This contest is over. The winners are DAN L. of LOS ANGELES, CA and LYNNE D. of GANSEVOORT, NY.

INSIDIOUS: CHAPTER 3 opens today, June 5. In honor of that, we are giving away a full-sized, double-sided theatrical poster to TWO (2) randomly selected entrants from this contest.

The good news is that you don't have to make contact with any supernatural or disturbing beings (the appearance of our editorial staff notwithstanding). All you have to do is enter your information in the form below, and click on the submit button.

If you haven't already done so, be sure to reference our complete rules and regulations. CriticalBlast.com does not sell, lease, or psychically transfer your personal information to anyone, and all entries are destroyed upon confirmation of delivery to the winner(s) via USPS priority mail tracking.

"Losers and weirdos stick together through thick and thin. Amen."

That's the unifying credo between brainiac preacher's daughter Genesis Beam and Nate Harlow, the unluckiest boy alive. Nate's notorious unlucky streak comes to a head when he's playing miniature golf -- on his eleventh birthday, on the eleventh of the month -- and he gets hit by lightning.

After his miraculous recovery, Nate's luck starts to turn around. It's little things at first, but it starts to grow and grow until people are simultaneously awed by him and afraid of him. And the more popular he becomes, the less time he wants to spend with Gen, cutting her off from the only friendship she ever shared.

Yesterday, we had posted the first set of teaser images from Marvel regarding what the universe would look like after Secret Wars.  Late last night, we got another group of characters.   Looks like these characters are:

By Mike Maillaro and Mike Weaver

This week, we say a fond farewell to Archie as we look forward to next month's relaunch!

Archie #666

After basically going into hiding since The Colbert Report went off the air, Stephen Colbert launched a new "Late Show With Stephen Colbert" channel on Youtube, and this teaser for his return to TV.  Its typical Colbert.  Funny and weird.  I've really missed having Colbert around and I can't wait for September!

Update:  Later in the day, Colbert posted a new video announcing that Jon Baptiste will be his new band leader:

From Mashable:

LOS ANGELES — Marvel Comics is planning a massive, publishing line-wide reboot this fall that will see all of its comic books revert back to No. 1s, introduce all-new superheroes and significantly alter others, including a new Spider-Man, a new Hulk and new team-ups never before imagined at the House of Ideas.

Dubbed "All-New, All-Different Marvel," the reset takes place after "Secret Wars," the ongoing summer event that will conclude an ambitious arc loosely going back to 2012 with the introduction of the highly popular "Avengers vs. X-Men" series.

"We've been planning it for years," Marvel Editor-in-Chief Axel Alonso told Mashable. "We realized that ['Secret Wars'] would be a game-changing moment that would allow us to create a big white canvas. It’s an unprecedented chance for us to tell new stories across all titles with new No. 1s."

John Noble will star as Sherlock Holmes’ wealthy, estranged father when he joins the cast of ELEMENTARY as a series regular in the fall. The character has been referenced in past seasons as being instrumental in Sherlock’s first stint in rehab three years ago and in pairing his son with Joan Watson, his former sober companion, now his current investigative partner and friend. In the season four premiere, Mr. Holmes arrives in New York City to deal with the aftermath of his son’s recent relapse.

This contest is over. The winners are: SYLVIA B. of BOYNTON BEACH, FL  and NICOLETTE S. of SARASOTA, FL.

For fans of HBO's ENTOURAGE, today is a good day -- because ENTOURAGE: THE MOVIE just opened in theaters! (And one of our staff gave her opinion of the film here.)

To celebrate this momentous release, we are giving away not one, but TWO (count them, 1, 2) ENTOURAGE embroidered Otto Snap caps, just like the one pictured here. Maybe one of them will be yours?

To enter, simply fill out the form below and click the Submit button. CriticalBlast does not sell, rent, give away or otherwise make available your information, and all entries are deleted upon confirmation of delivery of the prize to the selected winners through USPS Priority Mail tracking.

Vinny Chase and the boys are back, and they’re just as entertaining as ever in ENTOURAGE the movie!  The award winning HBO series ran eight seasons from 2004 to 2011, and now they hit the silver screen to round out this beloved series that documents movie star Vincent Chase (Adrian Grenier) and his loyal friends as they party their way through the Hollywood life.  ENTOURAGE takes place about six months after the series ended.

Swords of Sorrow: Masquerade & Kato

Written by: G. Willow Wilson and Erica Schultz
Art by: Noah Salonga
Cover by: Billy Tan
Colored by: Dinei Ribiero
Lettered by: Erica Schultz

Published by: Dynamite
Cover Price: $3.99

Warning! This review contains quite a few spoilers!

When high school football coach Jim White is fired, again, he and his family end up in the poorest town in California -- McFarland. The population is almost entirely Mexican immigrants who work as pickers, Their football team is a pushover -- and it isn't long before he loses his position as an assistant coach for them as well!

What he does notice, however, is that these kids can run -- fast, and for long distances. As Jim (Kevin Costner) relates his plan to Principal Camillo (a much-slimmed Valente Rodriguez, THE GEORGE LOPEZ SHOW), the kids carbo-load on rice and beans, and then run miles to their jobs in hot dry weather. They're natural fits for cross-country running.

Putting together a team of seven is a challenge, and White has many obstacles keeping them together. Ultimately, however, his work has a lasting impact on the runners, their families, White's family, and indeed the entire town.

From Pixar Animation Studios, “The Good Dinosaur” opens Thanksgiving 2015.

"The Good Dinosaur" asks the question: What if the asteroid that forever changed life on Earth missed the planet completely and giant dinosaurs never became extinct? Pixar Animation Studios takes you on an epic journey into the world of dinosaurs where an Apatosaurus named Arlo makes an unlikely human friend. While traveling through a harsh and mysterious landscape, Arlo learns the power of confronting his fears and discovers what he is truly capable of.  Cast includes: Lucas Neff, Frances McDormand, Bill Hader, John Lithgow and Neil Patrick Harris.

So just how much of Hollywood has Marvel taken over?

The folks at MorphCostumes have put together this handy-dandy infographic ranking Marvel Comic Book adaptations that have made it to the silver screen (including Disney's BIG HERO SIX and FOX's X-MEN movies, among others). While some of these won't surprise you, there's certainly fodder for conversation here to fuel a good fan rant about which movies deserved to make more money.

(Having trouble viewing? Click to enlarge)

I love a good con movie. From THE STING through LEVERAGE, if it's done well, I'm pulled in.

FOCUS starts off with great promise, and the fact that the filmmaker's brought in the master, Apollo Robbins, as a consultant, shows they at least had their hearts in the right place going into this. The film stars Will Smith and Margot Robbie (who will pair up again in the already overexposed SUICIDE SQUAD next year) as Nicky, a master con man, and Jess, a would-be pickpocket who crosses his path. He takes her in, mentors her in the finer points of the grift, and lets her take part in some of his current cons. And then, without notice, he cuts her loose. All that buildup, all those wonderfully filmed scenes just go poof as we realize this was just backstory to the film that's only just now getting started well into the movie.

There's only one way I can think of to do justice to the The Threepenny Opera, a show that debuted in Germany in 1928, features no real hero and is a stark commentary on man's tendency to bring out the worst in himself. The world is going to Hell and humanity is to blame, a sentiment that still rings true today, sadly enough. So with apologies to dramatist Bertolt Brecht and composer Kurt Weill, and even Louis Armstrong and Bobby Darin, here we go...a one and a two and a three and a four...

(To be read by the tune of "Mack the Knife," by Bertlolt Brecht and Kurt Weill. Sorry fellas.)

Oh, the show has a strong cast, dear,
And they showed their skills this night;
Terrific costumes by Sarah Porter, dear,
Keeps them looking out of sight!

When the show starts with Filch and Peachum, dear,
Stark reality starts to spread;
Played by Jeremy Hyatt and Zachary Allen Farmer, 
And Sarah Porter's Mrs. Peachum shares his bed!

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

Archie #666 - I am not 100% sure, but this might be the highest numbered American comic right now. And this is the last issue to make way for the Archie relaunch by Waid/Staples. I buy Archie on and off when something interesting is going on, and I will definitely check out this last issue. I am really looking forward to the Archie Relaunch!

I can't deny, my childhood was pretty great.  My parents gave me everything I needed, and a lot of what I asked for.  Don't get me wrong, I wasn't a spoiled brat, but I was mostly happy.  That said, my teenage years were a bit of a mess.  There were years of ennui and general angst.  Much of it was from a lack of female companionship at a young age.  It took me time to grow into myself and develop enough confidence and personality to get out and meet people.  I grew up in the '80s and early '90s which was a time of huge changes in pop culture and politics.  In my mind, it's every bit as seminal a time as the late '60s.

Front Lines: By Mike Maillaro, Mike Weaver, Grey Scherl, and Gina Maillaro

Secret Wars Journal #1

The Arrowhead by Pru Sgen and Ramon Bachs

Front Lines: By Mike Maillaro, Mike Weaver, Grey Scherl, and Gina Maillaro

Convergence #8

Young Adult Literature. It's been officially a thing now for a handful of years, offering up stories that appeal to young and old alike, featuring young protagonists in a variety of plots.

Paula Stokes is carving out her own place among the pantheon of YA authors, with two novels, LIARS INC and THE ART OF LAINEY from Harper Teen. I first met Paula in St. Louis, and was glad to get in touch with her on the release of LIARS INC to discuss the YA market and get some insights into her own process.

I was fortunate enough to be one of the early proofreaders on LIARS INC, what feels like so long ago. What was going on back then that provided the inspiration of Max's story?