Lackluster coups are staged (Squadron Supreme: Bright Shining Lies), villains successfully rise to power (Dark Avengers: Dark Avengers Assemble), and a god makes his triumphant return (Thor by J. Michael Straczynski, volume one) in this installment of Waiting for the Trade.

In this installment of 1st Issue Special, Des and Mike find themselves talking about futuristic bloggers (Citizen Rex #1), death metal bands (Dethklok vs. The Goon), rogue superheroes (Project Superpowers: Chapter Two #1), too much continuity (Star Trek: Spock Reflections #1), and monster hunters (We Kill Monsters #1).

Mondo Marvel, a Chicago Comic-Con 2009 panel.

Dan and Mike sat down with another stack of trade paperbacks, which begs the following questions: did they buy into the hype surrounding Agents of Atlas: Dark Reign, was Spider-Man & The Human Torch as good as they remembered, and how does the first volume of IDW's new GI Joe series fare?

Sometimes something is so bad it's good. Well, that's the case with these four hilariously bad Superman Power Records: Alien Creatures, Weatherspoon's Catalyst, PO Box 65, and Mystery of the Mad Minnows.

Though they may have ended the Is It Wednesday Yet? segment some months back, that doesn't mean Des and Mike are done talking about monthly comic books. In the premier of 1st Issue Special, the duo reviews Blackest Night #1, BPRD: 1947 #1, Creepy #1, The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly #1, and North 40 #1.

This week Dan and Mike discuss Batman: Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader?, Spider-Man: Torment, and X-Men First Class: Tomorrow's Brightest. And while one of the books causes Mike to rant, another brings endless praise from both hosts. On top of that, a major announcement is made.

It's been a long seven months, but Ian, James and Mike are back to continue their Dark Knight Discussions! Up for review today is the first of two Joel Schumacher films: Batman Forever. How will it stack up against the Tim Burton entries, what sexual innuendoes will accidentally spill out of the mouths of the hosts, and why does Mike keep bringing up male anatomy?

It's Previews time! Jenny and Mike read through the July Previews catalog, and, of course, someone falls into a fit of laughter.

When compared to other Pixar films, where do Jenny and Mike place Up, and what did they think of the use of 3D?