WE ARE FINALLY BACK!

The boys seems to be lost the further and further they go down this maze of hallways.

Sabine stages a fake bounty hunter attack on Princess Leia in order to allow Leia to turn over a data tape of Imperial base locations to the Rebellion.  But then IG-88 arrives to disrupt the operation.  Leia manages to convince her Stormtrooper escort that IG-88 is the real enemy here. Leia and Sabine make the trade.  Sabine promises to keep fighting the Imperials from the outside, even as Leia keeps fighting them from the inside.  Sabine is one of my favorite STAR WARS character, so I was glad to see her get the focus here.  And adding Leia was a great touch.   Definitely one of my favorite FORCES OF DESTINY episodes!

When Imperial forces try to take a little girl's "cat", Jyn jumps into action to rescue to rescue it.  It's not really clear what the timeline here is, but it felt a little out of character.  I can't see Jyn exposing herself just to rescue someone's cat. This felt a little cookie cutter, like they wrote a plot and then picked random Star Wars heroine to fill the role.  It wasn't a particularly bad episode, it just didn't quite feel like Jyn.  The other episodes seemed to be a lot better about fitting the story to the character involved. 

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HEART: ALIVE IN SEATTLE on DVD from Eagle Rock captures the band Heart at the culmination of their 2002 tour in their home town of Seattle, Washington.

When I was growing up, there were not many female rockers who could play with the best all-guy rock bands of the day. Sure there were some who could rock, but few who could rock-out like the Wilson sisters. In fact, how many bands played covers of Zeppelin songs while Zeppelin was still playing music themselves, and got away with not being thought of as a cover band? (It didn’t hurt that Robert Plant had a girlie high voice in those days, which Ann could match and actually carry a tune better.) Heart proved they could play others’ rock as well as their own with equal aplomb.

They were the real deal then, and they are the real deal here.

Ahsoka is back, and this time she teams up with Padme to stop a shapeshifting bounty hunter.  Loved this combo and this was a very fun episode, though it felt way too short.  Would have loved to get an extra minute or so here.  By the time we get past the opening sequence and intro the characters, there was only like 90 seconds left for the core of the episode. They made the most of this short time, with both characters getting some good shots in.

This episode is set just before THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK and features Leisa, R2-D2, and Chewbacca.  Chewie has gone missing in the not-quite-constructed Hoth Base.  Leia and R2 go looking for him in a nearby cave system, and find an angry Wampa.  Leia orders the others to go seal the cave off to keep the Wampa from getting in to the base.  Leia manages to dodge the Wampa (showing she is far better at this hero thing then her brother), and they seal him up.  Honestly, this was my least favorite episode so far.  It sort of made Chewie look a little lame, and I always thought Chewie gets a bad wrap anyway. 

What did you miss on Critical Blast this week?

July Bombshell of the Month - Kayley Marie

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Ahsoka Tano gets the spotlight this time, with a brief appearance by Master Yoda and Anakin Skywalker.  Ahsoka is just about the best character in the Star Wars expanded universe, and tit was nice to see a little flashback back to happier times for her.  I actually keep hoping that she will show up in the movies at some point, but that is probably real wishful thinking.  I also have to admit I had a huge grin on my face when Anakin called her Snips.  Was kind of hoping she would call him Skyguy back.  

The game is afoot in the latest entry into post-Doyle Holmesiana. Daughter/father team Anna Elliott and Charles Veley migrate Veley's former Sherlock Holmes endeavors, expanding the Holmes and Watson force by one -- American-born actress Lucy James. And before you get all in a huff about how Sherlock would never let a young lady work with him on important cases, let me assure you he has a good reason for keeping Lucy close, and it's not a romantic one.

Today's episode features Princess Leia and Wicket in what really feels like a deleted scene from RETURN OF THE JEDI.  Of the three episodes aired so far, this one is definitely my favorite.  It always felt like there was something missing from when Leia meets Wicket to her showing up in a pretty nice dress just in time to save Luke, Chewie, and Han from being Ewok chow.  I definitely felt this was a worthy tribute to the great Carrie Fisher.  

With just a few scant hours until the release of SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING, it behooves us to look back on the man, without whom, there would arguably be no Marvel Universe for a Marvel Cinematic Universe to have come. Stan Lee is sometimes a polarizing figure in the comic book industry, but no one can deny the influence he had on the direction it has taken.

And while there are several books and numerous convention tall tales told about the man, Bob Batchelor has set out to provide yet another perspective on the multi-faceted man behind THE FANTASTIC FOUR, THE AVENGERS, and, of course, THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN. We sat down for a discussion with the author of the forthcoming book, STAN LEE: THE MAND BEHIND MARVEL (September 2017, Rowman & Littlefield) to get some more of his perspective on the living legend.

Star Wars Forces of Destiny episode 2 once again features Rey and BB-8.  I am pretty sure this episode originally aired in the Star Wars Celebration in Orlando.  As far as I know, the episodes will cover a wide variety of Star Wars characters (primarily the women of Star Wars).  But Rey and BB-8's time on Jakku seems to have been full of little adventures we missed on.  These almost feel like deleted scenes from THE FORCE AWAKENS...which is not a bad thing at all.  This time they find themselves being pursued by the scavangers who tried to steal BB-8 in the first place.  I did like how the solution built up from the last episode.  I did like the first one a touch better, but I still enjoyed this episode.

Disney has started a new series of shorts called "FORCES OF DESTINY" that are supposed to give a wider focus on the Star Wars universe.  The series debuted yesterday with SANDS OF JAKKU, featuring Rey and BB-8 shortly after she finds him wandering in the desert.  You can watch the debut episode below.

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

Pretty light week this week.

Gru and the Minions are back in DESPICABLE ME 3, and don't we wish they weren't.

Being the father of a 9-year-old boy, I find that I endure a number of fart jokes, butt jokes, and madcap chases that often involve underpants (usually worn over the head for unfathomable reasons). So I wasn't too surprised when the begging began to go and see DESPICABLE ME 3. But it's a cartoon, and the Minions have always been kind of funny, so I relented, opting to go to a local drive-in theater for the experience. (Note to self: when selecting a drive-in theater, make sure that (a) it isn't located next to a frequently-used railroad crossing and (b) it's not a weekend popularized by people setting off fireworks and other explosives.)

(photos: Ricky Middelsworth)

This week Critical Blast sat down with Jennifer Muro writer for the much anticipated “Star Wars: Forces of Destiny” which debuts on Disney's YouTube Channel today and on The Disney Channel Sunday, July 9, 2017. Jennifer is working on some amazing projects and was able to share some awesome information about all the things she has in the works.

J.K. Elison: As a female engineer and a writer myself, I'm super excited to see strong female characters at the forefront of some new stories in "Star Wars: Forces of Destiny." What have you enjoyed most about writing some of the most iconic female characters from the Star Wars Universe?

"He's going to get someone killed."

That was CNN contributor Ana Navarro's take on the fan-edited video of Donald Trump from WrestleMania (circa 2007), in which WWE head honcho Vince McMahon got clotheslined by The Donald in a guest appearance. In the edit, McMahon's face has been replaced by a CNN logo.

For the literal minded out there, this was a stunt. Also, there is no Mr. CNN running around out there with an animated CNN logo for a head. The guy in the Jack-in-the-Box commercials isn't real, either.

All imagery is by Rick Currier Photography (FB: Rick Currier Photography IG: @rickcurrier32)

Cosplay has come a long way -- but it still has a long way to go. If you don't believe me, witness the debut of this season's BIG BROTHER on CBS, where the admission of one of the houseguests, Ramses Soto, that he was a professional cosplayer was met with blank stares and crickets. (The silent message of derision from CBS did not go unnoticed.)