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.)

ABSOLUTELY ANYTHING finds its tagline in riffing on the moral of Spider-Man, setting it on its ear: Great Power. Total Irresponsibility.

That's not entirely true, however, in this comedy farce starring SIMON PEGG as Neil, a man selected totally at random by a group of all-powerful aliens to receive genie-like powers over reality as a test of humankind's worth to survive. Of course, he doesn't know why he has these powers, or where they came from, but suddenly with a simple statement and a wave of his hand, Neil finds himself with absolute power over absolutely anything.

BURBANK, Calif.

Warner Bros. turned in a musical delight when they released TOM AND JERRY: BACK TO OZ, a tale that inserted the cat and mouse duo into a Warner classic story.

So I was particularly keen to see how well an animated version of WILLY WONKA AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY would pan out with Tom and Jerry thrown into the mix.

The result: Good in some places, but otherwise closer to what you might expect when mixing a cat and a mouse with your chocolate.

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

I wanted to open this article with "It was twenty years ago today..." but every time I did so, Paul McCartney began to scream in my ear. Perhaps I could start with "One score and zero years ago," without raising zombie Lincoln, but it just seems awkward.

Was it really twenty years ago that I sat down with this unassuming title, selected with little fanfare and to which I quickly became hooked? That would have made me thirty years old. Which reminds me, I hate math.

But it was twenty years, and the Internet is happily buzzing with Pottermania once more. It's a testament to the storytelling that it is remembered this far out, and is still selling to a new generation of readers.

If you've ever read Deborah and James Howe's children's classic series of books featuring BUNNICULA, then you'll almost instantly notice that this cartoon series is several steps away from the story you know. The characters -- the animal characters -- are the same: Chester (SEAN ASTIN) the cat, Harold (BRIAN KIMMET) the dog, and of course Bunnicula the vampire rabbit (CHRIS KATTAN) are here. Their young master, Toby has been replaced with a manic young girl, Mina (KARI WAHLGREN) -- no doubt as an homage to Mina Harker from Bram Stoker's DRACULA. But even the familiar characters are a little different. Chester is excessively paranoid rather than curious and leaping to conclusions, while Harold has gone from easy-going and sensible to an ADHD afflicted canine like UP's Doug. Oh, and there's no doubt at all that Bunnicula is indeed a vampire bunny who sucks the juice out of vegetables.

What did you miss on Critical Blast this week?

News

Hey Critical Blasters! We all know that we have at least one drawerful of comic book tee shirts in our house (more if you're serious about being a geek). So with SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING right around the corner, the fine folks at Film Jackets are asking us to help spread the word -- by giving away a SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING Mask Log shirt from their line of Spider-Man Jackets!

Be sure to check out our Rules and Regulations -- and note that there's an exception this time (and it's a good one)! Unlike most of our giveaways, this contest is also open to all our fellow geeks in CANADA and the UNITED KINGDOM!

Once upon a time (goodness, was it really 15 years ago?) I had the opportunity to interview Neil Gaiman, who was just coming off of publishing AMERICAN GODS. Assuming it to be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity (and so far time has supported me on this), I kept him forever and asked him everything about everything.

And now, lo these many years later, AMERICAN GODS has made its way from the page to the screen, from the literal to the visual. And visually, it's divine.

The long and the short of AMERICAN GODS is this: When people immigrated to America, they brought their beliefs, and thus their gods, with them. The gods have had to adapt over time, and make room for new gods that we've created (unwittingly or not). And now one of the old gods wants to reestablish his place in the cosmos by going to war with the new gods.