WrestlePro is back at the Rahway Rec Center for a huge show on Saturday September 9th.  The card is shaping up to be awesome.  You can get your tickets at WrestleProonline.com.

I did notice that there is no WrestlePro title match on the card.  Guess that coward Bobby Wayward is taking the night off.  I am still predicting that someday real soon Bobby Wayward is going to be losing that title to his “friend” Chris Avery Queling.  There is only so much crap CAQ is going to be able to take before he snaps and gets that gold he so righteously deserves.

Growing up with in America with American comic books, it's easy to think that -- because comic books are such an American institution -- the comic book convention and the attendant cosplay that has really taken off over the last decade must also be uniquely American. But one of the things we are continually reminded of with the Critical Blast Bombshell feature is that the phenomenon is truly a global one, and that it's more than just people dressing up in costumes.

Brazilian cosplayer Carolina Lino (aka C-Cat) has spent half her life doing cosplay. The 24-year-old has, like many others, found a creative outlet in the process and applied it toward charitable events for children, bringing favorite characters to life and bringing smiles to those who need it very much, showing off her mischievous side with characters such as LEAGUE OF LEGENDS' Jinx or SUICIDE SQUAD's Harley Quinn.

This season of BIG BROTHER on CBS has been rife with fan speculation that things aren't perhaps as unscripted as a reality show is supposed to be.

Okay kids, here it is! For you fans of Vincent Furnier who remember the pre-MTV days, Eagle Rock Entertainment has brought back not just the1975 “Welcome To My Nightmare” Concert Video but also the 1975 TV special, “The Nightmare” complete with special guest star, the indomitable Vincent Price, all in a single DVD video offering.

Eagle Rock has been releasing many great videos and CDs of important rock music from the second generation of rock, many of which feature the members performing recently or in the past 10 to 15 years. With this DVD, they are releasing in one of the most important concerts and specials from what I would call the “Golden Age of Alice.” It’s important for a couple of reasons: one, because it was his first solo tour and two, because it was ground-breaking. Remember, this was before MTV and it was the first time a concert special was filmed to support an entire album in long form.

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!

Earlier today we interviewed NASA astronaut Garrett Reisman who was a member of expedition 16 and 17 on the international space station. He discussed what inspired him to become an astronaut and what space flight is like.

I’ve always enjoyed a cappella music. I’ve covered Straight No Chaser numerous times at the Fox Theatre in St. Louis. The harmonies are always nice, but the recreation of instrumental sounds strictly by the dexterity of vocal cords is a real treat. When I heard Pentatonix was coming to town I was excited for the chance to cover them and to get a different style and range of song and showmanship than what I’ve grown accustomed to by Straight No Chaser.

The show began with an opening act, Us the Duo. Comprised of husband and wife Michael and Carissa Alvarado, the talented twosome quickly won over the audience with their charisma and skill. Carissa charmed with her smile and warmth, singing beautifully, while handsome Michael played the guitar or keyboard.  They were delightful and earned a deserved standing ovation at the end of their set.

What did we talk about on Critical Blast this week?

Reviews

Life in the big city of pre-Batman GOTHAM continues to get crazier -- literally -- in this third season of the DC Universe series as the Mad Hatter, Jervis Tetch (BENEDICT SAMUEL) comes to town. He's using his hypnotic skills to help track down his runaway sister, Alice (NAIAN GONZALEZ NORVIND), who was locked up in Indian Hill due to a virus carried in her blood -- a virus that induced mania in anyone with whom it comes into contact.

From Marvel:

Las Vegas greets a new quartet of residents in BEN REILLY: SCARLET SPIDER #8 on September 27 and they will thrill long-time Spider-fans. Ben, on the other hand, might just take a little longer to win over.

The Slingers have returned and they do not think Reilly should be wearing the webs and will not hesitate to tell—or show—him so. Unfortunately, matters have been complicated even more they know as one of their own hides a secret under their mask.

Writer Peter David would not pull back that mask fully, but he did offer us a peek in this interview.

In the first season of The Flash, Barry Allen (GRANT GUSTIN) took on the Reverse-Flash (played, most of the time, by TOM CAVANAGH and sometimes by MATT LETSCHER). He was a super-speedster, just like The Flash.

In the second season of The Flash, the producers opened up the multiverse, and Barry took on Zoom (played, most of the time, by TEDDY SEARS). He was a super-speedster, just like The Flash.

In the third season of The Flash, the producers tried something different, and Barry took on Savitar (played, some of the time, by GRANT GUSTIN). He was a super-speedster, just like The Flash.

Variety is reporting that Hasbro is suing DC to prevent them from using the name Bumblebee.  

Hasbro, owner of the Transformers brand, filed a lawsuit on Monday accusing Warner Bros. and DC Comics of trademark infringement. The suit claims that the DC “Bumblebee” — a teenage girl with the ability to shrink — could easily be confused with the Autobot “Bumblebee.”

Hasbro has a lot riding on the “Bumblebee” character, set to star in the first Transformers spinoff, which is due in theaters at Christmas 2018.

Entertainment Weekly posted a first look at the "new" Misty Knight.  At the end of Defenders, Misty gets her arm chopped off by Iron Fist's enemy Bakuto.

Marvel, as usual, is keeping details of how and when Misty gets her bionic arm under wraps, but in the comics, Misty’s bionic arm was designed by Tony Stark and Stark Industries after she lost the limb in a bombing. The arm grants her superhuman strength and a slew of other abilities involving energy blasts and gravity fields and even a nifty ability to control robots.

The Beatles once said, “It was 20 years ago today Sergeant Pepper taught the band to play.” Well, it’s been 20 years since Richard Blackmore and Candice Night taught the minstrels to play, bringing a renaissance to the Renaissance, so to say. And it’s funny to think that the music they play today technically predated the music he played decades prior by centuries.

Now, I have been a huge fan of the Renaissance (the time, not the band (but I do like the band’s music too)) since I attended my first Medieval festival. My friends and I would truck up to the Renaissance Fair in Tuxedo, New York and, closer to home, in nearby Huntington Long Island. I just felt I belonged.

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!

Comics shipping this week

Fifth week! Always a bit of a smaller week back in the day, but that has changed in recent years. It’s still a relatively short list this week though.

Maddy just turned 18 and has never ventured outside her environmentally controlled house. Her clothes are serialized and all white. Everyone that enters the house must change shoes and wash their hands before being let in. This is because Maddy has a rare immunodeficiency called SCID. Despite being an avid reader, online book reviewer, and loving to design architecture and drawing, Maddy claims her life is pretty boring. She relies a lot on her extensive imagination. But Maddy’s only interactions are with her mom and her nurse, until the cute boy moves in next door.

Olly wears all black and has a bad boy exterior, but despite his appearance is really kind at heart. And from the moment he notices Maddy through the window he tries to meet her. Only trouble is, no one new is allowed to enter the house, because they might get Maddy sick.

Several months back I released and article on Critical Blast called "Pokemon Needs A Change" and in that I expressed my thoughts and concerns with Pokemon and how it needs a change like the Legend Of Zelda series.

What did we talk about on Critical Blast this week?

Game Jab

• Yooke Laylee: Adobe Rant
• A Link To The Past: Beat Dat Boss!

Reviews