Submitted by Mike 'Ace' Maillaro on Tue, 05/30/2017 - 07:57
Welcome back to Critical Blast’s weekly look at what new comics you should check out each week. Just a warning, I make these picks pretty much a week BEFORE I actually get to read any of these comics, so if something is a stinker, I take no blame on that. Let's get to it!
Traditionally, fifth weeks are usually when comic companies release specials or annuals. But more and more, Marvel just spreads their books across all five weeks of the month. Still overall, this is pretty a small week for me.
Submitted by Mike 'Ace' Maillaro on Thu, 05/25/2017 - 10:55
From Entertainment Weekly:
The New Mutants, the long anticipated X-Men spinoff movie, is going to be a comic book film that goes in an unusual direction. “We are making a full-fledged horror movie set within the X-Men universe,” director Josh Boone says. “There are no costumes. There are no supervillains. We’re trying to do something very, very different.”
Game of Thrones‘ Maisie Williams has been cast in the role of Wolfsbane and Split actress Anya Taylor-Joy as Magik. Sources close to the production say that Henry Zaga, seen most recently in 13 Reasons Why (where he played Tony’s boyfriend, Brad), will soon be announced in the role of Sunspot. (Unconfirmed chatter has it that Rosario Dawson is currently in talks as well.)
Having established critical successes with both ARROW and THE FLASH, CW broke even more fertile ground by utilizing their webisode engine, CW SEED, to expand the Arrowverse with the premier of VIXEN.
Vixen, aka Mari Jiwe McCabe, is voiced by MEGALYN ECHIKUNWOKE, who later played the real life role on ARROW in the episodes "Lian Yu" and "Taken," is the creation of comic book veterans Gerry Conway, Curt Swan and Bob Oksner. Her powers are those of the animal kingdom, granted her through her "Tantu Totem," which has been renamed in this feature as the Anansi Totem.
Submitted by Mike 'Ace' Maillaro on Tue, 05/23/2017 - 09:12
Welcome back to Critical Blast’s weekly look at what new comics you should check out each week. Just a warning, I make these picks pretty much a week BEFORE I actually get to read any of these comics, so if something is a stinker, I take no blame on that. Let's get to it!
With those words, the world of WATCHMEN learned of the existence of Doctor Manhattan, formerly Dr. Jon Osterman, after he survived a quantum experiment at the Rockefeller Military Research Center. Gifted with inconceivably godlike powers, Doctor Manhattan found himself further and further removed from humanity as the years went past. Of particular interest was his view of time -- not as a line, not as a waveform of potentials, but as a multi-faceted, immutable solid that could not be changed. Everything was predestination, even his own actions (according to himself).
Submitted by S.J. Mitchell on Thu, 05/18/2017 - 08:38
Touted as "not just a re-telling" of the classic Macross saga by Harmony Gold, Robotech is back this July with all-new adventures by writer Brian Wood and artist Marco Turini.
As a big fan of the 80's cult TV series, I was skeptical when I learned that Titan Comics would be releasing a comic book. I've seen the entire series and own it on DVD. I dismissed it as just something for a new generation of fans.
This isn't the ROBOTECH you grew up with though. It's being pitched as a re-telling and all bets are off, in regards to the safety of each character. With long form comic book storytelling, the characters we know and love can have their story fleshed out a little more. We can get a deeper look into Rick and Roy's relationship and maybe even dive deeper into the romantic confusion that Rick experiences between Minmay and Lisa.
FLASH 22 concludes "The Button," but it's a conclusion that brings with it little in the way of a conclusion. Flash is still in the dark about everything that has gone on, including the death of Eobard Thawne, and Batman is giving serious consideration to chucking the whole Batman thing on the advice of his Flashpoint reality father. (Show of hands: Who thinks he will do it? Hint: Does DC still have solicitations for Batman, Detective, and half the rest of their publication lineup? Right.)
Submitted by Mike 'Ace' Maillaro on Wed, 05/17/2017 - 10:09
This was teased a while ago, but I was so glad to see the return of Jay Garrick in this week's Flash! I've been a fan of the character since he served as Impulse's mentor for a while. Amd yes, I know this was spoiled on the cover, but I still totalled geeked out at this panel!
In the comic, Barry Allen doesn't recognize Jay Garrick, so he ends up vanishing back into the speed force, but we've been getting a lot of teases about JSA returning in recent months, so I am taking this as just a quick tease of things to come.
Submitted by S.J. Mitchell on Tue, 05/16/2017 - 09:42
In a tweet put out yesterday, Geoff Johns expressed that everything he's done in comics has led to November's big event: DOOMSDAY CLOCK.
In an interview with SyFyWire, Geoff Johns wanted people to know that the big event was not a sequel to WATCHMEN, and that it will not crossover with any other titles. It will be a self-contained story with "No watered down one-shots or mini-series". That being said, he made sure to note that it will "affect everything moving forward and everything that has come before".
Submitted by Mike 'Ace' Maillaro on Tue, 05/16/2017 - 07:41
Welcome back to Critical Blast’s weekly look at what new comics you should check out each week. Just a warning, I make these picks pretty much a week BEFORE I actually get to read any of these comics, so if something is a stinker, I take no blame on that. Let's get to it!
Submitted by Mike 'Ace' Maillaro on Tue, 05/09/2017 - 08:23
Welcome back to Critical Blast’s weekly look at what new comics you should check out each week. Just a warning, I make these picks pretty much a week BEFORE I actually get to read any of these comics, so if something is a stinker, I take no blame on that. Let's get to it!
Ahead of this year’s long-awaited JUSTICE LEAGUE movie, which features yet another appearance for Henry Cavill as the Man of Steel, we’re here to take a quick look at the few men lucky enough to pull on those famous red underpants for either TV or the silver screen.
The storied history of the Superman character now spans over 80 years, and it’s safe to say there have been quite a few portrayals during that time. Originally conceived by writer Jerry Siegel and illustrator Joe Shuster as a comic book strip, it took a little over a decade before Superman made the all-important leap into the world of cinema.
But Flashpoint continues to exist, and the two heroes have landed themselves in the Batcave, headquarters of Thomas Wayne who became the Batman when his wife and son were gunned down in an alley. Thomas is in the midst of a suicidal Hail Mary, as the cave is about to be besieged by soldiers from both Atlantis and Themyscira. Batman and Batman fight them off while Barry rebuilds the Cosmic Treadmill, which powers up on its own as soon as its complete, forcing The Flash and Bruce to beat a hasty exit.
Submitted by Mike 'Ace' Maillaro on Tue, 05/02/2017 - 07:50
Welcome back to Critical Blast’s weekly look at what new comics you should check out each week. Just a warning, I make these picks pretty much a week BEFORE I actually get to read any of these comics, so if something is a stinker, I take no blame on that. Let's get to it!
Submitted by Critical Blast Staff on Mon, 05/01/2017 - 03:00
photo credit: Clint & Jillian Cosplay and Photography with Fali Ruiz-Davila
A moment of honesty is called for here. I could not just dive in and give a simple, glib introduction with something clever about our monthly Bombshell's representation or about whatever holiday might be coinciding with the timing of our publication.
Florencia Sofen's story, just as much as her skills, put me in a position of awed admiration. Her courage to leave her country for one halfway across the world, and her passions that drive her cosplay journey are inspirational.
Submitted by S.J. Mitchell on Thu, 04/27/2017 - 08:38
Next week, Titan Comics will release the debut issue of TEKKEN, based on the best selling fighting game by Bandai Namco and we have your first look!
Written by Cavan Scott (Doctor Who, Vikings) and illustrated by Andie Tong, this sensational new comic series taps into TEKKEN's rich history. The series will featuring the usual stunning action and K.O.'s that fans have come to expect from the popular franchise!
There are a total of SIX variant covers available for the first issue with Andie Tong also providing art on two of them. Get ready to be immersed into martial art, tournament action as the world of TEKKEN unfolds onto the pages brought to you by Titan Comics!
There's a great temptation to team up Batman and The Shadow. How could there not be? They're both controlling characters, obsessed with justice, maneuvering a team of operatives. They operate in darkness and strike from a position of inducing fear. They're literally the same person in different masks.
Dynamite's been doing a...well, quite frankly, dynamite job with the pulp heroes and the public domain supers, and it's great for the fans that they've been willing to share their sandbox with DC Comics, as they've done with their recent crossover with Wonder Woman '77 and The Bionic Woman. (JSA / PROJECT SUPERPOWERS anybody? C'mon, it's low hanging fruit!) Putting Scott Snyder and Steve Orlando together to chronicle this meeting of the masterminds is a natural pairing, and Riley Rossmo's art has just the darkness and deco feel to it to blend the two worlds together.
FLASH #21 is a continuation -- and a departure -- from the story that began in BATMAN #21. Geoff Johns and Tom King are still driving, but even when multiple writers (and artists) are on the same page, you can sense the shift. Where BATMAN #21 opened "The Button" in a fashion that was very WATCHMEN-like in its structure, FLASH #21 shows some glimpses of that at first but for the most part sticks to the basic format for telling a comics story. Which isn't to say that Joshua Williamson and Howard Porter told a bad story -- far from it. It's just to say that, the gears have shifted, and you can feel the shift.
Submitted by Critical Blast Staff on Tue, 04/25/2017 - 13:04
Today is Claire Temple's birthday!
Okay, that wasn't quite as impactful as I was hoping. If I'd published this yesterday, I could have opened up with "This is Catwoman's birthday!" Or I could wait five more days and say "This is Ghost Rider's birthday!" But it's Claire Temple's birthday, which is fine enough. She's on IRON FIST, after all.
Now, if you've found yourself knowledge of my encyclopedic knowledge of superhero birthdays, you're going to love this. If you rolled your eyes and sighed to yourself over another comics nerd geeking out -- well, you probably came to the wrong website in the first place. (It's okay. We're glad you're here!)
Fun.com is the source of my copious information -- and they've put together a keen little (okay, maybe a bit bigger than little; it's a colloquial use of 'little') infographic that will make a great addition to any comic fan's calendar! All it lacks is a way to import it into Outlook...
