Submitted by Mike 'Ace' Maillaro on Fri, 02/13/2015 - 16:00
Titan Comics sent us over the following solicit for Doctor Who: The Twelfth Doctor #9, which will be coming out in June...
DOCTOR WHO: THE TWELFTH DOCTOR #9
Writer: Robbie Morrison
Artist: Brian Williamson
Publisher: Titan Comics
32pp – FC - $3.99
Release Date: June 3, 2015
Doctor Who: The Twelfth Doctor #9 (in stores June 3) sees the Doctor rub shoulders with Rat Pack members Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr. and Dean Martin! A brand-new story begins, as the Doctor and Clara are forced to ally with gangsters on the Vegas strip to combat an even more terrifying foe!
Will the Doctor's morals prove as alien as the unearthly invaders – or can he triumph without compromise... in 'GANGLAND'?
Submitted by Mike Weaver on Fri, 02/13/2015 - 03:00
Maillaro: We decided to double it up with some X-Men this week.
You might wonder why exactly we picked Uncanny 250. There is literally NOTHING special about that issue other than the number. Something we started doing in this column a long time ago was that we made a commitment to review every fifty issues of Uncanny X-Men. It's take some time, as it just tends to happen when we feel like it, but this is our fifth entry in the series. 1, 50, 100, 150, 200, and now 250.
LEGO does it again with this humorous treatment of our favorite super heroes.
JUSTICE LEAGUE VS BIZARRO LEAGUE opens with an introduction to who Bizarro is and what his motivations are, as well as how Superman thought he had dealt with the simple-minded creature for good. But a year later, the Justice League -- Superman (Nolan North), Batman (Troy Baker), Wonder Woman (Kari Wahlgren), Cyborg (Khary Payton), Guy Gardner (Diedrich Bader), Plastic Man (Tom Kenny), Flash (James Arnold Taylor), Hawkman and Green Arrow (both voiced by Phil Morris) -- are up against Gorilla Grodd (Kevin Michael Richardson) and his mind-controlled crew of Giganta (April Winchell), Penguin, Deathstroke, and Captain Cold. This was a fun melee battle scene that brings in characters we've never seen in LEGO minifig version before, creating an immediate want in the market for some figures that don't exist yet. Genius! (Because I want my Plastic Man minifig!)
To say that the Internet has revolutionized society is a saying so commonly obvious that even the television gecko and camel sneer at me for saying it. But for fans of comics and fantasy, it truly is a whole new world -- or rather a doorway to whole new worlds -- as it allows new artists to have their material seen by millions of people at once. I've seen my share of struggling artists showing off their talents (and, sometimes, lack thereof), but I was particularly taken with the work I started to see from a name I hadn't encountered.
The Ame-Comi vision of DC's super heroines in statue form was so popular that DC brought the characters to the comics. Whether the Ami-Comi girls exist on one of the reserved 52 worlds of the DC multiverse isn't made clear, but the changes are more than simply aesthetic. Almost all of the male characters have been represented as females, including Darkseid. It's similar to the conceit of the gender-swapped reality of Earth 11, but also radically different in regards to the relationships of the characters to each other and their world.
Submitted by Mike 'Ace' Maillaro on Tue, 02/10/2015 - 18:43
You know, being a comic journalist is always a pretty fun gig...but then there are days you get to announce things like this, and it becomes the best job in the world:
Sony Pictures Entertainment and Marvel Studios announced today that Sony is bringing Marvel into the amazing world of Spider-Man.
Under the deal, the new Spider-Man will first appear in a Marvel film from Marvel's Cinematic Universe (MCU). Sony Pictures will thereafter release the next installment of its $4 billion Spider-Man franchise, on July 28, 2017, in a film that will be co-produced by Kevin Feige and his expert team at Marvel and Amy Pascal, who oversaw the franchise launch for the studio 13 years ago. Together, they will collaborate on a new creative direction for the web slinger. Sony Pictures will continue to finance, distribute, own and have final creative control of the Spider-Man films.
Submitted by Mike 'Ace' Maillaro on Tue, 02/10/2015 - 03:00
I've been a fan of The Dresden Files for a while. Mike Weaver (my co-writer on Open Mike Night) introduced me to the books years ago. I even liked the short-lived TV series on Sci-Fi. All that said, this is my first time reading any of the comic series.
According to Dynamite, this series takes place a few months after the events in the book White Night.
The Dresden Files: Down Town #1
Written by: Jim Butcher & Mark Powers Pencilled by: Carlos Gomez Cover by: Stjepan Sejic Colored by: Mohan Lettered by: Bill Tortolini
Published by: Dynamite Cover Price: $3.99
Warning! This review contains quite a few spoilers!
Submitted by Mike 'Ace' Maillaro on Mon, 02/09/2015 - 06:21
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!
Amazing Spider-Man #14 - The end of Spiderverse! I've really enjoyed this crossover, and I can't wait to see how this changes the status quo for the Spider-Man titles. I especially wonder what's going to happen to Spider-Ock, since he seems to have a sense that he is working on borrowed time.
Submitted by Mike 'Ace' Maillaro on Sun, 02/08/2015 - 03:00
Divinity is the first new Valiant series in a while that doesn't seem to have any direct connection to the rest of the "Valiant-verse." I think that is a huge strength for this book. Don't get me wrong, I love the Valiant universe, but this book felt very unique and distinctive, standing out even among the rest of the terrific comics that Valiant puts out every month.
Divinity #1
Written by: Matt Kindt
Pencilled by: Trevor Hairsine
Inked by: Ryan Winn
Colored by: David Baron
Lettered by: Dave Lanphear
Published by: Valiant
Cover Price: $3.99
Warning! This review contains quite a few spoilers!
Submitted by Mike 'Ace' Maillaro on Sat, 02/07/2015 - 03:00
This might sound strange, but I only recently became a Spawn fan. I couldn't even tell you what made me decide to check out Spawn, but after doing some marathon reading over the last several months, #246 was the first issue I bought new. Which was a real hassle, because Spawn is one of the few mainstream comics that was not available digitally. I've mentioned in the past, I really don't have a regular comic shop, and it seemed like most stores don't order much Spawn at this point. I also don't have a lot of room to store comics right now, but I was really invested in Spawn, so I would make the effort to get these issues.
The third volume in the worlds most expensive series with the greatest publishing interval is finally here -- and it's worth it on both counts.
SUPERMAN: EARTH ONE's third volume picks up right where the second volume left off -- with the world leaders aghast at this new Superman's brashness at deposing a despotic leader, and the United States military complex hiring the two most brilliant minds on Earth to devise a way to stop him: Lex and Alexandra Luthor.
Oh, and it introduces us to: The Superman Signal! But more about that later.
Submitted by Mike 'Ace' Maillaro on Fri, 02/06/2015 - 11:10
From DC:
This summer, DC Entertainment launches a bold new direction for the DC Universe (DCU) that is even more inclusive and accessible to a wider group of readers as the publisher continues to evolve comic storytelling for its next generation of fans. Award-winning, critically acclaimed writers are headlining the June 2015 slate of DC Comics’ new periodicals and graphic novels, including Gene Luen Yang, Bryan Hitch, Garth Ennis and Ming Doyle.
Beginning June 3rd, the DC Comics line of comic books will consist of 24 brand-new series that will begin at issue number one, as well as 25 on-going, bestselling fan favorite series that will continue without a break in the issue numbering. The total number of periodicals in the DCU will be 49, with additional new titles debuting throughout the year.
Submitted by Mike Weaver on Fri, 02/06/2015 - 03:00
Maillaro: Hank Pym is Weaver’s favorite character, and with the movie coming up (plus two Ant-Man comics came out this week), we decided to throw a spotlight on him.
Submitted by Mike 'Ace' Maillaro on Thu, 02/05/2015 - 10:27
From Newsarama:
The Avengers may be ending in April, but Marvel's already got a new group on deck to stand in -- and they're from the future.
Marvel has announced a new Secret Wars 2099 series with the never-seen Avengers of the year 2099 stepping forward into what's left of their universe, according to IGN. The book is by the Spider-Man 2099 creative team of Peter David and Will Sliney, and that series will end in April with their storylines carried on in Secret Wars 2099.
David says the Avengers of Secret Wars 2099 will be a corporate-sponsored team under the watch of Alchemax, with the writer noting that it's similiar to his recent All-New X-Factor run but that Alchemax is "more or less running the United States in 2099."
One thing this won't tie into David says is Secret Wars, interestingly enough.
Submitted by Mike 'Ace' Maillaro on Wed, 02/04/2015 - 18:14
They still haven't shown us Daredevil in costume, but this show really seems to have the tone and feel of the character and Hell's Kitchen perfectly. The more I see of the Marvel shows that will be airing on Netflix, the more impressed I am. They seem to be well cast and put together. At this point, you really come to expect nothing less from Marvel Cinematic Universe.
All the episodes for Daredevil will be posted up on April 10, 2015, and I am definitely planning to marathon watch them.
Submitted by Mike 'Ace' Maillaro on Tue, 02/03/2015 - 23:00
DC posted up a first look at Brandon Routh as Ray Palmer in the Atom (technically A.T.O.M. in the show) costume from upcoming episodes of Arrow. Honestly, I wasn't sure how this would look on the screen, but they really have made it work! I really like how all the characters have looked in the Arrow/Flash universe so far, but this might be the best one yet.
I wasn't a huge fan of Brandon Routh in Superman Returns,but so far he's been great as Ray Palmer in Arrow. He has a little more personality than he ever did in the comics. It seems like whenever DC wanted to give personality to Ray Palmer, they made him crazy. But this version is much more nuanced, and he's been a great addition to the Arrow cast this year.
Submitted by Mike 'Ace' Maillaro on Tue, 02/03/2015 - 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
Spawn #250 – Over the last few months, I’ve become a huge Spawn fan. I know, I know…REAL LATE TO THE PARTY. Issue 250 marks some dramatic changes to the series, including the return of Al Simmons (Al Simmons basically killed himself back in issue 185 and the series has been about his replacement). Issue 250 will also be the first issue of Spawn to be available digitally! This is a huge relief. I’ve had to drive all over the place for the last few issues. Lack of a local comic shop, plus a fairly niche title. Not a good combination.
Submitted by Mike 'Ace' Maillaro on Mon, 02/02/2015 - 03:00
When Multiversity Guidebook came out, I immediately thought it would be cool if someone had taken all the information in it and created a online handbook people could use to identify the various universes that made up DC's Multiverse. Then it occurred to me, we should do it here on Critical Blast!
Thanks to Chris, Patti, and RJ for coming up with the name. I wanted to give it some kind of name like "Visiting The DC Multiverse for a Dollar a Day" or "DC Travelouge," but we ended up settling with Hitchhiker's Guide to the DC Multiverse. Don't forget to bring your towel!
You will see there are seven universes below listed as Unknown. I wasn't just being lazy, DC seems to have left these blank for now. I'm not sure if they were just leaving themselves some leeway if they wanted to add something later or if they were holding back some surprises. My guesses for some of them are:
