This week: 

• Huge WrestlePro News
• NXT Takeover Brooklyn II
• Cruiserweight Classic
• GLORIOUS BOMB!

WrestlePro on the road

Mike Maillaro: Some huge news for WrestlePro.  

With the first GOD'S NOT DEAD movie, the setting was the college campus, a forum of relatively free discourse even when pitting student against teacher. In GOD'S NOT DEAD 2, the stage shifts to the high school, where an A.P. history teacher known for her optimism is asked a question comparing the non-violent teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Mahatma Gandhi to Jesus. When the teacher, Grace Wesley (Melissa Joan Hart, MELISSA & JOEY), answers the question, quoting the teaching that would align with the philosophy, it gets recorded and sent to the world.

Scott Snyder (Best Comics Writer, 2016) pens the newest Bat-title to join the DC library -- ALL-STAR BATMAN, and the inaugural chapter is a real nail-biter.

It seems only yesterday that I was talking about the trend of recasting male roles with female ones (oops, timecheck that: it was today) and here I am introducing one of DC's latest remakes of REIGN OF THE SUPERMEN with this release of SUPERWOMAN #1.

I'll admit it. I thought the remake of GHOSTBUSTERS, going out of it's way to gender-swap the characters, was a film with an idea shoehorned into it (quod vide: gimmick). I wasn't vehement about it, I didn't feel the need to pan it heavily before it even hit the screens. I was just overwhelmingly nonplussed by the concept. Then the reviews came out, and it turned out to be a good movie after all.

***Warner Bros. Home Entertainment provided me with a free copy of the Blu-Ray I reviewed in this Blog Post. The opinions I share are my own.***

I know what you're thinking: Oh, look at that disclaimer in bold lettering, he's totally going to suck up to WB; this reviewer is in their back pocket!

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

Mike Maillaro: Man, you take a few weeks off to enjoy the summer, and the whole wrestling industry goes crazy.  It feels like everyone is putting on some of the best wrestling I have seen in a few long time.  After the last two weeks of watching Raw and Smackdown, I can’t remember the last time I was this excited with WWE...and there is so much else cool to talk about.

WrestlePro

If you’ve read, collected, and simultaneously loved and hated comic books for as many decades as I have, there are a few things you’ve probably noticed: prices have gone up, story count has come down, and those damned kids won’t stay off the front lawn.

Rather than writing a generic reminiscent gripe about whether or not I’m still getting the same actual value for my comic book dollar, however, I decided to do something crazy: I decided to set out and try to prove it, scientifically.

Suicide Squad Rebirth #1 by Rob Williams and Philip Tan

Summary: The issue starts with President Obama ordering Waller to disband the Suicide Squad.  She explains to him why the Squad is needed.  He says she needs someone to hold them accountable.  She says she has just the name, Colonel Rick Flag.  We find out that Flag is in Guantanamo Bay for refusing to follow a commanding officer’s order...an order which ended up killing a lot of men.  

LEGO NEXO KNIGHTS introduces LEGO fans to a world that's a combination of high-tech and medieval poverty. The Kingdom of Knighton has computers, television broadcasts, and lasers, but the people who live in the surrounding villages -- all named after their respective features -- all seem to dress like your typical middle ages serf pushing carts of vegetables. But that's beside the point.

The story focuses on a team of graduate knights: Clay, who lives and breathes knight's honor and rules; Lance, who lives to be a self-centered celebrity; Aaron, a skater dude who shows no fear; Axl, the hulk of the group who's forever hungry; and Macy, the King's daughter who fights against her father for the right to be a knight.

From the initial trailers, I was hyped over SUICIDE SQUAD.  Unfortunately, I was over-hyped due to the star-studded cast of supervillains and because I grew up appreciating the DC universe.    I am from the era of Michael Keaton Batman, so I liked DC before Marvel ever came across my radar.  Because I was a teenager, I did not mind BATMAN FOREVER nor BATMAN AND ROBIN.  The "campy" aspect was at an all-time high, and big box office actors joined the cast which was great for a teen girl who was in love with Chris O'Donnell as Robin.  

Which brings me to SUICIDE SQUAD: it was okay.  It was entertaining for the first 75% of the movie before it becomes even too outlandish for me (and the great soundtrack also tapers off).  Robbie Margot steals the shows as Harley Quinn, but not many others are stand-out characters aside from her, Jay Hernandez as Diablo, and Viola Davis as Amanda Waller.  

ANIMOSITY #1

Written by: Marguerite Bennett
Art by: Rafael De Latorre
Colored by: Rob Schwager
Lettered by: Marshall Dillon

Published by: Aftershock Comics
Cover Price: $3.99

Warning! This review contains quite a few spoilers!

Time Life's Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Live-Volume 1 Prince Tribute Edition on Purple Vinyl a Fitting Tribute to an Artist Who had the Most Memorable R&R HOF Performance

When Time Life released their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Live-Volume 1 it was just after Prince had passed away. The album, containing his performance of “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” quickly sold out its first pressing.

Time Life felt that it should honor the artist by re-releasing the album in a limited edition pressing on purple vinyl.

What a drag it must be for DC Comics and their parent company, Warner Brothers, to constantly be chasing Marvel. Oh sure, DC is currently showing up in the top 10 of comic book title sales, but only because at their core, most collectors are obsessive compulsive individuals. Every five years, when DC relaunches their comic universe and throws continuity out the window, many ardent fans take to the internet chatroom and social media outlets, throw a fit about DC doesn’t respect their audience (and they don’t, but that’s another story) and still go out and buy all of the first issues of the new comics line every five years. So while their sales are up, their brand loyalty and consumer confidence are not close to what it should be. Marvel makes mistakes too, yes, but they’re often stories that just missed their mark for whatever reason, and they haven’t built their business model around a cycle of planned irrelevancy.

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

Back from a much needed break. Refreshed and ready to go! Thankfully, this is a pretty light week of comics for me, so let's jump right in. 

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers needs little or no introduction from me. Since they released their self-titled album back in 1976, the band has had a string of hits any number of which can be found as staples on any classic rock radio or Sirius XM station, and they have had a Greatest Hits compilation in print since ’93.

What does bear introduction is that the Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers Greatest Hits is being released here for the first time ever on 180gm vinyl, in a 2 LP set from Geffen Ume.

Tom Petty is one of those iconic voices that fits the music he writes and sings; although sounding more and more like Bob Dylan as he grows older (just my opinion), the songs on this set are mostly from what I consider his heyday of 1976 thru 1993.

Our August 2016 Critical Blast Bombshell is relatively new to the art of Cosplay -- but it's apparently a natural talent for her. Sky Song is the second cosplayer to be featured as our Critical Blast Bombshell, and we're sure you'll be seeing more of her at conventions and across the Internet!

Sky exhibits all the qualities we look for in a Bombshell -- talent, commitment to the role, and the application of cosplay to community work, putting cosplay in a positive light to the rest of the world. If you're looking for a positive role model in cosplay -- look to the Sky.

Olympic Fever is setting in -- the perfect time for an Olympic-sized comedy like THE BRONZE. And in case you haven't heard about THE BRONZE and thus don't know what it's about, let's give you a quick rundown on the show:

A decade ago, Hope Ann Greggory (BIG BANG THEORY's Melissa Rauch) was America’s sweetheart. Her inspired performance on a ruptured Achilles at the world’s most prestigious gymnastics tournament clinched an unlikely bronze medal for the U.S. team and brought glory to her hometown of Amherst, Ohio. But in the years since that epic third place victory, Hope hasn’t done a whole lot with her life. Still living in her dad Stan’s (Gary Cole) basement, still sporting her daily uniform of a Team USA gym suit with teeny-bopper bangs, ponytail and scrunchie, she spends her days at the mall milking her minor celebrity for free food and favors.