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In which we recap a year’s worth of podcasts–and 23 years’ worth of X-Men–in under an hour.
X-PLAINED:
- Rachel & Miles X-Plain the X-Men, Episodes 1-51
- Uncanny X-Men #1-200 & assorted annuals
- Giant-Size X-Men #1
- The New Mutants
- New Mutants #1-35 & assorted annuals and specials
- The Uncanny X-Men and the New Teen Titans
- God Loves, Man Kills
- Wolverine vol. 1
- X-Men/Micronauts
- Storm and Illyana: Magik
- Kitty Pryde and Wolverine
- Dazzler: The Movie
- Beauty and the Beast
- Firestar
- Secret Wars vol. 1
- Secret Wars vol. 2
- Longshot
- Several other assorted X and X-relevant stories
- Our pipe-dream pitches
- Multiversal designations
NEXT WEEK: The return of Jean Grey!
Special thanks to R. Pawson for the WHAT?! supercut!
You can find a companion index to the material mentioned in this episode on our blog!
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We’re not selling prints of this week’s illustration, but you can still contact David Wynne to inquire after the original!
You guys say the X-Men won on the Moon back in the Dark Phoenix episode and repeat it here, but the X-Men lose against the Imperial Guard on the Moon. Angel is body slammed by Smasher. Nightcrawler zapped by Manta. Storm choked by Hussar. Wolverine blasted by the Kree observer. Beast electrocuted by B’nee. Colossal pummeled by Gladiator. Jean confirms the others have been beaten. Then she and Cyclops make their last stand. The Phoenix flares, and the narration tells us Jean saw Scott cut down and lost it, reverting to Dark Phoenix. The X-Men lost, and Jean reverted to Phoenix. Not “the X-Men won/are winning and/then Jean reverts to Phoenix.” They lose. That’s why Xavier is mourning and Lilandra longs to comfort him. It’s a total loss. The X-Men go down swinging, but they never had a chance (Wolverine being beaten by an observer notwithstanding). It’s a Greek tragedy, and losing is a foregone conclusion.
No. Jean, as Phoenix, turns the fight; and–at least for Shi’ar legal purposes–the X-Men win. It just ends up an entirely pyrrhic victory because she goes off and kills herself.
Is it ever stated that she turns the fight (for Shi’ar legal purposes)? It’s not in #137. It’s not in #138. Once Jean becomes Phoenix, the fight is over. The Guard’s not getting up again, but the X-Men have lost what they’re fighting for (as Wolverine points out as he hucks Colossus at Phoenix). If the proceedings have been (Shi’ar legally) won, then Lilandra is breaking faith with her whole culture by commanding that Plan Omega be executed, and that the whole world, the whole system, be burned, just to be certain Phoenix is killed. The Arin’n Haelar stopped Lilandra in her tracks at the front of the issue. Her side loses and she throws it away? Seems unlikely. Once the Phoenix rises again, the Shi’ar legal portion of the proceedings is over. It’s desperation time.
If it was revealed, post-Claremont, that the Shi’ar legal proceedings were concluded with a success for the X-Men, I missed it, as I find the vast bulk of the post-Claremont X-Men to be unentertaining, and thereby discard it.
Congratulations, guy, on a year of podcasting. I can’t say I’ve been with you a year, but I have listened and delighted in every one of your podcasts, that have, quite honestly, gotten me through some pretty crappy days.
Am greatly looking forward to another 52 of ’em.
(guys. I meant guys. Plural. I am equally congragulatory to both of you(three of you, actually, can’t forget Bobby Roberts), not just the Miles)
Congratulations on the milestone!
I am terribly un-tech savvy, How does one ask questions on tumblr? Do i send an email from the little arrow box thing at the top to postcardsfromspace or the rachel and miles xplain tumblr? or is there somewhere to just send a message within tumblr.
There’s an ‘Ask the X-Perts’ link on the Rachel & Miles X-Plain the X-Men tumblr page. Here’s a direct link:
http://rachelandmiles.tumblr.com/ask
http://rachelandmiles.tumblr.com/ask
That should be all you need.
Octopusheim is in the Atlantic Ocean not the Pacific Ocean. Lee’s ship sales out of Florida, when the island is attacked in #150, its also fairly apparent its in the Atlantic. Also I agree with the others, X-Men lose the battle on the moon. They shouldnt have, but splitting your group of 8 that havent fought together alot (in some cases ever) into two groups to fight 8 members of the Imperial Guard is a REALLY BAD idea.
Unrelated to this episode, but related to siblings’ powers not working on each other (Cyclop vs Havok, Black Tom vs Banshee)…
In Generation X #53, Emma Frost’s powers don’t work on her sister, as her sister points out. Just something I saw.
How ironic! After learning about your podcast just over a week ago, and listening to every single episode, the newest one is a recap of the last 50ish hours.
Oh well, I still had a hell of a time listening to every episode over the last 10 days. You guys have a new fan!
I feel pretty vindicated. I got a lot of shit for loving/having the Beauty and the Beast miniseries in the 90s (I still have it). I am glad that someone else loves how freaking weird it is too
Congratulations and thanks for the first year. In the spirit of this episode I’ll recap my comment that ‘Still She Wished For Company’by Margaret Irwin is a probable influence on the Dark Phoenix Saga. Young woman with powers is manipulated by a sinister member of the Hellfire Club in a time-slipping romance. However, as far as I remember, nobody wears a bustier, so it’s probably less significant than that episode of ‘The Avengers’.
I’ve listened to them all chronologically and still thoroughly enjoyed this episode. Keep it up! Y’all are great. I’ll catch up eventually… although I’m reading the books as I listen, so it may take a while.