Jay & Miles X-Plain the X-Men

Category: conventions and events

ECCC Show Diary: Day 2

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The coolest kids in Seattle.
The coolest kids in Seattle.

Jay here! Today was our Really Big Day: the live episode. O.o

BUT WAIT! THERE’S MORE!

  • Stumbled through the morning and managed to get in mostly on time! (Well, I did; Miles almost did.)
  • If you had a coherent conversation with either David or me today, take a moment to thank AdminixtratriX Tina, who swung by shortly after opening with two enormous cups of coffee, because she is a saint/superhero.
  • There was SO MUCH GOOD COSPLAY today, which is particularly cool given that we know Saturday’s generally the big cosplay day at ECCC. People who turn out turned out on weekdays impress the hell out of me.
  • We did a LOT of bad X-Men sketches, and David did a lot of good ones. Also, between yesterday and today, I got Cyclops Has a Good Day sketches from the three people on my “Absolutely No Matter What” list for this show, which I will post eventually.
  • At 1:00, I ran off for my first panel: “We’re not Gonna Take It: How to Deal with Harassment in the Comics Community,” with Casey Gilly, Sarah Gaydos, and Annie Bulloch, and moderated by Jack Bauer. Very low turnout, but one of the best and most productive-feeling panels I’ve ever been on: we spent an hour discussing systemic factors in harassment in the comics industry and community, and hammering out practical solutions.
  • Stopped to see a bunch of friends at 312, and SUDDENLY THERE WERE SUGAR GLIDERS AND I GOT TO PET THEM AND THEY WERE TINY AND SOFT AND WONDERFUL! Also picked up a couple copies of Ma’at Crook’s absolutely lovely self-care comic/coloring book, and immediately gave one away.
  • Miles and I spent most of the spare moments we could grab between panels and talking to folks at the table to hammer out a rough outline for the episode; which was good, because I spent the last 40 minutes before the panel…
  • …outside with Scott Koblish, running through the cold open. I have NO IDEA what passers-by thought we were doing, but to their credit, they were very chill about it. We ended up behind an AMAZING Fury Road Crow cosplay on our way back in and so are probably in a lot of photos of it.
  • THE LIVE EPISODE. OH, MY GOD. WE DID THIS THING AND IT HAPPENED! Everyone was amazing, including Al Ewing, who we ended up dragging up from the audience to explain the current state of the multiverse. The crowd was fantastic, too–100% terrific questions, and pretty much everything
  • Fancy pizza + beer for dinner again; because if it’s not broke, don’t fix it. We briefly flirted with the idea of going to a couple parties, then decided to go home, take off our shoes, and finish proofing Episode 104 instead.

HERE ARE SOME PHOTOGRAPHS OF SOME STUFF!

 

Miles technically drew this Proletarian yesterday, but he just sent me the photo, so.
Miles technically drew this Proletarian yesterday, but he just sent me the photo, so.
In addition to being a kickass Dazzler, Sarah is a roller-derby rock star AND the human behind our pro photos!
In addition to being a kickass Dazzler, Sarah is a roller-derby rock star AND the human behind our pro photos!
Someone asked us to sign their copy of The Incredible Hulk #148, which features what may be the most important character debut in Marvel history.
Someone asked us to sign their copy of The Incredible Hulk #148, which features what may be the most important character debut in Marvel history. P.S. IF YOU ARE THIS PERSON: I FOUND THAT ONE BUTTON, AND I AM HOLDING IT FOR YOU.
I HAD TO DRAW A "CYCLOPS HAS A GOOD DAY" SKETCH CARD AND I TOTALLY BLANKED. Also, I just realized his headphones don't have a cord. Ah, well--there's a reason we bill these as "Bad drawings of your favorite X-Man."
I HAD TO DRAW A “CYCLOPS HAS A GOOD DAY” SKETCH CARD AND I TOTALLY BLANKED. Shoemaker’s children go barefoot, and all that, I suppose. Also, I just realized his headphones don’t have a cord. Ah, well–there’s a reason we bill these as “Bad drawings of your favorite X-Man.”
THIS SUGAR GLIDER IS IMPOSSIBLY TINY AND SOFT AND WONDERFUL AND I GOT TO PET IT AND IT WAS UTTERLY MAGICAL
THIS SUGAR GLIDER IS IMPOSSIBLY TINY AND SOFT AND WONDERFUL AND I GOT TO PET IT AND IT WAS UTTERLY MAGICAL
Our friend Tea as the King of Abs-Lantis. That is a TRAVEL TRIDENT, by the way: she's also got a full-size one, but this one is modular and fits into luggage, which kind of blows my mind.
Our friend Tea as the King of Abs-Lantis. That is a TRAVEL TRIDENT, by the way: she’s also got a full-size one, but this one is modular so that it can fit into luggage, which kind of blows my mind.
True fact: In addition to being a really good artist, Scott Koblish is an excellent and delightful human being.
True fact: In addition to being a really good artist, Scott Koblish is an excellent and delightful human being…
...who has also now set the high bar for the Cyclops Has a Good Day sketchbook.
…who has also now set the high bar for the Cyclops Has a Good Day sketchbook.
And then this happened, and it was PRETTY DARN AMAZING. (Also, thank you to everyone who was there for not spoiling to cold open online. The rest of you can catch it at the party tomorrow night, or when the episode goes a week from Sunday!)
And then this happened, and it was PRETTY DARN AMAZING. Left to right: Me, Miles, G. Willow Wilson, Kris Anka, Al Ewing, Scott Koblish! (Also, thank you to everyone who came; and double thanks for not spoiling to cold open online!! The rest of you can catch it live at the party tomorrow night, or when the episode goes a week from Sunday!)
Lush stuff I tried today: The Sexy Peel soap smells EXACTLY like marmalade, to the point where I kept expecting to be sticky after using it; and a little of the Wiccy Magic Muscles massage bar goes a VERY long way.
Lush stuff I tried today: The Sexy Peel soap smells EXACTLY like marmalade, to the point where I kept expecting to be sticky after using it; and the Wiccy Magic Muscles massage bar is nice, but perhaps over-scented. A little goes a VERY long way. Also, this is the first con I’ve been at in ages where my hands weren’t cracking by the second day, so obviously SOMETHING is working! =D

ECCC Show Diary: Day 1

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LOOK AT THESE GLORIOUS NERDS
LOOK AT THESE GLORIOUS NERDS

FIRST DAY OF THE SHOW PROPER!

We were expecting Thursday to be pretty quiet, but, no. You were NUMEROUS AND ENTHUSIASTIC, and IT WAS AWESOME. Here are the highlights:

  • Got up at stupid o’clock to feed the meter
  • Came back, showered, and put on grown-up daytime clothes. ONE OF US IS WEARING A TIE. MUCH ADULT VERY PROFESSIONAL.
  • Moved the car, because Capitol Hill has no parking. Damnit, Seattle!
  • David had caught inevitable international-travel plague, so we dropped off ibuprofen at his hotel, then…
  • …got lunch at a sushi place that we are fairly sure was actively attempting to make us leave. JOKE’S ON THEM. WE ATE SUSHI AND THEN PAID FOR IT AND THEN LEFT.
  • Went and set up our table.
  • DID A LOT OF CONVENTION.
  • I got two new Cyclops Has a Good Day sketches, from Cully Hamner and David Wynne. Yesssssssss.
  • Miles got a super sweet Silent Hill poster from Mondo…
  • …and I got Miles a super sweet Thors poster from Peter V. Nguyen
  • Once the show let out, we met up with Scott Koblish, and wandered off to get dinner…
  • …then practiced the cold open in an empty parking lot.
  • Our friends Katie and Douglas were hosting a karaoke night to celebrate both the show and recent amazing professional projects (THEY ARE AWESOME! GO KATIE AND DOUGLAS!), so we headed down.
  • Did you know that Miles sings Blondie? Miles sings Blondie. HE IS VERY GOOD AT IT.
  • Also, Al Ewing sang “Let It Go,” and possibly manifested a whole sci-fi rock musical just by being the weirdest and Britishest person in the room.
  • ANYWAY. We are very tired and slightly tipsy, and it is probably time for sleep. OUR LIVE PANEL IS TOMORROW (today; it’s after midnight) at 5:30 PM IN ROOM T304, AND YOU SHOULD ALL COME.
  • Seriously. KINDA FREAKING OUT about this cold open. It is by far and away the most ambitious one we’ve ever done.

PHOTOS:

Jay's first sharpie knuckle tats of the day, for a friend who used to co-run one of our favorite video-game websites EVER in high school. HI, NICH! YOU ARE AWESOME!
Jay’s first sharpie knuckle tats of the day, for a friend who used to co-run one of our favorite video-game websites EVER in high school. HI, NICH! YOU ARE AWESOME!
Miles drew Bill the Lobster. Your argument is invalid.
Miles drew Bill the Lobster. Your argument is invalid.
Jay drew Magik. This was part of a pair, but the other one's in Miles's phone, and we're tired, so we'll post it later.
Jay drew Magik. This was part of a pair, but the other one’s in Miles’s phone, and we’re tired, so we’ll post it later.
A++ milk stout.
A++ milk stout.
DID YOU KNOW THAT SEATTLE HAS AN X-MEN BURLESQUE SHOW? These two are part of it, and they are awesome!
DID YOU KNOW THAT SEATTLE HAS AN X-MEN BURLESQUE SHOW? These two are part of it, and they are awesome!
Lush stuff I tried today! Needles and Pines Shower Jelly smells like camping, but not unpleasantly so; and No Drought dry shampoo is my new best convention friend forever.
Lush stuff I tried today! Needles and Pines Shower Jelly smells like camping, but not unpleasantly so; and No Drought dry shampoo is my new best convention friend forever.

ECCC Diary: Day -1

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books

Jay here! A lot of you have written to say you wish you could be at ECCC this weekend. We can’t bring you with us, but hopefully we can give you at least a virtual window (and try a new X-periment on the blog) with a show diary!

Today we:

  • Drove up to Seattle from Portland
  • Dropped party stuff off–and picked up a few books–at the super awesome Phoenix Comics
  • Got our badges and worked out our table set-up! We are experimenting with more vertical arrangements this time, since we’ve only got half a table, and it is a little terrifying. Also, I broke the vase our sign goes in, but was able to repair it with a whooooole lot of duct tape.
  • Got David from the airport. It’s his first time in the U.S.! We went to a restaurant with $5 martinis and very okay barbecue and compared national stereotypes and were generally pretty excited about finally meeting after most of a decade of being Internet friends!
  • Bought groceries. Grocery shopping for cons is always super weird–by the time we get to the store, we’re tired and fuzzy, and it turns into a sort of surreal vacation-like fugue state. This time, we spent a lot of time looking at Spider-Man toys, then mostly bought granola bars, because we are boring adults.
  • Finally got into the place where we’re staying. We’re crashing at a friend’s place while she’s out of town, and her locks are suuuuuuper sticky, so there was some frantic messaging and experimenting, and I was briefly extremely worried that someone would think I was trying to break in. BUT WE DID IT, and we figured out the trick to mostly maybe making the outdoor key work. Kind of. We hope.
  • AND NOW WE ARE IN BED. Oh! And listener BLL, who works at Lush, sent us a ridiculously amazing package of fancy bath-type stuff, which we then forgot to try, but we brought it with us! And I am totally going to try at least a few things every day that we’re here, because it all smells amazing. (I am a creature of capital-H Habit, and am baffled and intimidated by fancy bath products, but BLL included both a detailed guide and a bunch of X-Men references, so I am ON TOP OF THIS.)

PHOTOS FOR YOU:

Our table! We set everything up, took a photo, and then took most of it down, because we didn't have a dropcloth. BUT! We have a photo, so we will know where it all goes tomorrow.
Our table! We set everything up, took a photo, and then took most of it down, because we didn’t have a dropcloth. BUT! We have a photo, so we will know where it all goes tomorrow. That’s our friend Rue is in the background. She’s awesome.
Lush stuff I tried tonight! The toothpaste tabs are super weird, the charity pot lotion is AMAZING, and the lip balm both smells and tastes kind of like lemon frosting!
Lush stuff I tried tonight! The toothpaste tabs are weird enough that I’m having trouble getting past the novelty to determine whether I actually liked them, the charity pot lotion is AMAZING AND I AM IN LOVE WITH IT, and the lip balm both smells and tastes kind of like lemon frosting! (Guest starring my sweet Spider-Man travel toothbrush.)
Two very tired X-Perts who have to get up very early tomorrow to move their car. GOOD NIGHT, INTERNET!
Two very tired X-Perts who have to get up very early tomorrow to move their car. GOOD NIGHT, INTERNET!

 

We’re Going to Vegas Valley Comic Book Festival!

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VVCBF_logo

Rachel here! We are super pleased to announce (okay, we’ve been tweeting about it for a few weeks, but STILL) that we’re guests at the 2015 Vegas Valley Comic Book Festival on November 7!

We’ll be doing two panels–including our second live episode! For those of you who caught the Rose City show, this one’s going to be a little different–more continuity, for one–so we really hope you’ll come out and join us! We’ll also be tabling all day, with t-shirts, buttons, the second printing (!) of the zine, and more!

VVCBF seems like a really cool show: free, library-run, with an awesome guest lineup. If you’re in the Vegas area, come out and say hi!!

 

Cyclops Has a Good Day (and Rachel can’t draw) at Rose City Comic Con!

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RACHEL HERE!

As long-time listeners know, I have a Cyclops Has a Good Day con sketchbook, because I am a huge and unapologetic dork (newcomers might have keyed in to that last part). I’m godawful about posting updates, so, here’s what’s new from RCCC and ECCC!

(We’ve already posted our photos from RCCC, the live episode, and the party/listener meetup, over here!)

Erica Henderson (RCCC 2015)
Dylan Meconis (RCCC 2015)
Ron Randall (RCCC 2015)
Peter V. Nguyen (ECCC 2015)
Jake Wyatt (ECCC 2015)

BUT WAIT! THERE’S MORE! Miles and I stole a page from Chris and Chad’s playbook and did terrible X-Men sketches for $1 at our table. Miles forgot to take pictures of his, which is a double shame because he’s way better at this than I am and ALSO because one of his sketches was Adam X the X-Treme riding a giant can of Mountain Dew. BUT HERE ARE MINE.

 

“Draw whoever you want” is a 100% surefire way to take home a picture of Warlock.
Damn skippy, Shadowcat!
Havok, or, How Rachel Learned that Trucker Hats Are Not Actually Easier to Draw than That Stupid Thing Silver-Age Havok Usually Wears.
Quentin Quire got kind of meta. NO REGRETS.
Beyonder poop jokes are forever.
I also did a bunch of sharpie knuckle tattoos, but only remembered to document two. CPTN MRVL!
WHAAAAT?!

 

Rose City Comic Con was the COOLEST

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Listen to the live episode here!

We are so ridiculously lucky: our hometown con is the coolest. It’s only a few years old, but Rose City Comic Con is one of the most fun, accessible, welcoming, and all-around celebratory comics shows we’ve ever been to. This was our first con as Rachel & Miles X-Plain the X-Men, and our first ever live episode; and we can’t imagine a better place to start.

Click through the gallery below for photos from the con, the panel, and the party! (We’ll toss the sketches up separately tomorrow!)

Art by David Wynne. Prints and cards available until 10/4/2015 at the shop, or contact David to purchase the original.
Someone left Rachel alone with the button press.
More con prep.
We have a table! (Also, a lot of people were really irate about the word balloon, SIGH.)
WHOADANG, it’s the brand new zines and con-exclusive t-shirts!
Punk Cyclops was one of our favorite cosplays of the show.
Awesome going as well as coming!
Our friend Sarah–a kickass pro photographer in her own right–was cosplaying as Rule-63 Phil Sheldon of Marvels!
Rachel’s heart 100% belongs to Norita Smoeuk’s 50s Girl-Gang X-Men. These three were part of a whole group cosplaying Norita’s wildly kickass designs.
Even Marvel characters are sufficiently confused by their own continuity to need our help!
Benja Barker of Portland’s Alter Egos Society hooked us up with this incredibly cool X-Men belt buckle, which sneakily velcros around pretty much any belt.
Monsters of Podcasting celebrating at the Kaijucast booth after our Sunday panel. L to R: Rachel and Miles; Zee and Jamie of the British History Podcast; Kyle of Kaijucast (and our producer!).
“Let’s just meet at the panel room,” we told the guests. “There shouldn’t be a line or anything.”
Damn, there were a lot of you. HI, PORTLAND!
Rachel and Miles X-plain Cable and Stryfe in the live episode cold open. (Photo courtesy of Kyle Yount.)
Left to right: Ann Nocenti, Miles Stokes, Rachel Edidin, Jeff Parker, Chris Yost. (Photo courtesy of Kyle Yount.)
Annie and Miles. (Photo courtesy of Sarah Giffrow / Upswept Creative.)
Annie, Miles, Rachel, and Jeff. (Photo courtesy of Sarah Giffrow / Upswept Creative.)
Katie and Kestrel set the question bar AWFULLY high. (Photo courtesy of Sarah Giffrow / Upswept Creative.)
Custom drink menus from The Steep & Thorny Way to Heaven. (The X-Men menu was 21+; New Mutants were all-ages.)
SO. GOOD.
Magneto and friends hang the Days of Future Past wall.
(Magneto also doubled as DJ and bartender. Thank you, Myrrh!)
Live cold-open previews have been a thing since our ECCC meetup. This time, we got some help from Fern. Yes, we have TWO tiny Squirrel-Girl X-perts, and they are both THE BEST. (Photo courtesy of @pawpaw5771)
There are a LOT of variations on this photo, but I think Max and Brandon may have been the first. (Photo courtesy of Brandon Goede.)
White Phoenix has no patience for this post-apocalypse nonsense. (Photo courtesy of Cassandra Carter.)
The word balloons from ECCC were also out in force. (Photo courtesy of Cassandra Carter.)
The British History Podcast wants you to know that your dark future really doesn’t have a damn thing on the past. (Photo courtesy of Jamie and Zee.)
The team-up you weren’t expecting. (Photo courtesy of Christopher Troy.)
We’re gonna go ahead and say that “continuity” is the correct collective noun for Cyclopses. In that spirit: here’s continuity of Cyclopses. (Photo courtesy of Jeff Polier.)
Another homage to the original cover. Dave, on the left, helped build and weather the wall. Katie’s Marvel Girl is updated from the o5 group previously pictured on our blog. (Photo courtesy of the Proctors.)
This Shadowcat is not only an awesomely on-point cosplayer (that Lockheed!) but also one of the coolest teenagers we’ve ever met. (Photo courtesy of Tom Kishel.)
Two very happy, very tired X-Perts. (Photo courtesy of Myrrh Larsen.)
NEXT WEEK: Fallen Angels!

Special thanks to a LOT of people without whom the con and show wouldn’t have been possible:

  • Panel Guests: Ann Nocenti, Jeff Parker, and Chris Yost
  • Earth-811 Craft Department: Dave Proctor and Cameron Harris
  • Everyone from Rose City Comic Con; but particularly Mikey Nielson, Ron Brister, and Paula Brister.
  • Our amazing, amazing, amazing party hosts at The Steep & Thorny Way to Heaven: Megan Skye Hale and Myrrh Larsen
  • Team X-Plain: Tina Abate, David Wynne, and Kyle Yount.
  • The Absolute Goddamn Best: Katie Moody and Anna Sheffey.
  • Last but not least: Max Carleton, Dusty Eppers, Jason Betournay, Scott Hazle, Fern, Kestrel, Jasper, and everyone who turned out to help, yell, party, and X-Plain with us at and after RCCC!

 

Announcing: Rose City Comic Con panel guests!

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RCCC_PANEL_HEADER

We are ever so pleased to announce our three guest X-Perts for tomorrow’s live RCCC episode:

Hailing from the pages of X-Men: First Class and Exiles–along with a slew of other superhero and creator-owned comics–Portland’s own Jeff Parker!

Crossing X-media, from animated series and feature films to comics; co-creator of X-23, and most recently, writer of Amazing X-Men—Christopher Yost!

And finally: Writer, editor, journalist, and filmmaker; industry legend; long-time X-Men editor; and creator of Longshot–Annie Nocenti.

Saturday.

5 PM.

Panel Room 5.

Hope you survive the… you know.

survivetheexperience_cliche

(For more details on the panel and the rest of the stuff we’ve got going on at and around RCCC this weekend, click over here!)

ECCC Cosplay Round-Up

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Rachel here!

I know I didn’t catch all of the great X-cosplay at Emerald City Comicon this past weekend, but here are a handful of my favorites from the show floor!

Thanks to everyone in this gallery for taking the time to pose, and for giving us permission to post your photos here! Only one of you gave us contact info; if anyone else would like me to add credits and/or a link (or to take your photo down), please drop a line and let me know!

First of the show: ’90s Rogue and Gambit!
I wish I’d gotten a photo of the full Dark Phoenix cocktail dress–it was really beautifully made.
The first and only modern Magneto we spotted! You can’t see it in the photo, but she had a Magneto Made Some Valid Points button on her utility belt. =D
Rule 63 Rogue and Gambit. There were a LOT of Rogues and Gambits.
Jubilee!
Shadowcat and Lockheed!
This is a lousy photo, but this Beast was SPECTACULARLY good.
Legacy-era Rogue, with bonus Peggy Carter! (I keep thinking that this particular Rogue costume would make a really great hoodie or wool coat.)
This “Riot at Xavier’s” Quentin Quire–complete with a Kick inhaler–is the first QQ cosplay that I will voluntarily admit is better than mine.
Serval Industries Polaris, cosplayed by Keightee Liza. (Incidentally: I just clicked through to Keightee’s website–she gave me a card at the show–and apparently she also cosplays Angie Martinelli from Agent Carter. SO AWESOME.)
We ran into this Gambit on our way back from the X-Plain the X-Men meetup on Saturday!
Not only is Jean an awesome Jubilee–and sporting a set of my sharpie knuckle tats– but she singlehandedly saved the ECCC special by lending us a mic and a pop-filter when we realized we’d left ours in Portland.
Same Magneto, different day (and still sporting the Valid Points pin!).
I really hope someone got details and a turnaround of this costume, because this Punk Storm was BRILLIANT. Not only does her costume kick ass, but every single detail–every button, every patch–is in character and thought out. This is how you do AU cosplay. THIS. FOREVER.
A very young Dark Phoenix in the hands-down best version of the classic costume that I saw all weekend. Her parents told me that this was her first con; I assume that by this time next year she’ll be running the world.