EVERYTHING LEFT TO KNOW ABOUT THE TRILOGY is the subtitle for the newly released STAR WARS FAQ. That's serious word choice when you consider how knowledgeable the fandom is that surrounds the original Star Wars Trilogy. I'm 41 years old, so I grew up with these films as a part of my life...scratch that, the Saga has become such a part of me, it's burrowed down to conjoin with the very depths of my soul. So much so, I've watched, read, and collected just about anything that was available to my greedy mind and body. And I've got to say, much to my surprise, Mark Clark delivered a well researched, in-depth exploration of the creative exploits of George Lucas and so many of the others that played in his sandbox.

For my own part, if I'm going to watch the animated Teen Titans, I'm going to go with the YOUNG JUSTICE series. Following that, the Filmation shorts, and then the Cartoon Network's TEEN TITANS -- all of which I would forego for a DC Universe animated movie of THE JUDAS CONTRACT, but let's not go there while there's still another BATMAN adventure to make. Watching TINY TOON ADVENTURES acted out by cutesified versions of superheroes wouldn't really top my list.

The seven-year-old boy who has taken up (and taken over) residence with me has other ideas. He thinks they're hilarious. He loves the butt-jokes. He even has a little crush on Raven. (When he grows up and sees Tara Strong, who provides the character's voice, he'll still have it and we'll have something in common.)

So while I wouldn't choose to watch TEEN TITANS GO! I nonetheless have viewed it and...I survived. In fact, some of it was actually fun, and funny.

Excited for the chance to finally sit down and watch Mad Max: Fury Road, I was looking forward to some rip-roaring, post-apocalyptic, female-driven action.

And it did not disappoint!

I’d love to consider myself to be some great investigative reporter, who scoops big stories and has sources to provide inside information. Unfortunately, that’s not the case. That being said, through the power of social media I am occasionally presented with something so amazing I need to write about it.

Enter singer/songwriter, Larissa Lam.

She had shared her song, ‘Wonder Woman’, with me on twitter and, as a comic book nerd, I had to listen. Needless to say, I loved it so much I had to know more about the woman who used her talents to write and sing a song that references DC’s Power Couple.

Huge thanks to my friend Greg Manuel for bringing this to my attention! 

One of my favorite things about writing for Critical Blast is that we spend a lot of time looking into indy comics.  There are plenty of sites where you can get your Marvel and DC fix, but at Critical Blast, we always want to find something new to talk about.  And that is what brought us to RAISING DION.

From Fusion:

by Chris Delloiacono, Mike Maillaro and Jeff Ritter

This week!

A few weeks ago, I had an idea that I wanted to start subscribing to Comic Bento.  That’s a service that sends you a blind box of trades each month.  Sort of like Loot Crate, but for comics.  $25 bucks for 4 trades seemed like an idea that really appealed to me, but I don’t have a lot of space for comics right now.  So, what I have decided is that I will read and review them each month, and then donate them to local libraries and schools.  So, I get some random new comics each month, you guys get some fresh reviews, and some lucky readers get some new comics at their library or school.  Sounds like a win for everyone.

Sometimes people make a profound impact in our lives without having ever met them. They affect our earliest memories and influence our actions years, even DECADES, later. I write today to memorialize one of the men that were most influential in my life. One of the men who caused me to lose sleep, and affects my actions to this day, 25 years after we first met.

This contest has ended. The winner is KATHRYN C. of LIBERTY, KY.

So, you didn't win the contest featuring THE ORIGINALS Season 2 on Blu-ray? Well, you're not out of luck just yet! Because we still have THE ORIGINALS Season 2 on DVD, and we're making that available to one lucky winner starting... now!

It’s a new week, which should have some exciting new stories dropping in your timelines. But with busy schedules and Labor Day on the horizon, it’s possible you missed something from last week. Let’s take a look at some of the news, opinions and reviews that you may have missed. Grab your morning coffee and enjoy your…

This contest has ended. The two winners are DIANE B. of WEST BLOOMFIELD, MI, and KELLY G. of GASTONIA, NC.

MAD MAX: FURY ROAD hits the home entertainment market this Tuesday, September 1 on Blu-ray and DVD. So why not gear up your wardrobe for the occasion by winning one of these FURY ROAD tees?

The MAD MAX: FURY ROAD promotional tee has the MAD MAX: FURY ROAD logo on the front (with the theatrical release date), and "What a Lovely Day" emblazoned across the back. The shirts are black, and are a men's size S.

In 490BC, in the early hours of the morning before the Athenian will go to war with the Persians, Leander recounts his life up to that point, and how he not only came to be where he is, but how all of Athens arrived at this point. It's a story of political intrigues, assassinations, and behind-the-scenes manipulation of information and advice, a morass of dirty tricks and dirty politics, all with the goal of slipping an idea into the consciousness of the masses: Democracy.

Leander's story starts when he is a younger man, just beginning to take on responsibilities in his father's business. At a political meeting held by the brothers Hippias and Hipparchus ends in bloodshed and the assassination of Hipparchus, the people react accordingly, assuming a rebellion is at hand. The DEMOCRACY creative team of Alecos Papadatos and Abraham Kawa put forward that there may have been another reason for Hipparchus' killing, but that the event was taken advantage of by Cleisthenes.

Front Lines by Mike Maillaro, Mike Weaver, Grey Scherl, and Gina Maillaro

1872 #2 by Gerry Duggan and Nik Virella

Summary: Ten years ago, during the Civil War, Tony Stark designed a powerful weapon for the Union forced.  He expected them to use the threat of the weapon to force the Confederates to surrender.  But instead, the Union forces used this weapon to brutally massacre Southern soldiers.  This is what set Stark to becoming a drunk.

The difficulty with transcribing an interview with comics writer Mark Millar is not one of attuning the American ear to the Scottish accent. Rather, it's in the judicious editing out of all the exclamation points you find in your notes. Mark, like the comics he produces, is a high-energy personality, and every utterance comes across with a sense of excitement and urgency.

And why shouldn't he be excited? He's had several of his comic book projects turned into films, with more of those on the way, and he's living out the dream of playing daily with superheroes, and getting paid to do so!

The owner and operator of Millarworld sat down with CriticalBlast for a few moments to talk about his latest graphic novel venture, CHRONONAUTS, as well as drop some knowledge on us about some of his other projects he has coming down the pike.

Marvel released the following press release this morning: 

SECRET WARS #9! The Biggest Marvel Story of All Time Just Got Bigger!

New York, NY—August 26th, 2015 — It’s the story that has the whole world on the edge of its seat. The biggest Marvel event of all time. The story that destroyed the Marvel Universe. And if you thought it couldn’t get bigger – you thought wrong. Today Marvel is pleased to announce the expansion of the blockbuster Secret Wars event with SECRET WARS #9 – coming to comic shops later this year!

Today, in an effort to expand on it's DC properties, CW is offering an animated mini-series set in the world of their live action properties (ARROW and THE FLASH) titled:

VIXEN

Grant Gustin and Stephen Amell will both lend their voices to the animated versions of their live action counterparts. The show will introduce Megalyn Echikunwoke as the voice of the title character, to the universe DC is building on television.

Criticized for not merging their cinematic universe with television, like Marvel has done, DC is building an expansive world on the small screen. VIXEN brings the total to 4 current shows, with 3 more yet to debut: SUPERGIRL (CBS), LEGENDS of TOMORROW (CW) and TEEN TITANS (TNT).

With assistance by Mike Maillaro

Check out Newsarama for a complete list of Marvel books shipping in November.

ALL-NEW, ALL-DIFFERENT AVENGERS #1 & 2 by MARK WAID, ADAM KUBERT & MAHMUD

For those familiar with the ‘big three’ collectible games such as Magic: The Gathering (Wizards of the Coast), Pokemon (Pokemon USA), and Yu-Gi-Oh! (Konami Digital Entertainment), it's no surprise that their popularity has continued to thrive over the course of the last 20+ years. Collectible games draw popularity from a concept that started with Baseball cards: the ability to trade with others to complete your set. Packs of randomly inserted cards tease us with the hope that we’ll find the one that we’re looking for with the next purchase. Levels of rarity increase the difficulty and encourage the desire to trade.