a deeply beautiful and personal tale of adventure, courage, and mystery. The novel follows the goings-on of young Adora as her fantastical world of pirates, giants, and ghosts comes under threat by a mysterious force called “The Distance.”

Comics, Reviews

A Review of ‘Across the Tracks’

June 3, 2021June 4, 2021 Shawn Taylor

Greenwood, Oklahoma aka “Black Wall Street,” dubbed so by Booker T. Washington, was a once thriving Black community. Thoroughly segregated from the rest of white Tulsa, nevertheless it boasted entrepreneurs, shopkeepers, entertainment venues, and markets, everything a town would need to sustain itself. To be happy and self-sufficient. That is until 1921 when a mob of deputized whites burned the town to the ground. Not only were the murderous white mob deputized to engage in the massacre, they were given weapons by officials of the city government. The even used an aerial bomb.