Miles

As Mentioned in Episode 444 – Damnit, Magnus

March 31, 2024 Miles Leave a comment

Listen to the episode here.

Domino: wine mom, but also good mom. (X-Force #86)

WRONG FREEZER WRONG FREEZER (X-Force #86)

Theresa Rourke Cassidy, mistress of disguise. (X-Force #86)

Remember how Moonstar’s weird new powers are always accompanied by a cosmic blue glow? This issue doesn’t, and is thus… confusing. (X-Force #86)

Odysseus Indigo, the most dapper of antagonists. (X-Force #86)

Some exceptionally efficient visual storytelling by Jim Cheung. (X-Force #86)

Christmas in March! Well, March for us. December for Colossus. (Uncanny X-Men #365)

Hey, it’s that thing Miles used to draw in middle school! How’d that get there?! (Uncanny X-Men #365)

In which Colossus interrupts a very manly threesome. (Uncanny X-Men #365)

The X-Men X-Plain X-Mas. (Uncanny X-Men #365)

I mean, that’s Rusty Collins, right? (Uncanny X-Men #365)

“My favorite X-Men character? You probably haven’t heard of him.” (Uncanny X-Men #365)

Oof, my emotions… (Uncanny X-Men #365)

Aww. (Uncanny X-Men #365)

Now that is a cover. (X-Men #85)

In which the first page establishes that this story will be a Big Deal. (X-Men #85)

Sorry, Bill… today’s gonna be a rough one. (X-Men #85)

We missed Alan Davis. (X-Men #85)

Uh oh. (X-Men #85)

Heroes. (X-Men #85)

This issue uses juxtaposition perfectly. (X-Men #85)

Magneto gets the answer he wants… and then the answer he doesn’t. (X-Men #85)

NEXT TIME: The Magneto War begins.

LINKS & FURTHER FESTIVITIES

RSVP to our 10th birthday party!

444 – Damnit, Magnus

March 31, 2024 Miles 5 comments

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In which it’s difficult to flee with soup; Miles may or may not be haunting the X-Men; Colossus collaborates involuntarily; Marrow is full of surprises; Magneto is a dick; Jay continues to carry a torch for Secret Wars: Siege; and you should totally come to our birthday party.

X-PLAINED:

Several rather pointed allusions
X-Force #86
Uncanny X-Men #365
X-Men #85
Almost Reno, NM
Where mutants come from
The Aguilar Institute (more) (again)
Abandoned towns
Mary the telepathic moppet (more) (again)
Odysseus Indigo
The Damocles Foundation
Sibling names
The Fundamental Attribution Error
A haunting
Christmas beer
Christmas ghost exquisite corpse
Bill Jones
A rescue mission
Essential stories of the ‘90s
Our weird favorites
Siege
Our upcoming 10^th birthday party (more) (again)

NEXT EPISODE: Magneto War begins!

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

RSVP to our birthday shenanigans!

Find us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify!

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!

A Brief Update

March 24, 2024 Miles 6 comments

Jay is dealing with an ongoing family medical emergency, so episode releases may be somewhat unpredictable for the next few weeks. Thank you for your patience!

443 – X-Retail (feat. Katie Pryde of Books With Pictures)

March 10, 2024 Miles 7 comments

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In which we walk down X-Plain Memory Lane; everyone needs Bitch Planet; HoX/PoX wouldn’t stay on shelves; we learn how to make sure a comic doesn’t get canceled; Marvel should have kept publishing those Krakoa-era anthology TPBs; X-Men is indeed a soap opera; and you can jump in here ’cause we’re all confused.

X-PLAINED:

The most crowded X-year
Books With Pictures, official best comics shop in the world
Our upcoming 10th birthday party
Katie Pryde’s X-history
Prioritizing marginalized nerd identities
Lapsed X-readers
X-sprawl
The Dawn of X books that worked (and the one that didn’t)
The frustration of discontinued collection formats
The perfect number of X-books (again)
Drama and kissing
What we want after Fall of X
Readers’ single issue vs collection preferences
The power of the preorder
Katie’s (naming) origin story
Readers versus speculators
How to organize a comic book store
Non-X recommendations for X-fans
The glory of Judge Dredd
X-Men who can be trusted to watch a comic book store

NEXT EPISODE: Deviants, Christmas ghosts, and Magneto!

LINKS AND FURTHER READING:

Books With Pictures in Portland, Oregon
The Books With Pictures Podcast

RSVP to our birthday shenanigans!

Find us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify!

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 442 – MimeQuest 64

March 3, 2024 Miles One comment

Listen to the episode here.

A story in four parts. (X-Men Unlimited #22)

They have fun. (X-Men Unlimited #22)

In a world of clean-lined cartoony art, Logan is craggy. (X-Men Unlimited #22)

#roasted (X-Men Unlimited #22)

Any of the X-Men could wear that map as a dress! (X-Men Unlimited #22)

(New) Girl Talk (X-Men Unlimited #22)

A well-armed mime-litia. (X-Men Unlimited #22)

Patrick Gleason, master of visually engaging conversations. (X-Men Unlimited #22)

And you told your math teacher you’d never need to know this stuff in real life. (X-Men Unlimited #22)

Shadowcat and Marrow miniseries now, please! (X-Men Unlimited #22)

See, it’s funny, because normally MetroCards charge you! (X-Men Unlimited #22)

Space Ghost: “Dames are like mustard: they taste great on a sandwich. But when you’re not eating a sandwich… they just sit there in the fridge… on a shelf… in a jar… labeled… mustard.” (X-Men Unlimited #22)

1963! (X-Men / Doctor Doom Annual 1998)

1969! (X-Men / Doctor Doom Annual 1998)

1978! (X-Men / Doctor Doom Annual 1998)

1980 (but in the future of 2013)! (X-Men / Doctor Doom Annual 1998)

Back to 1975! (X-Men / Doctor Doom Annual 1998)

1980 again, but not in an alternate future this time! (X-Men / Doctor Doom Annual 1998)

1982! (X-Men / Doctor Doom Annual 1998)

1985! (X-Men / Doctor Doom Annual 1998)

1999! (X-Men / Doctor Doom Annual 1998)

1993! (X-Men / Doctor Doom Annual 1998)

Still 1993, but we had to include the Hate Goblin. (X-Men / Doctor Doom Annual 1998)

More 1993. Doom needs a bigger vacuum cleaner. (X-Men / Doctor Doom Annual 1998)

NEXT TIME: Miles talks X-Retail with Katie Pryde of Books With Pictures!

LINKS AND FURTHER READING:

RSVP for our live episode and 10th birthday party on April 13th in Portland!
Follow us on Bluesky!
Jay’s Voice of Latveria episode about X-Men / Doom Annual 1998!
And a Mutant: Intersectionality in Marjorie Liu’s Astonishing X-Men by Stephanie Burt!

As Mentioned in Episode 441 – Dracu-tastic

February 26, 2024 Miles Leave a comment

Listen to the episode here.

Sadly, not a sequel to Banshee’s Angels. (Generation X #48)

I mean, once or twice for most of them, but that’s considered pretty healthy by X-standards. (Generation X #48)

DO NOT TRUST THAT MAN JONO (Generation X #48)

I wish I could have all my arguments while fighting Asgardian trolls. (Generation X #48)

I feel like a lot of women end up making that face at Chamber. (Generation X #48)

Fair point, Gaia, albeit one that raises a number of questions… as do all your points. (Generation X #48)

Husk’s breakup haircut, meet Maggott’s cartoon hearts. (Generation X #49)

Constantine Francis Slaughter IV, level 60 Dwarven Hunter. (Generation X #49)

It’s probably good for Iceman’s self esteem that he never really hung out with Chamber. (Generation X #49)

Emma Frost x-plains Emma Frost. (Generation X #49)

Over the next 26 issues, Adrienne Frost will proceed to ruin absolutely everything. (Generation X #49)

Better or worse than syncing with Glob Herman? (Generation X #49)

Jay cannot even with this face. (Generation X / Dracula Annual 1998)

This issue – the highly collectible first appearance of Jubilee’s bunny slippers! (Generation X / Dracula Annual 1998)

Such good horror movie staging. (Generation X / Dracula Annual 1998)

Look at these awesome weirdos. (Generation X / Dracula Annual 1998)

“BAT!” (Generation X / Dracula Annual 1998)

“It’s the Scary Vampire, Charlie Brown!” (Generation X / Dracula Annual 1998)

And then Dracula’s ghoul gave Chamber the D. (Generation X / Dracula Annual 1998)

Jubilee versus fonts. (Generation X / Dracula Annual 1998)

We’ve all been there, kid. (Generation X / Dracula Annual 1998)

Chamber’s Kirby krackle! Dracula’s impossibly long bloody claws! Husk’s deathly pallor! (Generation X / Dracula Annual 1998)

Man, no one’s powers ever look as cool as when Synch uses them. (Generation X / Dracula Annual 1998)

A for effort, though. (Generation X / Dracula Annual 1998)

NEXT TIME: Victor Von Doom X-Plains the X-Men.

LINKS AND FURTHER READING

We talked about Dracula here and here!
Wet Leg probably met Dracula too.

441 – Dracu-tastic

February 25, 2024 Miles 8 comments

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | RSS

In which Banshee should eat the rich; the real Monet is way more of a jerk than the fake one; the Marvel Universe is the world inside your brain-case; Maggott joins and quits Generation X at almost the speed of Sunfire; Dracula gives Chamber the D; and if Jay and Miles die in this episode, they die in real life.

X-PLAINED:

Dracula as a universal standard
Earth-441
Generation X #48-49
The missed potential of 13,000-year-old teenager Gaia
The Jay Faerber run of Generation X
Emma and Banshee’s forgotten X-friendship
That time that Moira ripped off Banshee’s skin and wore it like a Halloween costume (again)
Cordelia Frost, Emma’s younger sister
Adrienne Frost, Emma’s older sister
Interpersonal arguments by way of Asgardian combat scenarios
Jubilee, fox; versus M, scorpion
Alaska, moping capital of the Marvel Universe
Clever scene transitions
Constantine Francis Slaughter IV and his mustache
Puberty as body horror
Husk’s breakup haircut
Slug emulation
Generation X / Dracula Annual 1998
The Council of Cross-Time Draculas
Chamber’s goofy face
Vampire fonts
Jubilee’s bunny slippers
Charlie Brown in Snow Valley
Count von Count (again)
Monsters as class metaphor
What would happen if Synch synced with Legion
Who would pronounce Cable like Britta Perry pronounces bagel

NEXT EPISODE: Victor Von Doom X-Plains the X-Men.

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

Find us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify!

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 440 – Fightin’ and Ballin’

February 11, 2024 Miles One comment

Listen to the episode here.

Fight fight fight, fight fight fight! (X-Men #83)

PHWOOOOOSH PKOOOM YAAIIIHEEE SWOOOOOOOOOSSS (X-Men #83)

‘Sup, demonic sperm? (X-Men #83)

From organic steel to organic… whatever that is. (X-Men #83)

What if Pinocchio but evil Colossus-bot? (X-Men #83)

The other Cerebr(o/ite) design. (X-Men #83)

Design by David Cronenberg? (Uncanny X-Men #364)

Fight fight fight, fight fight fight! (Again again again!) (Uncanny X-Men #364)

The best version of Post. (Uncanny X-Men #364)

Wolverine: vigilante relationship counselor and motivational speaker. (Uncanny X-Men #364)

Eeeuuuugghhh (Uncanny X-Men #364)

Charles Xavier: the world’s most ripped telepath. (X-Men #84)

Cerebro Prime has almost completed its Pokédex! (X-Men #84)

Colossus practices his witty banter. (X-Men #84)

Oil and razor blades and cotton candy and (X-Men #84)

The Xavier Protocols are gorier than expected. (X-Men #84)

Imagine all the people (X-Men #84)

Back home and back to the status quo. (X-Men #84)

NEXT TIME: Dracula.

Links and further reading:

440 – Fightin’ and Ballin’

February 11, 2024 Miles 6 comments

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | RSS

In which the Hunt for Xavier remains vaguely disappointing; Gambit is good with kids; nanomachines are the new unstable molecules; Marrow is a walking armory; and we recommend comics for babies.

X-PLAINED:

The Hunt for Xavier, Part 2
Babies and/or ghosts
Chekhov’s repowering
X-Men #83-84
Uncanny X-Men #364
Cerebro / Cerebro Prime
Cerebrite Alpha
Cerebrite Beta
X-Men serial numbers
What Gambit’s friends call him
How Miles stopped worrying and learned to love Gambit
Evil robot sperm
Mary Purcell
Multiple-monitor displays
A computer with a computer
AI
The Florida facility
Post
Pile-Driver X
A glimpse into the butt of all humanity
Comics for babies
Name-based powers

NEXT EPISODE: Generation X has Dracula problems!

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

Find us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify!

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!