This is it folks. 10 years and 100 episodes have led us to this moment. Join us as we raise a glass and celebrate the 100th and FINAL episode of the Near Mint Comic Show.
In our grand finale, we take a walk down memory lane and look back at the past decade in comics, in the world and in the lives of our 3 hosts. It’s an amazing time capsule into a decade in which the geek would inherit the earth.
We started this podcast 10 years ago with the tagline “Helping comicbooks conquer the world since 2008.” In our final episode we say, “mission accomplished!”
Following a year of self-imopsed exile, our heroes emerge with bittersweet news. After 8+ orbits around the sun, the time has come for the starship Near Mint Comic Show to return to base.
This rust-free episode spells penultimate with a capital ULTIMATE, and despite big announcements and major real-life developments, we manage to get to some comic talk by the 10-minute mark. Top o’ the Pile features a sampler plate of We Stand on Guard by Brian K. Vaughn, Amazing Spider-Man from Marvel, and DC’s Super Sons. After that we dive in on how we’ve evolved as comic fans and as people since we last met.
Joining the party is Sean Gordan Murphy, as we discuss his outspoken views on the business of comics. We tackle the latest (well ok, not so latest by the time you’re hearing this) Movies and TV shows, and we set it all up for our 100th and FINAL epsiode.
Keep those cards and letters coming. Episode 100 will be a celebration of all things Near Mint and all things comics from the time we’ve been doing this show. We want to hear from fellow fans, what you’ve enjoyed about the show and about comics over the last decade. Send us a message (or better yet a VOICE message) at nearmintcomicshow@gmail.com, facebook.com/neatmintcomicshow, or @nmcomicshow. We know you’ve been listening and we want to hear from you!
Continuing our march towards episode 100, Ben and Dan are back with comic talk for the ages. Dan’s Top o’ the Pile pick, March: Book One, leads us into a discussionabout historical and non-fiction comics. We touch on everything from Maus, to Moving Pictures, The Nam to The Fifth Beatle and more.
There’s more comic talk to follow as Ben dives deeper into DC’s Rebirth with rapid-fire reviews of Wonder Woman, Batman, Superman and Detective Comics. Finally, we wrap things up with Can o’ Beans, with talk of the soon-to-be-scarce Mike Mignola and a tease of a Mignola-centric episode to come in the near future.
Convention season is upon us and the Near Mint Comic Show is back with an overdue and overstuffed episode telling you everything you need to know to prepare yourself. We take a look at all the guest list for the upcoming Boston Comic Con – our biggest regional show and offer up a convention primer to get you ready for whatever conventions may be coming up in your area.
[EDITORS NOTE]: While not mentioned in the episode, this podcast is being released on the eve of MASSive Comic Con – taking place on June 25 & 26 in Worcester, MA. If you’re in the area, you should definitely check that out!
Later in the show, we take a loot at some of the “All-New, All-Different” Marvel books, which have come post-Secret-Wars and are newly available on the Marvel Unlimited app. We gauge our excitement level for books like Dr. Strange by Jason Aaron and Chris Bachalo, Sam Wilson: Captain America, Howling Commandos of Shield, The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl and many more. It’s good ol’ fashioned, 2+ hour extravaganza to kick off the summer!
Ben, Josh and Dan are all back and there’s plenty to talk about. Movies have been seen. Comics have been read. Josh has big NEWS?? The universe will never be the same.
First up in Top o’ the Pile, Josh catches us up on Amazing Spider-Man, Ben has some high-brow praise for The Mighty Thor and Dan tries out the new Black Widow by Mark Waid and Chris Samnee.
In movie news, Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice gets a tepid review from Josh, while Captain America: Civil War, gets (spoilers) 3 thumbs up!
And speaking of all-new, all-different – DC is shaking things up once again with Rebirth. Ben and Dan have read the debut issue of the massive, universe-realigning event. We give our thoughts on the new status quo and the new crop of books coming our way.
It’s a whole heap o’ comic talk to get you through ‘till next Wednesday. Happy listening!
Rarely will an artist’s work meet such universal praise as the recently-departed Darwyn Cooke. The creator who gave us DC: The New Frontier and the Parker books, who reinvented Catwoman and reshaped Watchmen was beloved by us an many others. The comics community was brought low this month, by the sudden announcement of his illness and subsequent death at the age of 53.
In this episode, we pay tribute to the life and art of Darwyn Cooke with a special show dedicated solely to his work. If you loved Darwyn, join us in saying a heartfelt goodbye. If you didn’t know his work, listen and learn about one of the greatest talents of our generation and one of the greatest cartoonists who ever lived.
Big things come in short packages. It may be a #shortshow, but there’s comics action around every turn. Sparks fly as all three wheels of the train Near Mint try desperately to stay on the rails… which they succeed at until about the 58 minute mark.
In this episode, we kick off convention season with a strictly-second-hand report from C2E2. Snyder and Capullo drop the mic on their Batman run but DC isn’t dropping any clues about Rebirth. Excitement for Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice is building to a gentle simmer. Not to be outdone in the ‘heroes-senselessly-feuding-with-one-another’ department, Marvel is all in on Civil War on screen and in print. We even have time to talk about a movie without superheroes – can you believe they still make those?!
The #shortshow hoagie is stuffed between a Top o’ the Pile and a Can o’ Beans, piled high with extra helpings of Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips, Darwyn Cooke and Ramón Pérez, Batman Europa, Daredevil on Netflix – and so much more!
Once again bending the laws of space and time, Ben and Dan come together to complete an episode over 3 weeks in the making. This pseudo book club episode is dedicated to the consumption of a long-overdue Can o’ Beans. Neither the laws of physics, nor the perils of extra-temporal audio recording can stop our heroes from diving in and discussing Black Science.
Black Science, is a trans-dimensional sci-fi epic from Image comics, featuring the artistic talents of Mateo Scalera and Dean White, written by Mint Award winner, Rick Remender. It’s colorful ensemble cast, rich world-building and frenetic pace have garnered a rabid fan base since the series kicked off in 2013. And while it’s been mentioned on the show before, we’ve never given it the full Near Mint treatment… until now!
Along with a lengthy discussion about Black Science, we crack open a new Can o’ Beans, tease the Boston Comic Con guests and the rising star artist, Elsa Charretier.
It’s old school Near Mint action as Ben and Josh bring you a potpourri of hollywood talk including DC Rebirth, Deadpool, Daredevil, Batman v. Superman and more.
DC Comics is throwing out the bathwater once again with their recently announced Rebirth storyline. We talk about our excitement level, the endless reboot cycle and DCs desperate ploys to satisfy new and old readers alike.
Meanwhile, Deadpool is breaking the fourth wall and shattering box office expectations. What made this movie such a hit given its R rating and the somewhat polarizing nature of it’s machine-gun-toting, mouth-running lead character.
With Daredevil poised for season 2 and the Walking Dead, toying with fans at every turn, comics are dominating the small screen as well – and we’re here to talk about it.
And while Deadpool represents yet another hit in the successful run of Marvel films, Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice hopes to push the DC cinematic universe out of the starting gate and silence the many critics created with its aura of darkness and despair.
All this, plus a Top o’ the Pile, a Can o’ Beans, a rub and a tug, and a good time had by all. It’s the knock-down, drag-out, no-holds-barred episode that nobody was asking for. Don’t get left in the popcorn line!
In this episode, we delve into one of the seldom-delved corners of comics culture – the collector zone. We discuss our propensity to “collect” comics past and present. We talk high-finance and speculate on the right time to sell key issues. While this may be boring to some (or even us) but we do it in typical Near Mint fashion… with a silly game show parody.
It’s The Price Guide Price is Right, with your host, Ben Peirce. Josh and Dan come on down to guess the price of comics for a chance at fabulous prizes* What Guardians of the Galaxy member has the most valuable first appearance? Who’s worth more Hal Jordan or Alan Scott? Just how much is a Near Mint copy of The Walking Dead #1 worth. All these useless questions and more are answered in a Showcase Showdown for the ages!
*There are no actual prizes awarded in this episode.
NEAR MINT COMIC SHOW .com 