August 2020 – Jay & Miles X-Plain the X-Men

As Mentioned in Episode 306 – Between Here and There

August 30, 2020 Miles 3 comments

Listen to the episode here.

Art by David Wynne. Wanna buy the original? Drop him a line!

Kids, send in your answers for a prize! (Uncanny X-Men #322)

Pink was IN for pretty much all projectiles in 1995. (Uncanny X-Men #322)

Jeez, Warren, get over it. Everyone has to wear a mask these days. It’s not that hard. (Uncanny X-Men #322)

Now I want to see what Bishop would think of Mandy. (Uncanny X-Men #322)

I really like Jean’s family. Shame what Claremont did to them in 2006. (Uncanny X-Men #322)

Getting punched by the Juggernaut is a way quicker method of depilation than waxing or electrolysis. (Uncanny X-Men #322)

Uncanny X-Men #12-13 could’ve been cut down to about a page and a half if Psylocke had been around. (Uncanny X-Men #322)

Sigh. (Uncanny X-Men #322)

This page was very important to young Miles. (Uncanny X-Men #323)

Okay, who spiked the Danger Room? (Uncanny X-Men #323)

X-Force’s former leader, folks. (Uncanny X-Men #323)

Low blow, Trish. (Uncanny X-Men #323)

On one hand, Iceman is a loyal and caring friend. On the other hand, he calls himself The Bobster. It kind of evens out. (Uncanny X-Men #323)

Logan, this is how we got banned from Denny’s, remember? (Uncanny X-Men #323)

The Container Crew. (Uncanny X-Men #323)

DC’s Azrael only wishes he could look this cool. (Uncanny X-Men #324)

Look at my teeth! LOOK AT THEM! (Uncanny X-Men #324)

Would’ve been funnier if it was a vampire bar. (Uncanny X-Men #324)

You said it, Logan. (Uncanny X-Men #324)

1.5 stars in Yelp’s morgue section (Uncanny X-Men #324)

This Fall on CBS! (Uncanny X-Men #324)

Letting Bobby’s call go to voicemail? Jeez, this is almost as bad as that time she blew up a pony! (Uncanny X-Men #324)

NEXT TIME: Hey, it’s these kids!

LINKS & FURTHER ATROCITIES:

Check out Episode 203 – The X-Man’s Burden for more on the apparent death of the Morlocks!
WHOA, DANG! Jay wrote an official X-Men comic, which comes out on September 16!

306 – Between Here and There

August 30, 2020 Jay 9 comments

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | RSS

In which we continue our ongoing tour of the post-Age of Apocalypse X-Universe; Onslaught gets a name; nobody’s sure what Noah Dubois is doing there; Iceman gets to be the practical one, for once; T&A should not generally appear on the same visual plane; someone needs to talk to Cannonball about kink safety; and Emma Frost lets a call go to voicemail.

X-PLAINED:

Tarzan fandom
X-Man, summarized
Uncanny X-Men #322-324
Color as a narrative tool
The evolution of Storm’s shower etiquette
How not to relax with Lucas Bishop
Seat-of-the-pants plotting
Parenting
Noah Dubois, sort of
A road trip
Sexiness vs. sexualization
Emma Frost as Caprica Six
How not to walk a supervillain
Cannonball’s uniform
Sack
Vessel
Greycrow (more) (again)
The worst morgue and/or disco ever
Edna and Norton McCoy
Times Rogue has absorbed Colossus’s powers
X-Men: Marvels Snapshot

NEXT EPISODE: Generation X

Check out the visual companion to this episode on our blog.

Find us on iTunes or Stitcher!

Jay and Miles X-Plain the X-Men is 100% ad-free and listener supported. If you want to help support the podcast–and unlock more cool stuff–you can do that right here!

Buy rad swag at our TeePublic shop!

As Mentioned in Episode 305 – The Sleep of the Wicked

August 23, 2020 Miles One comment

Listen to the episode here.

Art by David Wynne. Wanna buy the original? Drop him a line!

That logo! That art! If this era was as good as the cover that started it, we’d be in great shape. (X-Factor #112)

Half cyborg. Half samurai. All toothy. (X-Factor #112)

Wild Child: like Wolverine, but stylish! (X-Factor #112)

“I walked here all the way from Havok & Wolverine: Meltdown, and boy, are my legs tired! And also very long!” (X-Factor #112)

Aww, Random. (X-Factor #112)

Mystique is actually laughing her ass off three blocks away. (X-Factor #112)

How else is someone in an X-Factor comic supposed to enter a room? Through the door? (X-Factor #112)

Havok’s woozy-bubbles are the best woozy-bubbles. (X-Factor #112)

Speaking of Polaris, did you see what her actress from The Gifted said on Twitter? (X-Factor #113)

As an information technology professional, Miles can confirm that BLAMPF (X-Factor #113)

Seriously, what the hell did Fatale build that thing out of? (X-Factor #113)

Yukio is reminded of her first date with Storm. (X-Factor #113)

Bad cop, worse cop. (X-Factor #113)

Havok is reminded of his first date with Polaris. (X-Factor #113)

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day (X-Factor #113)

…and neither will we, because Scarlett hasn’t shown up since this panel. (X-Factor #113)

Mystique is the only one happy about this arrangement. Well, maybe not happy, but smug. (X-Factor #114

It’s like Banshee and Emma Frost if they hated each other way more! (X-Factor #114)

I mean, it’s pretty much Freedom Force with all of the pretense removed. (X-Factor #114)

Dig that panel layout. (X-Factor #114)

What did I mention about smug? (X-Factor #114)

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, Part Two (X-Factor #114)

And here I thought X-Force was the only comic using romance comic panels in 1995. (X-Factor #114)

Poor bastard doesn’t stand a chance. (X-Factor #114)

Why yes, I do subscribe to World Wide Web! (X-Factor #113)

NEXT TIME: Buckle up.

LINKS & FURTHER BACKSTORY

We covered the Cyburai’s first appearance in Episode 160 – Hank McCoy and the Hickey of Destiny.
You can learn more about Scarlett McKenzie (and Jay’s favorite X-related miniseries) in Episode 114 – Meltdown.

305 – The Sleep of the Wicked

August 23, 2020 Jay 17 comments

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | RSS

In which X-Factor gets its own roster shakeup; most bartenders will look at you funny if you order a flight of superheroes; Kaboom is a great name for a nightclub; we lack significant feelings about the clone saga; Yukio probably sends love to everyone’s girlfriends; Forge has terrible coping mechanisms; and Jay’s current life is not conducive to consistent acoustics (sorry!).

X-PLAINED:

Mystique’s powers
X-Factor’s new roster
X-Factor #112-114
The word “wreak”
The issue that made Miles stop reading X-Men
Wild Child (Kyle Gibney)
Wolverine as a role
Cyburai (more) (again)
Unethical management practices
One way to be drunk on power(s)
Scarlett McKenzie (again)
Club Kaboom
Yukio (again)
Fatale
Summers Problems(TM)
Marvel’s 1996 reader survey
A bondage harness that may or may not be made out of dryer tubing
Alex Summers vs. his own powers
Sugar Man in the 616
Several potential but unexplored story hooks for Scarlett
An implausible implant
Mystique’s new costume
A deeply dysfunctional but narratively plausible ship
A Random tangent
RPF on Earth-616
Forge vs. Tony Stark

NEXT EPISODE: Things get Uncanny!

Check out the visual companion to this episode on our blog.

Find us on iTunes or Stitcher!

Jay and Miles X-Plain the X-Men is 100% ad-free and listener supported. If you want to help support the podcast–and unlock more cool stuff–you can do that right here!

Buy rad swag at our TeePublic shop!

As Mentioned in Episode 304 – Explosive Ops

August 18, 2020 Miles 3 comments

Listen to the episode here.

Art by David Wynne. Wanna buy the original? Drop him a line!

Next up: this cover sadly walking away from a gathered crowd of additional copies of this cover. (X-Force #44)

They’re about five minutes away from standing on each other’s shoulders and wearing a big trench coat to seem like an adult. (X-Force #44)

All of the elements of a relaxing vacation: an idyllic cottage, a beautiful forest, adorable animals, a tiny speedo… (X-Force #44)

“Also, I’m going to need you to start doing machines. You’ve been cool but rude for too long.” (X-Force #44)

“Ah’m nigh invulnerable when Ah’m excited!” (X-Force #44)

Morally yellow and purple. (X-Force #44)

“DOOM”? Are we looking at Caliban and Sabretooth or Surtur and his anvil? (X-Force #45)

Adam Pollina draws some pretty great faces. (X-Force #45)

“Every time he seems to be ready to come down, he loses count of his pouches and has to start all over again.” (X-Force #45)

If you asked me what X-book would look most like a romance comic in 1995, I would not have predicted X-Force. (X-Force #45)

Perhaps it’s not a coincidence that the character Mimic has spent the most time with in the preceding decade was the Hulk. (X-Force #45)

Rutland, Vermont: not just a frequent setting of 1970s Marvel and DC comics, but totally a real place! (Avengers #119)

“Is that..? Couldn’t be. But who else has that topknot and ‘burns combo?” (X-Force #46)

And that’s why you always leave a note. (X-Force #46)

These animals look way more judgmental than the ones in the last hologram. (X-Force #46)

“This new hair gel… When it says ‘apply sparingly’, it means it.” (X-Force #46)

“What? Someone on your team now has more pouches than me? I’ll be right over!” (X-Force #46)

Reminds me of my first car. (X-Force #47)

Aww, kid. (X-Force #47)

I’m not sure why Adam Pollina sometimes randomly gives us art nouveau backgrounds, but I’m not complaining. (X-Force #47)

Jeez, now I’m scared to go outside. (X-Force #47)

Aww not this again (X-Force #47)

This haircut! Bring back this exact haircut! (Longshot Saves the Marvel Universe #1)

NEXT TIME: The kinda-new, sorta-different X-Factor.

LINKS & FURTHER NONSENSE:

Rutland, Vermont had multiple Marvel and DC stories set in it during the 1970s – but it’s also a real place. Apologies for telling everyone it was imaginary, and thank you to all the listeners who kindly pointed out that it wasn’t!

304 – Explosive Ops

August 17, 2020 Jay 30 comments

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | RSS

In which Jay discovers a continuity loop; phonetic spelling reaches a new level of implausibility; it’s always already Onslaught; X-Force’s roster gets shaken up; Siryn goes undercover; and the Upstarts remain vaguely plot-relevant despite our fervent wishes.

X-PLAINED:

Mimic (Calvin Rankin)
Wing problems
X-Force #45-47
One of Adam Pollina’s more remarkable non-Marvel art credits
One of many homages to the cover of X-Men #138
X-Force, its members, and its recent history
Phonetic spelling
Warpath’s hair
Baffling managerial decisions
Whether Reed Richards is machine washable
Many pouches
An unlikely friendship
Sabretooth’s state of mind
Rutland, VT
The Weisman Institute for the Criminally Insane
Dr. Rachel Weisman
Jeremy Stevens
Part of why we like following X-books over time
Character redesigns

CORRECTION: In addition to being the setting of a number of 1970s Marvel and DC stories, Rutland, VT is actually a real place with a famous annual (and largely superhero-themed) Halloween parade!

NEXT EPISODE: What X-Factor’s been up to

Check out the visual companion to this episode on our blog.

Find us on iTunes or Stitcher!

Jay and Miles X-Plain the X-Men is 100% ad-free and listener supported. If you want to help support the podcast–and unlock more cool stuff–you can do that right here!

Buy rad swag at our TeePublic shop!

HAWK TALK – Video Renaissance

August 9, 2020 Miles 26 comments

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | RSS

This would usually be a skip week, but the world is still being a jerk, so we made you a bonus, entirely unedited, and almost entirely off-topic episode. This time, we talked about the movies we grew up on!

Topics, roughly:

The glories of VHS
Flight of Dragons
Fantastic Planet
Star(s), both Wars and Trek
The Princess Bride, which is objectively perfect
The Dark Crystal
My Dinner With Andre (again)
The Crow
Barbarella, Queen of the Galaxy
Help
Yellow Submarine
Wayne & Garth & Bill & Ted
Defending Your Life
Ghostbusters
Various musicals

303 – No Simple Answers, feat. Laura Hudson

August 2, 2020 Jay 12 comments

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | RSS

In which writer and editor Laura Hudson joins us as we take a break from X-Men comics to discuss the complicated ethics of consuming and covering comics by creators we’re not comfortable promoting.

LINKS:

Read more of Laura’s work!
We were going to discuss this very germane Orwell essay but ran out of time.
CW: Description and discussion of abuse and harassment:
- So Many of Us
- An overview of some of the Lobdell allegations and Jay’s response to 2013 discussion of same.

No visual companion to this one, for obvious reasons; see the links listed above.

Find us on iTunes or Stitcher!

Jay and Miles X-Plain the X-Men is 100% ad-free and listener supported. If you want to help support the podcast–and unlock more cool stuff–you can do that right here!

Buy rad swag at our TeePublic shop!