The Walking Dead Season 9, Episode 13 “Chokepoint” Review

Julian Cannon Leave a Comment

The Walking Dead this week has a boat load of action along with the debut of a new group that has not been seen in the comics that is exclusive to the show. With the fair beginning to take place, there is a road block that comes in the way. Here is my review for the newest episode titled “Chokepoint”.

At the end of the last episode, we seen Daryl and Connie rescue Henry and Lydia from The Whisperer camp. This episode continues the escape and Henry notices that they were not going the same direction to The Hilltop as he thought. Can I mention how resourceful Connie has been ever since her introduction? Anyways, Daryl told all of them that there is no way they should return to Hilltop because Alpha will return there to kill everyone now since that deal went sour. Daryl also kept giving reasons to why Lydia cannot come with them but Henry told him that they will go alone. After arguing about it for more minutes, Daryl had no choice but to follow Connie to the old building that Magna used as a hideout. Daryl also takes advantage of the building to see a Whisperer and walker herd from above. Lydia did however told Daryl about Beta but we will get to that soon.

Remember that red symbol that was shown a few episodes ago? Well, I initially thought that it was The Whisperers marking their territory but I was wrong. It turns out that it is a new group that is called “The Highwaymen” and they act as extortion pirates that is similar to The Saviors. They are lead by a man called Ozzy and they steal people’s belongings as a toll in order for people to pass the road. Ezekiel and Carol were talking about this when they read the letter. The Highwaymen demand items from Ezekiel, Carol, and Jerry and they refused and they told them that they have nothing to offer. A little more back and forth of words along with Ozzy and the rest point guns at then and then The Kingdom made a deal with them so that they can hire Ozzy and his men to watch the roads while the fair is going on in exchange for The Highwaymen to attend the fair. I found this scene creepy from the way Ozzy and his men stood in the darkened area with other cardboard cutouts of humans before they came to the light. Carol even asks Ozzy when was the last time they seen a movie.

While Tara and others such as Magna, Yumiko, Earl and others are on the road, they encounter a number of walkers and during the scuffle, Earl was close to being bitten which also gave me a jump scare. The Highwaymen also rescue them and escorts them to the fair. It also seems like Tara is going to tell Carol about The Whisperers as well.

The fight between Daryl and Beta that everyone was looking forward to finally happens here during the last half of the episode and Beta, who is tall and intimidating, throws Daryl around like he is a pillow. Daryl even tries to stab Beta with a knife but he realizes that Beta has armor under his clothes so that did not help. That also caught me off guard too. There were times that Daryl tried to sneak attack Beta and that did not work until the end of the fight where Daryl jumps on Beta from behind and pushes him down a elevator shaft. There were also Whisperers that was also killed by Daryl, Connie, and Henry during the time that they hid Lydia and the dog in a closet. Henry was also stabbed during this fight as well. The episode ends with Beta waking up from the hard fall.

This episode picked up the pace from last week’s episode and everything is starting to come full circle. The Daryl and Beta fight took up the majority of the episode and I love it. The Highwaymen i am curious about if they encountered The Whisperers before or other groups during the 6 year time skip. Speaking of that, the next episode will reveal how Daryl and Michonne got those “X” marks on their back and I am looking forward to it!

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The Walking Dead Season 9, Episode 12 “Guardians” Review

Julian Cannon Leave a Comment

Are you ready for more of The Whisperers and Negan? well get ready for it because this week’s episode of The Walking Dead is dedicated to those along with more plot points that move the story in a great way and it makes me fear the impending doom that is to come with the upcoming gathering at the fair. Here is my review and thoughts on this week’s episode of The Walking Dead titled “Guardians”.

Ryan Hurst as Beta – The Walking Dead _ Season 9, Episode 12 – Photo Credit: Gene Page/AMC

I would first like to say that Ryan Hurst as Beta is a great casting choice. He looks very intimidatng as he towered over everyone else since he is close to seven feet tall as his comic counterpart. He also sounds very scary as his voice is exactly how I imagined it when I read his debut issue a few years ago. The way him and Alpha interact shows how much the both of them has high authority over the other Whisperers. We will get to more of that in a few paragraphs.

Cassady McClincy as Lydia, Samantha Morton as Alpha – The Walking Dead _ Season 9, Episode 12 – Photo Credit: Gene Page/AMC

Alpha talks to Lydia about what happened at The Hilltop and about her time there when she was captured. Lydia lied to her about most of the information she told her and she also says that there are not too many guns over there and that The Hilltop does not trade with other communities. Henry, who went after her in the last episode, is captured by Beta after Henry fought off another Whisperer beforehand. I did love the way Beta just grabbed him so easily. It made me laugh. Beta takes him to the camp they are staying at and he gets tied up so he will not escape. Lydia notices Henry and Alpha also sees that Lydia knows him too. Lydia could not give away that she liked him so she punches him to not have her cover blown at all. Alpha also wants Lydia to kill Henry right there but they are interrupted as Lydia was hesitant to do it.

Father Gabriel finds out about Rosita being pregnant and also that she cheated on him. That disappointed him and he wanted to break up with her because of her actions. This was until Eugene convinced him to stay with her and continue the relationship. Gabriel should have listened to Negan when they were talking about Rosita a few episodes ago. Speaking of Negan, him and Michonne were talking and he mentioned that he could help her lead Alexandria since he believes that her leadership is starting to go thin due to the current conflict. in fact, there was also a vote at the council to see if Alexandria should go to the fair or not. This conversation mirrored Negan and Rick’s from issue #149. Michonne was not having it at all as she ordered for his window to be closed for good due to him eavesdropping. Michonne also talks to Judith about her not wanting her (Judith) near Negan ever again.

Danai Gurira as Michonne, Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Negan – The Walking Dead _ Season 9, Episode 12 – Photo Credit: Gene Page/AMC

Daryl and Connie went after Henry at the end of the last episode and here, we are shown that they are directing a herd to The Whisperers camp and another scene from the comics is here where Daryl wears a Whisperer mask to blend in with the herd. In the comics, it was during The Whisperer War where Dwight got the idea to do this so that he and the rest kill Whisperers when they blend in with the herd with knives and swords.

A good and brutal moment that happens in this episode is that two Whisperers tried to challenge Alpha since Alpha broke her own rules just for Lydia. When this happens, Alpha ends up stabbing the Whisperer to death and Alpha beheads the girlfriend of the stabbed Whisperer with a piano wire. Pretty gruesome to see this happen. More Whisperers were killed when the heard made its way to the camp. Daryl and Connie rescues both Henry and Lydia as the episode ends.

Cassady McClincy as Lydia, Samantha Morton as Alpha – The Walking Dead _ Season 9, Episode 12 – Photo Credit: Gene Page/AMC

Although the episode had a slower pace than the last episode, it was a great character driven episode and Beta is the star of the episode in my eyes. The incident at the end of this episode will be crucial to what happens during the fair so that is what I am looking forward too. I am also glad to see Negan again in this episode and time will tell when he will get out of his cell again.

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Tales of the Rocabilly Rambler live on kickstarter

Rob Leave a Comment

Tales of The Rockabilly Rambler is a full color, 48 page anthology starring The King himself as you’ve never seen him before!
Artist and publisher Aaron Allen was visiting Graceland with his wife when he came upon a display chronicling Elvis’ fascination with Law Enforcement. Standing there staring at all that police ephemera and the beautiful turquoise handled colt 45 he was inspired. What if Elvis had pursued that life? Why not create short fictional stories of his time as a police officer; better yet a police officer in space, or any adventure through the multiverse: western, noir, pirates, intergalactic travel, espionage, horror?
Aaron began to put together teams of creators and the project started to gain momentum. In the end he had 9 writers and 9 artists working on 9 stories and over the next year the book began to take shape. The result is a rollicking ride through what was, what might have been, and what never was. We think we have a book that will entertain, excite, and inspire. We really think you’ll dig it.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1545414828/tales-of-the-rockabilly-rambler

Tales of The Rockabilly Rambler
Publisher: 48 Hour Comic Project / Zipatone Classics
Full Color / Hard Cover
48 pages
With stories from:
Aaron Allen and Chuck Suffel – Sing Songs ‘n Right Wrongs
Zap Farmer and Dominic Velando – Drugs Squad
Aaron Allen and Jeff Aldrich – Parks and Wreck
Genevieve Trainor and JA Allen – Return of the King
Ryan Morrow and Joseba Morales – Four Kings
Larry Quiggins and Dominic Velando – Now or Never
Robert Stevenson and Patrick Buermeyer – Devil in Disguise
Santi Guillen and Chuck Suffel – Killer Elvis
JA Allen – Sea Monster Sue

With pin up art by David Davies
Edited by Genevieve Trainor
And Lettering by JA Allen

Cover by Bob McLeod
Who is The 48 Hour Comic Project?
The 48 Hour Comic Project is a crazy and sleepless weekend in which a writer and artist create a comic book- write, illustrate, color, and publish- in just 48 hours! Since this project will be our last issue, we wanted to go beyond the 48hr parameters and take our time to create something special. To really go out with a bang!
Aaron Allen is an illustrator who has been featured by Cryptozoic Entertainment, Rittenhouse Archives, Marvel, DC, One Squared Studios, Twomorrow Press, Alter Ego, Four Color Eulogy, Unabashed Media, just to name a few. He is currently the creator and editor of Zipatone Classics, a 48 Hour Comic Project.

Ava DuVernay’s WHEN THEY SEE US to be released on Netflix on May 31

Julian Cannon Leave a Comment

In 1989, the Media Dubbed Them the Central Park Five and They Were Forever Linked Together By That Moniker

On May 31, their true story will come to Netflix as a four-part limited series from Academy Award® Nominee and two-time Emmy Award® Winner Ava DuVernay. Now titled When They See Us, the series is based on the stories of the five men who were wrongly accused of a crime they did not commit.

Quote from Ava DuVernay: “In 1989, five black and brown teen boys were wrongly accused of a crime they did not commit and branded The Central Park Five, a moniker that has followed them since that time. In 2019, our series gives the five men a platform to finally raise their voices and tell their full stories. In doing so, Korey, Antron, Raymond, Kevin and Yusef also tell the story of many young people of color unjustly ensnared in the criminal justice system. We wanted to reflect this perspective in our title, embracing the humanity of the men and not their politicized moniker.”

About When They See Us:

Based on a true story that gripped the country, When They See Us will chronicle the notorious case of five teenagers of color, labeled the Central Park Five, who were convicted of a rape they did not commit. The four part limited series will focus on the five teenagers from Harlem — Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, Yusef Salaam, Raymond Santana and Korey Wise. Beginning in the spring of 1989, when the teenagers were first questioned about the incident, the series will span 25 years, highlighting their exoneration in 2002 and the settlement reached with the city of New York in 2014.

When They See Us was created by Ava DuVernay, who also co-wrote and directed the four parts. Jeff Skoll and Jonathan King from Participant Media, Oprah Winfrey from Harpo Films, and Jane Rosenthal, Berry Welsh and Robert De Niro from Tribeca Productions will executive produce the limited series alongside DuVernay through her banner, Forward Movement. In addition to DuVernay, Attica Locke, Robin Swicord, and Michael Starrbury also serve as writers on the limited series.

The series stars Emmy Award® Nominee Michael K. Williams, Academy Award® Nominee Vera Farmiga, Emmy Award® Winner John Leguizamo, Academy Award® Nominee and Emmy Award® Winner Felicity Huffman, Emmy Award® Nominee Niecy Nash, Emmy Award® Winner and two-time Golden Globe Nominee Blair Underwood, Emmy Award® and Grammy Award® Winner and Tony Award® Nominee Christopher Jackson, Joshua Jackson, Omar J. Dorsey, Adepero Oduye, Famke Janssen, Aurora Perrineau, William Sadler, Jharrel Jerome, Jovan Adepo, Aunjanue Ellis, Kylie Bunbury, Marsha Stephanie Blake, Storm Reid, Chris Chalk, Freddy Miyares, Justin Cunningham, Ethan Herisse, Caleel Harris, Marquis Rodriguez, and Asante Blackk.

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The Walking Dead Season 9, Episode 11 “Bounty” Review

Julian Cannon Leave a Comment

There are a few words that I can sum up Alpha and that is “creepy as s***” when she arrived to The Hilltop on last week’s episode. This week, the story of that continued along with a little buildup to what divided the communities during the six year time skip. Now it is time to give my thoughts of the newest episode of The Walking Dead titled “Bounty”.

Samantha Morton as Alpha – The Walking Dead _ Season 9, Episode 11 – Photo Credit: Gene Page/AMC

The episode begins with a flashback during the six year time skip of Carol, Ezekiel, Tara, and Jesus (I still miss him so it was great to see him again) as the first two were waiting for Jesus and Tara to arrive as both Carol and Ezekiel were clearing a path of walkers. When they arrive, Tara gives Ezekiel a document that she says that she has stolen from Michonne’s house since she claims that it was gathering dust. Tara also says that she has stolen medication from there as well and that she will never return to Alexandria ever again. For those few minutes, it makes me question more to what happened within those six years between the communities and how did both Daryl and Michonne got those “X” scars on their backs.

Khary Payton as Ezekiel, Melissa McBride as Carol Peletier – The Walking Dead _ Season 9, Episode 13 – Photo Credit: Jace Downs/AMC

Kingdom soldier Jerry also announces that he and Nabila are having a child. The kid must be a few years old by this point but either way, it is good to know that there are more babies part of the group now (more one this in a few more paragraphs). In the current time, The Kingdom is planning to unite the communities once again with a fair and Ezekiel and co. are scavenging for a movie projector bulb so that way, they can show movies to everyone at the fair. I will have to say this, as Carol and the others were shooting arrows at the walkers at the abandoned movie theater, there was music being played as this happened and it sounded like it came out of the mid 1980’s. Great action sequence though and the chemistry between Ezekiel and Carol grows each episode. Even the minor characters got to shine on this episode as well.

Back at The Hilltop, Alpha demands to everyone to bring her daughter back and she reveals that she has captured Luke and Alden. Every time a hostage situation happens on The Walking Dead, someone dies. But this time, that did not happen. Alpha exchanges both of them for Lydia. But before that happened, Henry tried to hide Lydia from everyone to prevent the exchange to happen but Daryl and the rest found him in that shack that we have seen on episode 8 of this season. Lydia did not want to go, but she had to since she thinks that her mom will kill Luke and Alden. Lydia kissed Henry before she left and when Lydia says “mom” to Alpha, Alpha slapped Lydia so hard across the face that you would think that she stolen the cookies from the cookie jar. Alpha was disgusted and tells Lydia to address her as “Alpha”.

Norman Reedus as Daryl Dixon, Samantha Morton as Alpha – The Walking Dead _ Season 9, Episode 11 – Photo Credit: Gene Page/AMC

As walkers were showing up, Alpha demands another Whisperer to leave her baby on the ground as the baby was crying. Alpha wants the walkers to devour the baby and the whisperer left her baby on the ground. The walkers were close to eating the baby until Connie, Daryl, and the others come to the rescue to rescue both the baby, and Connie. Thank god that they rescued the baby. Earl and his wife Tammy adopted the baby and that is another baby that will be at The Hilltop (remember the other baby Rick Grimes saved at the Savior outpost back in season 8, he is still there at The Hilltop as a kid now as well.

Henry decides to go after Lydia without anyone’s permission and Daryl with his dog and Connie notices this as they now go after Henry as the episode ends.

Melissa McBride as Carol Peletier, Khary Payton as Ezekiel, Cooper Andrews as Jerry – The Walking Dead _ Season 9, Episode 11 – Photo Credit: Gene Page/AMC

This episode showcased how messed up Alpha is as a person and as a leader and she is far more feared than what we imagined. Most of the hostage situation along with Henry going after Lydia is directly adapted from the comic series as well so I was happy to see that. The Carol and Ezekiel subplot is actually better than what I expected as those two continue to shine in their scenes. Good episode overall as the plot is moving forward to that infamous fair that we got in the comic series.

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