From Marvel

The reach of INFINITY COUNTDOWN has expanded to every corner of the multiverse, but the question remains…Countdown to what?

This July, writer Gerry Duggan, artist Mike Deodato Jr., and colorist Frank Martin answer that query with one word that resounds throughout infinity: War.

ROSEANNE begins its tenth season after a twenty-year hiatus, and there's a lot of the original feeling wrapped up in its return. As with the original, the middle-America family sitcom tries to touch on all the issues everyday folks deal with every day. And perhaps, to its detriment, it may be trying to take too big a bite at once.

From CNet:

20th Century Fox is changing around its movie release dates for the X-Men sequel "Dark Phoenix" and the X-Men character film "The New Mutants." 

...

Both comic book films are delayed until 2019, so "Bohemian Rhapsody," a biopic on the band Queen, can hit theaters on Nov. 2 instead of its original Dec. 25 opening date. 

It's all about Mazikeen (LESLEY-ANN BRANDT), and it's about damned time.

As the demon Mazikeen continues to fall apart, she decides to move out of the apartment she shares with Chloe (LAUREN GERMAN), and she doesn't go quietly into that good night. She demands that Lucifer (TOM ELLIS) "wing up" and take her back to Hell where she's happier, but he refuses and tells her to go blow off some steam.

Apparently she does this by murdering a man. It's on video. She turns herself in, complete with murder weapon and confession. There's only one problem: she didn't do it. But who would go to such lengths to frame Mazikeen? Is it a celestial thing, or is it something far more basic and human?

Welcome back to Critical Blast’s long-running 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

Lot of big anniversary issues this week, and the return of my favorite Valiant series!

From Hollywood Reporter:

Captain Marvel is going to be a blast from the past in more ways than one. The '90s-set film will not only see Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) back, but also a number of familiar faces, Marvel Studios revealed Monday.

From CBR:

Spinning out of the Justice League: No Justice four-issue miniseries, DC Comics will launch two new Justice League titles with all-new rosters. Justice League Dark will be written by James Tynion IV with art by Alvaro Martinez, Raul Fernandez and Brad Anderson, and Justice League Odyssey with writer Joshua Williamson and art by Stjepan Sejic. Both titles will launch in June.

From Deadline:

American Gods producer FremantleMedia North America has acquired the rights to Astro City superhero comic book series to develop as a live-action TV drama series.

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Astro City made its debut in 1995 with Image Comics and is currently published by DC Comics.

Despite the fact that the comic books’ current publisher, DC Comics, is owned by Warner Bros., Busiek owns all of the rights to Astro City, which he will now exploit in TV with FMNA.

What did we talk about on Critical Blast this week?

Critical Blast Bombshell, March 2018 - Cosplay Kitti

When America faces a threat that can't be handled by conventional, Constitutional means, the President turns to agency only he knows about: CURE. In short order, CURE Director Harold W. Smith will have ordered Remo Williams, Master of Sinanju and the world's most supreme assassin, to assess the situation and eliminate it by any means necessary.

Ugh. It's just another boring sequel.

Those were my initial thoughts. I mean, when is the last time a sequel to a good action movie actually succeeded in living up to the expectations or originality of the first movie? I was glad I was proven wrong with PACIFIC RIM: UPRISING! I actually enjoyed this feature. It revived great memories of my childhood favorite cartoons, like Voltron, Transformers, and even GI-Joe. This kid was brought back to imagining being the  hero with--not superpowers--but the extraordinary opportunity to pilot a giant robotic weapon created as a last defense to save the world! Who doesn't want to learn to pilot a giant fighting robot against evil alien creatures? Kabaam! Pow! Rockets! Super Punch! Another victory for the hero!

Exciting! 

You don't often see trailers for comic series, but Boom's MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGERS series has been a real unique comic book experience.  To celebrate the 25th issue, and the start of the SHATTERED GRID storyarc, they released an incredible trailer starring Power Rangers icon Jason David Frank as the evil version of the original Green Ranger Tommy Oliver called Lord Drakkon.  SHATTERED GRID features the various Power Ranger teams over the years and is shaping up to be one hell of a celebration for the Power Rangers 25th Anniversary.

The hit fantasy series THE SHANNARA CHRONICLES based on the best-selling book series of the same name, written by Terry Brooks, is coming to Blu-Ray/DVD.

Originally airing on MTV for its first season, the series moved to Spike TV head of the network's pending change to the Paramount Network. For this reason, many fans of the first season may have missed the opportunity to catch up with Wil, Allanon, and the rest of the gang.

This May, fans of the "Four Lands" will be able to catch up with the second season as all 10 episodes land on Blu-Ray and DVD on May 15! Dubbed as "Television's best fantasy series" by Forbes the Blu-Ray will come packed with special features like Behind-the-Scenes Extras.

Overview:

The much anticipated, and highly marketed, KRYPTON, centered around Superman's grandfather, debuted last night on SyFy.

The show starts off with Val-El (Seg's grandfather, aka Superman's Great-Great Grandfather, played by Ian McElhinney) being led to council with Daron Vex (Elliot Cowan) of the lawmakers guild. Daron is also a subordinate of the Voice of Rao, who happens to be hidden under a many-faced golden mask. Val-El is brought up on charges of heresy as he continues to preach that there are other lifeforms out in the cosmos, and something is coming to doom all of Krypton.

The Voice of Rao is a prophet who leads the theocracy and to challenge the word it communicates to the people of Krypton is a serious offense.

For so many years we heard about how "Krypton is doomed". A show that's based on a planet whose fate has already been determined can't be that gripping, can it? 

In a word: YES!

The show contains rich storytelling that doesn't seem to rush the plot. It gives the characters room to breath, and develop organically. The sets were beautifully crafted for each scene and having virtually everything seem tangible makes the world have a real feel to it. The pilot had a movie quality to it and the wide angle shots of Kandor and Krypton as a whole would be beautifully displayed on a large movie screen.

Fox gave us a new DEADPOOL 2 trailer today!  I loved that the trailer told us "From the studio that brough you 22 DRESSES and THE DEVIL WORE PRADA."  DEADPOOL 2 continues to have some of the most fun, ridiculous advertising.  We also find out that X-FORCE in the X-Men Cinematic Universe was originally formed by Deadpool to protect a young mutant from Cable.  Since we know X-FORCE is getting their own movie at some point, that makes me real curious how this all plays out.

DEADPOOL 2 will be in theaters May 19!

RIVERDALE continues to become the TWIN PEAKS, 90210 it set out to become in the pilot episode, as life for some of our teen residents gets more horrific than ever. It makes you wonder if Jughead (COLE SPROUSE) is really a crusader for justice, or just a deluded fool who sees a peaceful town that never really existed in the first place.

When Jughead learns that Hiram Lodge (MARK CONSUELOS) has accelerated his plans for the demolition of Southside High, he goes on a hunger strike. Yeah, even Archie (KJ APA) has a hard time buying that one, and indeed Jug breaks it when in private with his dad, FP (SKEET ULRICH). He also chains himself, along with other Southsiders, to the building, even though they go home at night and Jug sticks it out. But as much as Jug is a lone voice crying in the wilderness, he's beginning to get attention, and that's something Hiram cannot afford.

The national tour of The Color Purple swept into the Fabulous Fox Theatre in St. Louis on the first day of spring, March 20, 2018. I have never read the book nor seen the movie, so this was to be my first experience with the Pulitzer Prize-winning story by Alice Walker. I had managed to see the opening credits of the film a handful of times, but I had always attempted to start watching it too late at night and wound up sleeping through it every time. That streak finally came to end and I must admit I was rather shocked by what I’d missed all these years.