Submitted by Critical Blast Staff on Tue, 05/26/2015 - 19:42
Convergence #7 by Jeff King, Scott Lobdell, and Aaron Lopresti
Summary: On New-52 Earth, Telos’ world continues to push it’s way into our reality. A being called the Great Oracle is watching and this is freaking him out. He can usually see past, present, and future, but this is blocking his vision. Telos’ world is causing all kinds of temporal and antimatter energy readings on New-52 Earth. Superman orders the other heroes and villains gathered to watch this retreat. Batman insists Superman should retreat too, but Superman goes to ask the Oracle who is going on. He asks “how can we save everyone?” Oracle answers, “You cannot.”
Meanwhile, on Telos’ world, heroes are fighting heroes as those loyal to Deimos fight those who refuse to serve him. Nightwing and Telos arrive on the scene. Deimos attacks Telos. Heroes on both side realize that Deimos is vulnerable to Telos.
Submitted by Mike 'Ace' Maillaro on Tue, 05/26/2015 - 10:19
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! We're way behind this week (damn holiday weekend), so this one is going to be quick.
Submitted by Critical Blast Staff on Tue, 05/26/2015 - 08:39
It's been a week now since we bid adieu to the first season of CW's THE FLASH -- and we still can't stop talking about it! So rather than keep the discussion just around the Critical Blast virtual water cooler, we thought we should let our readers in on the conversation.
Have something to add? That's what the Disqus comments below are for. Please, throw your thoughts into the pot!
R.J. Carter: This is where it was all supposed to come together and make sense. And yet, I’m left with more questions than ever. Is Barry living in an alternate timeline ever since he stopped the tidal wave? Did he just disappear from that Central City? And if Eobard Thawne is out of the picture -- might we still see Harrison Wells in Season Two?
Submitted by Tricia Delloiacono on Tue, 05/26/2015 - 02:00
I’m a Jersey girl, through and through, born, raised and passionate. I defend my state like it’s my job. I love that we are right in-between everything. NYC is right there, a quick jaunt up the Turnpike leads to Philly, we have mountain, beaches, farms, and cities. Everything you could possible imagine within a few hours. But the issue that arises from being so close is sometimes we get left out. NYCC is a huge convention in the Javits Center and Wizard World Philly has been popular for all of my adult life, in fact it’s where my romance with my husband blossomed, but I digress. My point is the one thing New Jersey doesn’t have is our own BIG con. We have plenty of little shows, like Chiller Theater and Monster-Mania, that are great and attract some awesome celebrities, but they aren’t comic conventions. ACBC strives to make that right.
Amid a somewhat tamer St. Louis Comic Con this year, one of the highlights was the Behind the scenes with CW's The Flash with Liam McIntyre and Rick Cosnett panel. Rick (Eddie Thawne) and Liam (The Weather Wizard) were all smiles when they entered the room and immediately started joking with the crowd. Rick even sent Liam into the audience saying this was his panel, but Liam quickly returned to the microphone.
Liam started by asking Rick, "I hope you can talk a lot, because I can talk a lot." Rick continued on by asking who had seen the season finale to which most the hands in the room went up. Then he apologized to those who hadn’t because he was sure there would be spoilers.
And spoilers there were. (**SPOILER WARNING** if you haven't seen The Flash season finale you might want to stop reading until you have).
It's been said that every comic book is somebody's first comic book. I guess a corollary to that is that every superhero is somebody's favorite superhero.
Case in point: The Human Torch. This hotheaded member of the Fantastic Four started out as a teenaged, blonde-haired, blue-eyed Caucasian, just like his timid sister. And he's been that way pretty much since the 1960s, save for some very minor adjustments to his age.
Submitted by Dennis Russo on Sun, 05/24/2015 - 10:46
I have been to all three of the Wizard World Comicons here in Saint Louis, and I have mixed emotions about this one. The second year was better than the previous. I know not every year can always be better and at best it is all subjective anyway. Still, since this was only the 3rd time for the event here in St Louie, I was expecting it to be at least as good and as star studded as the others.
It seemed, though, as the year progressed leading up to this weekend, that the talent that was being signed, while good, was not up to the caliber of the previous two years. Again, I know this is all subjective but compared to who I saw was going to appear at the other WW Comicons throughout the country, the show here in Saint Louis was not getting those who I consider A-Listers. Maybe because this year it was being held on Memorial Day weekend and everyone had plans? I don’t know.
Submitted by Tavis Munro on Fri, 05/22/2015 - 20:02
Elijah Wood’s career can best be described as…..mercurial. With credits ranging from the terrible The Bumblebee Flies Anyway all the way to the pinnacle of his career as the voice of Spyro in The Legend of Spyro: A New Beginning, it can safely be said that the entertainment industry hasn’t typecast him. Doing the heavy lifting in television shows such as Adventures from the Book of Virtues, lending his voice to the part of Mumble in the video game “Happy Feet”, and of course, he is most well known for playing the title role in the coming-of-age movie North.
Imagine you created a comic book character with your best friend. Nobody saw it but you. And then your best friend dies.
Now imagine a few years later your comic book character starts to pop up on stickers and posters. And there's a web comic featuring your hero, in a story that's eerily close to real life events.
This is the situation May finds herself in when she returns to Seattle for the summer to stay with her father. Years before, she and Libby bonded over a character they created called Princess X, clad in a ball gown and red sneakers, and carrying a badass katana sword. May did the writing, Libby did the drawing. And then one night Libby was in the back seat of her car when her mother drove it off a bridge.
Submitted by Jeff Ritter on Fri, 05/22/2015 - 00:13
“Tomorrowland” is an interesting film for Disney Pictures. It’s based on the Tomorrowland theme parks found within the greater Disney World and Disneyland campuses, and is very exciting visually. It also a PG movie, which surprises me a little, as profanity is sometimes hinted at and there are occasional moments of unexpected violence that could leave the little ones in a bit of shock. In fact, the movie’s message itself probably would be lost on the kids that get excited for films like “Frozen” and “Despicable Me” (I know, not Disney, not the point).
Submitted by Meredith Tate on Thu, 05/21/2015 - 09:50
*WARNING: This review has spoilers for THE SELECTION trilogy. It will NOT spoil the newest book, THE HEIR. *
As someone who absolutely loved Kiera Cass’s THE SELECTION trilogy, I was so excited when she announced a follow-up book, THE HEIR. However, I was also a bit nervous; spin-offs can be a hit or miss, and since the trilogy ended very nicely, I wasn’t sure what to expect with this one.
I am happy to report that I just finished THE HEIR, and it did not let me down.
One of the things we love to do at Critical Blast is provide a platform for artists who haven't had much exposure -- the people you haven't heard of yet, but the people you'll likely hear of in the future.
One of those people is Kris Mobley, who's taken a unique approach to the subjects who sit for his portraits. They're monsters. And Mobley toys with them.
Fortunately for Mobley, these monsters are plastic figures. Let's find out what's behind all that.
It's not unusual for graphic artists to do portraits of classic monsters, but you're approach is to use the toy versions of them as models -- and retain the toy appearance. What drove this decision, and why the REMCO models as opposed to items like the Aurora model kits?
Submitted by Chris Delloiacono on Wed, 05/20/2015 - 17:27
I've been a regular at comic and sci-fi conventions, or whatever you want to call them these days, since the '80s. The experience has changed quite a bit in those decades. In the past, they were mostly a place to shop for merchandise and meet creators. Today cosplay, video games, movies, and, most especially, celebrity signings, are the predominant aspect of cons. Geek has inherited the Earth and everyone wants to take part in the fun. That popularity has caused ticket prices to spike, show floors to be overcrowded places impossible to navigate, and worst of all, it's increasingly difficult to get tickets for San Diego Comic Con or New York Comic Con.
Submitted by Critical Blast Staff on Wed, 05/20/2015 - 09:43
by Tricia Delloiacono and Mike Maillaro
Mike: This column is dedicated to our mom. Along with her love of reading and writing (and MANY other things), Mom passed on a great love and appreciation for David Letterman. Thanks, Mom! My sister is far more eloquent than I am, so I am passing the mike to her:
Submitted by Mike 'Ace' Maillaro on Tue, 05/19/2015 - 11:33
Thor #8 finally reveals who our mysterious new Thor is. More on that later. So many people discussing this issue (really this whole series) have only focused on the mystery, but I also want to point out that Thor has been an excellent comic series. Jason Aaron continues to give us a fresh and creative look a Thor’s mythology each and every month.
Thor #8
Written by: Jason Aaron Art by: Russel Dauterman Cover by: Sean Chen Colored by: Matthew Wilson Lettered by: VC’s Joe Sabino
Published by: Marvel Cover Price: $3.99
Warning! This review contains quite a few spoilers!
Submitted by Critical Blast Staff on Tue, 05/19/2015 - 07:21
Blast of the Week - What do you think about Marvel and DC’s upcoming film projects?
Mike Maillaro: After all that talk about Avengers: Age of Ultron last week, I couldn’t help but think about all the movies Marvel and DC have already announced over the next five years. These slates are pretty ambitious to say the least….21 movies already announced and scheduled.
Submitted by Mike 'Ace' Maillaro on Tue, 05/19/2015 - 07:14
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!
Convergence Week 7 - Only two weeks left of Convergence. Honestly, week 3 was probably my least favorite of the first issues, but there are still some I am really looking forward to. Batman and the Outsiders, Justice League America, New Teen Titans, Wonder Woman.
This contest has ended. The winner is DAVID P of NORTH HILLS, CA.
From executive producer Amy Poehler and Creator Greg Poehler comes what The Los Angeles Times calls "The best thing to happen to broadcast-network comedy since MODERN FAMILY."
Bruce is an accountant ready to start a new life with his smart and sexy Swedish girlfriend Emma, but moving from New York City to Sweden isn't as easy as he thought. With new customs, new cuisine, her outlandish family and his needy, but hilarious celebrity clients hindering his efforts to adjust, no one is sure if Bruce and Emma's love will survive this comical culture clash.
I've been a regular at comic and sci-fi conventions, or whatever you want to call them these days, since the '80s. The experience has changed quite a bit in those decades. In the past, they were mostly a place to shop for merchandise and meet creators. Today cosplay, video games, movies, and, most especially, celebrity signings, are the predominant aspect of cons. Geek has inherited the Earth and everyone wants to take part in the fun. That popularity has caused ticket prices to spike, show floors to be overcrowded places impossible to navigate, and worst of all, it's increasingly difficult to get tickets for San Diego Comic Con or New York Comic Con.
