Review: Djinn Vol. 11: An Eternal Youth
One of the best shows to be on television in the last ten years, was the remarkable Tyrant. The show was on FX and lasted only three seasons and produced by the same people who made 24 and Homeland. The show revolved around the son of a dictator who comes back from America. He must deal with his past and his identity as part of the royal family the rulers of an imaginary nation in the UAE that have been considered tyrants. What the creators sought to do with the show was to see the world through the eyes of people we would only know of in the news. They successfully made us both hate and empathize with them with equal passion. We saw that even with what they have, they were just human.
The show featured many interesting plots which questioned familial bonds, the role of government, what makes a monarchy, and what happens to a love unrequited. One of the more intriguing storylines was that of Nusraat Al Fayeed as she was married to the sitting dictator’s son. She was one of the more complex characters within the show as her family stood against the monarchy. Tension between polar opposites usually makes for a good story but when its high stakes like this show was, it makes more even greater drama. In the 11th volume of Djinn, one such dilemma is thrust upon Jade, one that she doesn’t shy away from.
We find Jade as she is instructing Tamila, on the ways to love a man, a man she is reluctant to fall for, seeing that her family is wary of English settlers in India. Meanwhile, Tamila’s father, Raja Singh continues his assault on the British forces which have settled in country, making the tension between the English and the Indian peoples even more voracious. Eventually Jade becomes more intimate with what is really going in India, and how Tamila is at the center of all the chaos. By book’s end, one of Jade’s enemies begins a scheme which looks to overtake Jade and her powers as a Djinn.
Overall, an excellent comic which combines scintillating escapades with political intrigue. The story by Jean Dufaux is sexy, smart and a pot boiler. The art by Ana Miralles is both lifelike and elegant. Altogether, this book shows Dufaux and Miralles at the top of their game as the character of Jade is elevated in this book.
Story: Jean Dufaux Art: Ana Miralles
Story: 10 Art: 9.6 Overall: 9.5 Recommendation: Buy
Spike Lee is one of those directors whose movies stay with you long after viewing them. The first time I saw Do The Right Thing, it made me open my eyes up to how divided even us New Yorkers are. Then I watched School Daze and wanted to go to an HBCU so I could pledge to a fraternity. Then I watched She’s Gotta Have It and found out how pervasive misogyny is when it comes to women’s sexuality is.
Films that I watched that capture my attention from start to finish usually become a part of my film collection. The movies I have collected range in genre, years, and run time. I have collected each movie based on my ability to re-watch them and not so much on how critically acclaimed it was when it came out. Some movies resonated with me because it reflected a piece of who I am, like a Bronx Tale.
People often speak about what is done for the greater good, as what guides one ‘s moral ultimately leads people to do these things for “the greater good”. This epitaph is usually espoused by politicians and military leaders to inspire their constituents and their troops. As leaders on both sides of a conflict usually lead by fear or by inspiration. The ones who motivate their people, often tell themselves if they dictate something inspiring, their people should follow naturally.
I remember the first time I saw Ghostbusters, it was on television. Me and my cousins watched it for the first time on our grandparent’s subscription to HBO where the first scene I saw was the guys catching the ghost in the New York Public Library. This said to me, right then, that this was not going to be some mystery movie like Scooby Doo. These ghosts were very much real. Instantly the movie became our favorite film at that time. We became enamored with the characters and the world. It took place in the very same city we grew up in.
Nicole Kidman is an actress who has proved her mettle as a thespian and turned in some excellent roles including the character of Anna in the movie Birth. The movie centers on a woman who loses her husband and after some time moves on with life eventually getting engaged to be married. She gets a surprise, as a ten-year-old boy professes to be the reincarnation of her husband. It’s a lot like the Eidolons in Ancient Greece, where the dead spirits inhabits those who are living. The power of belief is at play here to the point where there is not merely faith but complete trust in what one cannot prove.
Growing up with music in the house, I used to love hearing my parents’ records play over our stereo. It would be something I do time to time, in fact, I am listening an old 45 of Art Porter right now as I write this record. I had one uncle that used to tell me all the time” Listen to the lyrics”. This advice I never quite heeded, until I got older, and hip hop came on the scene, this was when lyrics mattered to me the most. Of course, I know now that my uncle wasn’t talking about rap, but the records they played throughout the house.
The firestorm that Dan Brown’s Da Vinci Code caused when it came out is an example of a book causing controversy which swirled in conversations for quite some time. The book’s connections to history, religion, and unsolved mysteries became a touchstone for many creators as it reignited stories which treated their readers intelligently. It also brought on its fair share of poor imitators, as one can look at the extremely poor adaptation of Clive Cussler’s Sahara, which wasted the talents of its actors and put a black mark on anyone who even tried to do an adaptation of any of his books. A good number of these movies were hit and miss and very few held enough of the public’s attention span to warrant mention.
I remember the first time I ever watched Raiders of the Lost Ark and the feeling I left the movie theater with. The way that whole movie started with Indiana Jones in the middle of the jungle, trying to retrieve that long lost artifact was thrilling. The whole scenario that played out soon after that was probably the most exciting 10 minutes my four year old self had seen up to that point. At the end of the scene the viewer find out Indiana is more that he seems to be. Instead of a smuggler he’s an archaeologist. The character would go on to three other movies, with a new one the way as well as a television show featuring a younger version of the character.
