The Secret Origins of Mint Condition: Comics, Movies, TV, Sports, Gaming and more

James Louie
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Welcome to the Secret Origins of Mint Condition. Join your hosts James, Joe , and Chris as they delve into the topics of comics, pop culture, sports, gaming and more.

  1. 6 days ago

    331. JLA: Tower of Babel

    Show notes provided by Joe Peluso In JLA issues 43-46 Mark Waid and Howard Porter tell a Justice League of America/Batman centric story that dares to reveal one of comic's most severe and disturbing stories of betrayal. The Batman has hidden from his JLA colleagues his secret protocols: devious and cruel methods that would take down each and everyone of them in the event they should go rogue! With "friends" like that..."   Join your Hosts James, Chris and Joe for a scary look inside the head of the man who is prepared for everything--except perhaps trusting the people he goes to war with. Both James and Chris, relative newcomers to the annals of The Batman when this story came out, remember this it as shocking and earthshaking. Joe was shocked because this tale was so far afield from the camp era Batman he discovered in his childhood. At the time this story hit comic shops in the spring of 2000, most "batmaniacs" were praising The Batman for his brutal and calculating ways! But were they, and your Mint crew, taken in by the histrionics of The Dark Knight, and thus did they subsequently miss the whole point of this story--BETRAYAL!    When the villainous Ra's al Ghul gets possession of these plans, the entire world faces extinction because one obsessed man--a brilliant tactician--could not foresee his "wisdom" being used against him and his friends   The guys take all this into account and even delve into the mind of this tormented loner, and ask the BIG question: Does The Batman have friends? Does he even need friends to carry on his crusade against evil?   As the story progresses, both the JLA members and the planet Earth fight for existence. Naturally a resolution that saves the day is reached, but where does the now exposed Batman stand on terms with colleagues? If you have already read this monumental story, there is a vote to determine if The Batman remains a member of the JLA, if not, some of the yay and nay votes may surprise you, as well as the outcome.    And then there's the bigger question of the future rippling ramifications this story had on The Batman since its publication.Hopefully after you have listened to this very sober and solemn podcast (Oh, don't worry it's still a fun listen.) we definitely would like to hear your thoughts on The Batman's great betrayal. Brilliance, intelligence and tenacity are great qualities to utilize when taking on evil, but a trusted friend at your side is the ultimate asset to winning the day.

    331. JLA: Tower of Babel

  2. 15 Jul

    330. Joe's Comics Corner: Amazing Spider-Man issues 31, 32, and 33

    Show notes provided by Joe Peluso "Spider-Man, Spider-Man does whatever a spider can..." Well yes, but not as easily as you might think? Join your hosts James and Joe as they saunter down to Joe's Comic Corner and take another trip back to the swinging sixties and discover just how difficult it can get for everyone's favorite Web-Slinger. The guys take a deep dive into "The Master Planner Saga" (issues # 's 31, 32 & 33), and with the events that culminate in issue #33, a diving suit might be a good piece of equipment to have on hand for our hapless hero.   These are the seminal issues that introduce Peter Parker's firstdays in college at ESU, Gwen Stacy and Harry Osborne. Also we met the mysterious Master Planner who is purloining any and all things of atomic nature. Aunt May is in the hospital--again. Peter and Betty are about to split up. And Spider-man goes through a gauntlet of goons that leaves him badly battered and bruised! It's three issues of massive mayhem as Spidey races the clock to save his dying aunt from a disease he inflicted upon her. Yeah, the old Parker luck knows no boundaries.    As James so aptly points out at the start of this podcast--"There's a ton of soap opera in these books!" Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, at this point in the series, knew what their fans wanted, and they were not shy in delivering the goods.  All the madness comes to one of the most classic conclusions early in issue #33 when Spider-Man performs one of his most iconic feats that still resonates with Spidey fans to this day! But even at that point, the story is not yet concluded as even more goons stand in Peter's way. And what do you think happens? POW! BAM! WHACK! Spideytriumphs! But with victory also comes defeat. This is classic Amazing Spider-Man. It's exciting, colorful, emotional and more fun than a barrel of arachnids! YECH!!!   Oh, who is The Master Planner? I ain't telling. He's a really scary dude!

    330. Joe's Comics Corner: Amazing Spider-Man issues 31, 32, and 33

  3. 8 Jul

    329. The Lord of Rings Conversations Part 1

    Join your hosts James, Chris, John and Adrienne as the sit in the Shire and start a conversation about the Lord of the Rings. In this first installment they talk about how they discovered the books and movies. Remember the times in the store playing the CCG and start talking about the cast of the movies. Sit back and get ready for the journey ahead.

    329. The Lord of Rings Conversations Part 1

  4. 1 Jul

    328. Star Trek Edition: Star Trek VI Part 1

    Continuing our celebration of 60 years of Trek the crew of James, Josh and Jack start the conversation about Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country.

    328. Star Trek Edition: Star Trek VI Part 1

  5. 24 Jun

    327. Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow

    Just in time for the release of Supergirl, James and Chris hop on an intergalactic space bus to talk about Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow. Spoilers ahead for both the comic and possibly the movie James and Chris breakdown the story, the characters, the art and go over some of the history of Supergirl.

    327. Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow

  6. 21 Jun

    326. Father's Day Special: Our Favorite Pop Culture Father's

    In this special edition of the podcast James, Joe and Jack list and pay tribute to some of the great pop culture father's covering picks from comics, movie and TV.

    326. Father's Day Special: Our Favorite Pop Culture Father's

  7. 17 Jun

    325. Heroes Convention 2026 Wrap Up

    In this week's episode Joe joins James as he recaps being at the recent Heroes Convention.

  8. 10 Jun

    324. Wonder Woman Vol. 1 by George Perez

    Show notes provided by Joe Peluso In the fall of 1941 a unique superhero was born to the nascent comic book industry. The creation of William Moulton Marston and Harry G. Peters, and bowing in All Star Comics # 8 (cover dated January 1942), Princess Diana, the Amazing Amazon from Paradise Island, burst upon a world at war as--WONDER WOMAN! Armed with the powers of the Greek Gods, and the awesome capacity to win the day with love andcompassion, Wonder Woman was an instant hit with four color readers. By 1943, the Amazon Princess was appearing regularly in "Sensation Comics", "Wonder Woman", and "Comic Cavalcade".Wonder Woman was going toe to toe with the big boys on the block--Superman, Batman and Captain Marvel! And when almost all the heroes fell into obscurity by the early 1950's, Wonder Woman kept pace with only two other survivors--The Man of Steel and The Dark Knight Detective.    In the following decades, Wonder Woman's star would shine and dim. Its orbit caught in the vagaries of current tastes and trends.But there came a time when one legend was due to meet head on with another; a living legend of the comic book industry who had previously made his mark on such books as "The New Teen Titans", "The Fantastic Four", and "The Avengers". Following the universe reshuffling DC Comics event-"Crisis on Infinite Earths", Princess Diana and George Perez met and began a tenure on one of the most historic comic book runs in history!   Please join James and Joe as "The Secret Origins of Mint Condition" finally pays tribute to this seminal hero and the creative genius who redefined her for a new age! Greek Mythology, magic, epic battles, customs and language barriers, new friends found, and the bonds of love and devotion that survive and conquer hate and war, are all on graphic display by master storyteller--George Perez.     We hope that this podcast will inspire you to read (or reread) this magnificent comic book run so that you may discover how friendship, courage  and devotion can overcome the most bleak times. Diana and George have given us the blueprint.

    324. Wonder Woman Vol. 1 by George Perez
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Welcome to the Secret Origins of Mint Condition. Join your hosts James, Joe , and Chris as they delve into the topics of comics, pop culture, sports, gaming and more.

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