Jay & Miles X-Plain the X-Men

As Mentioned in Episode 32 – Off the Map

Listen to the episode here!

Special thanks to Andrew Vestal for help assembling the images for this post.

 

32 – Off the Map

Art by David Wynne
Art by David Wynne

In which we hit the definitive arc of New Mutants; Bill Sienkiewicz blows our minds; Rachel gets choked up over a credits spread; Rahne gets a makeover; Doug Ramsey is justifiably flustered; and Warlock is a friend to household appliances.

NOTE: This episode includes a lot of art talk. While doing so is not strictly necessary to follow the discussion, we recommend listening with the visual companion open.

X-Plained:

  • Warlock
  • The transmode virus
  • New Mutants #18-21
  • The Demon Bear Saga
  • Bill Sienkiewicz
  • Task leaders vs. social leaders
  • Page layout as a storytelling tool
  • Soul armor
  • The Demon Bear and its shadow
  • One of the best covers of all time
  • Makeovers
  • The deeply problematic fate of Tom Corsi and Sharon Friedlander
  • What the New Mutants are up to these days

Next Week: Crossovers!


You can find a visual companion to the episode on our blog.

Find us on iTunes or Stitcher!

Support us on Patreon!

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

Rachel and Miles Review the X-Men, Episode 14

Week of November 19, 2014

In which we examine the phenomenon of death-by-kinda-high-concept, Uncanny X-Men remains spectacular, and Death of Wolverine: The Weapon X Program is surprisingly solid.

Reviewed:

  • Axis #6 (0:31)
  • Axis: Revolutions #2 (4:19)
  • X-Force #12 (6:20)
  • Storm #5 (8:12)
  • *Uncanny X-Men #28 (10:35)
  • Magneto #12 (13:51)
  • Death of Wolverine: The Weapon X Program #2 (15:38)

*Pick of the week (18:04)

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!

As Mentioned in Episode 31 – Chekhov’s Raygun

Listen to the episode here!

31 – Chekhov’s Raygun

Art by David Wynne
Art by David Wynne

In which there is a whole, whole lot going on; we continue to have no use for Michael Rossi; Wolverine should be an advice columnist; Forge makes bold fashion choices; the health of a timeline is directly tied to the awesomeness of Storm’s hair; and the X-Men get their first dark-future refugee.

X-Plained:

  • Dire Wraiths
  • ROM
  • Tailoring
  • Uncanny X-Men #182-188
  • Just how much story can be shoehorned into seven issues
  • A dubious Silent Hill metaphor
  • The people in Rogue’s head
  • Inexorable momentum
  • Several profoundly uncomfortable conversations
  • Parallel narrative in comics
  • Being friends with Wolverine
  • Casual enmity
  • Forge
  • Miles’s X-doppelganger
  • Tiny shorts
  • Chekhov’s Raygun
  • Rachel Summers (again)
  • Timeline disambiguation
  • Rachel disambiguation
  • “Lifedeath: A Love Story”
  • Feelings
  • Storm, powers, and identity
  • X-Men Mad-Libs
  • Hound marks
  • X-Men: The End

Next Week: THE DEMON BEAR SAGA!


You can find a visual companion to the episode – as well as links to recommended reading and the winners of the stealth / plainclothes cosplay contest – on our blog.

Find us on iTunes or Stitcher!

Support us on Patreon!

Rachel and Miles Review the X-men, Episode 10

Weeks of October 8 and October 15, 2014

 

In which we catch up after New York Comic Con, and Wolverine finally dies. (Also, Rachel reorganized her office. YAY!)

Reviewed:

  • Axis #1
  • Axis #2
  • Magneto #11
  • Death of Wolverine #4
  • Logan Legacy #1
  • Nightcrawler #7
  • Wolverine and the X-Men #10
  • Storm #4
  • X-Force #10*
  • Uncanny X-Men #27**

*Pick of the week of October 8

**Pick of the week of October 15

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!

As Mentioned In Episode 23 – Meet the New Mutants

Listen to the episode here!


23 – Meet the New Mutants

Art by David Wynne.
Art by David Wynne.

In which Rachel and Miles return triumphant, the X-Men get a second ongoing series, we hit peak Moira MacTaggert, R-A-H-N-E is definitely pronounced “rain,” Sam Guthrie is the nicest henchman, Claremont is hit-and-miss on cultural diversity, and Bobby da Costa is the teenageriest teenager of them all.

X-Plained:

  • Nova Roma
  • The New Mutants and The New Mutants
  • Marvel Graphic Novels
  • Greenberg the Vampire
  • call-backs
  • Karma
  • Wolfsbane
  • Sunspot
  • Cannonball
  • Mirage
  • Whitewashing in superhero comics
  • The mercurial Guthrie family
  • Xi’an the Obscure
  • The Dr. Claw Effect (and why Dr. Doom and Arcade are exceptions)
  • Donald Pierce
  • Eras of New Mutants
  • Lila Cheney
  • The Hellions

Next Week: The X-Men do Barbarella


You can find a visual companion to the episode – and links to recommended reading – on our blog.

Find us on iTunes or Stitcher!

Support us on Patreon!

Rachel and Miles Review the X-Men, Episode 6

Weeks of September 10 and September 17, 2014

 

In which we play catch-up and review a record nine issues!

Reviewed:

  • From the week of September 10:
    • Magneto #9*
    • Death of Wolverine #2
    • Nightcrawler #6
    • X-Force #9
  • From the week of September 17:
    • Wolverine and the X-Men #9
    • All-New X-Men #32*
    • Uncanny Avengers #24
    • All-New X-Factor #14
    • Uncanny X-Men #26

*Picks of their respective weeks

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 wrote more about Uncanny X-Men #26 over here.