Since the launch of the popular smartphone game, Pokémon GO, people everywhere have either caught Pokémon, or attitude for trying. Whether you're a player or patronizer, the game has had an impact on society. But has it been for the best?

We live in a time where technology has taken over a large part of society. Gone are the days where kids went outside and played for hours on end. Why bother when they can sit in front of a video game, computer or smart device?

Just plug in and the world is at their fingertips. Right?

Pokémon GO has gotten people out of the house and in front of other people once again. And sure, they still have their smartphones in-hand, but once again mankind is traveling in packs and on foot. Exploring the world around them in ways that many of us thought would never happen again.

It's another winning team-up between DC Comics and LEGO in their latest release, JUSTICE LEAGUE: GOTHAM CITY BREAKOUT.

When Batman gets an unsurprising surprise party for the anniversary of his first appearance, he's gifted with a vacation trip, along with Nightwing and Batgirl. (The party includes LEGO appearances of Cyborg, Beast Boy and Starfire, hinting that maybe a Teen Titans LEGO set might be in our futures.) The real surprising part to everyone is that Batman accepts the vacation, leaving Gotham in the protective hands of Superman. Of course this will be no challenge for Superman at all, as Batman's villains aren't of the super-powered variety. How hard could it be?

Critical Blast has your first 'lettered' look inside the pages of Valiant's next unstoppable hero as 4001 A.D. continues with: WAR MOTHER #1 (due out August 3rd)!

4001 A.D.: WAR MOTHER #1 will contain the first full appearance of a formidable new force in the future of the Valiant Universe. Rocketing out of the aftermath of the summer's most ambitious crossover event, this standalone issue will be a must-read tale; torn from the lawless frontiers of the 41st century!

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've often thought to myself, "Self, our life needs theme music." I hope it gets composed by Danny Elfman or Hans Zimmer, but I'm afraid it might get done by Arthur Korb.

These are the thoughts I now think as I listen to the tracks from The Music of DC Comics, Volume 2. Now, I know, comics are printed on paper and don't usually come with musical accompaniment. These are (mostly) from animated and live-action adaptations, smart-ass. And what an eclectic mix it is, starting with "The Baby from Krypton" from the 1940 SUPERMAN radio show, all the way through the opening theme credits for CW's LEGENDS OF TOMORROW.

The world of spies and foreign intelligence has always intrigued me. I suppose it comes from growing up in the Cold War era, with the Watergate scandal, President Reagan telling Gorbachev to tear down the Berlin Wall, and that suave, debonair secret agent of British intelligence, James Bond, in regular rotation on early cable. Even though “my” Bond will always be Roger Moore, I was hooked from the first moment. Gadgets, hidden weapons in secret compartments, remote listening devices, enigmatic codes, I devoured everything I could find on the subject of spycraft. I soon learned that the life is not nearly as glamorous as Hollywood makes it out to be. Maintaining relationships based on trust is difficult when your very life hinges on the fact that you can trust no one.

Would you believe that bedtime could be the start of a great adventure?

That's the underlying theme of BEDTIME FOR BATMAN, the picture book from Michael Dahl and Ethen Beavers that tells two parallel stories using the same set of text and contrasted images.

On one page, you see the young protagonist, as he makes his preparations for the night. On the other page, there is Batman. For the boy, the signal is the clock (cleverly drawn), while for Batman the signal is the spotlight that shines his symbol on the clouds. Both have to clean things up and lock things away, and the juxtaposition of the images is genius -- and engaging -- turning bedtime into adventure time.

Diamond Comic Distributors Inc has released their monthly report for the top selling products in June and, despite the mixed social commentary about DC's 'Rebirth', the company outshined it's top competitor, Marvel Comics.

While only two of the 'Rebirth' titles landed in the top ten, they were issues containing DC's flagship characters: Batman and Superman. And, even though Wonder Woman's 'Rebirth' title was absent, Princess Diana of Themyscira made an appearance as the first issue of her series landed in the #9 spot.

Caldecott winner Mary GrandPre may be best known as the illustrator of the US prints of the HARRY POTTER series, but her work extends far beyond the boy wizard's adventures, including pieces in the New Yorker, Atlantic Monthly, and the Wall Street Journal. However, CLEONARDO, THE LITTLE INVENTOR is the first time I can recall that GrandPre is also the author as well as the illustrator.

Cleonardo Wren is a young girl who comes from a long line of inventors, including her father Geonardo, her grandfather Leonardo -- all the way back to their ancestor, Neandernardo! She loves helping her father in his workshop, but with the town's Grand Festival of Inventions coming up, she finds she's more hindrance than help as her father tries to come up with a winning idea. So she takes to the forest to build things on her own out of the materials nature provides.

Fresh from Scholastic's Graphix imprint comes this full-color graphic novel, DREAM JUMPER: NIGHTMARE ESCAPE. And what's even better, while it's a series, it's the first of the series, so you're getting in at just the right time.

DREAM JUMPER tells the story of Ben Maxwell, a kid who has trouble sleeping because he is plagued with strange dreams. But they're not just his dreams -- he also enters the dreams of others, like his best friend who knows of Ben's ability and thinks they should incorporate to capitalize off of it.

Marvel announced a new series titled CHAMPIONS, a title in which they reached an agreement with Heroic Publishing to use, and young Scott Summers seeks to be a member.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, series creators Mark Waid and Tom Breevort discussed the new series, artist Humberto Ramos, its members, and the concept.

This comic book nerd, however, is all about how it affects his favorite marvel mutant: Cyclops!

Captain America: Sam Wilson #10 by Nick Spencer and Angel Unzueta

Summary: A Texas Senator and an oil executive are working together to create a new private policing initiative called the Americops.  They are reducing crime rates, but there seems to be a lot of harassment, racial profiling, and excessive force, especially when it comes to dealing with minorities.

Meanwhile, several black heroes have gotten together in a private memorial for James Rhodes.  Sam is asked to give a eulogy at the funeral, and he does a terrific job.

The Truth Changes Everything!

In the third and final season of Bitten -- In order to end a decades-old vendetta, Elena Michaels leads her family into a vicious war against the Russian Alpha and his Pack, who will stop at nothing to wipe out her bloodline.

Bonus features in this release include deleted scenes, extended scenes, and A Look at the Final Season featurette.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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

4001 AD: SHADOWMAN – Stop taunting me, Valiant!! Shadowman was one of my favorite Valiant books. It’s clear that Valiant wants to do more with the character. He’s appeared in various forms in Ninjak, Books of Death, and now 4001. Stop teasing us and just give us a new Shadowman series already!!! 

The setting is 1936, and John Reid -- the retired Lone Ranger -- knows one thing for certain: "Hitler and Mussolini are up to no good, without question! And their no good is a far worse no good than no good ever was in my day. Makes me mad as a hornet!"

The perfect summer series, IMHO, is mindless, full of music, has plenty of dancers, and is unabashedly nostalgic. ABC's six-week summertime event, Greatest Hits, fits the bill. When I heard about it from Steve Spears over at Stuck in the '80s I immediately thought back to the summer of 2005, when the limited series Hit Me Baby One More Time trotted out bands from the '80s to sing one of their hits, then tackle a newer pop song. Greatest Hits blessedly skips the "competition" format and just presents the musicians to let them do what they do best: perform in front of an appreciative crowd, just like the good ol' days.

Starting today, Critical Blast is proud to introduce a new feature showcasing the art of cosplay: The Critical Blast Bombshell! Every month we will spotlight a cosplayer doing his or her best to bring our favorite heroes (or villains) to life.

This month, and inaugurating our new feature, we are privileged to present to you a cosplayer from Philadelphia, Lady J, who embodies the essence of cosplay both in imagination as well as in her career path and charity work.

In an announcement today from Walt Disney Animation Studios, the sequel to 2012's WRECK-IT RALPH is coming to theaters on March 9th, 2018!

Moving on from the arcade, Ralph and Venellope von Schweetz will be racing along the information highway via the internet. John C. Reilly and Sara Silverman are slated to return to voice their lovable, yet flawed, characters.

The movie will be directed by Rich Moore (ZOOTOPIA) and Phil Johnston (writer: ZOOTOPIA, WRECK-IT RALPH), and produced by Clark Spencer (ZOOTOPIA, BOLT) has yet to be given an official name.

Here are a few statements from their announcement on Facebook Live today:

Wonder Woman (1968) #178 and #179

Written by: Dennis O’Neil
Pencilled by: Mike Sekowsky
Inked by: Dick Giordano

​Published by: DC
Cover Price: 12 cents each

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