Episode 22 of Matt and Mike (and Melissa) Read Comics dives into Joss Whedon’s run on Astonishing X-Men. On the heels of Grant Morrison’s bizarre, confusing, and often downright boring run on New X-Men, the camp and straightforward superhero storytelling of Joss Whedon was a true breath of fresh air. The classic yellow-and-blue themed suits are back. A new team is formed. A new villain arrives from another planet with a cryptic message about the power of a mutant destroying their homeworld. And on top of all of that, a “cure” for mutants. And…AND in a stroke of brilliant storytelling Whedon pulls off a move that has since been so reused that it almost feels stale, but when this book came out it was a truly remarkable comic moment - the return of Colossus. A character that had been dead in comics for years makes a stunning and cinematic return in Astonishing X-Men. Whedon and the late John Cassady craft one of the best X-Men storylines in the 21st century with Astonishing X-Men and you all should be reading this.

On episode 122 of Flickin’ It with Matt and Will we spend a night with Joker in what is, so far, one of the worst movies of the year. Seriously. There are few things redeeming about this batshit crazy “musical”. Normally we like batshit crazy, but this is crazy in all the wrong ways. Peaks and valleys in tonal shifts and absolutely no semblance of a plot aside from the protracted trial of Arthur Fleck. Brendan Gleeson as the hard-ass-but-sometimes-kinda-cool security guard? Did not see that coming. We truly think that Todd Philips and Joaquin Phoenix just said FUCK IT ALL when making this movie. Would not recommend.

On episode 184 of Talking Tacos the boys are joined by Mike from Little Andy's burgers, a delicious pop-up in Confections of a Rockstar in Asbury Park. We also recap the kayfabe AS FUCK Tyson/Paul fight, make plans to fake our own deaths, and rip into tone-deaf John Stamos for wearing a bald cap in "solidarity" for Dave Coulier (who was recently diagnosed with cancer).

On episode 183 of Talking Tacos the boys vote didn't count. Because voting doesn't actually matter in federal elections. but god damn was that a wild ride. The election went as you'd expect if you were paying even a little bit of attention. On the plus side, we sample a DELIGHTFUL hot sauce from our old friends at Butch's hot sauce. These guys never miss.

Episode 21 of Matt and Mike (and I guess Melissa) Read Comics takes place in the world of Planetary. A byproduct of the early days of Image, and Wildstorm in particular, Planetary ranks as one of the most unique comics that we’ve ever read. Masterfully crafted storytelling by Warren Ellis and the late John Cassady with deeply flawed yet likable characters, Planetary truly takes you on a ride. You aren’t immediately certain where that ride is taking you, but as the layers eventually fall back and the story truly begins to blossom and connect, you see why this series is so well regarded. We had a lot of fun reading this one.

On episode 182 of Talking Tacos the boys vote! Because voting is cool! And when you vote you magically fix all of the problems that the government has caused in the first place! Just kidding. You should vote but it’s not going to fix shit. You’re still going to be taxed into oblivion and have to watch that money be wasted on foreign wars and corporate bailouts while listening to politicians tell you that they care about you. Aside from that, we have a banger sauce from Swamp Dog sauces and we make fun of a San Francisco-based company and their silly bunk beds for tech morons that make a six figure salary and still can’t afford to live in that stupid city. Thank god for Tuesdays, amirite??

The latest episode of Canon Fodder goes into the underworld with the Beetlejuice universe. Like many of you, we remember the Beetlejuice cartoon show before the movie itself because that’s what us millennials did - watched cartoons. With the latest entry into the universe, Tim Burton, Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, and Catherine O’Hara return for an even wackier romp than the first time around. Jenna Ortega and Willem Dafoe round out a darkly hilarious cast in a movie filled with plenty of gags and heart and, of course, connections to canon!

On episode 180 of Talking Tacos the boys are on death row, but just for the food. We talk about famous last meals from convicts on death row and talk about what our favorite last meals would be. We also learn that Bill is more likable than Campbell, but that’s not news to any of us! It’s your usual Tuesday shenanigans. Grab your tequila and side up to the table.

On episode 179 of Talking Tacos the boys evade taxes. Listen up you IRS fucks. We talk about the absurdity of the MoCo real estate marker, Bill gets a mail order bride, Putin on suicide watch, and we celebrate the beginning of local summer (yes, we recorded this episode a month ago).

Keep making these movies and we'll keep talking about them! In the latest installment in the Alien/Predator/Bladerunner franchise (yes they're all connected) we have the firs good Alien movie in years - Romulus. Aside from being a fantastic movie in its own right, this movie does wonders to clean up the sloppy canon triggered by Prometheus and the DREADFUL Alien: Covenant. Incredibly well acted with a healthy dose of practical effect-based horror, this is an Alien movie even for casual fans of the franchise.