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!

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"The good thing about science is that it's true whether or not you believe in it.” ― Neil deGrasse Tyson

I'm a third-grade teacher, so I have the pleasure of teaching science regularly in my classroom. Unfortunately, in a day of state testing and Common Core standards, science doesn't receive quite the emphasis it deserves. Mix this with attacks from groups that don't believe in science and it's a scary world in which we live. Don't get me wrong, there's a lot of crackpots out there, but solid work following the scientific method should be applauded. I tell my students all the time that magic is just science we don't already understand. I believe we should be leading our youth towards careers in science; that's where the jobs are.

Let me tell you about a wonderful starting point to interest children in science.

SOUL STORIES, releasing May 5^th from Innervision Records, is guitarist Blake Aaron’s fifth album and his first that is entirely self-produced, with 8 of the 10 songs on the CD being original compositions.

From the very first track, “Groove-O-Matic,” it was easy to hear that Blake is no run-of-the-mill guitarist, but rather a highly accomplished virtuoso of the instrument. He plays with a controlled fluency that shines through whether the song is slow, fast, acoustic or electric.

When I did my review of Legenderry Green Hornet, I mentioned that I loved Dynamite’s out-of-the-box crossovers like Legenderry and Song of Sorrows. Writing this review, it occurred to me that I completely forgot to mention Masks. Huge mistake on my part!

Masks was a team-up of many of Dynamite’s pulp characters. This year, Dynamite decided to up the ante with Masks 2. Masks 2 is going to feature pulp heroes from the 30’s, 70’s, and modern day all dealing with the same threat, a new villain called The Red Death. I actually still have not read Masks, but when I saw Cullen Bunn was doing Masks 2, I decided to check this series out.  I am a huge fan of Bunn's work, and he is the perfect fit for this kind of pulp adventure.

When someone asks "which comic company does the best licensed comics?" my typical answer has been IDW. IDW has a wide range of titles from Star Trek to G.I. Joe to My Little Pony, and they are adding Disney titles in the upcoming months. But in the last few weeks, I've had a chance to check out some of Dynamite's offerings, and I have to admit, IDW has some serious competition here.

IDW Publishing, CBS Consumer Products and DC Entertainment announced today that they will boldly go where no one has gone before…in brightest day, in blackest night.

Two iconic franchises will meet this summer in a legendary crossover event with the release of a six-part comic book miniseries, STAR TREK/GREEN LANTERN: THE SPECTRUM WAR. Both Star Trek and Green Lantern are known for their strong cast of interstellar characters, and when they come together for the first time this July, fans new and old are sure to experience a galaxy-sized thrill.

Star Wars Rebels has provided fans with a look at the early days of the Rebellion. At times, it's been a little strange watching Rebels, because I keep find myself wondering what happens to the characters between now and A New Hope. I assume most of them have to have been killed at some point, maybe some kind of huge sacrifice that helped move the Rebellion to the next level. Otherwise, maybe we will get Disney Special Editions with the Rebels characters being added via CGI to the original trilogy. I am not advocating for that idea...please put down the pitchforks.

Throughout Rebels first season, Kanan has been pretty stingy about giving his back story. We knew he was a Jedi at some point, but not much else. This miniseries is set during the Clone Wars and looks to fill in some of the blanks.

It has to be ridiculously difficult to do to a project like Batman Eternal. 52 issues weekly, with a massive creative team and several major plot threads that had to all be tied together in a neat little bow. Not to mention because of the structure of the story, many Batman stories that came out during Batman Eternal ended up being set AFTER Batman Eternal.

So, I have to give the editorial team a huge round of applause for the work they did here. Batman Eternal truly is a masterpiece, one of the best Batman epics I've ever read. I had all but given up on Batman over the last few years, but between Batman Eternal, Tomasi's work on Batman and Robin, and Snyder's run on Batman, I have found myself enjoying the Batfamily more than I have in a long time.

Batman Eternal #52

by Mike Weaver and Mike Maillaro

Convergence #0

Written by: Dan Jurgens and Jeff King
Art by: Ethan Van Sciver
Colored by: Marcelo Maiolo
Lettered by: Travis Lanham
Cover by: Van Sciver and Maiolo

From Variety:

Stephen Amell has been tapped to play Casey Jones in “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2″ for Paramount and Platinum Dunes.

Megan Fox is set to return as April O’Neil. Will Arnett is also returning. David Green is directing the pic. Plot details and information on other returning cast members are still unknown.

A loner who becomes an ally of the turtles and a love interest for O’Neil, Jones is a fan favorite of the series going back to when Elias Koteas played him in the 1990 New Line pic.

Michael Bay is producing along with his Platinum Dunes partners Brad Fuller and Andrew Form. Josh Appelbaum and André Nemec are penning the script.

Amell tested with a half-dozen actors over the weekend, but it was his chemistry with Fox that led to the studio eventually giving the role to the star of CW’s “Arrow.” Paramount had no comment on the casting.

I will admit, I had never heard of Masked (or the original French series which was called Masqué). But Titan had sent us a press release saying it was like "Superman meets Blade Runner." So I decided to check it out.

This collection is translated versions of Masqué 1-4. Clearly the originals were not "full length" comics, as we tend to view them in America. This entire collection is only 48 pages.

Masked Vol. 1 - Anomalies

Written by: Serge Lehman
Penciled by: Stephane Crety
Inked by: Julien Hogonnard-Bert
Colored by: Gaetan Georges
Lettered by: Kirsten Murphy
Translated by: Edward Gauvin

Published by: Titan
Cover Price: $14.99

Warning! This review contains quite a few spoilers!

This week!

• Wrestlemania 31 Reactions

• The Night After...

Mike: It’s about twelve hours before we usually post Cheap Pops, I am literally just getting home from vacation, so this week’s column is basically going to be a quick one, just covering our thoughts about Wrestlemania and the Raw after.   

My go to website for Comic Releases was down the last few days, and I am posting this long in advance because I will be away.  I got this from Comixology, and I can see one big mistake on it already.  They list Secret Six #4 as coming out, and issue 3 still hasn't come out.   So BUYER BEWARE!

It's a huge week for DC with the three weekly series ending (Batman Eternal, World's End, Future's End) and Convergence starting.  I have said a few times that it felt like these series were dragging a little to get to the end, but for the most part I've really enjoyed them.  I hope they all come to satisfying ends!

The concept of getting various fairy tale characters to interact with each other in a shared universe is always an intriguing concept (if, not necessarily, a new one, as easily attested to by ONCE UPON A TIME and, even before that, with Bill Willingham's series, FABLES). In this Disney musical, the audience enjoys an interweaving of Jack and the Beanstalk, Little Red Riding Hood, Cinderella and Rapunzel, orbiting around an entirely new tale of the Baker and his wife who are out to lift a curse put on their family by a witch.

BEYOND THE MASK is the brainchild of writer Paul McCusker, brought to cinematic life by director Chad Burns. This is McCusker's first official screenplay, and Burns has one other film to his credit, PENDRAGON: SWORD OF HIS FATHER. One wouldn't guess their recorded lack of experience by watching this film. I found it to be exceedingly well done, with nicely choreographed action, well-crafted believable conflicts, exquisite settings and a rousing score by Jurgen Beck.

As the film opens, we are introduced to William Reynolds (Andrew Cheney), an assassin in the employ of the East India Trading Company in the mid-1700s. He's had his fill of the business, however, and turns in his notice to his employer, Charles Kemp (John Rhys-Davies, ONCE UPON A TIME). Unfortunately for Reynolds, he knows too much about Kemp's plans for the fledgling colonies to be allowed to live.

Will Farrell is one of the funniest and talented actors to ever grace the Saturday Night Live stage, but I’ve found his big screen output to be a bit of a mixed bag. I laughed a lot at “Talladega Nights: The Story of Ricky Bobby” and his somewhat absurd yet semi-dramatic “Stranger Than Fiction” is one of my favorite movies to recommend. On the other hand, I saw more of the inside of my eyelids when I attempted to sit through “Step-Brothers” and “Semi Pro.” Kevin Hart is a very funny comedian, but the film version of his stand-up routine from last year was marred by poor editing. Could these two hilarious entertainers succeed together? For me, the answer was a resounding yes.
 

Hello readers! I know we're still just getting started for Critical Blast, but it's never too early to open up with a bang.

To that end, I'd like to introduce you to our first annual Critical Blast Awards -- and you get a vote! In the future, we'll have more categories, but for this year we're limiting ourselves to Best Movie, Best Television Series, and Best Actor (from each).

In an effort to prevent ballot box stuffing (as much as we can), the form below requires a Google+ account to participate. We look forward to your input. The polls will remain open through April 6th, 2015.

The 2014-2015 US Bank Broadway Series at the Fabulous Fox Theatre come so to a close with the dazzling musical Kinky Boots. Based on a true story and the 2005 movie of the same name, the Harvey Fierstein (book) and Cyndi Lauper (score) was the darling of the 2013 Tony Awards, winning Best Musical, Best Original Score (Lauper is the first woman in history to win the Tony as a solo female composer), Best Choreography (Jerry Mitchell), Best Orchestrations (Stephen Oremus), Best Sound Design (John Shivers) and Best Lead Actor (Billy Porter). It was also nominated in 7 other categories. That’s quite an accomplishment, and it’s well deserved. Kinky Boots is a sharp, sparkly story of acceptance in the tradition of Hairspray, featuring performances that will stay with the Fox faithful all summer.

Sit back and let me tell you the legend of a singer. She came from a faraway land called Canada, and she had a voice that could tame wild animals. She was catapulted to fame, and was one of the touchpoints for when country music transitioned into from traditional to pop. And then, one day, at the height of her fame... she was gone.

Her name was Shania Twain, and she was unforgettable.

In 2012, Shania returned for a live performance at The Colosseum at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada. That show, "Still The One," incorporated backup singers, dancers, a full orchestra, and interactivity with a giant video screen, delivering an eye-popping performance of music and memories, Vegas-style.

Cheap Pops - March 25, 2015

by Chris Delloiacono, Mike Maillaro and Jeff Ritter

This week!