What did we talk about on Critical Blast this week?

Bombshell of the Month – The Walking Farnsworth
 

Game Jab

THE DARK TOWER is Hollywood stupidity in maximum overdrive. I just don’t get it. The studios scramble to secure the film rights to beloved stories and then take a massive dump on the fans who naturally expect these adaptations to be extremely faithful to the source material. I’m not so naïve as to think you can perfectly recreate ever scene from every book or comic issue. Let’s face it, Superman’s costume barely works in the comic books and generally looks cheesy on the big screen. At least Warner Bros. tried to get the look right, if nothing else. 20^th Century Fox (when are they going to accept that the new millennium isn’t going away any time soon and update their name?) fumbled the last attempt at The FANTASTIC FOUR so badly even small children complained about the plot holes and woeful dialogue despite well over 400 issues of story and history to work with in a format that practically anyone should be able to make into a passable film.

Here's why I hate "found footage" films: because when they're done well, they accomplish their objective and convince you what you are seeing actually happened; and when you mentally correct course in the middle of the film, you have a very disconcerting sense of cognitive dissonance as your brain argues against itself as to what is real and what is not.

Enter PHOENIX FORGOTTEN, a slow-starting documentary that picks up the pace about fifteen minutes in. It begins with a birthday party of a six year old girl, with her teenaged brother, Josh, controlling the camera. It is during the party that the so-called Phoenix Lights appear in the sky--beginning an obsession with Josh that potentially leads to his disappearance.

But Josh didn't disappear alone. He took two other teenagers with him, and they were never found.

VOLTRON returns tomorrow on NETFLIX and Prince Lotor takes center stage as he looks to rip the Paladins apart from the inside out.

In the trailer released by Dreamworks Animation, the Paladins scramble to recover from the loss of Shiro. Without anyone to pilot the Black Lion, they cannot form Voltron and in that regard they lack a clear leader.

In season 2, Shiro and Keith were trapped on a planet together. During that time, Shiro told Keith that if anything were to happen, Keith should lead Voltron. Being annointed team leader is different than actually leading. If you don't possess the skills or confidence, then how do you get others to follow?

TEEN TITANS GO gets a bad wrap from a lot of people.  Some people want it to be a lot more like the TEEN TITANS series that aired from 2003-2007.  But despite having the same voice cast, the shows are nothing alike. This is something TEEN TITANS GO is very happy to mock, which makes people further hate the show.  Instead of focusing on their time as superheroes, TEEN TITANS GO focuses on ridiculous ideas like Pig Latin being the heart of a massive conspiracy or tea being a Briish ploy to bring us back under their control.  I personally love that TEEN TITANS GO is full of pop-culture references.  You can tell the show was made by people who grew up exactly when I did.  What other cartoon would have entire episodes devoted to THE GOONIES and OREGON TRAIL?

Continuing our interview with Mike Grell, who will be accepting his induction into the Wizard World Hall of Legends this month in Chicago. In this installment, we discuss Mike's work on GREEN ARROW, an effort that arguably set the tone for the CW television series, ARROW insofar as Oliver Queen's shift to a more lethal approach in the use of his weapons. (Click here to read part one of this interview series.)

From Spil Games, VALERIAN: CITY OF ALPHA is now available in IOS and Android. It is the official mobile game of the feature film, VALERIAN AND THE CITY OF A THOUSAND PLANETS.

Experience the breathtaking sci-fi universe from the movie, engage with stunning artwork, and explore distant galaxies to connect with far-flung aliens and crate your own vision of the Alpha metropolis.

In celebration of the mobile game's release, we are giving away 1 limited-edition mousepad and 1 art print (pictured below).

TRIPPIN' ROUND THE MITTEN, the sixth album from award-winning singer/songwriter Randy Kaplan, is an album that, though it is marketed to kids…. is not just for kids.

It’s not, because it is full of fun happiness and storytelling that you can’t help but like, no matter who you are.

An extremely well-educated, well-rounded man, who has lived in many places around this country, it easy to see (and hear) the many people Kaplan sites as influences to his music and mirth-making: people such as Steve Martin and the Marx Brothers, Robert Johnson and Woody Guthrie.

But as a fellow native Long Islander, I personally would say his biggest influence was hailing from Dix Hills, a mere half-hour or so as the crow flies from my home town of Port Washington--and I dare say that is where he must have first learned his art of kibitzing (so apparent throughout this CD in between and during the songs).

Young Mary Adler (FULLER HOUSE's MCKENNA GRACE) is about to start first grade, and is resisting it every step of the way, preferring to continue being home-schooled by her uncle, Frank (CHRIS EVANS, MARVEL'S THE AVENGERS). It's not just that she is scared to go to school -- it's that the lessons involve 1+1=2, and Mary is already well past solving quadratic equations.

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

Really small shopping list this week!

August is the month when things traditionally heat up. Despite that, our August Bombshell, The Walking Farnsworth, exudes cool as he portrays some of the coolest customers in the comics continuum.

As a member of the Midwest cosplay group, Another Castle Creations, TWF makes cosplay a family affair, attending conventions with Mrs. The Walking Farnsworth and generally shaking up the Kansas convention circuit. His designs for Green Arrow, Doctor Strange are both highlighted here -- and how could we resist including a pose of Bruce Wayne -- from DC Comics' own BOMBSHELLS series? So let's get on with the show, shall we?

Critical Blast Bombshell, August 2017

The Walking Farnsworth

What is your interest in cosplay, and why do you do it?

Dragon Con is coming...

For those who aren't familiar with this convention, it's an ENORMOUS fan convention held in Atlanta every Labor Day weekend. I was lucky enough to attend my first Dragon Con in 2014. I had such a blast, checking out cosplay, browsing art and amazing vendors, attending panels and meeting so many cool people. And there's not a moment that's gone by, I haven't thought about how amazing Dragon Con was. I've been trying to get back ever since I left.

Here we are three years later and I'm FINALLY headed back. I couldn't be more excited to be emersed in this insane amount of fandom all over again.

Even better, I'm going to be sharing my experiences at Dragon Con with the readers of Critical Blast! There will be interviews, live tweeting, live streaming, AMAZING cosplay and so much more. Make sure you're following all of Critical Blast's social media streams to keep up with all the awesome things happening.

At the August 2017 Wizard World in Chicago, veteran comic artist and storytelling legend Mike Grell will be inducted into the Wizard World Hall of Legends.

When I heard of the hall, I wondered why it wasn't called the more traditional "Hall of Fame." But after speaking with Mike on some of the touchstones of his career that led to this induction, I have to admit that "Legends" is exactly the right word. We think our readers will agree after they've hear the same stories.

In an interview too big for one publication, Critical Blast is proud to bring you the first of a three-part interview with Mike Grell.

To encourage Americans to get outside for the 2017 solar eclipse, Hipcamp —a startup that creates new campsites by unlocking access to beautiful private lands such as nature preserves, farms, and ranches—is sharing 5 essential eclipse facts and 789 places to camp in the path of totality.

Saw a headline on Hollywood Reporter this morning reporting a NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS sequel coming in 2018.  But, I opened it up to find out that this sequel is a graphic novel coming from TokyoPop, not a new movie.

It's taken almost 25 years, but Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas is finally going to get a sequel — but it won't be happening on screen.

(WATCH UNTIL THE VERY END!)