Jay & Miles X-Plain the X-Men

As Mentioned in Episode 49 – Of Mullets and Miracles

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Listen to the episode here!

Art by David Wynne. Prints and cards available until 3/29/2015 in the shop, or contact David for the original.
The man, the myth, the Patient Zero of the ’90s (visually, anyway)! (Longshot #1)
So, basically, this is Secret Wars II, done right. (Longshot #1)
“I see by your outfit that you are a glam survivalist!” Fun fact: Rachel inextricably associates the song “The Streets of Laredo” with the movie Night on Earth. (Longshot #1)
A PERFECTLY NORMAL PUPPY. (Longshot #1)
GAH. Seriously, who DOES that? (Longshot #1)
Talk to your doctor about psychometry, today! (Longshot #1)
Oh. I guess THAT’S who does that. (Longshot #1)
“Plus, y’know, it’s the title of the miniseries.” (Longshot #1)
RICOCHET RITA IS THE BEST! (Longshot #2)
Seriously, So awesome. (Longshot #2)
ORDINARY. PUPPY. (Longshot #2)
Longshot’s previous life was pretty intense. (Longshot #2)
Of course, his current life is kinda rough, too. (Longshot #2)
Would it be too awful to describe this layout as “Artful”? TOO LATE. (Longshot #3)
Aw, Jinx. (Longshot #3)
JJJ, never change. You’re delightful. (Longshot #3)
Aw, Longshot. (Longshot #3)
A SHOCKING TWIST! (Longshot #3)
Meanwhile, in more recognizable corners of the Marvel Universe… (Longshot #4)
Star Slammers! (Longshot #4)
Nocenti is many things as a writer, but “subtle” is probably not one of them. (Longshot #4)
Mojo is terrifying. (Longshot #4)
He’s not wrong. When he’s not the PoV character, Spider-Man comes off as a huge jerk. (Longshot #4)
Not actually episode-relevant, except inasmuch as Rita is the best and her dog is named Saxaphone (sic). (Longshot #4)
DO NOT ENTER THE DOG PARK DO NOT ACKNOWLEDGE THE DOG PARK (Longshot #4)
Pup is a complex guy with complex feelings on complex subjects. (Longshot #5)
HI, QUARK! (Longshot #5)
Aw, Rita. (Longshot #5)
I was gonna rewrite some Tom Bombadil poetry for the caption to this, but it’s late and I’m tired, so let’s maybe just take that as read. (Longshot #5)
Have you ever read the Edward Gorey story “The Beastly Baby”? (Longshot #5)
Aw, Rita. (Longshot #6)
“I see by our outfits that we are the protagonists of an early arcade beat-’em-up.” (Longshot #6)
Gahhhhhhhhh. (Longshot #6)
Saddest three panels in the series. Seriously. Stop and think for a moment about what’s happening here, and what Longshot doesn’t know. (Longshot #6)
Spoiler: Nope. (Longshot #6)
Longshot Saves the Marvel Universe is DELIGHTFUL.
NEXT WEEK: The trial of Magneto!

LINKS:

  • Dr. Evermor’s is seriously amazing. If you’re ever in the neighborhood of Sumpter, WI, you should check it out.

49 – Of Mullets and Miracles

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download

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Art by David Wynne. Prints and cards available until 3/29/2015 in the shop, or contact David for the original.
Art by David Wynne. Prints and cards available until 3/29/2015 in the shop, or contact David for the original.

In which we meet Miles’s favorite X-Man; Longshot is Secret Wars II done right; we are fairly committed to the idea of Ann Nocenti as a post-apocalyptic daredevil superhero; Longshot is patient zero of the ‘90s; Ricochet Rita is the best; luck is a zero-sum commodity; Mojo is legitimately terrifying; and nuance is Longshot’s secret weakness.

X-PLAINED:

  • Spiral
  • The Body Shop
  • Several ill-advised body swaps
  • Longshot
  • Longshot
  • Rachel Summers Syndrome
  • The evolution of Art Adams
  • The metaphysics of luck
  • The secret origin of pouches
  • A large number of pop culture allusions
  • Glam survivalists
  • Psychometry
  • Moral complexity
  • Gog’n’Magog
  • Ricochet Rita
  • The social economics of jetpacks
  • A whole lot of social satire and commentary
  • Star Slammers
  • Mojo
  • The Mojoverse
  • Luck as a zero-sum commodity
  • Arize
  • Quark
  • Longshot and Dazzler’s star sigils
  • Finding (or creating) your comics community

NEXT WEEK: The Trial of Magneto!

You can find a visual companion to this episode on our blog!

Find us on iTunes or Stitcher!

Support us on Patreon!

Buy prints of this week’s illustration at our shop, or contact David Wynne for the original!

Rachel and Miles Review the X-men, Episode 30

6 comments

Week of March 18, 2015

In which Magneto remains magnificent, Cyclops pretty much ends, some very important canon is confirmed, and we can’t believe we’ve done THIRTY of these.

REVIEWED:

  • All-New X-Men #39 (0:58)
  • Guardians Team-Up #3 (2:25)
  • *Magneto #16 (4:21)
  • Wolverines #11 (7:01)
  • Cyclops #11 (9:03)
  • Storm #9 (11:04)

*Pick of the Week (13:23)

These video reviews 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!

Rachel and Miles at ECCC!

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RandMatECCC

FIRST, VERY OFFICIAL BUSINESS:

We are super pleased to announce the first ever Rachel and Miles X-Plain the X-Men meetup, at Emerald City Comicon!

There will be stickers! And maybe buttons! And varyingly ridiculous photo props! And people (we hope)! And a bowl of sunglasses. And maybe a sneak preview of the episode we’ll be recording the night before? WHO KNOWS? We do not, because we are figuring all of that out this weekend! But we are pretty sure that it’ll be rad.

HERE ARE THE DETAILS!

WHAT: Rachel & Miles X-Plain the X-Men Meetup

WHEN: Saturday, March 28, 7-8 PM

WHERE: Meetup Room 2 (TCC, level 2, room 205 – see below!)

eccc15_meetupmap

If you can’t make the official meetup and/or want to put something together off-site, we will happily signal-boost. Let us know.

WHERE ELSE WE’LL BE:

We’re not officially tabling, but we’ll both be at the con all three days. Here’s where to find us:

MILES will be working at the Dark Horse Comics booth (802) all weekend. He will be happy to say hi, give you a high five, and recommend some Dark Horse comics; but he will probably not have a lot of time to chat about X-Men on the show floor.

RACHEL will mostly be hanging out at Booth 310 on the show floor. She will give you podcast stickers (free), write on your knuckles with sharpies (price negotiable), and explain why you should buy books from the nice people who are letting her perch at their booth (free unless you take her advice).

Rachel is also on three panels, as follows:

FRIDAY, MARCH 27

  • Taking Fandom Seriously

1:50-11:40 AM
HALL I (WSCC 3A)

Join our panel of serious fans including Douglas Wolk (author, blogger, critic), Justin Warren (game blogger), Andrea Gilroy (comics teacher and graduate student), and Rachel Edidin (professional editor, critic) for a conversation about walking the fine line between geeking out as a fan and critically engaging with the material you love.

  • All Ages Comics Aren’t Limiting

11:50AM – 12:40PM
Hall E (TCC 303)

Tired of dark and gritty? Looking to expand your market share? Want to make something your kids can enjoy? Just plain curious about why you should take all ages comics seriously? Join Rachel Edidin, Jen Van Meter, Janelle Asselin, Adam P. Knave, and Lucy Bellwood for a discussion of what creates an exceptional all ages comic.

SUNDAY, MARCH 29

  • How Many Hats Can One Person Wear?

10:30AM – 11:20AM
Hall F (TCC 304)

What has three writers, one artist, two journalists, three critics, one retailer, three fans, two podcasters, six hands, and three heads? Rachel Edidin, Kate Leth, and Douglas Wolk discuss what it means to approach comics from multiple angles, balancing creative and critical perspectives, and straddling the fan/pro divide.

 

As Mentioned in Episode 48 – Guitar Solos of the Gods

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Listen to the episode here!

Art by David Wynne. Prints and cards available until 3/22/2015 in the shop, or contact David for the original.
X-Men! (X-Men Annual #9)
New Mutants! (X-Men Annual #9)
Check out the gorgeous John R. Neill homage going on in that title card. (New Mutants Special Edition #1)
Karma, transformed. Adams draws her very differently–both more realistically and more recognizably–than Sienkiewicz or Leialoha; and it would be awesome to see a superhero with this as their default shape. (New Mutants Special Edition #1)
Marvel Asgard is basically the land of metal album covers. (New Mutants Special Edition #1)
Aw, Doug. No one appreciates you. (New Mutants Special Edition #1)
Asgardian Wars is chock full of pop-culture cameos and references. (New Mutants Special Edition #1)
GET IT? Not if you weren’t reading Longshot as it was coming out! (New Mutants Special Edition #1)
Warlock in a nutshell. (New Mutants Special Edition #1)
Bobby has found his element. (New Mutants Special Edition #1)
AMARA, WHAT IS THE FIRST RULE OF DEALING WITH FAIRIES? (New Mutants Special Edition #1)
The hands-down most awesome variation on the Darkchylde design. If only this had stuck around. (New Mutants Special Edition #1)
No, seriously, Shan is literally on Arrakis. (New Mutants Special Edition #1)
THE WARRIORS THREE ARE THE BEST AND ANYONE WHO TELLS YOU OTHERWISE IS FULL OF WRONG. (New Mutants Special Edition #1)
Fire-elf Magma. (New Mutants Special Edition #1)
Throughout the nine realms, skalds sing of the masterwork fire extinguishers of Nidavellir. (New Mutants Special Edition #1)
The Dani-becomes-a-Valkyrie arc reminds me of the thing where literally everyone else realizes you’re queer before you do. (New Mutants Special Edition #1)
Another Darkchylde panel, because this costume is just so damn good. (New Mutants Special Edition #1)
IT’S STORM AND SHE’S A HAWK AND SHE HAS A TEENY MOHAWK. That’s all. Carry on with your business. (New Mutants Special Edition #1)
Those title cards, though. (X-Men Annual #9)
What, don’t you have a psychic link with your “roommate”? (X-Men Annual #9)
‘Kay. (X-Men Annual #9)
TOO SOON, RACHEL. TOO SOON. (X-Men Annual #9)
Because I was raised by bleeding-heart feminists in the ’80s, I now have “Free to Be… You and Me” stuck in my head. THANKS, CLAREMONT. (X-Men Annual #9)
Aw, man. (X-Men Annual #9)
I want to see a “What If” splinter story where Sam is an epic hero and also basically Carrot from Discworld. I mean, there kind of is one–“What if the New Mutants Had Stayed in Asgard”–but still. MORE. (X-Men Annual #9)
DANI LITERALLY NO ONE IN THIS ROOM HAS PHYSICAL POWERS. (X-Men Annual #9)
Art Adams draws awesome Warlock. (X-Men Annual #9)
WOLF MAKEOUTS! (X-Men Annual #9)
Subtext: Not just for the ladies! (X-Men Annual #9)
This isn’t directly relevant to the episode. It’s just awesome. (X-Men Annual #9)
NOW LET’S GO DEFEAT THE FRENCH! (X-Men Annual #9)
It’s no KRAKADOOM, but I guess it’ll do. (X-Men Annual #9)
Dani is THE BEST VALKYRIE. (X-Men Annual #9)
“Well, at least I have this 1/6-scale statuette to keep me company.” (X-Men Annual #9)
NEXT WEEK: Rachel and Miles get lucky.

LINKS AND FURTHER READING:

  • The Mighty Thor #362 is one of the best issues of one of the best runs in Marvel history.
  • For craft wonks, we recommend the hell out of the Thor Artist’s Edition, if you can get your hands on a copy.
  • Actually, you know what? Just go read the whole Simonson run, right now. It’s collected and available in a bunch of forms. You won’t regret it. we promise.
  • Once you’re done reading Thor, go watch Leverage, because it is wonderful.

48 – Guitar Solos of the Gods

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | Email | RSS

Art by David Wynne. Prints and cards available until 3/22/2015 in the shop, or contact David for the original.
Art by David Wynne. Prints and cards available until 3/22/2015 in the shop, or contact David for the original.

In which Asgardian Wars occupies the precise intersection of Miles’s favorite things; Marvel Asgard is your favorite metal album; no one appreciates Cypher; Wolfsbane gets some action; Warlock gets meta; Cannonball is a catch; Rachel Summers gets a new costume; Loki does Shakespeare; and Rachel overthinks Leverage.

X-PLAINED:

  • Various Mjolnirs and their attendant powers
  • Asgardian Wars
  • New Mutants Special Edition #1
  • X-Men Annual #9
  • The Surtwar
  • Art Adams
  • Amora the Enchantress
  • Lorelei
  • Several pop culture cameos
  • A really dubious beach party
  • The Viking Sorceress Asgardian Portrait of Dorian Grey
  • Ed Grimley
  • Hrimhari
  • Wolf makeouts
  • The Marvel version of Norse mythology
  • The Warriors Three
  • Rule #1 of dealing with fairies
  • A hawk ‘hawk
  • Valkyries
  • Einherjar
  • A costume in somewhat questionable taste
  • Interdimensional lightning-bolt mixology
  • Our favorite Thor story, ever
  • How to get your friends and neighbors into comics
  • Asgardian mutants (or lack thereof)
  • X-Leverage cross-casting

NEXT WEEK: Longshot!

You can find a visual companion to this episode on our blog!

Find us on iTunes or Stitcher!

Support us on Patreon!

Buy prints of this week’s illustration at our shop, or contact David Wynne for the original!

Rachel and Miles Review the X-Men, Episode 29

6 comments

Week of March 11, 2015

In which the All-New X-Men reading order breaks laws of space and time, depth of focus is a startlingly underused storytelling tool, and Rachel’s blood feud with the Denver Airport continues.

Reviewed:

  • *All-New X-Men #37 (0:40)
  • Wolverines #10 (3:31)
  • Spider-Man and the X-Men #4 (6:25)

*Pick of the Week (8:05)

These video reviews 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!

Rachel Recaps X-Men: Evolution
S1E3: Rogue Recruit

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Oh, hell, yeah! It’s Rogue time, y’all!

Evolution Rogue is awesome. She’s one of the characters who fares best in reimagining–as I wrote about Cyclops in S1E1, Rogue is very recognizably written in the spirit of some of the best previous versions of the character, with the letter flexible enough to let her develop organically in her new context and setting.

So it should be no surprise when I tell you that a lot of the best stuff in the generally pretty shaky and uneven Season One centers around Rogue. And that, my friends, begins here. Lace up your best New Rocks, dig up some black lipstick (or steal your friend’s eyeliner crayon and be careful not to lick your lips), and get ready to rumble.

Or, y’know, whatever.

Continue reading

As Mentioned in Episode 47 – The Price of Power

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Listen to the episode here!

Art by David Wynne. Prints and cards available until 3/15/2015 in the shop, or contact David for the original.
“Is this foreshadowing?”

“Nah. Just a book recommendation.”

“Because it really sounds like foreshadowing, Sam.”

“Former X-Man, huh?”

(X-Men/Alpha Flight vol. 1, #1)

Well, that escalated quickly. (X-Men/Alpha Flight vol. 1, #1)
Someone needs to sit Rachel Summers down for a long and serious conversation about proportional force. (X-Men/Alpha Flight vol. 1, #1)
WHOOPS. (X-Men/Alpha Flight vol. 1, #1)
“HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU: DO AS I SAY, NOT AS I DO!” (X-Men/Alpha Flight vol. 1, #1)
Those That Sit Above In Shadow. (X-Men/Alpha Flight vol. 1, #1)
Seriously, though, don’t do that shit. (X-Men/Alpha Flight vol. 1, #1)
“Think there’s a twist? “Nah.” (X-Men/Alpha Flight vol. 1, #1)
A) Scott looks like a doof without his glasses. B) I wonder if Marvel got a lot of pissed off letters about his eyes changing color in this issue. (X-Men/Alpha Flight vol. 1, #1)
“We all got superpowers, but the important part is the AMAZING OUTFITS.” (X-Men/Alpha Flight vol. 1, #1)
WELL THAT COULD BE LESS AWKWARD. (X-Men/Alpha Flight vol. 1, #1)
SUPER not cool, Xavier. Also: Remember when Scott’s eyes were blue like five pages ago? ‘CAUSE THE COLORIST DOESN’T! *rimshot* (X-Men/Alpha Flight vol. 1, #1)
I know they all gave the powers back at the end, but I really don’t see why Heather couldn’t have remade this outfit and then worn it ALL THE TIME, because it is awesome. (X-Men/Alpha Flight vol. 1, #1)
THAT CAT, THOUGH. (X-Men/Alpha Flight vol. 1, #2)
Aw, Snowbird. (X-Men/Alpha Flight vol. 1, #2)
There have been near-infinite variations on this gag, and they’re never not great. (X-Men/Alpha Flight vol. 1, #2)
Aw, Jean-Paul. Your team is kind of awful. I mean, so are you, but still. (X-Men/Alpha Flight vol. 1, #2)
COLD, Wolverine. (X-Men/Alpha Flight vol. 1, #2)
Well, shit. (X-Men/Alpha Flight vol. 1, #2)
OH, THAT EXPLAINS SOME THINGS. (X-Men/Alpha Flight vol. 1, #2)
This is about as close as the Summers family ever seems to come to healthy communication, so enjoy it while it lasts. (X-Men/Alpha Flight vol. 1, #2)
I don’t care if they’re not costumes. DRINK ANYWAY. (X-Men/Alpha Flight vol. 2, #1)
Throughout this story, Nightcrawler seems to be in a different genre than the rest of the cast. (X-Men/Alpha Flight vol. 2, #1)
Can’t you just picture John Cassady physically crossing this spread off his bucket list? (X-Men/Alpha Flight vol. 2, #2)
Also this panel. (X-Men/Alpha Flight vol. 2, #2)
Alberta, in case you were wondering–just a little south of Calgary. (X-Men/Alpha Flight vol. 2, #2)
NEXT WEEK: Asgardian Wars!

Many thanks to Emergency Backup Co-Host and Alpha Flight X-Pert (is there an Alpha-Flight-appropriate portmanteau for that?) Elisabeth Allie! Go check out Elisabeth’s blog, and follower her on Twitter!

47 – The Price of Power (feat. Elisabeth Allie)

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | Email | RSS

Art by David Wynne. Prints and cards available until 3/15/2015 in the shop, or contact David for the original.
Art by David Wynne. Prints and cards available until 3/15/2015 in the shop, or contact David for the original.

In which Emergency Backup Co-Host Elisabeth Allie saves the day; the Berserkers are not the breakout hit you’ve been waiting for; Paul Smith continues to be awesome; nothing good ever happens in the Danger Room; Charles Xavier dabbles in cosplay; Nightcrawler has serious hat game; Rachel Summers lacks healthy coping skills; your life would be way more epic if Claremont narrated it; Northstar is a surprisingly good prom date; Loki is a total dick; and Longshot is totally Miles’s favorite.

X-PLAINED:

  • Madelyne Pryor
  • X-Men/Alpha Flight vols. 1&2
  • The Berserkers
  • An unconventional model of family therapy
  • Aggressive foreshadowing
  • NPC dialogue
  • Jazzercise superheroes
  • Superhero color theory
  • Sasquatch
  • Aurora
  • Those Who Sit Above in Shadow
  • Norse fashion of the ‘80s
  • Very specific superpowers
  • Some sweet boots
  • The price of power
  • A deus ex machina squared
  • Kitty and Piotr’s first date
  • Snowbird’s powers
  • Miles’s favorite X-Man

NEXT WEEK: Asgardian Wars!

You can find a visual companion to this episode on our blog!

Find us on iTunes or Stitcher!

Support us on Patreon!

Buy prints of this week’s illustration at our shop, or contact David Wynne for the original!