Submitted by Mike 'Ace' Maillaro on Wed, 07/22/2015 - 10:53
WB posted up a new promotional picture for THE FLASH season 2, and I immediately noticed something was different. Honestly, it took me a few minutes to figure out what, and I had to bring up a picture of the costume from season 1 (on the left) to figure it out.
Submitted by Mike 'Ace' Maillaro on Wed, 07/22/2015 - 09:55
THE BLACKLIST is just about my favorite network drama these days. Come to think about it, it is the only network drama I watch that is not superhero related. I will admit that pretty much all of my enjoyment of THE BLACKLIST comes from James Spader’s brilliant performance as Raymond “Red” Reddington. I’ve been a huge James Spader fan for as long as I can remember. That said, Meghan Boone and Ryan Eggold are both very good as the world’s most dysfunctional couple, Elizabeth and Tom Keen.
Submitted by Critical Blast Staff on Tue, 07/21/2015 - 18:39
Front Lines by Mike Maillaro, Mike Weaver, Grey Scherl, and Gina Maillaro
ARMOR WARS #3 by James Robinson and Marcio Takara
Summary: Kiri is mourning at Spyder-Man’s grave with Lila. Kiri is feeling betrayed that Peter never told her that he was Spyder-Man. Rhodey arrives to talk to them about what he found during the autopsy. Peter’s Uncle Ben Urich was also murdered. Rhodes is certain Peter and Ben had found out what caused Technolopolis to get sick. Spyder-Man’s armor points them towards Wilson Disk. Rhodes has heard rumors that tied Fisk to Arno Stark, so he goes to check it out.
Submitted by Mike 'Ace' Maillaro on Tue, 07/21/2015 - 08:19
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 Wed, 07/15/2015 - 15:11
Saw an interesting story in the New York Post this morning:
Back in 2006, comic book and toy dealer John Cimino bought a collection from a seller who needed money for a new hot-water heater. Within the assortment of pop-culture oddities for which Cimino paid $500 was a cheap, rayon-and-cotton Halloween costume from the 1960s featuring Spider-Man.
“I didn’t think twice about it,” Cimino tells The Post. He tossed it in his basement.
But Cimino would later give that costume a closer look, and what he discovered has led to one of the more puzzling mysteries in the superhero world, and might muddy the origin story of one of the world’s most well-known — and lucrative — characters
Submitted by Mike 'Ace' Maillaro on Wed, 07/15/2015 - 09:51
Exposure to unfamilair characters is a huge part of the reason I like crossovers so much. For example, ZERO HOUR was pretty much the whole reason I became interested in Starman and the Legion of Super-Heroes. I had never really heard of Jennifer Blood until she showed up in SWORDS OF SORROW, but Nancy Collins did an excellent job explaining the character in a two-page spread in the VAMPIRELLA/JENNIFER BLOOD tie-in. Because of that comic, I wanted to know more about Jennifer Blood. So when I saw Dynamite was putting out a collection of JENNIFER BLOOD: BORN AGAIN, I had to give is a try.
While Zenescope's WONDERLAND may focus on Calie Liddle, the White Queen, the series began with a lot more horror -- and with the one and only Alice Liddle, who was imprisoned in the madness realm for years as a child.
But Alice wasn't always alone. Over a period of years, she was visited by a young boy, J.W., who was initially rescued by Alice from a pair of cannibal twins. After making a promise to the Jabberwock, young J.W. is sent back to the real world, but he continues to visit little Alice over the years even as he ages into an adult.
Submitted by Mike 'Ace' Maillaro on Tue, 07/14/2015 - 03:00
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!
HAWKEYE #22 - I don't really like Matt Fraction's work all that much. To me, HAWKEYE was a bit overrated. I hate that work, but it's the only way I can describe it. Even though ALL-NEW HAWKEYE has been out for months, the last issue of Fraction's HAWKEYE run is just coming out this week. I am not buying this one, but I did think it was worth mentioning, I know a lot of people enjoyed the "Hawkguy" run.
Submitted by Mike 'Ace' Maillaro on Thu, 07/09/2015 - 17:04
I’ve been hyping this ARCHIE relaunch since it was announced back in mid-December. I do think ARCHIE has a certain classic timelessness about it, but there is a TON of room for them to update the title for a new audience. So, now that it's here, is ARCHIE 2.0 going to live up to the hype?
ARCHIE (2015) #1
Written by: Mark Waid Art by: Fiona Staples Colored by: Andre Szymanowicz with Jen Vaughn Lettered by: Jack Morelli
Someone -- and by the word balloons, we know that someone is a Black Lantern -- is chasing Ganthet, who carries with him six rings of power, each a different color. He escapes in the nick of time to another universe... the Star Trek universe!
Specifically, the J.J. Abrams STAR TREK universe, because that's important to people.
Ganthet's fate is discovered by the crew of the USS Enterprise, and the rings are taken for analysis. Of course, this would correspond with the sudden appearance of a Klingon vessel, captained by someone with a mad-on for Kirk. And with emotions running high... people on each side get CHOSEN!
Submitted by Mike 'Ace' Maillaro on Wed, 07/08/2015 - 08:53
Marvel has announced that Elodie Yung (Jinx in G.I. JOE: RETALIATION) will be joining the cast of DAREDEVIL season 2 as Elektra.
I will say upfront that I don't know Elodie Yung's work all that much, but she does seem to be an extremely beautiful woman. Which really isn't a required trait to play Elektra, just a personal commentary from me. I am definitely a fan of beautiful women.
PR stuff. We get it. Some of it, we ignore, some of it we use.
And sometimes it's just too good not to share with our readers. Like this San Diego Comic-Con Survival Guide from our friends at Click Communications. Enjoy!
Submitted by Mike 'Ace' Maillaro on Tue, 07/07/2015 - 08:45
Secret Wars #4 by Jonathan Hickman and Esad Ribic
Summary: The Cabal are fighting Thors. Doctor Strange explains to the liferaft survivors that the old multiverse was created with order by alien entities. Battleworld was more of an act of desperation with Doom taking the shattered remains of the broken Earths and pulling them all together. The new world is unnatural, and survival is its first and highest purpose. In needs a god with a firm hand...in other words, it needs Doom.
Submitted by Mike 'Ace' Maillaro on Tue, 07/07/2015 - 03:00
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!
ARCHIE #1 - The big Archie relaunch starts here. Regular readers of my work will know that I have been talking about this relaunch for a while. This is the book I am most hyped about this week, if just for the creative team of Mark Waid and Fiona Staples. All that said, it is VERY weird to see Archie looking so different after all these years.
Submitted by S.J. Mitchell on Mon, 07/06/2015 - 12:20
It seems like every publication is doing a comic-con variant cover these days. With all of the superhero content hitting the airwaves, it makes perfect sense for TV Guide to get in on the act.
Submitted by Mike 'Ace' Maillaro on Thu, 07/02/2015 - 12:12
INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #1 by Brian Michael Bendis and David Marquez
Excitement Level: 4 out of 5 – I really like this Iron Man design. I am amazed that even though Marvel is constantly changing Iron Man’s look, for the most part, I typically always enjoy what they come up with. There was a lot of speculation on who would be wearing the Iron Man armor after SECRET WARS, but the teaser images for this book definitely look like Tony Stark to me.
