Critic’s Log 2476.5…I was six when Star Trek: The Motion Picture came out. Talk about old, nobody calls a film based on a television show a “motion picture” anymore, and rightly so—who would pay $40 for a ticket, a bucket o’ popcorn and a bladder-buster sized Mr. Pibb to sit for two-plus hours to watch a picture that doesn’t move? You whippersnappers with your Technicolor and your special effects…ahem! I digress…My father took me to the Cross Keys Theatre in North St. Louis at that impressionable young age. I lasted about 10 minutes before I wanted nothing more to do with it. Not long afterwards Star Wars was re-released ahead of The Empire Strikes Back, and what a difference another six months to a year made! I was a fiend for anything to do with space stuff. Star Wars, Battlestar Galactica, and this goofy old show my grandpa used to make me watch sometimes with this pointy eared dude with a lame haircut.

As I sat down to write this piece, I should say that I am much more of a Star Wars guy than a Star Trek guy.  Don't get me wrong, I don't think you have to be one or the other, but gun to my head, I would pick Star Wars every time.  So it might seem strange that I would want to honor Star Trek on it's 50th anniversary.   But, Star Trek still holds a very special place in my heart...

When I was a kid, I had a huge obsession with comic book writer Peter David (still do).  A friend of mine had given me a random issue of X-Factor as a birthday gift, and I was immediately hooked.  

Afterlife with Archie #10

Written by: Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa
Art by: Francesco Francavilla
Lettered by: Jack Morelli

​Published by: Archie
Cover Price:  $3.99

Saw some exciting news from BBC America this morning!  If you are a Doctor Who fan, you know that many of the earliest episodes of the show from 1963 to 1970 were lost to history.  BBC had a policy of deleting their tapes (remember this was long before home VCR's or DVD players), and many of the older episodes only aired once.  Soundtracks and production stills of every episode exist but there are still 97 episodes missing.   

The second season of CW's breakout superhero show (and two-time winner of Critical Blast's Best Television Show of the Year) THE FLASH is now available on for home video on Blu-ray and DVD, including the crossover with ARROW (but not the crossover with SUPERGIRL). Maybe next year.

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

The CW's ARROW and THE FLASH have provided an embarrassment of riches, when it comes to talented actors portraying lesser known characters. So what happens when you have characters, that nobody cared about, suddenly become fan favorites?

You give them their own show!

WrestlePro Sept 10, 2016 Preview

​Saturday, September 10 - Rahway, NJ WrestlePro will have it's biggest card yet! 

Nearly every musical artist has something to say. Otherwise, why bother with the art?

Indie Music Channel's 2016 Best New Female Artist, Dede Wedekind, has several things to say about several things, but more recently she's garnering attention for her latest number, a patriotic piece called "America United" that contains a lyric that ought to ring familiar with anyone who has come into contact with a working television set for the past year. We spoke with Dede about the inspiration for "America United," her experiences growing up in music, and her own vision to "Make America Great Again."

How has your history of making music led up to what you put into “America United?”

Captain America: Steve Rogers #4 by Nick Spencer, Javier Pine, and Miguel Sepulveda

Summary: Last issue, in 1926 (well, the false one in Steve Roger’s mind implanted by Red Skull), we find out that HYDRA killed Steve’s abusive father.  His mother realizes that HYDRA can’t be trusted, and has Steve hide.  HYDRA arrives and ends up killing his mother too.  They take Rogers as their own.

At Critical Blast, we get it. We get that people are going to see the term "Bombshell" and expect busty babes in barely-there costumes. If you really want that, there's this thing called The Internet where you can find more than you can handle of that sort of thing.

But we're looking for a different kind of bombshell. We're looking for cosplayers who make an impact, who are bursting onto the scene, breaking down barriers of stereotype and expectations in new, explosive ways.

(Think we made enough "Blast" and "Bombshell" allusions there?)

That's why we're glad to introduce our September Critical Blast Bombshell, Kirk Disla. That's right, this month's Bombshell...is a dude!

Kirk comes to us from the Philadelphia Avengers, and personifies the pure joy of costuming and roleplaying, with a development that is taking him from conventions to other applications for his passion.

by Dave Marinaccio

The 50^th anniversary of the launch of Star Trek is this September. Fifty years after William Shatner made his first “captain’s log,” the power of Star Trek is felt across generations. Just this summer, the thirteenth Star Trek movie was released and has grossed over 231 million dollars to date. It’s pretty clear: Star Trek is here to stay.

So what is it about Star Trek that captures the hearts of millions of people, decade after decade?

Shane Black's THE NICE GUYS is a retro-cool foray into the seedy seventies. And nowhere were the seventies more seedy than in smog-choked, porn-brimming Los Angeles, where our two not-exactly-heroes, Jackson Healy (RUSSELL CROWE) and Holland March (RYAN GOSLING) meet up.

Celebrate the series that stole America’s heart when Little House on the Prairie: Legacy Movie Collection arrives on DVD (plus Digital) and Digital HD September 13 from Lionsgate. Say farewell to this legendary western drama with three movie adventures: Look Back to Yesterday, Bless All the Dear Children, and The Last Farewell. These restored and remastered movies will be available individually on Digital HD and the Little House on the Prairie: Legacy Movie Collection DVD will be available for the suggested retail price of $14.98.

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

Congrats to Chris Payne!

Mike Maillaro:  Woke up on Friday morning to see this picture posted on Facebook...

The pre-Batman stories of Gotham City continue in the second season of GOTHAM, now on Blu-ray and DVD.

Ben McKenzie (SOUTHLAND) continues his role as Gotham City Police icon James Gordon, now busted down to traffic cop after his stint last season taking down corruption within the ranks. But when he is finally ousted by the crooked Police Commissioner Loeb (Peter Scolari -- in an outstanding dramatic contrast to BOSOM BUDDIES and NEWHART), Gordon makes a deal with the devil in the form of the Penguin, Oswald Cobblepot (Robin Lord Taylor), who now finds himself with a tenuous hold on the throne of all Gotham City crime. All Gordon has to do is collect a debt for Penguin and he'll see that Commissioner Loeb is fired and he gets his old job back. But things go horribly wrong in a way that will haunt Jim forever.

When a kind old sensei wants to do something special for his four students -- Ninja Bear, Ninja Snake, Ninja Mouse and Ninja Fox -- he works through the night on a special tasty recipe of ninjabread. When he opens the oven, however, he is unprepared for the surprise awaiting him.

C.J. Leigh's retelling of the classic fairy tale stays true to the original while giving it a whole new flavor by decorating it with ninja martial arts. With the successes of KUNG FU PANDA and its knockoffs, THE NINJABREAD MAN is a natural choice for younger readers who may, at their tender ages, already be too world-wise to sit through the tale of an old lady baking cookies.

My first exposure to THE TICK was when the cartoon debuted way back in 1994.  After the success of the X-Men cartoon, I just assumed this was another superhero cartoon on Fox.  But from the first episode, it was clear this was something very different.  Something funny and ridiculous and just brilliant.  I immediately went out and picked up the 5 omnibus trades from my local comic shop.  THE TICK would also later get a short-lived live action show starring Patrick Warburton, who was brilliant in the role.

A-Force #8 by Kelly Thompson and Paulo Siqueira

Summary: After She-Hulk was put in a coma during the battle with Thanos, A-Force is in disarray.  Dazzler is against Carol’s attempts to use Ulysses’ visions to see the future.  Especially since one of the visions shows Nico killing someone named Alice. Nico teleports away when Medusa and Carol try to detain her.    She ends up in a safe house in Ouray, Colorado.    She finds Elsa Bloodstone fighting off humans turned into giant bugs.  She joins the battle, helping get people to safety to a nearby home.  The parents there are looking for their missing child...Alice.  Nico is shocked, and Carol and Medusa arrive on the scene.