So here's the thing with DARK NIGHTS: METAL. It's the latest chapter in a continuing idyll that began with FINAL CRISIS and THE RETURN OF BRUCE WAYNE. That's going back to 2009, and continuing on through The New 52 JUSTICE LEAGUE series. That's an 8 year story-arc for those keeping track on fingers and toes.

Basically, when Darkseid sent Batman back in time (FINAL CRISIS), he was seen by the god Barbatos. He landed in caveman days, which we find out is what initially kicked off the Court of Owls. All history has been shaping Bruce Wayne to become Batman and the gateway for Barbatos to enter the physical world from the dark dimensions. And over several of his past adventures, Bruce has been infused with different metals, all of which are necessary for a ceremony to open that gateway. Five are required -- four have been applied.

What did we talk about on Critical Blast this week?

Reviews

Tim Drake, aka Robin III, made his debut in a storylne called "A Lonely Place of Dying." Then he became Red Robin in the New 52 version of the DC Universe, retaining that identity into the Rebirth version.

And then he decided to give it up. Which happened almost moments before he was killed.

Except he wasn't killed. He woke up a prisoner of a mysterious man calling himself Mr. Oz. And with DETECTIVE COMICS 965, James Tynion IV brings us back to that story, merging in the revelations from ACTION COMICS on Mr. Oz's true identy -- Jor-El of Krypton.

When LETHAL WEAPON hit the big screen starring DANNY GLOVER and MEL GIBSON, the SHANE BLACK screenplay was a hit with audiences. Roger Murtaugh was an aging cop looking forward to keeping a low profile in the last few years of his career before collecting his pension. He gets saddled with a new partner, Martin Riggs, who is suicidal after the loss of his wife, and takes death-risk chances that endanger not just himself but Murtaugh. It worked.

Superman has been the topic of controversy ever since Warner Bros hired Zack Snyder to direct 2013's Man of Steel.

So it's no surprise that his perception as a hero is once again the topic of conversation. Portraying a brooding Kryptonian, living on Earth, many feel that this iteration of Superman is too dark. His story, which takes him from being a relatively unknown mystery hero to a highly controversial figure of immense power, is a journey that nobody else had dared to explore.

JUSTICE LEAGUE, is considered by some to be the third act in a trilogy of movies which brings Superman's heroism to light.

Or will it?

He's a Good Guy. A living doll. And he's coming for you!

You may feel a little prick.

Confined to an asylum for the criminally insane for the past four years, Nica (FIONA DOURIF) is wrongly convinced that she, not Chucky, murdered her entire family. But when her psychiatrist introduces a new group therapy tool -- a "Good Guy" doll -- a string of grisly deaths plague the asylum and Nica starts to wonder if maybe she isn't crazy after all. Andy (ALEX VINCENT), Chucky's now-grown-up nemesis from the original CHILD'S PLAY, races to Nica's aid. But to save her, he'll have to get past Tiffany (Oscar-nominee JENNIFER TILLY), Chucky's long-ago bride, who will do anything, no matter how deadly or depraved, to help her beloved devil doll.

This Blu-ray / DVD / Digital-HD combo pack includes bonus features including feature commentary with Director Don Mancini and Head Puppeteer Tony Gardner, as well as deleted scenes and other features.

From TV Insider:

Warner Bros. Television announced Monday the casting of a new addition in Supergirl's world. British-born actress, Amy Jackson, will recur as Saturn Girl in The CW show's third season.

"Saturn Girl, aka Imra Ardeen, is a kind, smart, and strong-willed hero who uses her telekinetic ability to help those in need. She was born on Titan, one of Saturn’s moons, and arrives on Earth to help Supergirl battle one of her biggest threats," according to a release.

Not in a hateful way, mind you, but the division is real. And mostly playful.

In the world of DESTINY 2, the 2017 sequel to the smash hit video game DESTINY, the faction provide some familiarity to a world decimated by the 'Red Legion'. Guardians fought hard to regain their light and defeat the orchestrator of destruction, Dominus Ghaul.

Now that the dust has settled, the three factions have come out of hiding to seek your allegiance:

WWE NEWS

• Coming out of No Mercy

How much trouble can you attract with just 140 characters?

Since the advent of Twitter, millions of us have been given the chance to find that out, venting our frustrations and clicking the ol' submit button before having a cooler head.

Yesterday was comic book artist Sophie Campbell's turn in the Twitter hotseat. The artist of @IDWPublishing's TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES and JEM AND THE HOLOGRAMS took to her account on Monday and began expressing a wish for world peace, for all the children of the world to join hands and sing a song, a cure for cancer, wings for kittens, and the overall betterment of mankind.

Greg Cipes (the voice of Beast Boy) just posted this on his Twitter feed:

@GregCipes 20h20 hours ago

From The Sun:

Tom Baker, 83, completed a story that had to be abandoned 38 years ago.

He recorded final scenes for Shada, written by Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy creator Douglas Adams. It was meant to be a six-episode tale for Tom’s fourth incarnation of the Doctor in 1979-80.

But production was wrecked by a BBC technicians’ strike and only half was filmed before it was shelved.

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!

Last year, the San Francisco 49ers' Colin Kaepernick sat out and eventually took to one knee during the opening National Anthem of the NFL games he played in, stating that he was "not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color." It was a controversial move then, and remains one even today as more and more players have opted to join with him in solidarity. What was the action of one man became the action of a few, which then became the action of many, until the point where entire teams began to "take a knee" or simply not show up on the field at all during the playing of the anthem.

THE ORVILLE continues to be a pretty divisive show.  The newest episode continues that trend.  I’ve seen reviews with titles ranging from "The Third Episode Of 'The Orville' Is A Must-Watch For 'Star Trek' Fans" to "Why ‘About a Girl’ is the The Worst Episode Yet."  Personally, I thought ‘About a Girl’ really showed what THE ORVILLE can be.

THE ORVILLE- EPISODE 3
"About a Girl"

Written by Seth MacFarlane
Directed by Brannon Braga

It's September, which means the toy industry is in full court press for the dollars of parents who want to be sure they get their kids the hottest toys on the market.

This year one of those toys taking up the airwaves is RC Pocket Racers, a remote-control rechargeable car about the size of your average Hot Wheels or Matchbox car. All that sounds pretty cool, because it would be kind of fun to put such a vehicle on your original designed orange plastic tracks and send a car around it under its own power.

From EW:

The Flash, Arrow, Supergirl, and DC’s Legends of Tomorrow will join forces in a crossover event called “Crisis on Earth X,” which begins production today. In this year’s crossover, all of the superheroes come to town for Barry (Grant Gustin) and Iris’ (Candice Patton) wedding (sounds like couples’ therapy ended up working); however, villains for Earth-X crash the festivities with a deadly agenda.

...

Could there be two more kindred spirits that Diana of Themyscira and Conan of Cimmeria? It's too bad they are kept apart by years and publishers.

Waitasec, what am I talking about? This is comic books! And these days most publishers are willing to do a joint venture if they think it'll make them a buck. And the way to make a buck is to give the fans what they want.

And so from DC and Dark Horse Comics, we get WONDER WOMAN / CONAN, written by Gail Simone with art from Aaron Lopresti and Matt Ryan. With that team of creators, what could possibly go wrong?

Honestly, very little.

Conan, being Conan, allows himself to be bribed into saving a gambler, Kian, from a gang of Vikings, and has to follow him to collect his reward. Their destination takes them into the city of Shamar, where Kian promises to collect on a massive wager against the city's champion, solely because she is a female.

By now I bet you can guess who the female is.