Arts and Culture

Book Review: “BTTM FDRS”

Published

5 years ago

June 28, 2019

Your first place all your own needs to be ah-mazing.

Big-screen TV for gaming. Fridge for snacks and drinks. Sofa for kicking back, a few good chairs, and places to hold your stuff. Maybe your parents will help out. Maybe the landlord will let you paint. Maybe, as in “BTTM FDRS” by Ezra Claytan Daniels and Ben Passsmore, your new place will be interesting.

When it came time to finally get her own apartment, Darla didn’t bother to look far. She grew up in Chicago’s Bottomyards and though it still wasn’t the safest place on Earth, the former ghetto was gentrifying. That counted for something, right?

Her father hated the building; he warned her away and yeah, it was super-creepy but the rent was good. The place was roomy, but also had room for improvement: as Darla moved in, the electricity kept going out and her friend, Cynthia, messed up the plumbing. Even so, Darla had neighbors: a famous rapper moved in down the hall and she met an elderly lady and her son from downstairs.

Was it the stress of the move, then, or the stress of living in the place itself that made Darla fight with Cynthia soon after Darla spent her first night alone? Who knows, but they argued and the friendship was over – or Darla thought it was, anyhow, but Cynthia had second thoughts. She snuck back into Darla’s apartment, got totally creeped out, hid in a cabinet, and fell down a tunnel…

… and into a creature that wrapped Cynthia into itself and overtook her body.

Unaware of the deadly organism that her best friend was fighting in the basement of the apartment building, Darla hung out with the famous rapper down the hall until she started noticing a lot of weird things. There were cameras in the apartments, and eerie noises. The building superintendent was super-creepy and the whole place was like a dungeon. And then she found Cynthia – or, at least, what was left of her.

Was there time for Darla to get out alive?

If you’re not familiar with graphic novels – which are basically full-length stories in comic art form – “BTTM FDRS” might take a bit of getting used to. It doesn’t help that this tale starts abruptly, and with racism that feels like a slap.

Keep reading. That slap ultimately turns into a shiver.

With color-blocked panels and not a lot of fluff or dialogue, authors Ezra Claytan Daniels and Ben Passmore take readers into what could be perceived as commentary on today’s social problems, or sly pokes at gentrification and modern segregation, in the future or now. The story is sly, almost backhanded and, much like the creature in this book, eats its way into your imagination until your hands sweat, your eyes dart wildly, and you realize that you’ve been holding your breath.

Let it go. You’re safe in your chair (for now) but if you’re 15-and-up and you love graphic horror novels, here’s your next scare. For you, “BTTM FDRS” is ah-mazing.

“BTTM FDRS” by Ezra Claytan Daniels & Ben Passmore, c.2019, Fantagraphics Books, $24.99 / $33.50 Canada, 300 pages.

Terri Schlichenmeyer, The Bookworm Sez

Posts by Terri Schlichenmeyer, The Bookworm Sez

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Arts and Culture

Richmond Preps for Full Weekend of Cinco de Mayo Festivities

Cinco de Mayo festivities in Richmond and San Pablo are some of the bests in Bay, and organizers say that tradition will be alive and well at this weekend’s annual parade and festival. The action kicks off Saturday, May 4, with the 16th Annual Cinco de Mayo Richmond/San Pablo Peace & Unity Parade. The parade of floats, performances, and community organizations starts at 10 a.m. at 24th Street and Barrett Avenue and Richmond and ends at 12:30 p.m. at St. Paul’s Church, 1845 Church Lane in San Pablo.

Published

3 days ago

May 4, 2024

Oakland Post

Scene from the 2023 Cinco de Mayo parade from Richmond to San Pablo. Photo courtesy The Richmond Standard.

By Mike Kinney

The Richmond Standard

Cinco de Mayo festivities in Richmond and San Pablo are some of the bests in Bay, and organizers say that tradition will be alive and well at this weekend’s annual parade and festival.

The action kicks off Saturday, May 4, with the 16th Annual Cinco de Mayo Richmond/San Pablo Peace & Unity Parade. The parade of floats, performances, and community organizations starts at 10 a.m. at 24th Street and Barrett Avenue and Richmond and ends at 12:30 p.m. at St. Paul’s Church, 1845 Church Lane in San Pablo.

The parade’s Grand Marshall this year will be community organizer Diego Garcia, owner of Leftside Printing.

The festivities continue Sunday with the Cinco de Mayo Festival along 23rd Street, which last year drew over 100,000 people, according to the 23rd Street Merchants Association. This year’s festival will again run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. between the intersections of Rheem Avenue and Clinton Avenue. It will feature two entertainment stages, one sponsored by La Raza 93.3 FM at 23rd and Rheem, and another sponsored by Radio Lazer FM at 23rd and Clinton.

Both events are important for the city and the region’s Latino community.

San Pablo Mayor Genoveva Calloway, who co-chairs the parade alongside John Marquez, president of the Contra Costa Community College District Board of Trustees, says Saturday’s festivities are about bringing the Richmond and San Pablo communities together in unity.

“This truly connects the spectators and people in the parade as one,” Calloway said. “The parade showcases the real communities of Richmond and San Pablo – our nonprofits, schools, horse riders, classic cars and trucks, our local businesses. All of these people represent the heartbeat of our community.”

Rigo Mendoza, vice president of the 23rd Street Merchants Association, said that at its heart, Richmond’s Cinco de Mayo Festival celebrates the date the Mexican army’s victory over France at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862.

But John Marquez started up the popular festival to bring the community together and also to exhibit the community’s businesses and culture to visitors, Mendoza said. The gathering was also a way to promote peace in the community.

Oakland Post

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Art

Mario Van Peebles’ ‘Outlaw Posse’ Screened at Oakland’s Grand Lake Theatre

Published

3 days ago

May 4, 2024

Oakland Post

Film director Mario Van Peebles, who also stars in “Outlaw Posse,” appeared at a press conference held at RBA Creative on MacArthur Boulevard hosted by the Oakland International Film Festival. Photo By Carla Thomas.

By Carla Thomas

The Oakland International Film Festival hosted a screening of “Outlaw Posse” at the Grand Lake Theatre on Monday. Special guests included director/actor Mario Van Peebles and his co-star, Oakland native Scytorya Rhodes. The film is Peebles’ second western, the first being ‘Posse,’ 13 years ago. Filmmaker Van Peebles shared his passion for independent artistry and producing projects with his son, Mandela, who also starred in the film, along with Whoopi Goldberg and Cedric the Entertainer. Next week, The Post will publish an in-depth interview featuring Peebles’ reflections on his work, future projects, and continuing his father’s legacy and Rhodes on her grandfather, a real-life cowboy.

Oakland Post

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Arts and Culture

Kedrick Armstrong: New Music Director for the Oakland Symphony

The Oakland Symphony Announced Kedrick Armstrong as its Next Music Director. In addition to conducting the orchestra’s public concerts, Armstrong will also actively participate in the Oakland Symphony’s many education and community engagement programs, designed to inspire a love of music in people of all ages.

Published

2 weeks ago

April 20, 2024

Oakland Post

Kedrick Armstrong is the new music director for the Oakland Symphony. Photo credit Scott Chernis.

By Post Staff

The Oakland Symphony Announced Kedrick Armstrong as its Next Music Director.
In addition to conducting the orchestra’s public concerts, Armstrong will also actively participate in the Oakland Symphony’s many education and community engagement programs, designed to inspire a love of music in people of all ages.

Armstrong is the successor to previous music director and Conductor Michael Morgan, who passed away in 2021 after a 30-year tenure at the Symphony.

Armstrong will open the Oakland Symphony 2024-2025 season on October 18.

Armstrong, who is 29 and hails from Georgetown, South Carolina, is currently the creative partner and principal conductor of the Knox-Galesburg Symphony.

The Chicago Tribune has praised Armstrong for his ability to “simply let the score speak for itself.” He enjoys a wide range of repertoire, spanning early music to premiering new works, using his joy and curiosity for all music to cultivate understanding and collaboration within diverse communities.
“I am deeply honored and grateful for the opportunity to serve as the new music director of the Oakland Symphony,” Armstrong said. “As a Black conductor, I find it humbling to stand on the shoulders of both Michael Morgan and Calvin Simmons,” the most recent and the first African American music directors of the Symphony, respectively.

Armstrong led three programs at the Symphony between 2022 and early 2024, which showcased his broad knowledge of the classical repertoire and enthusiasm for spotlighting diverse voices.
On his Oakland Symphony subscription debut on Feb. 16, Armstrong led the world premiere of “Here I Stand: Paul Robeson,” an oratorio by Carlos Simon on a libretto by Dan Harder, commissioned by the Oakland Symphony.

Armstrong was selected unanimously by the Oakland Symphony’s board of directors and musicians after an extensive two-year search. “The search committee was overwhelmed by Kedrick’s scholarship and curiosity about all kinds of music, from classical and jazz to gospel and hip-hop,” said. Dr. Mieko Hatano, executive director of the Oakland Symphony. “We are thrilled to have him join us at the Oakland Symphony.”