HOT. DAMN.
Author: Jay
As Mentioned in Episode 109 – The Passion of Madelyne Pryor
Listen to the episode here.

LINKS & FURTHER LISTENING
- For our Inferno coverage, we’re working (somewhat loosely) from the reading order mapped out at UncannyXMen.net.
- We’ll be bringing you up to speed on both the cinematic X-Men and Apocalypse’s comics background in episode 110, but if you want to brush up this week, you can do that here:
109 – The Passion of Madelyne Pryor
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In which you should not presume to judge Madelyne Pryor by your standards; we wrap up the core plot of Inferno (but still somehow have two episodes left to go); sympathetic is not the same thing as right; Storm and Jean use friendship and it’s super effective; Iceman is basically incorruptible; Angel gets a new codename; Cyclops gets a backstory; Sinister is aptly named; and Inferno makes retcons into retconade.
X-PLAINED:
- Limbo vs. Limbo
- Hel vs. Hell
- Uncanny X-Men #242-243
- X-Factor #38-39
- A moment that does not speak eloquently for itself
- Several extended misunderstandings
- The difference between sympathetic and right
- N’astirh’s sweet ride
- A false binary
- The Goblin Prince
- Yet another reason Havok should have finished his dissertation
- The power of friendship
- The Rube Goldberg approach to combat
- Superconductivity, kind of
- Our least favorite retcon in Inferno
- The Summers brothers summed up in a single scene
- Clone ethics
- Why we like it when characters screw up
- Our favorite retcons
- How to prep for X-Men: Apocalypse
NEXT WEEK: Apocalypse for Beginners
You can find a visual companion to this episode on our blog!
Find us on iTunes, Google Play, 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 prints of this week’s illustration at our shop, or contact David Wynne for the original!
Jay & Miles Review the X-Men, Episode 84
Week of May 11, 2016:
In which it is really hard to be the teenage clone of a supervillain; and Jay & Miles go to the movies.
REVIEWED:
*Pick of the Week (09:37)
Jay’s review of X-Men: Apocalypse
Filmed at Books With Pictures in Portland, OR.
Jay and Miles X-Plain the X-Men is 100% ad-free and listener supported. These video reviews–and everything else here–are made possible by the support of our Patreon subscribers. If you want to help support the podcast–and unlock more cool stuff–you can do that right here!
Come join us on Imzy!
The Heartily Enjoyable Train Wreck of X-Men: Apocalypse
Jay here!
Reviewing media here always feels like straddling a fence. On one hand, I’m a professional critic, and that’s a lens that never really goes away. On the other hand, when I’m writing or talking at xplainthexmen.com, I’m largely speaking as a fan, to other fans; and my considerations change accordingly. Sometimes, if I’m lucky, those perspectives line up, and everything is smooth sailing.
Other times, it’s X-Men: Apocalypse.
As Mentioned in Episode 108 – What Price Glory
Listen to the episode here.


LINKS & FURTHER READING:
- For our Inferno coverage, we’re working (somewhat loosely) from the reading order mapped out at UncannyXMen.net.
- Jay is the worst at Valentine’s Day.
- The amazing BelleChere cosplays a phenomenal page-accurate Goblin Queen, sometimes alongside either Rule-63 or original-flavor Sinister! (Madelyne is only one of a ton of really terrific X-Men cosplay BelleChere has done over the years; we highly recommend clicking through her galleries to see the rest!)
- Amanda Lafrenais draws awesome comics and has rats named after soup! (Link may not be work-safe–contains some cartoon nudity.)
108 – What Price Glory
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | RSS

In which we recap nearly 200 issues in under three minutes; Madelyne Pryor is the Medea of X-Men; Mister Sinister takes the stage; Dazzler is basically an ’80s movie refugee; Scrambler may or may not be an exchange student from the Riverdale Marauders; Marc Silvestri is excellent at some things and less so at others; nothing good happens in Nebraska; Trish Tilby is the April O’Neil of X-Factor; and we swear that it was a total coincidence that this episode went up on Mother’s Day.
X-PLAINED:
- One solution to the existential conundrum of the Carol Danvers who is also kind of part of Rogue
- Pretty much everything that’s happened since the Dark Phoenix Saga
- The structure of Inferno
- Uncanny X-Men #239-241
- X-Factor #36-37
- The rise of the Goblin Queen
- Several deaths in elevators
- Mister Sinister and his amazing action-figure collection
- The evolution of Mark Silvestri
- Madelyne and Alex
- A very symbolic dress
- The Rainbow Room
- M-Squad
- That damn costume
- 1989 in outfit form
- Jay’s favorite Marauder
- Rats-R-Us
- Wolverine vs. a mail box
- The X-Men, but evil
- The secret origin of Madelyne Pryor
- A long-anticipated reunion
- Objects we’d demonically animate
- Which X-Man should do your taxes
NEXT WEEK: The Passion of Madelyne Pryor
You can find a visual companion to this episode on our blog!
Find us on iTunes, Google Play, 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 prints of this week’s illustration at our shop, or contact David Wynne for the original!
Jay & Miles Review the X-Men, Episode 83; feat. Katie Proctor
Week of May 4, 2016:
In which we change locations; Uncanny X-Men is intriguing but uneven; X-Men ’92 is chock full o’ Draculas; and Books With Pictures is your future favorite comics shop!
REVIEWED:
- Uncanny X-Men #7 (01:48)
- *X-Men ’92 #3 (06:52)
*Pick of the Week (10:27)
Come to Books With Pictures this Saturday for Free Comic Book Day! https://bookswithpictures.com/
Jay and Miles X-Plain the X-Men is 100% ad-free and listener supported. These video reviews–and everything else here–are made possible by the support of our Patreon subscribers. If you want to help support the podcast–and unlock more cool stuff–you can do that right here!
Come join us on Imzy!
As Mentioned in Episode 107 – Fairy Tale Ending
Listen to the episode here.

LINKS AND FURTHER LISTENING:
- We discussed the Magik miniseries in Episode 19 – Acorns and Swords.
107 – Fairy Tale Ending
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | RSS

In which everyone’s got Inferno issues; Brett Blevins makes it work; Belasco is conspicuously absent from Inferno; you should never go into Hell barefoot; the greatest X-Men stories are about loss; and Illyana Rasputin finally gets a fairy tale ending.
X-PLAINED
- Tempus (Eva Bell)
- Storm and Illyana: Magik #1-4 (briefly)
- The two major Inferno plotlines
- New Mutants #71-73
- The best of Brett Blevins
- The rise and fall of Magik
- The ethics of time-travel interventions
- A weaponized retcon
- N’astirh Guy™
- A chair that is also a moral event horizon
- A significant soul-armor upgrade
- Several variations on a chapter title
- Possessed New York
- An overly complex conspiracy theory
- A bittersweet reunion
- The Kobayashi Maru scenario as applied to X-Men
- An even more bittersweet victory (of sorts)
- The eventual return of Magik (sort of)
- Why it’s really irresponsible to affiliate your school with a superhero team
- Our favorite versions of Wolfsbane’s transitional form
NEXT WEEK:
The Rise of the Goblin Queen!
You can find a visual companion to this episode on our blog!
Find us on iTunes, Google Play, 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 prints of this week’s illustration at our shop, or contact David Wynne for the original!