Today is Claire Temple's birthday!

Okay, that wasn't quite as impactful as I was hoping. If I'd published this yesterday, I could have opened up with "This is Catwoman's birthday!" Or I could wait five more days and say "This is Ghost Rider's birthday!" But it's Claire Temple's birthday, which is fine enough. She's on IRON FIST, after all.

Now, if you've found yourself knowledge of my encyclopedic knowledge of superhero birthdays, you're going to love this. If you rolled your eyes and sighed to yourself over another comics nerd geeking out -- well, you probably came to the wrong website in the first place. (It's okay. We're glad you're here!)

Fun.com is the source of my copious information -- and they've put together a keen little (okay, maybe a bit bigger than little; it's a colloquial use of 'little') infographic that will make a great addition to any comic fan's calendar! All it lacks is a way to import it into Outlook...

Pop culture is usually a reflection of real life and in both cases, we see references to gambling. Art imitates life and these pop culture references definitely reflect this pastime!

Krusty the Clown’s Sports Betting

Few shows manage to capture life quite like The Simpsons does, it’s pretty much the epitome of pop culture. Krusty the Clown is Springfield’s loveable comedy character and he hits rock bottom on more than one occasion. We all know someone that isn’t great at betting and boy does Krusty fall into that category.

He bets against the Harlem Globetrotters in an episode, which every basketball fan will know is a big no no. In typical fashion, he loses it all and subsequently rushes out in a fluster.

It sure seems that way.

In a tweet last night, writer-producer Patrick Schumacker, revealed that POWERLESS would not air this week or next. He also indicated some doom-and-gloom on the horizon and thanked fans for watching.

While this particular writer at Critical Blast really enjoyed POWERLESS, many felt that the humor fell flat and was just written poorly. I contend that the writing was actually quite good and the show was full of heart and fun. Unfortunately, I wasn't in the majority.

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

We continue on with more conversation starters for you if ever a time you may need them.
_
Thanks for watching! Any view that we get is a shining moment for us but let us know how this episode made you feel because we are here to keep you entertained.

AJ Lee (no, not the wrestler, this one has real talent!) is a seven-time Female Vocalist Of The Year award winner as voted by the Northern California Bluegrass Society (which in itself is quite an accomplishment, considering she is only 19!) and is releasing her second solo album aptly named AJ LEE.

With an album consisting of just six songs, AJ is not timid here about taking on the likes of Graham Parson and Bob Dylan, showcasing a unique style that has been compared to Alison Krauss.

And that is important, because like Alison Krauss, this is not your Granddad’s Bluegrass. If you’re thinking Bill Monroe, Flatt and Scruggs, or The Dillards (aka The Darlings from THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW), you’re barking up the wrong tree.

For lack of better words, this is more “modern” Bluegrass--modern in the sense that Bluegrass, just like Rock or Country, has evolved over time to become something of its own that, while different, is still rooted in it’s past.

So here's where the situation stands in the Marvel Comics Universe, vis a vis their crossover event, Secret Empire:

Captain America is the bad guy and, for all intents and purposes, has always been the bad guy since his origin. He's an agent of Hydra, the outfit that has ever been looking to dominate the world because dominating the world is a cool job to have.

Of course, Captain America has not always been the bad guy. You weren't reading about the adventures of a secret double agent doing deep cover for a villainous entity while he stood up for the Red, White, and Blue. The Marvel Universe reality was rewritten (I won't delve into the *cough* technical details; it's a cosmic entity that can rewrite history/reality on a whim. Let's just call it "magic" and move on) such that Steve Rogers' past was changed, aligning events to have him brought up the Hydra Way. Nurture beats Nature in this scenario. So, presto: Captain Hydra.

After a blockbuster film, the highest grossing Broadway production in history, ridiculous DVD sales and constant worldwide tours, everybody knows what Disney’s THE LION KING is all about, right? Yes, I still haven’t seen the movie (might as well wait for the “live” action remake now), but I was fortunate enough to see the last tour when it set attendance records at the Fabulous Fox Theatre in St. Louis.  Since there shouldn’t be any reason to rehash the coming of age story for the future King of the Beasts amid the evil schemes of his sinister uncle, allow me to discuss what makes THE LION KING musical one of the most unique and memorable theatrical experiences you’ll find anywhere.

Remember how upset the world got when it was revealed that Captain America had always been a Manchurian Avenger in the employ of Hydra? That quickly subsided when it was revealed that Kobik, a being created from pieces of the Cosmic Cube, had rewritten reality to make America's beloved Steve Rogers into a traitor from childhood. She'd basically done a "Red Son" on old winghead even as she helped Maria Hill create the idyllic village / supervillain prison known as Pleasant Hill, where villains had their realities changed to become law-abiding Mayberry citizens.

Having bided his time until this moment, Captain America puts all his tactical skills to bear in SECRET EMPIRE, organizing a three-pronged attack that is designed to allow him to take over.

DC Comics and IDW Publishing have had their share of property marriages in the past. I was particularly fond of the Star Trek / Legion of Super-Heroes crossover, as it seemed a natural given that both teams were future-oriented, making it easier to breach dimensions and meet.

It's a little trickier with the pairing of Star Trek and the Green Lantern Corps, but writer Mike Johnson is making it work.

STRANGER WORLDS continues the story begun with THE SPECTRUM WAR, which found Hal Jordan and a handful of other ring-bearers (not all of them green) lose the fight against Nekron and get ejected from their reality just before it collapsed entirely to destruction. They emerged in the STAR TREK universe, which means they didn't just swap realities, but they time-traveled into the future. However, without a power battery, all the ring bearers soon find their energy waning, and there's no way to recharge their rings.

Or is there?

Climb in and buckle up, boys and girls. This is the event we've been waiting to kick off ever since DC kicked off their Rebirth line with REBIRTH #1. That ended with Batman finding a yellow smiley-face button with a blood streak that was immediately familiar to comics fans as the iconic badge (and plot driver device) of WATCHMEN.

For months now (years, it seems) that plot has been left out there, supplemented in drips and drabs in various titles. But now, the team of Tom King and Jason Fabok have honed in on the main mystery, and it's a fun ride!

Yeah, I'm going to be walking smack through spoiler territory here, so you've been warned.

ATLANTA - April 19, 2017 - Square Enix, Blizzard and Wizards of the Coast will be among the companies at MomoCon, the convention with the largest gaming floor in the Southeastern United States.

They boys seem to be losing it in this mansion as well as getting lost in conversation. Brand Burch's reputation even lurks here.
_
Thanks for watching! Any view that we get is a shining moment for us but let us know how this episode made you feel because we are here to keep you entertained.

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

The boys felt it was well needed to think up some conversation starters while roaming around the vast land of Hyrule.
_
Thanks for watching! Any view that we get is a shining moment for us but let us know how this episode made you feel because we are here to keep you entertained.

Doctor Who Series 10 - Episode 1 – The Pilot

Writer: Steven Moffat

Director: Lawrence Gough

Cast:

So if you've been paying attention to S.J. Mitchell's coverage of the SUPERMAN:REBIRTH storyline, you should have had all your questions answered as to how Clark Kent and Suerpman can both be running around together -- particularly after the Superman we've been reading about lo these past several years just died!

And since that Superman died, you'd think Supergirl would be more than a little suspicious about this Superman, whom she welcomes with open arms, begs to speak in Kryptonian with (because Kryptonian doesn't have contractions, except it totally does every time they speak it), and spends family time with like a good cousin-once-removed with Superman's son, Jon. You'd think she would, but yet she's not.

Conveniently, today happens to be a Kryptonian holiday (Kal must have had a copy of Poor Rich-Ard's Almanac tucked into that rocket of his), the "Day of Truth," and so he's vowed to tell Supergirl the truth about what happened to him.

During the Star Wars Celebration, Rian Johnson and Kathleen Kennedy revealed a poster for the movie which may have revealed the relationship between Luke and Rey.

And that's not even the big news!

A lot of questions were asked during the panel but nobody had to answer any hard pressing questions, other than Josh Gad jokingly asking Daisy Ridley and BB-8 who Rey is related to. Before they left the stage though, Rian played a teaser for the audience that went a little something like this...

Time for a little shameless self-promotion!

A few months ago, my cousin, Nichó Martin, reached out to me to read over and edit his manuscript for his first book, 40 YEARS TO HEAL A BROKEN CHILD.

Up front, I don't think it's appropriate for me to write a formal review of the book.  It was written by family, and I am credited as the editor. BUT, I will say that it is an excellent book. Nichó has written a very honest book about the many difficulties he has faced (and sometimes caused) in his own life. Once you start reading, you are going to blast right through it.

As kevin continious to struggle and slowly slip into madness because of the endless maze, Zach is loving every second of Kevin's torture.
_
Thanks for watching! Any view that we get is a shining moment for us but let us know how this episode made you feel because we are here to keep you entertained.