Taste, founded and fronted by the legendary guitarist Rory Gallagher, was an Irish blues/rock band, and arguably one of the greatest power trios ever to hit the stage. I would easily put them up there with Cream, Emerson Lake and Palmer, Blue Cheer, Grand Funk Rail Road and The Jimi Hendrix Experience as the best ever; certainly, in my opinion, playing by far the best rock ever to come out of the Emerald Isle. Yes, I said ever –  e.v.e.r – ever, by anyone.

What made them so good to me was the sheer raw energy with which Rory Gallagher played the guitar. He could stand to-to-toe with any other great guitarist. Doubt me? His performance was so well-received at the show that when Jimi Hendrix was asked what it was liked to be the best guitar player in the world, he replied, “I don’t know, why don’t you go and ask Rory Gallagher." Need a better recommendation than that?

DC Super Hero Girls has released the second mini-sode of their offering to girls of all ages to enjoy. In the episode titled, "All About Super Hero High", Bumblebee gives Wonder Woman a tour around campus. And there are a LOT of wonderful surprises for long-time fans of DC...

Not only do we get a comedic response to Hal Jordan's introduction to Wonder Woman, but we get a quick preview of what she thinks of 'boys', stemming from her warrior culture from back home.

Superman has been under some heavy criticism since he's been depowered. Most of the criticism is due to a mythical ideology of the character being a 'boyscout' . Superman/Wonder Woman writer, Peter J. Tomasi says those views are why the 'boyscout' is 'boring'...

In an interview with comicbook.com, Tomasi touched on why the 'brawler' version of Superman is the better version:

"What it is for me is that I've always loved that brawler, impetuous Superman. When he gets to be too much of a boyscout, when he gets to be too "Everything is black and white," there are certain things where I like that brawler Superman from the early Action Comics and Superman comics from the '30s and '40s."

I’m actually kinda tired tonight, so here’s hoping I can last through this. I had nothing queued up, and so I’m digging through Netflix, wishing I was using my PS4 so I could entertain myself by yelling at Max (the “help you find something” feature that never finds you anything that I’ve only used on PS3, so I’m actually not sure it works on PS4), but alas, on my Xbox, so I’m digging and I see something in the popular section called Dark Was the Night, and that will be the winner.

Lumberjacks. The movie opens up with trees being cut down and turned into sawdust, and I’m thinking, “IS DEXTER HERE?!” And now everything is all quiet, people are heading home for the weekend, and one guy is on his walkie looking for his buddy Jesse who isn’t answering. Zoom in on that walkie and it’s just laying on the ground. A hand reaches out to grab it, but there’s static and the dude gets in his car to go see what’s up.

I saw my first Broadway show when I was 18 years old. A friend of mine bought me tickets to see LES MISERABLES as a High School graduation present. Since then, I have probably been to about twenty other shows (LES MISERABLES is still my favorite...I have seen it at least five times). Unfortunately, since our kids were born, my wife and I don't get to go as much as we would like. Getting to New York is a bit of a hassle, and the tickets are expensive. Not to mention adding on the cost of eating dinner in New York. A night at a Broadway show will typically end up costing us over $500 bucks.

From the first time I heard George Takei speaking about ALLEGIANCE about two or three years, we have been excited to see it. In fact, we have had our tickets pre-ordered since February. After a long hard road to get to Broadway, ALLEGIANCE finally opened in previews on October 6, and we were there!

Time for my first haunted house movie of the season (because fuck The 13th Unit), and I can’t say I know much about this one, but hey, that’s half the fun of this. This one’s called We Are Still Here, and I’m hoping for something with legitimate horror.

Winter. That’s my takeaway from this opening scene, that it’s winter. Snow everywhere, and one car, so it’s winter in a really quiet area. Older couple, the woman looks like she’s been crying, and they’re moving. He looks like a high school science teacher. The house is old, middle of nowhere, and the wife finds a picture to hold on to tightly. She winds up putting it on a table in the hall, and it’s a younger guy that I’ll assume is their son.

What I really can’t tell is whether or not is how new this house is, since either that picture was there when they got there, she just used the frame, or I’m totally missing something.

As GOOSEBUMPS prepares to roll out into theaters, today, October 8, is the birthday of the legendary author behind the series that's been chilling children for years, R.L. Stine.

So please join with us -- and Jack Black and Slappy -- in wishing Stine a happy (and someone creepy) birthday!

goosebumps-swat-Happy Birthday RL Stine JB Slappy 720_scc_h264 from Critical Blast on Vimeo.

Photo: (L-R) R.L. Stine, Jonathan Munro, and Critical Blast's own roving reporter, Tavis Munro.

So last night was the hotly anticipated return of CW's hit series, THE FLASH, now entering its second season. When we open, we are well past the cliffhanger ending of season one, which saw Central City, the Earth, and everything else about to be sucked into a singularity caused by the wormhole opened by the Reverse-Flash. In fact, Central City is preparing a "Flash Day" to present their hero the key to the city for having saved them.

So why doesn't Barry Allen (Grant Gustin) want to attend, and why is he moping around, pushing away all his friends and rebuilding Central City building-by-building every night?

Well, it turns out Barry doesn't think he saved Central City -- that it was accomplished by someone else, at a great sacrifice. And when we flash back to the events to see them play out, he's partly right. He did get help, and that help came with (apparently) tragic losses.

Following up on the 2014 hit movie MR. PEABODY & SHERMAN, Netflix has announced an all-new original series titled: THE MR PEABODY & SHERMAN SHOW. Adding to their growing list of original content, the show will debut on Friday, October 9th. This will be Dreamworks Animation Television's seventh show, quickly making them a leader in producing high-quality television series.

Netflix continues to provide content that sets them apart from cable providers and other digital subscription services. Adding to a growing list of kid-friendly shows such as SOME ASSEMBLY REQUIRED and DINOTRUX, Netflix has solidified itself as the leader in original digital content. Chris Parnell will lend his voice to Mr. Sherman, while Max Charles reprises his role from the movie as Sherman.

Before I talk about Magic Mike XXL (Blu-ray combo pack, available now!), let’s talk about Magic Mike – the original movie that started it all.

I loved Magic Mike. The attempt at a plot was weak, and the story was dreary, but that didn’t stop me from loving the movie. After all, Channing Tatum? Stripping his clothes off and dancing? With a bunch of other ripped dudes? Sign. Me. Up.

So now fast forward three years to Magic Mike’s triumphant return in the form of Magic Mike XXL. This movie has more dancing, more hot guys, and a cheerier storyline that was both fun and heartfelt. Therefore, it’s safe to say that I liked this one even more!

Plot spoilers ahead. But let’s be real, you don’t watch Magic Mike XXL for the plot.

If you the reader have ever enjoyed anything I have written, you owe some thanks to Chris Delloiacono and Daron Kappauff.   Chris has been a close friend and writing partner since we met over 15 years ago working at K-B Toys.  Chris ended up doing some writing at 411mania, so I followed the site regularly, though I was annoyed at the time by their lack of coverage for Crossgen.  So I sent an email to the editor, Daron Kappauff, and he basically told me, “If you like Crossgen so much, write up a sample review and I’ll put you in charge of writing for Crossgen.”  I basically had never done a review before, but I gave it a shot, and Daron clearly saw something in me as he hired me.  And I’ve been writing about comics ever since.  Chris ended up at Critical Blast, and as usual, I eventually tagged along and that is how I got here.

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

After two relatively small weeks, this week is just about the biggest week of comic buying I’ve had in a very long time!

Wow. That’s all I have to say about tonight’s choice, and the fact that I’m starting it at almost three in the morning. I’ve been doing this movie thing for a few years now, though without the reviews, and this is a movie I’ve been passing up since the beginning. No real reason, I mean, I always look at it and say “Eh, maybe tomorrow”, but you know what? IT’S TOMORROW RIGHT NOW! It’s time for ATM! No, it’s not a porn, it’s an actual horror movie about people at an ATM.

God help me.

Some dude is checking out maps of the highway and a parking lot, working out all the angles (literally, he’s even drawing lines with a ruler and pen). Like, dude is putting in the work for, what I assume, is murders at an ATM on this map. He’s all shadowy, and he puts on a hooded parka (like Cold in Flash) over a hoodie, for double the head covering. Dude is MYSTERIOUS.

Happy music and trains during the credits. And Santa jingling for the Salvation Army.

Cheap Pops - October 4, 2015

by Chris Delloiacono, Mike Maillaro and Jeff Ritter

This week!

- NXT Takeover Predictions

- WWE sets new record for low ratings

- PWS Results - October 3, 2015

Front Lines Reviews by Mike Maillaro, Mike Weaver, Grey Scherl, and Gina Maillaro

E IS FOR EXTINCTION #4 by Chris Burnham, Dennis Culver, and Ramon Villalobos

Half the fun of going to Archon is visiting with old and new friends, and sitting in on interesting panel discussions.

The other half of the fun is rushing around breathlessly to those panel discussions, lugging with you about a hundred pounds of books and visual aids, which you rush to get put up before the first guests arrive.

Prepare yourselves for the Friendship Games! The Mane 6, and their new friends, will participate in a long-standing competition between rival schools Canterlot High and Crystal Prep! And soon you can own this musical adventure to enjoy time and again!

Available nationwide on October 13th, 2015 in Blu-Ray and DVD format you'll be able to meet the brilliant cast and creators behind this magical film. Experience the journey as Twilight expresses her struggles to make friends at school, in a film about being yourself and building valuable friendships.

Archon, like many other science fiction conventions, is a showcase for cosplay. Here are just a few of the folks who are having a blast with critical blast at our con this year.

Few men in the genre of science fiction stand as tall as does Harlan Ellison. From anthologies to comic books to television episodes to movies, if it's science fiction Harlan Ellison has been there, done that.
 

It was my distinct privilege and honor to speak with Mr. Ellison has he attended Archon 39.