Submitted by Dennis Russo on Sun, 05/24/2015 - 10:46
I have been to all three of the Wizard World Comicons here in Saint Louis, and I have mixed emotions about this one. The second year was better than the previous. I know not every year can always be better and at best it is all subjective anyway. Still, since this was only the 3rd time for the event here in St Louie, I was expecting it to be at least as good and as star studded as the others.
It seemed, though, as the year progressed leading up to this weekend, that the talent that was being signed, while good, was not up to the caliber of the previous two years. Again, I know this is all subjective but compared to who I saw was going to appear at the other WW Comicons throughout the country, the show here in Saint Louis was not getting those who I consider A-Listers. Maybe because this year it was being held on Memorial Day weekend and everyone had plans? I don’t know.
Submitted by Chris Delloiacono on Wed, 05/20/2015 - 17:27
I've been a regular at comic and sci-fi conventions, or whatever you want to call them these days, since the '80s. The experience has changed quite a bit in those decades. In the past, they were mostly a place to shop for merchandise and meet creators. Today cosplay, video games, movies, and, most especially, celebrity signings, are the predominant aspect of cons. Geek has inherited the Earth and everyone wants to take part in the fun. That popularity has caused ticket prices to spike, show floors to be overcrowded places impossible to navigate, and worst of all, it's increasingly difficult to get tickets for San Diego Comic Con or New York Comic Con.
Submitted by Mike 'Ace' Maillaro on Tue, 05/19/2015 - 11:33
Thor #8 finally reveals who our mysterious new Thor is. More on that later. So many people discussing this issue (really this whole series) have only focused on the mystery, but I also want to point out that Thor has been an excellent comic series. Jason Aaron continues to give us a fresh and creative look a Thor’s mythology each and every month.
Thor #8
Written by: Jason Aaron Art by: Russel Dauterman Cover by: Sean Chen Colored by: Matthew Wilson Lettered by: VC’s Joe Sabino
Published by: Marvel Cover Price: $3.99
Warning! This review contains quite a few spoilers!
Submitted by Critical Blast Staff on Tue, 05/19/2015 - 07:21
Blast of the Week - What do you think about Marvel and DC’s upcoming film projects?
Mike Maillaro: After all that talk about Avengers: Age of Ultron last week, I couldn’t help but think about all the movies Marvel and DC have already announced over the next five years. These slates are pretty ambitious to say the least….21 movies already announced and scheduled.
Submitted by Mike 'Ace' Maillaro on Tue, 05/19/2015 - 07:14
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!
Convergence Week 7 - Only two weeks left of Convergence. Honestly, week 3 was probably my least favorite of the first issues, but there are still some I am really looking forward to. Batman and the Outsiders, Justice League America, New Teen Titans, Wonder Woman.
Submitted by Critical Blast Staff on Fri, 05/15/2015 - 08:37
Maillaro: We really needed a break from all the EVENTS we’ve been covering lately, so we retreated to cover some Image stuff. This week, we hit Ellis’s new series, Injection, and flash back to look at the first Saga trade.
I know what everyone's going to say at the end of this trailer: How come everyone in the cast already seems to know that Kara is Supergirl? Her sister, her boyfriend, James (not Jimmy) Olsen (played by Mehcad Brooks), the DEO agent. Didn't THE FLASH take a whole season to do that (and he's supposed to be the fast one)? Seems the only one who doesn't know is Cat Grant (Calista Flockhart) who named the Maid of Might after her initial appearance.
Submitted by Mike 'Ace' Maillaro on Tue, 05/12/2015 - 11:35
I really loved Peter Capaldi’s first season playing The Doctor. I even took the time to review every episode as they aired, something I plan on doing again this season. I was fortunate enough to get the first issue of this series at New York Comic Con before it was available for sale, and I enjoyed it quite a bit. When Titan reached out to us about reviewing the first collection, I had to take advantage.
Doctor Who: The Twelfth Doctor: Volume 1 - Terrorformer
Written by: Robbie Morrison Art by: Dave Taylor and Mariano Laclaustra Colored by: Hi-Fi and Luis Guerrero Lettered by: Richard Starkings and Comicraft’s Jimmy Betancourt
Published by: Titan Cover Price: $19.99
This collection contains Doctor Who: The Twelfth Doctor #1-5.
Submitted by Mike 'Ace' Maillaro on Tue, 05/12/2015 - 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!
Submitted by Mike 'Ace' Maillaro on Mon, 05/11/2015 - 15:35
From Yahoo News:
Archie Comics, the acclaimed and bestselling comic book publisher that is home to some of the best-known pop culture creations in the world, including Archie, Jughead, Betty & Veronica, Josie & The Pussycats, Sabrina the Teenage Witch and the hit AFTERLIFE WITH ARCHIE series, announced today that it would launch a historic crowdfunding campaign via the popular Kickstarter platform.
The Kickstarter campaign’s call to action is a simple one: Help Archie Comics build a New Riverdale. Specifically, the Kickstarter will ask fans to help fund a slate of titles that build off the surefire success of ARCHIE #1 — the debut issue of a new, ongoing ARCHIE series from writer Mark Waid (Daredevil, Kingdom Come) and artist Fiona Staples (Saga). The series will be crafted by some of the biggest names in the comic book industry and feature the most beloved characters in comic book history.
Submitted by Critical Blast Staff on Sat, 05/09/2015 - 08:51
By Mike Maillaro and Mike Weaver
Front Lines is Critical Blast's weekly look at the "reality changing" events going on in the DC and Marvel universe. For the first month, we had a little bit of a cushion as we were only talking about Convergence. But now Secret Wars is in full swing too, so May is going to be a VERY busy month for your Front Lines team.
Submitted by Grey Scherl on Fri, 05/08/2015 - 14:00
These are some things I've noticed in my past few months as strictly a fan and not a guy doing any sort of coverage of the comics industry. (I am not using sarcasm tags, so hopefully the sarcastic ones stand out and I don't have to shake my head that the point went over someone's head):
Submitted by Critical Blast Staff on Thu, 05/07/2015 - 13:22
By Mike Maillaro and Mike Weaver
Maillaro: Team Open Mike continues our mad quest to cover the front lines of Marvel and DC's huge crossovers. This week, we hit Secret Wars (both the current one, and a quick glimpse back at Secret Wars 2).
There's a reason why the CW is the #1 broadcast network on Tuesday nights among men 18 to 34, and that reason wears a red uniform. His name is Barry Allen, and he is not only The Fastest Man Alive, he's a ratings bonanza.
Grant Gustin is accompanied by an ensemble cast that has made THE FLASH one of the must-watch series on television. His premiere episode outpaced every show in CW history to become their most watched telecast ever, pulling in more than 13 million viewers across all viewing platforms.
It's no surprise, therefore, that THE FLASH won handily in the voting for Best Television Series of 2014. But it wasn't without some pretty stiff competition. Close on its heels was ARROW, followed by BBC's DOCTOR WHO.
Submitted by Mike 'Ace' Maillaro on Tue, 05/05/2015 - 19:01
Swords of Sorrow is Dynamite’s big summer crossover. I am actually very worried about it getting overshadowed by events like Convergence and Secret Wars. I have talked extensively about my love of Dynamite's other crossover series like Masks and Legendarry. Swords of Sorrow seems to be very much in the same vein, though this time it will be featuring an all female cast. The first two issues come out this week, and I was happy to get the opportunity to review them early.
Warning! These reviews contains quite a few spoilers!
Swords of Sorrow #1
Written by: Gail Simone Illustrated by: Sergio Davila Cover by: J. Scott Campbell Colored by: Jorge Sutil Lettered by: Erica Schultz
Submitted by Mike 'Ace' Maillaro on Tue, 05/05/2015 - 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!
Secret Wars #1 - Or as I like to call it "The Elephant In the Room." I have ZERO interest in this series, but since I enjoy quite a bit of Marvel's books, I feel like I have to buy it just to know what's going to happen to the books I enjoy reading. Jonathan Hickman holds basically no appeal for me. Sorry to sound so cynical, but I am expecting Secret Wars to be a huge disappointment.
I've been a regular at comic and sci-fi conventions, or whatever you want to call them these days, since the '80s. The experience has changed quite a bit in those decades. In the past, they were mostly a place to shop for merchandise and meet creators. Today cosplay, video games, movies, and, most especially, celebrity signings, are the predominant aspect of cons. Geek has inherited the Earth and everyone wants to take part in the fun. That popularity has caused ticket prices to spike, show floors to be overcrowded places impossible to navigate, and worst of all, it's increasingly difficult to get tickets for San Diego Comic Con or New York Comic Con.
