Brooklyn’s BAM Black Comix Expo Celebrates Comics Diversity

You have any fun plans to hang in Brooklyn, NYC this weekend? If so, be sure to stop by the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) on Sunday, February 10, 2019 and check out the second annual Black Comix Expo at BAM. The event that begins at 11am, is a celebration of comic book artists, comic book writers, illustrators, cosplayers and black superheroes. The expo, which is co-presented by BAM and The Black Comics Collective, bring fans of comic books, graphic novels, comic art and sci-fi enthusiasts a day filled with panel discussions, workshops, cosplay and more, with the intent on promoting diverse new talent and representation within the comics industry. The event is free and open to all ages, but be sure to arrive early because gaining entry is first come, first serve.

The Schomburg Center’s 7th Annual Black Comic Book Festival: Best Photos

What’s up blerds?! Ralph “The Perennial Aesthete” Gilmore is here. Another exciting year has come to a close as The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem, New York City, invited comic book fans of all ages to participate in it’s 7th Annual Black Comic Book Festival (Official Hashtag: #BlackComicBookFestNYC.) The festival was held on Friday, January 18 from 12 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. and on Saturday, January 19 from 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., in which both days was free and completely opened to the public.

Review: ‘Justice League’ Heroes Rises To the Challenge, But Not Without It’s Flaws

Hey good people!  Your boy Ralph (The Perennial Aesthete) is here!  First and foremost, I hope that everyone who is reading this had a blessed and joyous Thanksgiving holiday.  A movie for Justice League has seemingly been on the horizon forever and finally we get to witness it.  I can’t express enough how lucky I am to be living in these times where comic book characters we loved as a kid, are being brought from the comic books to the big screen.  I had the opportunity to watch the Justice League film twice and I appreciated it even more the second time around.  I found it to be delightful and entertaining, but not without it’s missteps, sort of speak.  By far, the film is not flawless, but I felt that it’s flaws were outweighed by it’s terrific direction, decent dialogue and excellent casting, acting, score, visual effects and editing.  As you read further into the review, I just want to give you a heads up that there are some spoilers.  As long as it’s not an inconvenience to you, continue to read on!

20 Cool Photos From the First Annual Five Points Festival 2017 in NYC

This past weekend on New York City’s Lower East Side was the inaugural Five Points Festival, a brand new fan convention curated by Clutter magazine and presented by Midtown Comics.  The festival is a collision of toys, comics, street art, and counterculture, replete with food trucks and craft beer.  This was pretty much a geek’s version of Valhalla.sThe Five Points Festival was held at Pier 36, on the lower east side of Manhattan.  Comic book creatives such as Amy Reeder, Dan Slott, Jamal Igle, Greg Capullo, and Scott Snyder made an appearance.  Several toy and art guests were on hand as well, including Amanda Louise Spayd, Tokidoki’s Simone Legno, and Tara McPherson, founder of The Cotton Candy Machine art boutique in Brooklyn, NYC.

RIP Bernie Wrightson, Celebrated Comic Book Artist and Horror Illustrator 1948 – 2017

The comic book world suffered a huge lost this past weekend.  Acclaimed comic book artist and horror illustrator, Bernard Albert “Bernie” Wrightson, sometimes credited as Bernie Wrightson—has died following a long battle with brain cancer.  Recognized as one of his generation’s greatest art masters of horror illustration and comics, Bernie was known for his iconic Frankenstein illustrations and co-creating DC Comics’ movie-starring creature, Swamp Thing.  He also worked on popular comic book titles such as Spider-Man, Batman, Doctor Strange and The Punisher.

Review: Love it? Hate it? The Maelstrom of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

SPOILER WARNING:  The following post contains minor spoilers for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.  If you haven’t seen the film yet, and don’t wish to be denied the thrill of discovering any of the plot points, please click away to another one of my thought-provoking posts.  Still here?  Alright, let’s do this…

Marvel’s Final Trailer To ‘Captain America: Civil War’ Featuring Spider-Man!

So Marvel gave us the second trailer to ‘Captain America: Civil War’ and a first look at the newest variant of Spider-Man, the version that will connect to a solo Spider-Man film co-produced by Sony’s Amy Pascal and Marvel Studio head Kevin Feige. With Civil War being the biggest Marvel movie to date, the brand new trailer looks absolutely fantastic!  Black Panther in action is amazing and long overdue, the tension between Cap and Tony is intensely, self-evident and last but not least, we got Spider-Man swinging into the MCU!  But of course–as if with all superhero movies, you’re going to get a broad range of reactions from ordinary movie-goers, sacrificial geeks and die-hard fanboys.  To some, the suit looks like someone in the design department had a bit too much funny with the CGI effects.  While others instantly recognized and welcomed the Silver Age-inspired design.  As far as Spidey’s suit is concerned, I’m just hoping that it’s not the finished product.  I mean he does look a little weird… but hopefully, the suit will be a bit more polished by the time the movie rolls around this coming May.

Welcome to my new blog: The Perennial Aesthete

Hey good people! Your friendly neighborhood Ralph A. Gilmore is here. You might need to sit down and read up on all the awesome news I’d like to share with you in my very first post on my new blog, The Perennial Aesthete.  I can’t begin to tell you how excited I am to finally have this baby up and running!