Episode 49 – Santa Claus: The Movie

The legend comes to life.

This Christmas Eve, we’re back in the studio to celebrate the season with Rebecca Friedman of KTQA-LP 95.3 FM, and dive into the 1985 holiday movie where Alexander and Ilya Salkind, the father and son producer team behind the Christopher Reeve Superman films try to make lightning strike twice with a mythic origin story for jolly old Saint Nick himself in Santa Claus:The Movie!

Rescued by a group of elves after being caught in a deadly blizzard, a 14th century toymaker fulfills an ancient prophecy to become an immortal holiday gift giver to all the children of the world. Colliding with the free enterprise crassness of the 1980s, Santa Claus is despondent after one his elves is manipulated into working for a unscrupulous and greedy toy executive who wants to steal Christmas for his very own.

Mike Returns to the Justice League International: Bwah-Ha-Ha Podcast!

Mike was thrilled to make a second guest appearance on “the Irredeemable” Shagg MatthewsJustice League International: Bwah-Ha-Ha Podcast, covering the Giffen/DeMatteis era of the popular DC superhero team!

On the first half of the show, we paw through Justice League America #36, that finds freelance alien Green Lantern and kinda-sorta member of the Justice League, G’Nort drawn into a confrontation with his deadliest foe: a parody of Marvel’s Silver Surfer!

We get into what makes superhero comedy characters like G’Nort work — or not work — and what level of spoofing can slide into a mainstream superhero title without breaking its sense of reality. Plus, Mike just really likes G’Nort. Woof!

Check it out!

Episode 43 – Condorman

He Spies! He Flies! He Death-Defies!

In this month’s Single Serving Selection, we take to the skies above Monte Carlo with Greg Hatcher of the Atomic Junk Shop blog to swoop into Disney’s superhero/spy film that sank at the box office, only to rise again as a cult favorite: 1981’s Condorman!

When bumbling comic book artist Woody Wilkins is chosen for a simple courier mission  for the CIA, he makes an impression on a beautiful KGB agent who wants to defect. Now the only man she trusts to escort her to the West is Woody, who she believes to be a highly skilled secret operative.  Woody agrees to the mission, but only if the CIA will use its resources to turn him into the high-flying superhero from his own comic book: Condorman!