• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

World News Center

Everything you want to know about anything that's meaningful

  • News
  • Reviews
  • About
  • Contact Us
You are here: Home / 2016 / Archives for July 2016

Archives for July 2016

Bernie or Bust? Okay.

July 28, 2016 by

Choices, choices.
Choices, choices.
Go. Go if you must. But be sure you know exactly where you’re going. Your destination is painfully clear. You will be joining the racists, the xenophobes, the misogynists, the cowardly, and the bullies. You will be embracing the slime encrusted fever dream of people who live in a past that never was. You will be releasing your fragile grip on the reality regular people live in to hug a fetid pile of dystopian dung. Whether you pick a pretty Jill Stein ribbon or a gaudy Gary Johnson bow to class up your package of petulance, it matters not one whit. The end result will be the same. Your choice benefits only one person, Donald Trump.

Please don’t bring up Ross Perot or Ralph Nader. Neither is applicable here. Ross Perot was fun to watch but never garnered enough votes to be taken seriously. Nader, for all the talk of his throwing the election in favor of George W. Bush, never got enough support to even earn one electoral vote. Not a single one. Neither was a factor at any level.

That said, their quixotic runs did bring attention to larger issues that later got filtered into laws, or at least serious discussions.

In neither case was America’s position in the world threatened. In no case was an individual citizen’s liberties as imperiled as they are now.

If Trump wins;

  • You can kiss the Affordable Care Act goodbye.
  • You can kiss all LGBTQ rights to marry goodbye.
  • Actually, just kiss any LGBTQ protections of any kind goodbye. There’s them darn evangelicals to appease, don’t you know.
  • You can kiss our place in the world goodbye. If he quits NATO, as he has threatened, you can bet one global response will be to increase tariffs on all U.S. exports, which would cripple our economy and shutter international businessmen and banks. Other responses could park us in a depression we may never escape.
  • You can bet the Civil Rights Act, already threatened, would hit the trash bin.
  • Since he’s lauded Vladimir Putin as a great leader all you need do is look a little east to see what America’s in for. Any dissent is jailed, so while you’re kissing shit goodbye, make sure to wave at the First Amendment as it floats away.

No, this isn’t hyperbole. These are simply bullet points based on Trump’s stated positions.

We’ll ignore, for now, his treasonous request for Russian spies to undermine democracy. Something tells me that, after the election, someone will crook a gnarled forefinger and say “Lissen ‘ere boy, ya’ll done bad, an now it’s time to pay the piper.”

If he wins, it won’t fucking matter anyway. We’ll all be too busy learning Russian for free.

On the plus side, I happen to like Borscht & vodka.

Henry M. Paulson Jr., chairman of the Paulson Institute, former U.S. treasury secretary, and chief executive of Goldman Sachs, is a staunch conservative, and lifelong Republican, so I’ll let him end this blog.

Simply put, a Trump presidency is unthinkable.

As a Republican looking ahead to November, there are many strong conservative leaders in statehouses across the United States and in Congress, whose candidacies I am actively supporting. They have a big job to do to reinvent and revitalize the Republican Party. They can do so by responding to the fears and frustrations of the American people and uniting them behind some common aspirations, while staying constant to the principles that have made our country great.

When it comes to the presidency, I will not vote for Donald Trump. I will not cast a write-in vote. I’ll be voting for Hillary Clinton, with the hope that she can bring Americans together to do the things necessary to strengthen our economy, our environment and our place in the world. To my Republican friends: I know I’m not alone.

Mr. Paulsen’s article, originally in the Washington Post, is nuanced and well reasoned. If you’re interested in fact based reasoning I strongly suggest you give it a read.


Listen to Bill McCormick on WBIG (FOX! Sports) every Friday around 9:10 AM.
Visit us on Rebel Mouse for even more fun!
contact Bill McCormick
Your Ad Can Be Here Now!

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Are You Tethered to Your Life?

July 25, 2016 by Bill McCormick

Your future is not a happy place.
Your future is not a happy place.
These indy-comic reviews are really making me new friends. People seem to like being introduced to new artists and artists seem to like being introduced to new people. In other words, if you’re a comic creator looking for a review, feel free to email us. We make a simple deal with all authors. We will never post a bad review. If we don’t like it we’ll tell you, but that’s it. No one here at World News Center is into causing new artists harm or making them look foolish. Especially when those people tend to come back and become J.K. Rowling or someone like that.

Today’s a special treat. I’ve already reviewed a couple of books written by Chuck Amadori and today’s issue continues his habit of creating excellent, and frightening, new worlds.

*******************************

Tether – Issues 1-6
(rated “M” for Mature)

The title refers to a literal tether which connects a floating city to the Earth below. It serves as a lifeline between the haves, above the planet, and the doomed, pretty much everyone else. The plot focuses on the lives of a defective overseer named Zarran Sixty-Seven. His line of geneteclones was discontinued due to its many defects. He was tossed into the mines to live out his life, such as it was destined to be, as an overseer of slaves. The other plot revolves around a woman named Alina who’s been tremendously altered by a twisted doctor named Murrell. He’s done things to her that only he knows. One thing she does know is that she’s stronger than any human she’s ever met. Alina is a rebel prisoner slated to keep fighting in Emperor Trovaar’s coliseum.

And Dr. Murrell wouldn’t mind her being his sex slave either. He’s one creepy dude, and it comes through in the story.

Emperor Trovaar is an egomaniac who took over years ago and is now running his kingdom into the ground. Food is scarce, infrastructure is crumbling, and he’s forced to use the military to handle simple tasks such as scouring the wastelands for food. Only the violence of the coliseum, and the gifts given to the citizens by Trovaar when they attend, are keeping the kingdom from outright rebellion.

The wastelands are so-named since there is no life there. Of course, since this is an Amadori story, you know there are secrets there that will blow you away.

The book is violent and the emperor uses sex as both a weapon and a prize, and all this is graphically presented. Also, when someone should logically wake up naked, they wake up naked, there are no careful lighting arrangements or skimpy towels like you get on prime time TV.

The artists, listed below, do an incredible job of keeping consistency between the issues. The colors are washed and tinted in blended shades of yellows and grays. Very much what you would expect in a barren, dying, world. The characters are sharply drawn and distinct. You will have no problem knowing who is who at any point in the story.

Trust me, that’s a big asset here as there is a lot going on.

One quick note, while this isn’t Game of Thrones, you might not want to get too connected to some of the characters.

Long story short, grab this series and settle in for one hell of a ride.

Tether Creative Team:

Chuck Amadori – Writer/Letterer/Editor
Twitter: @zarran67 & @PaleDarkComic

Edson Alves – Artist (issues 3)

Matheus Bronca – Colorist (issues 3- )
Twitter: @Bronca_Matheus

Alex Reis – Artist (issue 1)
Twitter: @Arrow_Reis

Ruvel Abril – Artist (issue 2)
Twitter:@RuvelAbril

Marcelo Salaza – Artist (issue 2)

Nimesh Morarji – Colorist (issues 1-2)
Twiter: @NimeshMorarji

Series created by Chuck Amadori & Adam Bloch

Tether can be found here:
Digital
Print

Filed Under: Reviews

Hybrid Zero is a New Kind of Hero

July 16, 2016 by Bill McCormick

A new comic from Cyril W. Brown, Jr.
A new comic from Cyril W. Brown, Jr.
This has really turned out to be a good idea. People seem to like being introduced to new artists and artists seem to like being introduced to new people. In other words, if you’re a comic creator looking for a review, feel free to email us. We make a simple deal with all authors. We will never post a bad review. If we don’t like it we’ll tell you, but that’s it. No one here at World News Center is into causing new artists harm or making them look foolish. Especially when those people tend to come back and become J.K. Rowling or someone like that.

Today you’re in for a treat. Something new and fun came into my world and now I’m about to share it with yours.

**************
Hybrid Zero: Juggernaut (episode 1) – Rated M For Mature

Hybrid Zero is a wholly original web-comic from Cyril W. Brown, Jr. He wrote it, drew it, did the coloring, and everything else. The only thing he didn’t do was write this review. The story’s protagonist, Zoe Artemis Chituri Able, is a genetically engineered clone who was designed to be a prostitute but eventually evolved into a genetically engineered super soldier.

It could happen to anyone.

The story follows her fractured relationship with her mother, a genetically modified human whose breasts are so large she was forced to add a tail and steel spine to support them, and her father, a manipulative psychopath, and her attempt to fit in in a universe where the citizens fear the military to a near paranoiac level. There are many hints that such paranoia is well founded.

In this universe humans, and their alien allies, live on planetships. Pretty much exactly what they sound like; ships, organically grown, built around planets that travel the universe.

The story unfolds via the comic book equivalent of voice overs as readers are treated to a visual feast of the worlds they are about to enter. Every panel is packed with wonderful details, from futuristic news broadcasts to adds for male and female sex partners.

SOME ARE EVEN HUMAN!

Kinda sorta.

The story, while rated “M” for mature, is far from pornographic. The themes it touches on, what is the nature of humanity, what is or is not acceptable in genetic alterations, and so on occasionally require graphics that fit. Brown provides them in exquisite, and loving, detail.

The writing is crisp and fun and provides the perfect foil to the art. Every detail resonates as true.

If you’re looking for something completely original and thought provoking to wrap your brain around, Hybrid Zero is for you.

Read Hybrid Zero for free by CLICKING HERE.

Hybrid Zero’s FACEBOOK page.

Support Cyril so he can keep making more art like this by CLICKING HERE.


Listen to Bill McCormick on WBIG (FOX! Sports) every Friday around 9:10 AM.
Visit us on Rebel Mouse for even more fun!
contact Bill McCormick
Your Ad Can Be Here Now!

Filed Under: Reviews

A Cowardly New World?

July 14, 2016 by Bill McCormick

Why do for yourself what machines can do for you?
Why do for yourself what machines can do for you?

We live in interesting times. On the one hand we have tech that can do amazing things. There are machines that can extract water from the air and bring moisture to parched lands. We can harness the wind to power entire cities. There are ships which use the ocean for power leaving a near zero carbon imprint on the planet. I’ve written about all of these things before and humans felt heartened. At the same time we live in a world of science denying vitriol. People who have no clue how even the most basic things work are trying to control how we take care of our essential needs. Denying vaccines to infants due to single research paper, one widely discredited, makes more sense to them than decades of substantive facts. Letting our crops rot in the field, infested with myriads of diseases and insects, is, to them, preferable to any viable alternative. They wallow in fear and cowardice and expect humanity to fall down with them. There are many rational people who feel the cowardly ones might benefit if they were allowed to step back from society and live in a world of their own creation.
[Read more…] about A Cowardly New World?

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Are You Afraid of the Pale Dark?

July 9, 2016 by Bill McCormick

Exciting new comic for your reading pleasure.
Exciting new comic for your reading pleasure.
This has really turned out to be a good idea. People seem to like being introduced to new artists and artists seem to like being introduced to new people. In other words, if you’re a comic creator looking for a review, feel free to email us. We make a simple deal with all authors. We will never post a bad review. If we don’t like it we’ll tell you, but that’s it. No one here at World News Center is into causing new artists harm or making them look foolish. Especially when those people tend to come back and become J.K. Rowling or someone like that.

Today’s a special treat. I’ve already reviewed Empress which was written by Carl Amadori. He’s back … maybe I should say HEEEEE’S BAAAAACK! Maybe not. Anyway Pale Dark is a new series written by him that’s designed to curl your toes.

**************

This review covers issues 1 through 6, released by Isle Squared Comics.

Pale Dark is a strange story. It has some familiar tropes such as a multi-verse, a vague villain, and a secret rebellion led by stern, but fair, ex-military personnel. I think they are there just to give readers a lifeline to hold on to as the story lurches forward and sideways. Pale Dark twists and turns its way through allegiances, both real and imagined, as the protagonist, a naif known only as Subject K, tries to figure out what is happening to him and why.

The villain is a guy known only as The Pale Man. Both his enemies and his followers call him that. He manipulates his victims through torture, both physical and mental. His minions are all sycophants, some coerced, others willing. He abuses a doctor who is forced to do his bidding, in an attempt to discover some sort of serum that has eluded him all his life. He has her daughter somewhere and won’t let her see her unless, and until, she solves the problem. So far she’s been in his “employ” for four years. She may, or may not, be sympathetic to the plight of Subject K and the others in the Pale Man’s prison.

The prison itself is a thing of beauty. Hidden away from earth, one of them anyway, it allows the Pale Man to play god. In some scenes he intimates that he actually is a deity. Maybe even the one we’re supposed to worship.

Amadori plays fast and loose with the possible interpretations of reality, letting the reader forge ideas on their own. The technique works best when one is trying to figure out who is really helping who.

There is a sub-plot concerning a Lieutenant named Spez whose brain has been “tattooed.” That process involves a combination of psychotropic drugs and hypnosis. In Spez’ case it’s left his mind a collection of unfocused, random, thoughts that may, or may not, mean something important.

I should note that the art, done initially by Raul Abril, and later by Alex Reis, fastens your attention on shifting details. Things that can’t be right next to things you believe are. It’s a subtle, yet useful, way of filling in the back story without wasting time telling it.

I don’t want to give away the plot but if you’re a fan of tightly written suspense and sci-fi, Pale Dark is for you.

Pale Dark Creative Team:

Chuck Amadori – Creator/Writer/Letterer
Twitter: @zarran67 & @PaleDarkComic

Alex Reis – Artist (issues 6- )
Twitter: @Arrow_Reis

Matheus Bronca – Colorist (issues 4- )
Twitter: @Bronca_Matheus

Ruvel Abril – Artist (issues 1-5), Colorist (issues 1-2)
Twitter:@RuvelAbril

Nimesh Morarji – Colorist (issue 3)
Twiiter: @NimeshMorarji

Pale Dark can be found here:

Digital – Comixology

Print – Indy Planet


Listen to Bill McCormick on WBIG (FOX! Sports) every Friday around 9:10 AM.
Visit us on Rebel Mouse for even more fun!
contact Bill McCormick
Your Ad Can Be Here Now!

Filed Under: Reviews

Primary Sidebar

Archives

  • October 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • December 2021
  • October 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • April 2021
  • November 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • September 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012
  • October 2012
  • September 2012
  • August 2012
  • July 2012
  • June 2012
  • May 2012
  • April 2012
  • March 2012
  • February 2012
  • January 2012
  • December 2011
  • November 2011
  • October 2011
  • September 2011
  • August 2011
  • July 2011
  • June 2011
  • May 2011
  • April 2011
  • March 2011
  • February 2011
  • January 2011
  • December 2010
  • November 2010
  • October 2010
  • September 2010

Copyright © 2023 · Metro Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in