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Articles by Eli Funaro
Retro Review – Wolverine: Wild Frontier - A Tribe Called Geek
WOLVERINE: WILD FRONTIER By Eli Funaro Writers: Timothy Truman Art: Todd Fox, Gary Kwapisz, Tom Smith Covers: Sam Kieth Rating: My Review: 3.5 of 5 stars Wolverine has been a favorite amongst comic fans for decades. With the return of the X-Men ‘97 animation and his appearance in the upcoming Deadpool & Wolverine movie, nerd fandom is going nuts with excitement.
Retro review: ‘Rez Metal’ doesn’t ‘Konform’ in the best way
Rez Metal – (2021) Producer/ Director: Askan Soltani Featuring Music by: I DONT KONFORM My Rating: 5 stars Streaming: Tubi (free); The Roku Channel , YouTube and YouTubeTV (subscritpion required) Heavy Metal music is often misunderstood. It’s funny how people can watch horror movies, true crime shows, war films or read Stephen King books, and can understand that it’s all just entertainment. But if a metal band writes a song about any of those subjects, everyone is horrified.
Review: Marvel Infinity Comics, Unlimted #121, a fun, beat-’em up e-comic
Marvel Infinity Comics, Unlimited #121 Written by Steve Orlando, Steve Foxe Art by: Nick Roche, Yen NitroLetters: Vc Travis Lanham Marvel Infinity Comics Rating: 4 out of 5 stars The Proudstar Brothers are back! Thunderbird and Warpath are some of Marvel’s most recognizable Indigenous superheroes. These two mutant brothers are gifted with super strength and healing factors and have had a long history in the X-Men lore.
Opinion – Made in Madripoor: Marvel, Mutants… and Native culture thieves - A Tribe Called Geek
The Marvel Cinematic Universe has been teasing the X-Men for some time now. Ms. Marvel has the X-Gene. Charles Xavier popped up in the latest Doctor Strange movie. The Beast cameo in The Marvels post-credit scene, and Wolverine appears in Deadpool 3. Oh yeah, and then there’s Deadpool. Fans hope bringing in the Mutants is just the thing to rekindle excitement in the MCU.
Commentary: ‘ECHO’ review bombs and the Anti-Woke agenda
Woke is a word that needs to go away. It has pretty much lost all meaning. What used to be a term that celebrated inclusion and progressive thinking has been hijacked by alt-right conservative true-blue patriots claiming they are victims of diversity.
The new ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ casts Indigenous talent
Avatar: The Last Airbender Staring: Gordon Cormier, Kiawentiio, Ian Ousley Netflix (Subscription required) Series premiers on Thursday, Feb. 22, 2024. The Water Tribes are Indigenous in Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender. The latest adaptation of the beloved animated TV series, which premieres on Netflix on Thursday, February 22, follows Aang, the last of the Air Nomads. Aang (Gordon Cormier) is prophesied to master all natural elemental powers and will bring peace to a world ravaged by war.
Enter the Echo: 5 ‘Echo’ comics to check out
Of all the Indigenous Heroes appearing in the Marvel Universe, Echo stands out as one of the more unique comic book characters. She is a highly skilled martial artist who can mimic any fighting style. She also happens to be deaf, making her one of the few super-enhanced beings with disabilities. Echo has remained mostly a supporting character in the comics. However, this street-level anti-hero has had a long journey throughout the years.
Review: Lily Gladstone luminous performance drives ‘The Unknown Country’
The Unknown Country (Not Rated) Directed by Morrisa Maltz Written by Lily Gladstone, Morrisa Maltz, Lainey Bearkiller Shangreaux & Vanara Taing Starring: Lily Gladstone, Raymond Lee, Richard Ray Whitman Music Box Films Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars How to watch: Showing in select theaters – Streaming: Mubi – Rent: Amazon, Google Play, YouTube, Apple TV, Vudu – Buy : Amazon Lily Gladstone is having quite the year.
Review: ‘Godzilla Minus 1’ is an epic, terrifying flick
Godzilla Minus 1 (Rated PG-13) Written and Directed by Takashi Yamazaki Starring: Minami Hamabe, Ryunosuke Kamiki, Hidetaka Yoshioka In theaters now Rating: 5 out of 5 stars Godzilla rises from the depths once again! For nearly 70 years, the giant radioactive dinosaur has been wreaking havoc and battling kaiju monsters on the big screen.
Retro Review: The Native Holiday Rom-Com we need
Christmas in the Clouds Written and Directed by: Kate Montgomery Starring: Timothy Vahle, Sam Vlahos, Mariana Tosca Majestic Films Rated PG Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars Streaming options (all Free): Pluto TV, The Roku Channel, Amazon Prime Video, VIXS, & Tubi “Holiday Indigenous Romantic Comedy” are words I never expected to see in one sentence. But in 2001, a film was made that was just that.
Five Indigenous Gift Ideas for the Holiday Season
It’s time to get jolly and festive! The Holiday season is in full effect as America blackmails its children into behaving right with Santa’s ever-watchful eye and the promise of presents. Most consumers will flood retail stores and online shopping sites for their holiday gifts. However, there are plenty of Native-owned businesses and artists who could use some support during the Christmas shopping spree.
The Indigenous origins of the Pumpkins
Autumn is the best. The summer heat turns brisk, the leaves start rusting with fiery colors, and we can finally break out our hoodies to hide our pot bellies. Stores turn their seasonal sections into Halloween headquarters full of candy and costumes, and the first hints of Thanksgiving products fill the shelves. Of course, Fall wouldn’t be complete without pumpkins.
5 Horror Movies with fantastic Indigenous representation
Indigenous people are barely visible in film, much less in horror movies. Usually reduced to stereotypical sidekicks and background characters, Native American Representation doesn’t have the best history in cinema. When Natives do pop up in the occasional fright flicks, it’s mostly as token shamans spewing New Age mystical wisdom. Or it’s the use of the , where Indigenous graves are disturbed unleashing vengeful ghosts who haunt the upper class suburban houses that were built on them.
5 Horror movies with horrendous Indigenous representation
Indigenous People get very little representation in pop culture. Although we are currently in a renaissance of Native content, with more Indigenous film and television shows being produced, there is still a long way to go until Native Americans are normalized in the media. Hopefully, this isn’t just a passing trend. After all, the Indigenous Werewolves fad never took off like some hoped after the Twilight movies. It didn’t matter how hot Jacob’s abs were.
5 Horror movies with lame Indigenous representation
Indigenous People get very little representation in pop culture. Although we are currently in a renaissance of Native content, with more Indigenous film and television shows being produced, there is still a long way to go until Native Americans are normalized in the media. Hopefully, this isn’t just a passing trend. After all, the Indigenous Werewolves fad never took off like some hoped after the Twilight movies. It didn’t matter how hot Jacob’s abs were.
Review: ‘Daredevil & Echo #4’
DAREDEVIL & ECHO No. 4 WRITERS : Taboo and B. Earl ART : Phil Noto PUBLISHER: Marvel Comics RATING: 3.5 of 5 stars The fourth and final issue of the Daredevil and Echo comic miniseries dropped recently, bringing the climatic finale to the story arc.
Mosh Pit Grand Entry: Six Indigenous metal bands to check out
Heavy Metal is a musical genre that can be abrasive to those who don’t understand it. But for metal fans, it is an outlet for expressing anger and frustration, a cathartic release from the everyday tedious monotony of mundane life. Pop music primarily focuses on love. Practically every song on the radio is about falling in love, wanting to be in love, making love, or being sad about not being in love anymore. Pop music can come off as co-dependent drivel for those afraid to be alone.
The coolest Native American action figures of all time (up to now)
Negative Native American stereotypes are rampant in popular culture. We see this with food brands, sports team mascots, Halloween costumes, and even the auto industry naming cars after Native tribes. Indigenous identity has historically been reduced to feathers, leather, bows & arrows, and tomahawks. Despite awareness being raised, these images are still being pushed today. This is also apparent in the toy industry, which does not have the best track record in representing Native Americans.
The worst Native American action figures of all time (up to now)
The history of Native American toys is not a good one. From the beginning, toys depicting Indigenous People are mired in negative stereotypes, where they were often used as cannon fodder for cowboy toys. It comes as no surprise that Native Americans were not considered a demographic in any product marketing. Or that the toys were mainly meant to be sold to American white kids. So, the first Indigenous toys resembled the stereotypical Plains tribes.
Review: Earthdivers No. 8
Earthdivers No. 8 Writer: Stephen Graham Jones Art: Riccardo Burchiella/ Joana LaFuente / Rafeal Albuquerque Letters: Steve Wands Publisher: IDW 3.5 out of 5 stars The new story arc in the Earthdivers comic series has begun. The violent, bloody time travel yarn written by Blackfeet author Stephen Graham Jones involves Indigenous survivors of a dystopian future who enter a time portal in a cave and travel to the past to change history.
Opinion: End of ‘Rez Dogs’ & ‘Rutherford Falls’ shows the need for more Indigenous comedy
On June 30, Sterlin Harjo announced on Instagram that Reservation Dogs will end with Season 3. The coming-of-age comedy/drama about Native youth growing up on the Rez has become beloved by Indian Country. Featuring Indigenous talent in front of and behind the camera, it is one of the first all-Native American-created shows on television. It has also been a huge hit with critics.
Review: ‘Daredevil and Echo #1’
Daredevil and Echo #1 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars Daredevil and Echo are back in Hell’s Kitchen. An Indigenous antihero turned Avenger, Echo returns to the pages of Marvel comics just in time for her solo TV series on Disney+ along with the “Man With No Fear” in the new comic series; Daredevil And Echo #1, out this Fall. Echo (aka Maya Lopez) is a deaf vigilante who can mimic any movement she sees, making her an expert in hand-to-hand combat.
Frank and Silas Fireheart: Marvel’s Forgotten Rez Kids
Marvel has a handful of Indigenous Heroes that have appeared in their comics. Dani Moonstar, Warpath, Forge, Thunderbird and John Greycrow were recruited for several of the X-Men’s mutant teams. Red Wolf and Echo have been on the Avengers, with Echo recently becoming The Phoenix. The latest version of Werewolf By Night features a Hopi teenager named Jake Gomez. Another Sorcerer Supreme has been revealed to be an Apache medicine woman named Kushala.
Within The Woods: The Indigenous roots of ‘Evil Dead’
Horror movies are back in style. In the last few years, we have seen a rise in the horror genre and the relaunching of several franchises, such as Halloween, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Chucky/Child’s Play, and Hellraiser. Now, Evil Dead Rise has also been quite a success at the box office. The latest entry in the splatter horror series has gotten its gory seal of approval from fans. Intro to Evil Since 1982, the Evil Dead films have been a favorite amongst hardcore horror fiends.
Mandalore Manifest Destiny: Exploring the Indigenous themes of ‘The Mandalorian’
“Rebel Scum.” Those words might be an insult in Return of the Jedi, but for Star Wars fans, they are now a term of endearment. They are simply a call sign for those who stand against tyranny. With its tales of galactic freedom fighters who fight against a fascist government, Star Wars has deals with themes of resistance and rebellion. One message in consistent within that deep, rich mythology: Revolutions can inspire positive change and hope.
DON’T FEAR THE REAPER | Review
DON’T FEAR THE REAPER by Stephen Graham Jones Rating: 4 out of 5 stars Jade Daniels Lives! The reluctant Final Girl from the horror novel My Heart Is A Chainsaw returns. In that novel, Native author Stephen Graham Jones introduces Jade, an Indigenous teenage rebel obsessed with slasher films who uses her horror movie wisdom to solve a series of murders in her small lake town.
Review: Werewolf By Night Reclaims Wendigo in new comic
MARVEL VOICES INFINITY COMICS #19 – WEREWOLF BY NIGHT – ONE SHOT Written by Owl Goingback. Art by Alison Sampson Colors by Triona Farrel Letters by Joe Sabino It’s been a while since the Twilightmovies, but Native American Werewolves may be back in style thanks to the folks at Marvel Comics. Jake Gomez, a new Indigenous character, has made his debut in Marvel’s classic Werewolf By Night comics.
Killing Columbus: SGJ’s “Earthdivers” is simulating and satisfying — Review - A Tribe Called Geek
EARTHDIVERS No. 1 Writer: Stephen Graham Jones Art: Davide Gianfelice / Joana LaFuente / Rafael Albuquerque Letters: Steve Wands Publisher: IDW My Rating: 4 stars Most people say that if they ever had a time machine, they would go back and kill Hitler. The chance to change the course of history by taking out one of the world’s most murderous dictators is such a common trope in sci-fi storytelling. Righting the horrific wrongs of historical atrocities is the holy grail for do-good time travelers.
The Native Roots of the Predator Mythology
INDIGENERDITYCOMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELSENTERTAINMENT ‚ÄúThere‚Äôs something out there waiting for us. And it ain‚Äôt no man.‚ÄĚ These chilling words from Billy Sole spelled doom for the elite unit of soldiers being stalked by the alien hunter in the original Predator movie. Billy was the fearless Native American soldier but he wasn’t the only Indigenous character or influence to exist in the Predator universe. With the release of PREY, there is renewed excitement in the Predator franchise.
Lightning Review: The Celebration of Joy and Laughter in Rez Detectives
Life on the rez can be hard but when kids use their imagination, the reservation can turn into a place of wonder, charm, mystery and excitement. That idea is at the heart of Rez Detectives, a comic book by Tvli Jacob, Steven Paul Judd and M.K Peaker that shows just how fun the reservation can be to the kids who live there. The story follows Tasembo and Nuseka, two Native children growing up on the reservation.
BEST NATIVE CHARACTERS PORTRAYED BY NON-NATIVES
Representation matters in media. Pop culture has universal appeal that transcends all races, genders, and orientations. Yet when it comes to Native American portrayals onscreen, there still seems to be examples of actors with no Native heritage trying to pass off as First Nations People in film and TV.
PHOENIX SONG: ECHO #1 Comic Book Review
What if an Indigenous person was given the power of a god? That’s the question that is pondered in PHOENIX SONG: ECHO #1. Maya Lopez aka Echo, the deaf Native American ex-mob assassin turned street level vigilante, now possesses one of the most destructive powers in the Marvel Universe. The Phoenix Force has chosen this Indigenous woman to be host of its cosmic power, essentially, turning this disabled former criminal into a World Breaker.
TWO MOONS VOLUME ONE - THE IRON NOOSE: Comic Review
War is Hell in Two Moons: The Iron Noose; a horror comic written by John Arcudi and follows the story of an Indigenous soldier named Virgil Morris who slays demons during the Civil War. Fighting for the Union against the Confederacy, Virgil begins to see demons disguising themselves as humans. Since no one else believes him, Virgil is forced to desert the army, and goes to battle with the hellish beasts, all while the North and South are both on his trail.
TOP 5 NATIVE HEROES PORTRAYED BY NATIVE ACTORS IN FILM
In an age when superheroes dominate the box office, Native American heroes in the movies still remain mostly unseen. Even when one does pop up, chances are it is not even an Indigenous actor portraying them. Most of the time they’re just side characters who get very little screen time. First Nations People are fans of comic books and genre movies as much as anyone, and they long to feel included. So here is a list of the TOP 5 NATIVE HEROES PORTRAYED BY NATIVE ACTORS IN FILM. 5.
MY HEART IS A CHAINSAW | Review - Eli Funaro
“In Slashers, wrongs are always being punished.” Jade Daniels affectionately points this out along with many other horror movie tropes in her essay, aptly titled “SLASHERS 101”. Like Jade, Stephen Graham Jones is a slasher film fan and pays homage to the genre in his new novel MY HEART IS A CHAINSAW. In this book, Jade’s love for horror is so deep that she longs for a masked killer to come preying on her small rural town and save her from the boredom of her mundane life.
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