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.

Supergirl Rebirth #1

Written by: Steve Orlando
Pencilled by: Emanuela Lupacchino
Inked by: Ray McCarthy
Colored by: Michael Atiyeh
Lettered by: Steve Wands

Published by: DC
Cover Price: $2.99

For my money, there may not be a finer American actor working today than Jeff Bridges. The man is always interesting to watch on the big screen. From earnest heroes in the first remake of KING KONG, TRON, and the wonderful animated film THE LAST UNICORN, to playing as or opposite the zany in films like THE FISHER KING and TH EBIG LEBOWSKI to managing to out-Duke the Duke in the excellent remake of TRUE GRIT, Bridges has consistently reinvented himself over a career spanning nearly every decade of his life. His latest film, HELL OR HIGH WATER, is a modern western noir hybrid, expertly written by Taylor Sheridan (2015’s acclaimed SICARIO) and directed by an Englishman or Scottish heritage named David Mackenzie, who won 16 awards for his 2013 film STARRED UP but has no credits that will be instantly familiar to American audiences. Until now, that is.

DC Super Hero Girls: Hero of the Year is a fun adventure for the whole family. Whether you're young or old, a comic book reader or not, this movie has appeal for the entire family.

On the surface, HERO OF THE YEAR appears to be another story about villains trying to rule the world. But when you dig a little deeper into the characters, there's so much more to it. Each character has their own developing story arc that allows them to grow as the movie progresses. The movie was extremely entertaining, funny and action packed. The cameos were fun to see and the voice talent will be recognized by fans of other DC animated properties.

The Kornfield Kounty citizens and their classic cornpone routines -- not to mention some of the most outstanding country music performances ever recorded -- are now available (at least in part) in this 14-disc collector's edition from Time-Life, proving again that picking and grinning never go out of style. Buck Owens and Roy Clark kick off and wrap up each episode as well as give their own musical performances and comedy contributions, standing alongside some of the legends of country music who guest-starred on the series. And it's always heartening to see the musical guests partake in the comedy aspects -- it humanized some of these towering figures. Seeing Johnny Cash participate in the silly, running gag song "You Were Gone" is one of the highlights of the long-running series, and one of the many skits included in this boxed set.

For six seasons, The Wonder Years captured the angst of growing up in suburban middle-class America in the late '60s, as seen through the life and times of Kevin Arnold (Fred Savage). Audiences eagerly followed his evolution as a typical awkward teenager who remembered every moment of his transition from childhood with excruciating detail and remarkable hindsight. From his first kiss with Winnie Cooper (Danica McKellar) to his friendship with Paul Pfeiffer (Josh Saviano) and the ups and downs of the Arnold family, fans shared in laughter, love, and loss, but above all, wonder.

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 Care Bears are back! Coming this November, the Care Bears and Care Bears Cousins return in an all new series, from Lionsgate, debuting on DVD (plus Digital) and Digital HD.

In this brand new series, the Care Bears reunite with their cousins to retrieve the Cousins’ stolen ship. Care Bears™ & Cousins: Take Heart – Volume 1 will spread caring and sharing on DVD for the suggested retail price of $14.98.

"The Last Day on Earth" extended version makes this 5-disc Blu-ray set worth buying all by itself. In listening to the commentary it's discovered the dialog from Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) to Rick's group is taken word-for-word from the comics. If you're a fan of TWD comics, you'll enjoy that Morgan's Negan is something the comic book series would be proud of.

I am reminded by dialog spoken by King Osric (Max Von Sydow) in the movie “Conan The Barbarian.”

When King Osric needed Conan to rescue his daughter from Thulsa Doom, upon dumping out a bag full of jewels and offering them to take all they wanted, he says,

“ There comes a time, thief, when the jewels cease to sparkle, when the gold loses its luster, when the throne room becomes a prison, and all that is left is a father's love for his child.

So it is with me in my audiophile time of life, where what matters most to me now is not high power, not large heavy pieces of equipment, not stacks of individual components, nor even high and flighty names. While I freely admit all those “jewels and gold” did, at one time, matter to me; I have had Krell, Audio Research, Martin Logan, Duntech, Focal, Oracle, SME, Koetsu, Convergent …the list goes on and on.

Mike Maillaro: Chris was going on vacation this week, but he did add in some SummerSlam Predictions before he headed off.

Return of Curt Hawkins!

Mike Maillaro: I had been hearing this rumor for a while, but on Smackdown this week, they had a great promo teasing the WWE return for Curt Hawkins.

I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not a big fan of Andrew Lloyd Webber. I don’t typically enjoy sung-through musicals. I thought EVITA had all of the warmth and depth of Eva Perón’s Wikipedia page, PHANTOM OF THE OPERA is a grossly overrated love story with no characters to like much less love, and I’m highly allergic to CATS. There is, however, this one short little gem of Webber’s that is equally funny and heart-wrenching, hopeful and melancholy. The show is called TELL ME ON A SUNDAY, and while I can’t predict what day it is that you find yourself reading this, I can predict that you’ll find this one-woman show as heartfelt and surprisingly affecting as I did.

Superwoman #1

Written And Pencilled by: Phil Jimenez
Inked by: Matt Santorelli
Colored by: Jeromy Cox
Lettered by: Rob Leigh

Published by: DC
Cover Price: $2.99

Agents of SHIELD #8 by Marc Guggenheim and German Peralta

Summary: Last issue, Coulson was removed from his position on SHIELD.  This issue, he’s breaking into top secret government facilities to try and figure out if there is a third option between Stark and Danvers’ ideas on what to do with Ulysses gift to see the future.  He sees a file suggesting that the Wrecking Crew will be responsible for Daredevil’s death, so he heads to Hell’s Kitchen.  May is waiting for him.  Danvers arrives soon after, pissed that Coulson has been breaking into her files.  Danvers says that the Wrecking Crew are already in custody, so Daredevil is safe.  

Tesla’s now classic 1991 release PSYCHOTIC SUPPER was the band’s 3^rd studio album. It is thought by many, including myself and the band members, to be their best. Now it is being reissued in a 2LP set, which, I believe (but I could be wrong; it happens), is the first time this album will have been released on vinyl. The album contains the hits “What You Give”, “Call It What You Want”, and “Song & Emotion” (my favorite along with “Toke About it”), and it is not one that I had on vinyl.

Based on the popular video game franchise, RATCHET & CLANK follows two unlikely heroes as they struggle to stop a vile alien from destroying every planet in the Solana Galaxy. ratchet is the last of his kind, a foolhardy "Lombax" who has grown up alone on a backwater planet with no family of his own. Clank is a pint-sized robot with more brains than brawn. When the two stumble upon a dangerous weapon capable of destroying entire planets, they must join forces with a team of colorful heroes called the Galactic Rangers in order to save the galaxy. Along the way, they will learn about heroism, friendship, and the importance of discovering one's own identity in this thrilling and funny adventure featuring the voices of Paul Giamatti, John Goodman, Rosario Dawson and Sylvester Stallone.

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