Blog Posts – Page 21 – Jay & Miles X-Plain the X-Men

As Mentioned in Episode 263 – The Oldest Teens of Them All

September 15, 2019 Jay Leave a comment

Listen to the podcast here!

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

This looks like a “Sexy Spider-Woman” costume from Party City. (X-Force #34)

IT’S FOR FLIRTING, RICTOR. (X-Force #34)

I guess this is just his thing now. (X-Force #34)

These guys. <3 (X-Force #34)

At least one person on this art team clearly thought Rictor was Gambit. (X-Force #34)

Seriously, though, why did they come along? (X-Force #34)

Who even sits like that while they’re thinking? (X-Force #34)

Starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. (X-Force #35)

The. Worst. Security. System. (X-Force #35)

X-Force kind of needs a team counselor. (X-Force #35)

I want a whole side story about the two of them raising some hell. (X-Force #35)

Okay, but for the record, atomic bombs are also bad. (X-Force #35)

Cable, have you even read this comic? (X-Force #35)

That’s our boy. (X-Force #36)

Sucks to be Nimrod, I guess? (X-Force #36)

I’m really uncomfortable with the concept of “hot Apocalypse.” (X-Force #37)

Later, S’mores. (X-Force #37)

I don’t know why this panel is so funny to me, but IT’S SO FUNNY. (X-Force #37)

That’s not how you coffin, guys. (X-Force #37)

Right there with you, Sam. (X-Force #37)

“Also, you’re big jerks.” (X-Force #37)

NEXT EPISODE: Douglock!

As Mentioned in Episode 262 – Science Fiction Double Feature

September 1, 2019 Jay One comment

Listen to the episode here.

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

He’s a fun guy. (X-Men #311)

Aw. (X-Men #311)

Uncool, Sabretooth. Uncool. (X-Men #311)

Bishop is rad as hell. (X-Men #311)

See, this is why you should’ve taken her to the movies. (X-Men #311)

Emma’s got a new look. (X-Men #312)

Cool, but not the coolest. (X-Men #313)

No freakin’ kidding. (X-Men #313)

Ah, THAT’S the coolest. (X-Men #313)

Storm is so cool. (X-Men #313)

This club is the worst. (X-Men #311)

$The Phalanx, in a small fraction of its glory. (X-Men #312)$

The Phalanx, in a small fraction of its glory. (X-Men #312)

They’re very good friends. (X-Men #312)

Gambit is legitimately fairly charming, at least as drawn by Joe Madureira. (X-Men #312)

One of several shovel talks. (X-Men #312)

Oh, snap. (X-Men #312)

Familiar faces, and somewhat less familiar bodies. (X-Men #312)

And then, another shovel talk. (X-Men #312)

NEXT EPISODE: Remember this dude?

The Designing X-Women art isn’t online yet, but when it is, we’ll drop a link here!

As Mentioned in Episode 261 – Out of the Subtext

August 25, 2019 Jay 2 comments

Listen to the podcast here.

Some real-life couples have waited more than 37 years to safely kiss in public.

Some never got the chance.

Some are still waiting.

Representation matters.

*History of the Marvel Universe* #3, published 37 years after Mystique and Destiny’s first on-panel appearance together.

As Mentioned in Episode 260 – Professor Power’s Prodigal Podcast

August 18, 2019 Jay Leave a comment

Listen to the episode here!

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

Storm and Polaris: a study in contrasts. And not just the hair. (X-Factor #101)

Guido’s smile is his mask… (X-Factor #101)

…and sometimes that mask falls. (X-Factor #101)

You know how you could tell how much trouble the heroes were in on early seasons of Star Trek: Voyager by how messed up Janeway’s hair was? Havok is like that too, but with angst and stubble. (X-Factor #101)

…and plasma blasts. (X-Factor #101)

We are so, so here for Forge’s pettiness. (X-Factor #101)

Thank you, DeMatteis, for remembering to let Moira mourn too. (X-Factor #101)

You know, now that Forge has gotten over himself a little, he and Storm are a pretty great couple. (X-Factor #101)

Mutant power as metaphor. Yes please. (X-Factor #102)

Not only does Rahne have her freedom and independence back, but she also has one of the best friendships in the Marvel Universe! (X-Factor #102)

It’s the biggest character redemption for Moira MacTaggert until we find out that… eh, that’s probably a little too current to spoil. (X-Factor #102)

“Specifically, it may or may not be a PowerBook 500 series with one o’ them newfangled Ethernet ports!” (X-Factor #102)

He’s been practicing that line in the mirror for months. (X-Factor #102)

The next morning, Forge found a “#1 BOSS” coffee mug on his desk with a thank-you card from Polaris. (X-Factor #102)

God damn, Jan Duursema sure can draw a fight scene. (X-Factor #102)

Polaris has your number, Random. (X-Factor #102)

Crap crap fucky fucky (X-Factor #102)

“And I see you brought your abs!” (X-Factor Annual #9)

Half the cast may be gone, but X-Factor sure still is X-Factor. (X-Factor Annual #9)

“This is my good side, though. It is my butt. My butt is my good side.” (X-Factor Annual #9)

Man, LEGO figures got weird in the 90s. (X-Factor Annual #9)

The Shores of Oblivion feature mist, candles, and PowerPoint presentations! (X-Factor Annual #9)

“This will be much easier now that I’ve finally made it into an actual X-book!” (X-Factor Annual #9)

BOOOOO THIS PLOTLINE (X-Factor Annual #9)

Haven X-Plains Haven. (X-Factor Annual #9)

YOUR FETUS’S FACE IS FAMILIAR (X-Factor Annual #9)

Aww, Guido… (X-Factor Annual #9)

We didn’t talk about this pinup by Steve and Marianne Lightle, but it is delightful. (X-Factor Annual #9)

Not only did Miles have a partially-neon Bart Simpson shirt in the early 90s (as did the much older kid next to him), he also had a truly questionable mullet.

NEXT TIME: Live from Flame Con 2019!

As Mentioned in Episode 259 – Kwannon Leap

August 11, 2019 Jay 4 comments

Listen to the podcast here.

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

Does this remind anyone else of the choreography of “Glory” from Pippin? To those two of you now imagining these three soft-shoeing through a battlefield: you’re welcome. (X-Men #31)

Spiral X-Plains a thing or three. (X-Men #31)

The eye fairy left you a present! (X-Men #31)

One of those important relationship talks. (X-Men #31)

“Also, I brought you some eyes.” (X-Men #31)

See what we meant about the alternating forms? (X-Men #31)

While Kwannon’s story leaves a lot to be desired, I’m glad she at least got to die closer to its center. (X-Men #31)

Chekhov’s battle banter! (X-Men #32)

Man, fuck Nyorin. (X-Men #32)

Epitath by Claremont. (X-Men #32)

Someday a very confused student is going to fish those out of the lake. (X-Men #32)

In case you were wondering whether Gambit was cool as a teenager: No. (X-Men #33)

WHY WOULD YOU GIVE SABRETOOTH THIS ABILITY WHY (X-Men #33)

In this house we appreciate Henri LeBeau and Henri LeBeau’s mustache. (X-Men #33)

“So, I’ve been reading Spider-Man…” (X-Men #33)

Obviously not, Gambit, or you’d be in Antarctica right now. (X-Men #33)

NEXT EPISODE: Havok once again fails to complete his dissertation.

LINKS & FURTHER HAWK TALK:

We discussed the first version of Psylocke’s transformation in Episode 137 – Kicky Kinko Killers; and the second, which introduced Kwannon, in Episode 222 – A Tale of Two Betsys.

Night on Earth is a brilliant movie, and also the main source of our Roberto Begnini hipster cred.

If you like your dives deep and granular, we highly recommend Chris and Robert’s dialogic annotations, HoX PoX ToX.

As Mentioned in Episode 258 – True Believers, Opportunists, and Crooks (feat. Lisa Winters)

August 4, 2019 Miles Leave a comment

Listen to the podcast here!

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

Wait, I could have taped my carefully-clipped-out newspaper strips into a book designed especially for that purpose? HAD I BUT KNOWN! (Spider-Man: Mutant Agenda #0)

…although the IKEA box that Jay decoupaged those strips onto does look pretty damned cool.

Newspaper strip motivations only get two or three panels’ worth of complexity. (Spider-Man: the newspaper comic strip)

Hey, it’s a Sunday page! I don’t think my paper got these. (Spider-Man: the newspaper comic strip)

Did… did that guy just have that picket sign with him? Just in case? (Spider-Man: the newspaper comic strip)

Breaking into places is pretty easy, I guess. Time for a life of crime! (Spider-Man: the newspaper comic strip)

Pacing! (Spider-Man: the newspaper comic strip)

Laser cages, surprises, goblin gliders – this one’s got it all! (Spider-Man: the newspaper comic strip)

PUMPKIN BOMB WITH A KNIFE STICKING OUT OF IT FOR PRESIDENT (Spider-Man: the newspaper comic strip)

You know how your skin gets wrinkly if you stay in the tub for too long? (Spider-Man: the newspaper comic strip)

I mean, newspaper comics are fun, but… Backstory! Motivation! Continuity! (Spider-Man: Mutant Agenda #1)

Remember Amazing Adventures volume 2 #11? This miniseries does! (Spider-Man: Mutant Agenda #1)

Hank McCoy: Master of Disguise. (Spider-Man: Mutant Agenda #1)

Moichandising! (Spider-Man: Mutant Agenda #1)

Can’t fit that into a newspaper strip! (Spider-Man: Mutant Agenda #1)

Banter! (Spider-Man: Mutant Agenda #2)

“Basically, we used to party all the time, but then this furry guy broke a wristwatch and everything sucked after that.” (Spider-Man: Mutant Agenda #2)

Prosaic? More like AWESOME! …Admittedly, I say this as someone outside of the cage. (Spider-Man: Mutant Agenda #2)

This scientist only appears on a few pages, but he’s already the best villain in the series. And he doesn’t even have a pumpkin bomb with a knife sticking out of it. (Spider-Man: Mutant Agenda #2)

They tried rolling out a Goblin Glider rental program in Portland, but mostly folks just crashed them into things. (Spider-Man: Mutant Agenda #3)

Uh, Landon, you’ve got something in your teeth – no, to the left – yeah, you got it. (Spider-Man: Mutant Agenda #3)

Dammit, Jason, it’s not even October! (Spider-Man: Mutant Agenda #3)

I love this guy. (Spider-Man: Mutant Agenda #3)

Landon-type Pokemon are weak against Irony-type attacks. (Spider-Man: Mutant Agenda #3)

If you have a 90s Marvel cartoon, you work Wolverine in wherever you can. It’s the law. (Spider-Man: The Animated Series season 2, episode 17, The Mutant Agenda)

Landon’s transformation takes a somewhat different turn on-screen than on the page. (Spider-Man: The Animated Series season 2, episode 18, Mutants’ Revenge)

NEXT EPISODE: X-Factor mourns and moves on.

As Mentioned in Episode 257 – The Adventures of Rachel Summers in the 37th Century

August 4, 2019 Jay Leave a comment

Listen to the episode here.

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

Nero’s preferred method of execution is smothering her victims under a mountain of word balloons. (X-Men: Phoenix #1)

There’s got to be a timeline where he took up a more wholesome hobby, like paint-by-number or rugmaking. (X-Men: Phoenix #1)

TBH, this is pretty much what happened last time I tried to buy a used car, too. (X-Men: Phoenix #1)

The Order of Witnesses is basically the Watchers but smaller and with more clothing. (X-Men: Phoenix #1)

Still hard to believe this is a published cover. (X-Men: Phoenix #2)

Rachel X-Plains the fledgling Askani fellowship. (X-Men: Phoenix #2)

PHOENIX POWERS, GO! (X-Men: Phoenix #2)

Aw, Rachel. (X-Men: Phoenix #3)

This kid is actually Tanya Trask, because, comics. (X-Men: Phoenix #3)

Variations on a theme. (X-Men: Phoenix #3)

You’d think this would be a major story point; but, nah. (X-Men: Phoenix #3)

NEXT EPISODE: The mutant agenda hits the funny pages!

LINKS & FURTHER PLANS:

Come see us at FlameCon!
Learn more about Māori chin tattooing.

As Mentioned in Episode 256 – Mullets of Time and Space

July 14, 2019 Jay 3 comments

Listen to the podcast here!

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

Always aspire to a higher level of time paradox! (Excalibur #75)

How much extra creepiness does this already creepy scene get from the bolding of “his”? (Excalibur #75)

It’s his girlfriend. He called and asked her to come over. There is literally no reason that this should be so mysterious and pseudo-suspenseful. (Excalibur #75)

You do you, Amanda. (Excalibur #75)

PITCH: “What if only Captain Britain’s arms had returned from the timestream?” (Excalibur #75)

If you need me, I will be over here having FEELINGS about the lack of official acknowledgement of this relationship. (Excalibur #75)

“I was going to have some really dubious facial hair.” (Excalibur #75)

This better be worth it. (Excalibur #75)

[Ron Howard narrator voice] It was not worth it. (Excalibur #75)

GET IT? GET IT? GET IT? (Excalibur #75)

I hope you’re happy in the life you’ve chosen for yourself. (Excalibur #76)

“I mean, for some value of the term.” (Excalibur #76)

Well, that’s portentous. (Excalibur #76)

This is UNQUESTIONABLY the face of a man who has attempted to eat a toaster, a tube of lipstick, and several telephones. (Excalibur #76)

Nightcrawler, in his moppet days. (Excalibur #76)

I don’t understand D’Spayre’s torso muscles; and, frankly, I don’t care to. (Excalibur #76)

SEE WHAT I MEAN?! (Excalibur #77)

D’Spayre’s only weaknesses are joy and, by remarkable coincidence, children named Amil. (Excalibur #77)

WHAT?! (Excalibur #77)

The cutest pin-up. (Excalibur #77)

NEXT EPISODE: The adventures of Rachel Summers in the 37th Century!

LINKS & FURTHER LISTENING:

You can hear all about D’Spayre’s first clash with the X-Men (or at least one of them) in Episode 14 – Look Upon My Man-Thing and D’Spayre!
We talked about the time Margali Szardos build Nightcrawler his own private hell in Episode 134 – Live at Vegas Valley Comic Book Festival.

As Mentioned in Episode 255 – Rules of the Game

July 7, 2019 Jay 2 comments

Listen to the podcast here.

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

On one hand: Yes, it’s still a cool design. On the other hand: Remember when it wasn’t sexualized? (X-Force #32)

Any resemblance to Bill Watterson is entirely incidental, probably, maybe. (X-Force #32)

Oh. THEM. (X-Force #32)

Meanwhile in X-Men #29… (X-Force #32)

Meanwhile in a cameo in X-Men #29… (X-Force #32)

Paige Guthrie, during the two pages when she could briefly turn into a bird. (X-Force #32)

Yeah, that swimsuit is… improbable. (X-Force #32)

Fitzroy, now with knock-off Transformer armor! (X-Force #32)

The Gamesmaster X-Plains the current round. (New Warriors #45)

KARMA! We missed you!! (New Warriors #45)

You… you sure just said that, didn’t you? (New Warriors #45)

OH, SNAP. (New Warriors #45)

It kind of feels like a waste that he didn’t say “Let me slip into something more comfortable.” (X-Force #33)

DON’T PUT HUSK IN A CORNER! (X-Force #33)

Oh, no! Not… an unnecessarily complicated radial containment array! (X-Force #33)

Aw, Shinobi. (X-Force #33)

Bold of you to imply that you ever do otherwise. (New Warriors #46)

I considered zooming waaaay in and seeing if I could recognize anyone in this, but then I decided not to. (New Warriors #46)

Paige Guthrie plays to win. (New Warriors #46)

This is… a really, really big dangling thread. Dangling rope, maybe. (New Warriors #46)

NEXT EPISODE: Mullets of time and space!

LINKS & FURTHER LISTENING

Miles was on Unpacking the Power of the Power Pack, which you can listen to right here!
We were both all over the Internet in June.

As Mentioned in Episode 254 – Carry Each Other

June 30, 2019 Miles 5 comments

Listen to the podcast here.

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

All these years, Miles thought he was quoting Jean Grey, but it turned out to be Oscar Wilde. AS USUAL. (X-Men: The Wedding Album)

“Dammit, Logan never made me talk about feelings!” (X-Men: The Wedding Album)

Green ain’t your color anyway, kid. (X-Men: The Wedding Album)

I love every aspect of this segment except for every aspect of its format. Except the Jubilee silhouette at the top, that part’s pretty cool. (X-Men: The Wedding Album)