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. 4d ago

    337. Our 6th Anniversary Edition: All Good Things with Michael Jan Friedman

    Show notes provided by Joe Peluso Six years of The Secret Origins of Mintcondition--proving beyond rebuttal "that time flies when you are having fun".James the consummate host, Chris the indisputable inquirer, and Joe the lunatic Rangers' fan, form the triumvirate team of pop culture enthusiasts duty bound to explain, explore, and expand the horizons of universes that lie just beyond our real world. Over the years they have tackled everything from yes or no to Superman's red underwear to survival in the Delta Quadrant. And how fitting that the Delta Quadrant, accessed by The Bajoran Wormhole, should call to mind another anniversary number beginning with the number six--The 60th Anniversary of STAR TREK!    Star Trek is the prodigy of futurist Gene Roddenberry that spawned a sci-fi universe and a legion of loyal fans that thrives till this day! To help the MInt crew celebrate this special cosmic commemoration is New York Times Best Selling author--scribe of 35 Trek novels, and over 120 Trek comics--Michael Jan Friedman. To say Michael knows Star Trek is akin to saying Derek Jeter knows Baseball. Michael has been with us on numerous episodes and always brings his keen writer's mind and eye to our discussions.This time as we leave space dock, and prepare to go where no one has gone before, we settle in for a deep diagnostic dive into Michael's novelization of the final episode of Star Trek:The Next Generation --"All Good Things..."   Michael takes us on a warp drive trip to the ins and outs of adapting a TV script, deadlines, the freedoms he's earned to write in the Trek Universe, his thoughts on the meaning of Star Trek, the Next Gen cast, Q, TV finales, and what his fertile mind has coming in the near future to further astound and entertain us.   It's a wonderful hour of convivial conversation with a great writer and gentleman that makes this a very special episode. We hope you enjoy it as much as we did. And lastly, thank you to our loyal fans from the bottoms of pop culture hearts! You are the best!

    337. Our 6th Anniversary Edition: All Good Things with Michael Jan Friedman

  2. Aug 26

    336. Star Trek Edition: Star Trek VI Part 2

    The crew of SOMC once again dive into Star Trek VI. James is once again at the helm but this time with the crew of Joe, John and Keith.

    336. Star Trek Edition: Star Trek VI Part 2

  3. Aug 19

    335. Sports Edition: NBA, MLB, PBA and of course NHL

    Show notes provided by Chris LaBanca Hello there, sports- *cough cough SNEEZE*Sorry, y'all. It's a bit tough to talk with all of the dust flying up off of the sports desk. There are enough cobwebs here that even Spidey himself would be a little uneasy. But we thought: enough is enough! We must brave the dust bunnies because we may have missed some sports news while we were away from the desk.We start by talking about the Knicks' championship run: the love it engendered from the city and the tale of grit that is really familiar as a sports stereotype, but never fails to land spectacularly when it's genuine. We talk about baseball, focusing on the Mets and Yankees, as we so often do. But we also talk about the upcoming CBA, the probable lockout, and whether or not MLB really *needs* a salary cap. We also talk briefly about injuries that are becoming more commonplace in the sport.We talk PBA and a tragic loss before moving on to discuss the NHL. We talk a little about the Hurricanes and their championship, and the likelihood of them continuing their winning ways (spoiler alert: the Panthers might have something to say about that...). We talk Rangers, Isles, Devils, and we discuss Joe's further tumble into the hockey rabbit hole, as he is now going to be staying up just a little later in order to follow the Minnesota Wild this season!Hang with us, sports fans, as we try to get back into the swing of things. We're glad you're here!

    335. Sports Edition: NBA, MLB, PBA and of course NHL

  4. Aug 12

    334. Looking back on Galaxy Quest

    Show notes provided by Arco Esposito Finding something you love isn’t hard at all now is it? Think about it, we get attached to something that brings us some sort of joy and happiness, however fleeting or lasting it may be. That’s not something new or unusual. It is, however, a very rare thing to find a love that is shared by thousands upon thousands, perhaps even millions! Then it no longer can be considered a singular event, but rather a movement, and those of us that follow along are no longer just individuals, but a community. This is also a very fancy way of saying “fanhood”.  This is exactly what the film Galaxy Quest portrays, a community of misfit fans who have found commonality within a long canceled tv show, keeping a practical effects series alive in fan theories, conjecture and idol worship. Sound familiar? Well it should since Galaxy Quest is considered one of the best Star Trek films ever made, even though the words Star Trek are never uttered within the film. You just know. We know because not only have we seen films about actors and their fans before but we have lived this fanhood life. We are what Galaxy Quest is about. We are the fans that hunger for any new information on the pop culture items we love, that keep alive a once thriving phenomenon that may have ended a generation earlier, keeping it in the cultural zeitgeist for future fans to enjoy. We are the reason for remakes, reboots and sequels. We are the legions of fans who flood conventions and scamper for a good view of the panels of actors from our favorite movies and shows. We are what galaxy Quest is really about, what it teaches us: that within a fanhood, no matter what kind, sports, comics, books, etc. we are never alone, because we will always have that to hold us together. We will always have that community.

    334. Looking back on Galaxy Quest

  5. Aug 5

    333. Wrapping up Comic Con 2026

    Comic Con 2026 has just happened and Joe and James talk about some of the highlights.

    333. Wrapping up Comic Con 2026

  6. Jul 29

    332. Back of the Store Chat: Avengers: Doomsday, Marvel changing coasts and more

    It's been awhile but the back of the store chat edition is back. James and Joe talk about the first Avengers: Doomsday trailer, Marvel comics leaving NY for Burbank, Marvel comics Midnight, Compact comics and more.

    332. Back of the Store Chat: Avengers: Doomsday, Marvel changing coasts and more

  7. Jul 22

    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

  8. Jul 15

    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
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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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