After having procured an ancient embalming knife at auction, Bruce Wayne (DAVID MAZOUZ) takes the knife to Dr. Niles Winthrop (DAKIN MATTHEWS) for analysis and translation of the markings on the handle.

When I saw that there was an old-school Archie once more on the shelves, I made a mad dash to pick it up. My son fell in love with Archie Comics just in time for them to be too mature for him to read, so he's been grabbing up all the new digests and back-issues at used book stores.

What did we talk about on Critical Blast this week?

I've really been enjoying the METAL one-shots, and the overall big picture, high concept of the thing really intrigued me. It was like hearing a Grant Morrison pitch, and I love all the big picture, high concept ideas of Grant Morrison.

Who doesn't love Halloween? Some cultures love it so much, it's not a night but a three-day celebration. Some towns, like Rutland, Vermont, hold a huge parade. And almost everywhere, kids dress up in costumes and go begging for candy.

Last season's cliffhanger ending brought back to this old-timer a sense of deja vu, hearkening back to the era of DALLAS and the burning question that enveloped a nation: Who Shot J.R.? Only for this generation, the question was, "Who shot Fred Andrews?" And it being RIVERDALE, the secondary question:

Fifteen minutes ago, Rip Hunter (ARTHUR DARVILL) left Sara Lance (CAITY LOTZ) in charge of the Waverider timeship and its crew, the Legends of Tomorrow.

Six months ago, Barry Allen (GRANT GUSTIN) left the physical world in order to save it, allowing himself to be imprisoned by the mysterious Speed Force that fuels his powers as The Flash.

As Lucifer Morningstar (TOM ELLIS) continues his rant about the new villain in town stealing his schtick, the so-called Sinner Man, the LAPD gets pulled in on a homicide involving a second-rate comedian found murdered after publicly claiming another successful comedian had made a career on jokes stolen from him.

There were several comics titles out there that showcased the unique retro style of Darwyn Cooke, but JUSTICE LEAGUE: THE NEW FRONTIER was definitely his crowning achievement. His signature look was tailor-made for the late-50s, early-60s era of comics, and worked perfectly for his graphic novel.

During the Summer of ’16, something monumental happened…

DC is teaming up with Archie Comics (after teaming up with IDW, Dynamite, and Dark Horse -- gosh is there somebody missing from all the company-crossover fun? Let's marvel over that for a moment...) to bring us the team-up that nobody demanded: Harley & Ivy and Betty & Veronica!

Your name is Bruce Wayne. You're just a kid. And you're kneeling over the broken, bleeding bodies of your parents as their murderer runs away down the alley.

At that particular moment, something happens. Something formative.

What did we talk about on Critical Blast this week?