Author

Julian Cannon

Julian Cannon is a seasoned entertainment editor with a keen eye for capturing the pulse of the industry. With a career spanning over a decade, he has become a trusted voice in the realm of TV, movies, events, conventions, and red carpets. Julian's expertise lies in delivering insightful commentary on the latest trends, exclusive interviews with industry luminaries, and comprehensive coverage of high-profile events. Twitter: @Julianexcalibur Instagram: @Julianexcalibur Contact: Julian.theknockturnal@gmail.com

raising kanan season 4
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Power Book III: Raising Kanan Season 2 Finale Review

by Julian Cannon
written by Julian Cannon

Power Book III: Raising Kanan concluded its second season with a bloodbath as a result of the start of Sal’s war.

Not only did he put a hit on Unique and Raq and their crews, he made sure that he positioned himself as a a mob boss that will not take anything from anyone. The gun battle was fierce and loaded with action that kept my attention to my screen for those few minutes.

It is sad to see both Zisa and Kenya die. I was left wondering what will happen if Jukebox finds out, and whether if she will care due to their last argument. But for Zisa, this gives Lou-Lou more motivation to go after Sal alongside Raquel and now Unique. This pairing does have potential as all the main characters were in the same place at the same time by the end of this episode. I would not put my money on Unique teaming up with Raquel for long as I believe he will turn on her sometime in the next season.

Detective Howard and Kanan had a great talk which I felt was a good father to son moment. But another stand out scene was with Raquel and Lou-Lou as she made it clear that she owns him. Patina Miller rocked it in this scene as Raquel ushered in her best line of the season. Crown’s death is also haunting Lou-Lou and it is not over yet with that situation.

With that said, Power Book III: Raising Kanan’s second season ends strong with phenomenal performances by the cast. I am looking forward to the next season!

 

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The Walking Dead Season 11, Episode 20 Review

by Julian Cannon
written by Julian Cannon
Although the plot did not progress much on this week’s The Walking Dead, there was time for some good character development.
Daryl and Carol in particular, had some really great scenes and interactions with each other. Add in the fact that these two were involved with the most action in this episode. With that in mind, I am puzzled with some of the storyline decisions. Sebastian getting killed off a few episodes ago was something. But with Lance now being killed, who is the last “big bad” that the group has to deal with? I will give praise that it had to be Carol to kill Lance and I am glad that Daryl did not take her kill point this time.
Josh Hamilton will be missed on The Walking Dead and it is a shame that Lance had to go this way as there was more they could have gotten out of the character. With him gone, we still do not know what happened to Oceanside, his deal with another unknown group, or whether or not if Pamela even knows what Lance did to the communities that he captured. One thing he did let slip is about the railroad operation.
Over at Commonwealth, Yumiko has a conflict as Pamela is using her friends against her for Eugene’s upcoming trial. Eleanor Matsuura is underrated on The Walking Dead and I believe that this is her best episode as Yumiko since she joined the cast two seasons ago. Her performance came off believable and convincing as a lawyer. Bonus points between her scenes with Connie.
With that out of the way, I do not like how The Commonwealth soldiers became NPCs from a video game. They lack intelligence and act as if they never paid attention to Mercer’s training. It boggles my mind that they became a joke as the season progressed.
There are three more episodes left and everyone is suddenly at Alexandria as it is now “Outpost 22.” Let’s see where this goes.
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On the Scene: New York Comic Con 2022

by Julian Cannon
written by Julian Cannon

The 2022 edition of New York Comic Con came in full force this year compared to its return in 2021.

Whether if its Funko, gaming, cosplay, or the panels, there was something for everyone at the four day convention. In my ten plus years of covering New York Comic Con, I think this year’s show was the most crowded i’ve ever seen. I will dive more into that a few paragraphs down. With that out of the way, here is my review for this year’s show.

At last year’s New York Comic Con, the Javits Center’s expansion was completed in time for the show to take place. Gone are the days that I would have to rush to Madison Square Garden or at another place just to cover a panel. There were some panels at the expansion building last year, but it was the 2022 edition where all the panels and press rooms took place. I just wish that somebody told us sooner that there was a second press lounge.

I say this because the area where the press rooms took place at the second floor of Javits, was not there. I was caught off guard with the surprise and I had to ask around about the new location. Besides that, I think the new location is much better. But for the attendees to go to the panels in that area, it was hard to navigate.

New York Comic Con always had an issue with overcrowding and this year’s show looked like it was overcrowded no matter where you went. Last year, Funko did not have a presence at NYCC so it was easier to walk the show floor without the Funko booth and among others. Funko returned this year and the lines were extremely massive. In fact, the line at the Ebay booth was so poorly managed that in the middle of an escalator, cosplayer Mitch Drucker suffered a seizure and a heart attack, and paramedics arrived around 20 minutes later, but to no avail. I was wondering how could this happen and how poorly managed the line was.

There was some good that came out of this year’s panels. At the Titan’s panel, the cast revealed Beastboy’s new suit. For The Walking Dead’s last panel, Scott Gimple revealed the that The Walking Dead: Dead City will premiere in April 2023. On the Back to the Future panel, we got a nice reunion between Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd had a great reunion that was years in the making.

As far as the booths go, there were a large amount this year from various retailers. Several of them were not giving away free swag. I totally get it since the pandemic hit them hard. But it used to be great to leave with something. Also to add, thank you Reedpop for adding the carpet back! It was severly missed from last year’s show and the past two C2E2 shows that I covered.

With all of it out of the way, I will always enjoy covering New York Comic Con! Below are some of the press interviews that I have conducted!

 

 

 

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Power Book III: Raising Kanan Season 2, Episode 9 Review

by Julian Cannon
written by Julian Cannon

If any character has learned anything from the Power series, it is to not fall in love quick or else you will be a dead body.

That is what happened to Cartier as he was gunned down by Lou-Lou and Raquel the second the elevator door opened. I must say that I was disappointed to see him fall this quick. Sure, Lou-Lou wanted complete control of his record label and Raq did not want a love interest in her way. But did this need to happen this quick? I would have waited until the third season to kill off Cartier, but I am not in that department.

Famous is starting to head in a dark path and I like his character progression these last few episodes. He killed the person that robbed him and Kanan a few weeks back. Only thing here, is that there is someone who witnessed this so this could affect Famous in the future.

Unique is still playing chess with Sal and Raq and it is working for him. I predict that by the end of this season, he will be back on top like he was on season one. Joey Bada$$ still continues to shine with his believable performance as a villain.

One thing I was not expecting was for the homeless man to have character development. Sure, Marvin paid him to leave town (And he didn’t) and that the police are using him to get to Kanan, but I felt like we learned more about him than what’s on the outside.

After all of this, how will the season end and what will be Kanan’s next move. We will have to find out next week!

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The Walking Dead Season 11, Episode 19 Review

by Julian Cannon
written by Julian Cannon

The first and only time that we were able to see “smart” walkers on The Walking Dead was on the very first episodes of the first season.

Ten seasons later, one of them made a good return on this week’s episode of The Walking Dead. When I saw that walker climb the shed of the house with a rock, I thought to myself why this is happening. Sure, they can reference this on the final episode of World Beyond, but I believe that the reason it took this long for a variant of a walker to appear on screen again is due to the long legal battle with the first show runner.

With that aside, I like the episode. However, there are some nitpicks I have that ruined my enjoyment. Remember that “Evolution” episode from season nine? That one built up The Whisperers as a threat from the start to the finish. Here on “Variant,” they tried to replicate the same mood and feel from that episode with little to no build up that ends in an anti-climactic normal walker takedown.

The performances from the cast were good. Ross Marquand, Michael James Shaw, Josh McDermitt, and Christian Serratos stood out to me in a bright fashion. The Eugene and Rosita scene felt like a final goodbye between the two characters. Aaron being the one to lead the small group to Oceanside brought out the leader in him regardless of how stressed he was. And Mercer and Princess both realize that there is a conflict of class ranks with their relationship.

All the stories displayed here on this episode were great. Just the build up to the variant walker left me underwhelmed with how this will play into the rest of the season. What I am more concerned about, is that the story does not seem like there would be a valid conclusion by the end.

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Exclusive: Norman Reedus, Eleanor Matsuura, Lauren Ridlorr, and Scott Gimple Talk The Walking Dead at Paley Fest

by Julian Cannon
written by Julian Cannon

Cast members of The Walking Dead arrived at Paleyfest this past weekend to promote the final 8 episodes of the series.

Before they took the stage, they were greeted by fans outside that were eager to see them for the final time on the show. Cast members such as Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Norman Reedus, Lauren Ridloff, Lauren Cohan, and more showed up at Paleyfest hours after appearing at the Museum of the Moving Image as there is also an exhibit there with props and costumes from the series.

The Knockturnal got the chance to catch up with cast members Norman Reedus, Eleanor Matsuura, Lauren Ridloff and The Walking Dead’s Chief Content Officer Scott Gimple to talk about the final episodes. They were all ecstatic about the direction of their characters for this final half.

For the last episodes of The Walking Dead, The Commonwealth took control of the communities and the team of Daryl, Maggie, and more are not only trying to get them back, they are also going to have conflicts as The Commonwealth is not an easy adjustment for everyone.

After the red carpet took place, the cast went in for the panel prior to heading to New York Comic Con.

 

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New York Comic Con 2022: The Walking Dead Panel Recap

by Julian Cannon
written by Julian Cannon

Saturday afternoon, The Walking Dead’s cast and crew descended upon Manhattan to celebrate the series’ final appearance at New York Comic Con before next month’s finale. It all comes together,” said inscrutable Walking Dead brand manager, Scott M. Gimple. “All these characters reach their conclusions.

AMC has already confirmed several spinoffs featuring major characters – including Negan, Maggie, Daryl, Rick, and Michonne – but Gimple assured fans that the eleventh season will wrap up the sprawling undead saga that began over a decade ago. As he added, “We do tell the end of the story of The Walking Dead.” “Yes, there are other shows, but bringing all of this together makes sense.”

It’s been one hell of a f—ing ride.” Those are the words Jeff Dean Morgan used to describe his experience: “I hadn’t expected Negan to make it this far.

The mystery spinoff (which does not yet have a name) will take place in France, feature many familiar faces, and sport a brand new aesthetic, Reedus said. He described it as epic in scale. 

“It’s f—ing epic. I’ve been on location scouts over there for a bit, I’ve been talking to sound people. It’s crazy what we we’re gonna do over there. I think France is gonna have a f—in’ heart attack, which is good; which is what I want. It has a different look, it has a different feel, it has a different sound to it. It has all the things you like about the show, but new people experiencing them in a different kind of way … It’s gonna very cool.”

“Frace gives Daryl the opportunity to experience things he hasn’t before in his life and with walkers,” Gimple explained, confirming that the spinoff is directly connected to the stinger featured in World Beyond’s Season 2 finale, in which French scientists were implicated directly in the walker outbreak.

Gimple announced onstage that Dead City will premiere in April (production stills were also shown). As he hinted, “It’s a very, very, very different world in the apocalypse in New York City. 

AMC premieres new episodes of The Walking Dead every Sunday at 9 p.m. Eastern. They can be accessed a week earlier by AMC+ subscribers.

 

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New York Comic Con 2022-Mindy Kaling on the stage to present HBO Max’s Velma

by Julian Cannon
written by Julian Cannon

During the HBO Max panel at New York Comic Con 2022, Velma’s first episode was screened and its new cast was announced. Among the other voices in the series are Glenn Howerton (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia), Sam Richardson (The Afterparty), and Constance Wu (Fresh Off the Boat), respectively, who will play Fred, Shaggy, and Daphne. Executive producer Mindy Kaling will voice the titular character

 

TV Guide Magazine’s Damian Holbrook moderated the panel during which the voice actors of The Gang (aside from Howerton and Richardson, who zoomed in) and showrunner Charlie Grandy answered a variety of questions about what we can expect from the 10-episode serialized series.

 

It wasn’t done before for an adult audience, so Kaling found Velma appealing because it was not your typical Saturday morning series. “We just thought these characters would make a great adult version,” Kaling said.

As Kaling describes it, Howerton’s Fred is much more normal than the usual characters he is assigned to play. However, Kaling does not believe that the characters in the original series were defined by their whiteness other than Fred. Due to his comedic chops and humanity, Howerton was perfect for the role.

In addition to exploring the lives of high schoolers, Kaling promised the series will also feature murder mysteries. In addition, Kaling teased that many of the characters will have sexual tension with Velma. Kaling said she was drawn to the project because of Velma’s journey of self-discovery, but she wouldn’t say if Velma and Daphne will hook up.

Velma will debut on HBO max in 2023.

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On The Scene: HBO Max Returns to New York Comic Con with a Titans Themed Activation

by Julian Cannon
written by Julian Cannon

A themed activation based on the setting of S.T.A.R. Labs was part of HBO Max’s celebration of Season 4 of Titans at New York Comic Con, designed with cult followers and new fans alike in mind to ensure that both will clamor to this mysterious place in the midst of the New York Comic Con. It has been designed for a fan-oriented experience and to provide takeaways for the fans.

There was a clear objective for HBO with the Titans activation as it was to generate buzz and increase attention on the Javits Center floor, especially since the cast of the series were also present at the activation and had a panel during the event. Through a series of interactive fan moments located around the lab, attendees were invited to dress up, play and act like Titans heroes in a variety of ways.

I had the opportunity to witness this activation and speak with some of the creative geniuses behind it. It was explained to me by a spokesperson that the planning, constructing, and design of the facility took a good six to eight months. Their delight at seeing this come to fruition for the attendees to experience was a result of their hard work.

As soon as the activation process was completed, I was given a pin for each pin that was available.There is no doubt that the DC fans are looking forward to the next season of the show coming to the small screen.

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Power Book III: Raising Kanan Season 2, Episode 8 Review

by Julian Cannon
written by Julian Cannon
It’s been a pretty long time since a Power Universe episode concluded with a cliffhanger.
So long that when it happened on Power Book III: Raising Kanan, it set up a huge story. Did Marvin and the therapist get shot by the Italians? If they did, which one of them were shot and which one of them would end up dying? The final minutes got me anxious to watch the next episode as I want to find out how this will be resolved!
I thought that the conversation about karma and balance in the universe was a great part of the story, and it also tied very well into the ending of the episode. After a botched invasion that caused a woman to be killed and two people to be killed, Marvin is now sitting on the verge of a second shooting attempt that might result in his therapist being killed as well.
The scenes of Kenya’s church members punishing Jukebox due to her sexual orientation was hard to watch and I felt for Jukebox. Despite the cruel punishment, I thought it was well acted. For historical accuracy, this did used to happen decades ago when churches used to disapprove same-sex relationships. I just wonder if this is needed to push Jukebox’s story forward.
Unique is playing chess with every character and they do not even know it. But one thing is for sure, is that Kanan is really getting on to Raquel’s lies. Especially since he is connecting the dots to Scrappy’s death. Not even a new house that Raq showed Kanan could help her dodge the situation. I will say that the scene at the start between Raq and Palomar stood out to me as I wanted to see both these characters encounter eachother.
The original argument was that Dominick surviving the botched robbery was one of the worst things that could’ve ever happened to him, but Unique was right in the beginning. There were only four people who knew about it, Marco, Dominick, Unique, and Marvin, and now that Dominick has opened his mouth, it does not look good for Marvin. Sal is coming for Raq, Marvin, and probably the rest of the family as well.
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