Submitted by S.J. Mitchell on Wed, 09/09/2015 - 09:18
Back in July, composer Frederik Wiedmann’s work on SPECTRUM was covered here. It was a masterful piece of music that took us on a journey through the senses. After the release of the soundtrack that accompanies JUSTICE LEAGUE: GODS and MONSTERS, we had an opportunity to chat with the talented composer and ask him a few questions about his experience, process and whether or not Bruce Timm has him on ‘speed dial’.
Submitted by S.J. Mitchell on Tue, 09/08/2015 - 13:28
Valiant has provided Critical Blast with a textless sneak preview of WRATH of the ETERNAL WARRIOR #1. In the wake of BOOK of DEATH, all-star creators Robert Venditti and Raul Allen launch an odyssey of war, love, and honor in the darkest reaches of the Valiant Universe. Based on the images provided, it looks like we'll get a senses tingling adventure! The art looks superb and the layouts look downright cinematic in nature.
WRATH OF THE ETERNAL WARRIOR #1 – Variant Cover by Lewis LaRosa
WRATH OF THE ETERNAL WARRIOR #1 – Interior Art by Raul Allen
Submitted by Mike 'Ace' Maillaro on Tue, 09/08/2015 - 10:57
Last Friday was Force Friday! As part of their build up for THE FORCE AWAKENS, Disney released a lot of new Star Wars merchandise, including boatloads of new toys. One thing that got a little lost was they also released several new novels set in between RETURN OF THE JEDI and THE FORCE AWAKENS, under the umbrella title of JOURNEY TO THE FORCE AWAKENS. There is also a comic mini-series coming out on Wednesday called SHATTERED EMPIRE that falls under this banner.
Submitted by S.J. Mitchell on Tue, 09/08/2015 - 09:32
As he walked on stage to music playing and thousands of screaming fans, Nick Jonas wasted no time with introductions. Leading off with the hit song, "Chains", he rocked the packed crowd in Syracuse, NY. Jonas planned to take over the New York State Fair and he did just that. It was hard to tell if there was a wicked drum beat, or if it was the collective heartbeats of his adoring fans.
Submitted by Critical Blast Staff on Tue, 09/08/2015 - 08:19
Front Lines by Mike Maillaro, Mike Weaver, Grey Scherl, and Gina Maillaro
AGE OF APOCALYPSE #3 by Fabian Nicieza & Gerardo Sandoval
Summary: Dr. Nemesis is interrogating Jean Grey, who was brought there by Sabretooth and Wild Child to have him interrogate her to find out what the humans are planning. At the same time, Essex is interrogating Carol Danvers. And the X-Men are interrogating Cyclops.
Submitted by Mike 'Ace' Maillaro on Tue, 09/08/2015 - 03:00
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!
Submitted by Dennis Russo on Mon, 09/07/2015 - 13:19
The ROCKS DONINGTON 2014 “Limited Edition” set from Eagle Rock Entertainment is a 3 LP/single DVD set of the live outdoor show Aerosmith performed in 2014.
The band consists of the familiar as family line up of:
Submitted by S.J. Mitchell on Mon, 09/07/2015 - 07:55
It’s Labor Day! A day to celebrate the contributions that workers have made to the strength and prosperity of our country. This means many of us get an extra day off. The pop-culture news and reviews may take a back seat to barbecue’s, so why waste time when there’s so much to do? We’ve compiled some top stories, you may have missed this past week, to get you started. So kick back, grab that morning cup o’ joe and enjoy your...
Submitted by S.J. Mitchell on Mon, 09/07/2015 - 07:47
It’s Labor Day! A day to celebrate the contributions that workers have made to the strength and prosperity of our country. This means many of us get an extra day off. The pop-culture news and reviews may take a back seat to barbecue’s, so why waste time when there’s so much to do? We’ve compiled some top stories, you may have missed this past week, to get you started. So kick back, grab that morning cup o’ joe and enjoy your...
The machine-gun patter of clicks was interrupted rhythmically by the ding and zip of the manual carriage return, advancing the page another line and preparing for another string of text. The room was close, cloying with the June humidity of 1963. In a corner, the radio provided background noise with the help of The Chiffons. Over the writer's shoulder, his friend and partner leaned in, peering at the latest completed paragraph before grunting editorial approval. The writer continued at a feverish pace -- a few more strings of machine-gun clacking, a few more dings and zips, and he grabbed the top of the sheet, pulling it free with a whine of protest from the typewriter roller.
Submitted by Jeff Ritter on Sun, 09/06/2015 - 02:35
The old adage “good things come to those who wait” was proven true once again on September 4, 2015 as Rob Thomas finally arrived in St. Louis. He had to cancel is tour stop earlier in the summer due to an illness in the family, which is more than understandable. As an apology of sorts for the hassle of having to make folks reschedule their plans, Thomas and his supporting acts, Plain White T’s and Vinyl Station, really cut loose with fun-filled, more-than-your-money’s-worth performance. Apology happily accepted, Mr. Thomas.
Submitted by S.J. Mitchell on Fri, 09/04/2015 - 14:13
Marvel's latest attempt in their continued march towards a more progressive and diverse lineup of characters, has Amadeus Cho becoming:
Totally Awesome HULK
Amadeus Cho is a Korean-American. One of the most endearing parts of this concept is that we're given a Korean-American creative team to go along with it: Greg Pak (writer) and Frank Cho (artist).
Hulk is now a 'person' of color. Although, technically he's always been that way hasn't he? The jade giant has been rampaging through the pages of comic books for over 50 years now. We've seen several different 'colored' versions of HULK over the years (Red, Gray etc.). But this change isn't about giving that classic muscle car a new paint job, it's about finding someone new to drive it. Someone who will take the wheel and push the limits.
HBO's police procedural, THE WIRE, is a wholly engrossing departure from the norm. There are no mysteries to be solved here -- the viewer is let in on the criminal activities as well as the police activities, so the 'whodunnit' aspect isn't there.
Submitted by Mike 'Ace' Maillaro on Fri, 09/04/2015 - 09:13
Last season, I managed to do reviews for each episode of Doctor Who within a day or two of them airing, and I definitely plan on doing that again this year when Doctor Who returns on September 19. So, what I decided to do is create this little primer on Doctor Who for anyone new to the series who might want to check it out.
Actually, Doctor Who superfan Craig Ferguson beat me to this years ago, so I guess I should start with stealing from him:
Submitted by Mike 'Ace' Maillaro on Fri, 09/04/2015 - 03:00
Scribner is best known for publishing novels, and now they have decided to get into the graphic novel business. INTRO TO ALIEN INVASION is their first release. I will admit, this book caught my eye because it was co-written by Owen King. I am a huge fan of Stephen King (Owen’s dad) and Joe Hill (Owen’s brother, who this book is dedicated to), so I figured why not try this one too. I also think it’s great to see more companies getting into graphic novels. Scribner (which is part of Simon and Schuster) has a lot of marketing muscle they could put behind a project like this. Too many people think of comics as only superheroes put out by Marvel or DC, and that is just such a limited view. And that is coming from someone who loves Marvel and DC superheroes.
INTRO TO ALIEN INVASION
Written by: Owen King & Mark Jude Poirier Art by: Nancy Ahn
Once upon a time, I read a piece on the Internet where Neil Gaiman extolled the virtues of Susanna Clarke's novel, JONATHAN STRANGE & MR NORRELL. A bit of a time later, I found the book in hardcover, which I promptly snapped up, and promptly placed it into a neat little nook on my bookshelf, where it lived happily ever after. The end.
Of course, I had completely neglected to make the time to actually read the thing, hefty tome that it was. Therefore, I am completely without a point of reference by which I could tell you whether or not the vision of director Toby Haynes is true to that of Ms. Clarke's. But I can tell you, as a body of work standing on its own, this BBC series is a thing wondrous strange.
Submitted by Mike 'Ace' Maillaro on Thu, 09/03/2015 - 12:00
Yep. ALIENS/VAMPIRELLA! A comic no one would have ever thought to ask for, but once you hear the title, you can’t help but want to check it out. At least it’s not another zombie book…
In case you are a casual fan, the monsters from the ALIEN franchise are called Xenomorphs, and that is what I refer to them throughout this review. Also the VAMPIRELLA universe has a bunch of different vampire types. In recent issues of her series, she was made Queen of the Nosferatu, who basically look like creepy vampires from the old movies.
Submitted by Chris Delloiacono on Wed, 09/02/2015 - 21:19
What a book title! I mean to say, for those of an age, we will never forget the incomparable Bruce Lee. You didn't even have to live in Bruce's own lifetime to be one of his adoring fans. I was born four months after Bruce's death, yet he's one of my favorite cultural icons. Growing up, I fondly recall school recess periods spent "fighting" over who was Bruce Lee in our playground battles. Seriously, what were those lunch attendants doing while we played at karate? Through the years, Bruce Lee has continued to have an impact on me. I've visited his grave in Seattle, watched his film work repeatedly, read some of his writings, and met gentlemen that worked with him like Bob Wall, the late Jim Kelly, and John Saxon. One other such man I wish for an opportunity to meet is Jon Benn.
color. Although, technically he's always been that way hasn't he? The jade giant has been rampaging through the pages of comic books for over 50 years now. We've seen several different 'colored' versions of HULK over the years (Red, Gray etc.). But this change isn't about giving that classic muscle car a new paint job, it's about finding someone new to drive it. Someone who will take the wheel and push the limits.
