It was Independence Day this week, but ironically this episode keeps reverting back to kings. Amazon looks for a director and an actor for His Majesty's secret service in the Bond franchise, Stephen King's The Stand gets a new adaptation and Richard Bachman (re: Stephen King, again) gets a trailer for Edgar Wright's new version of The Running Man. Meanwhile, Paramount guarantees their huge merger with Skydance by bending the knee to a man who thinks himself king. Steam and Nintendo offer feasts (of deals) fit for a king, including discounts on many Mushroom Kingdom related titles. It's a real game of thrones around here, I tell you hwhat. That's a little King of the Hill reference. Thought you might enjoy that.

Music: "Sweeter Vermouth" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Welcome back to the show our resident Nintendo expert, Chris! After a week with the new Switch 2 and Mario Kart World, Chris has lots of complicated feelings and observations about the reported sales success of the new console. But first...lots and lots of fast-food discussion, the box office misfire of Ballerina, bittersweet news for both Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and Dr. Who, and Spaceballs: the Legacy Sequel. Also, some various flavors of Batman to choose from at your local comic book store and a giant-size Pride Month special from Marvel.

Music: "Sweeter Vermouth" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Take a break from your shiny new Nintendo Switch 2 to help answer a few questions here. Can Lionsgate's new movie, From the World of John Wick: Ballerina, overcome its clunky spin-off title to dethrone Lilo and Stitch? Will North America embrace the most popular fast-food chain from the Philippines? Can Noah Hawley translate the Alien franchise to cable television success? Meanwhile, a grisly tragedy overshadows the triumphant return of King of the Hill, James Bond (finally) gets a new videogame from the developers behind the splendid Hitman series, and Marvel Knights: The World to Come introduces a new Black Panther that...well, let's just say it's a controversial pivot.
Music: "Sweeter Vermouth" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

It's a battle royale at the box office this Memorial Day weekend, Ethan Hunt versus Stitch. Meanwhile the latest Hunger Games prequel drums up a lot of interest just off its spot-on casting announcements. We have a TV review round-up for The Last of Us, Poker Face, and Duster, followed by Kyle's comic book Picks of the Week (POW! if you will). Also, Randy Pitchford weighs in on the $80 price tag of Borderlands 4, not in a cool way. Fortnite gives the world a Darth Vader chatbot no one asked for or needs. And an oft-mocked fast food chain tests out an admittedly tasty sounding sandwich.Music: "Sweeter Vermouth" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Final Destination: Bloodlines opens this week, hoping to pull off a box office heist before Ethan Hunt and Stitch arrive. Superman gets a new, exciting trailer that really nails down the character himself. Andor ends (sniff, sniff) and The Last of Us was just kinda okay this week. Max, formerly HBO Max, formerly HBO Now is now...HBO Max...again. A Game of Thrones spinoff gets delayed, while the already long-delayed Ironheart finally makes its way to Disney Plus. Ubisoft pushes back most of their 2026 releases, and Doom: The Dark Ages is a very different beast than its predecessors. Also, get ready for Local Comic Shop Day in September, and get excited for Ben Grimm vs. the entire Marvel universe.

Music: "Sweeter Vermouth" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Disney and Marvel Studios play the name game and spoil their own movie two days after it releases, Grand Theft Auto 6 gets delayed (but releases a nifty trailer), Andor bends the Star Wars canon slightly, Yellowstone gets a much more traditional geezer-aimed spinoff, and the Blues Brothers return in comic book form! Meanwhile, a new Stephen King adaptation, leaked pics of an Xbox-branded handheld, and a local coffee chain is set to expand into a national player.Music: "Sweeter Vermouth" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Subway is closing a record number of stores across America, probably related to their latest fetish for random snacks shaped like a 2x4. Natasha Lyonne is making an "ethical AI" movie, whatever that means. Pedro Pascal throws some much deserved insults at fellow WBD asset JK Rowling while JJ Abrams and Josh Holloway reunite for a '70s crime series. EA fires hundreds of workers and cancels some games, meanwhile Borderlands 4 gets a new release date. Alliance Entertainment backpedals from buying Diamond Comics, and that means Free Comic Book Day lives!

Music: "Sweeter Vermouth" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Kyle takes a short break from Star Wars news (and non-news) to talk Ryan Coogler's Sinners, the Fantastic Four: First Steps final trailer, and lots of new features coming to Mario Kart World on the Switch 2. Elsewhere, HBO's spring premieres for The Last of Us and Hacks get a quick review, and DC comics wants to declare 2025 (George Costanza voice) The SUMMER of Superman!

Kyle is joined by Chris to talk about the wild Nintendo Direct showcasing the Switch 2. But first, a new Spider-Man movie title! A Quentin Tarantino sequel directed by a very different director! Premiere dates for long-dormant South Park and Rick and Morty! And the loss of a terrific actor.

Marvel Studios assembles (very slowly over several hours) the full cast announcement for Avengers: Doomsday, meanwhile Nintendo has one final bittersweet Direct event for the original Switch. Also...is there actually a lot of demand for more Star Wars: The Acolyte? Streaming analytics data may surprise you. Also, another good actor signs on to the (likely not very good) Harry Potter television series, and Diamond Comic Distributors' assets and contracts have been bought by another company who may or may not know what a so-called 'comic book' actually is. All this and more, including a couple of really bad impressions!

During a particularly slow week at the box office, a secret Looney Tunes movie sneaks into theaters despite Warner Bros Discovery trying their best to wipe the beloved cartoons from existence for tax purposes. Meanwhile the Power Rangers might get Disney Plussed, and Assassin's Creed: Shadows meets expectations. Finally, a new 'weird western' comic book preview from a noted TV writer, and is Batman fighting a sentient tenement building now?