Moonstar – Page 3 – Jay & Miles X-Plain the X-Men

371 – Beware of Psychodrama

May 8, 2022 Jay 15 comments

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

In which Douglock is Douglock; Kitty Pryde gets lost in nostalgia; it continues to suck to be Colossus; Professor Xavier is a jerk; the MLF makes one and only one valid point; Ben Raab’s Excalibur run begins; the Acolytes try to get the band back together; and the land mines are a metaphor that are also real land mines.

X-PLAINED:

Exodus
Excalibur #104-106
The current state of Excalibur
Douglock
B.P.R.D.
New Mutants #64 callbacks
Wolfsbane’s default form
Nostalgia
The Xavier Protocols (again)
The MLF (again)
The Mysterious Moonstar
Selby
The Prodigy
Character shifts between writers
Age of Jay and Miles
How not to write a letter in a comic book
Assless chaps
Land mines
Unuscione
Scanner
Mutant lawyers
Cyclops’s color vision

NEXT EPISODE: Magneto, now with his own miniseries!

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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!

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As Mentioned in Episode 294 – The Infernal Gallop

May 10, 2020 Jay 3 comments

Listen to the podcast here!

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

Man, I love this cover. (X-Calibre #1)

Cain Marko, man of peace. (X-Calibre #1)

Welcome to Avalon. (X-Calibre #1)

That is an EXCELLENT point. (X-Calibre #1)

I don’t remember Thunderbird having that many muscles or, y’know, being white. (X-Calibre #1)

“Sure thing! That’s BLAMM with two Ms?” (X-Calibre #2)

Aw, buddy. (X-Calibre #2)

But shouldn’t that be Rusty Collins’s icon? (X-Calibre #2)

…well, shit. (X-Calibre #2)

Almost our Kurt, and very much not our Kurt. (X-Calibre #2)

OH HELL YEAH (X-Calibre #3)

TFW Magneto forces you to visit your One Big Ex’s intentional community. (X-Calibre #3)

They have fun. (That is a lie. They do not have fun.) (X-Calibre #3)

Oh, come on. (X-Calibre #3)

AND THAT’S WHY YOU ALWAYS LEAVE A NOTE (X-Calibre #4)

Not AGAIN. (X-Calibre #4)

Welcome to the Age of Apocalypse!

NEXT EPISODE: these goofs, in space

LINKS & FURTHER ALLUSIONS

That really depressing historical anecdote about ballast tanks came courtesy of friend of the show Joe Streckert, of the Weird History Podcast. Thanks, Joe!
Seriously: Mystique-295 is Tovah Feldshuh as Naomi Bunch on Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.
We differ on the quality of the X-Files episode “The Field Where I Died”; your mileage may vary.

294 – The Infernal Gallop

May 10, 2020 Jay 18 comments

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In which a whole lot of things burn; Nightcrawler gets gritty; it’s hard to be Dead Man Wade; Apocalypse’s IT department has some explaining to do; Mystique is the most mom of all moms; Doug Ramsey dies (again); and Jay will fight anyone who says comics can’t be “real” literature.

X-PLAINED:

Damask
X-Calibre #1-4
Switchback
Cain Marko of Earth-295
Avalon
Destiny of Earth-295
Nightcrawler of Earth-295
Ghost Dance (actual)
Ghost Dance (fictional)
John Proudstar of Earth-295
The Infernal Gallop vs. the Infernal Galop
Moonstar of Earth-295
Dead Man Wade
The Pale Riders
Videoconferencing software of Earth-295
The Excalibur
Walter Newell
Callisto of Earth-295
A lot of murders
A really dark historical precedent
Parenthood
Death by existential crisis
The worst plan
Variations on the death of Doug Ramsey
Geography of the Age of Apocalypse
The rest of the Marvel books during the Age of Apocalypse
Jay vs. Western canon

NEXT EPISODE: Gambit and the X-Ternals

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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!

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As Mentioned in Episode 286 – Family Before Continuity

February 23, 2020 Jay Leave a comment

Listen to the episode here.

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

Don’t worry! The world will end before they can die in that plane crash! (Excalibur #86)

Pete Wisdom is a happy man with a happy life. (Excalibur #86)

MAH PUIR WEE HOVERCRAFT (Excalibur #86)

I want a team that’s just him and Chamber, brooding. (Excalibur #86)

A green and pleasant, &c. (Excalibur #86)

Well, so much for that mission. (Excalibur #86)

Me, too, Sam. Me, too. (X-Force #43)

I relate so hard to Shatterstar right now. (X-Force #43)

Time travel has some good looks. (X-Force #43)

Aw, these dudes. (X-Force #43)

“We’re here for you, in all our oddly-proportioned glory!” (X-Force #43)

He hasn’t, actually, but that won’t be revealed for a while yet. (X-Force #43)

“Man, is THIS what happens when your boss ditches you for another book?” (X-Force #43)

I know, right?! (Cable #20)

Pretty sure that every one of the original five has, at some point, referred to Hank as their best and/or closest friend. (Cable #20)

Ouch. (Cable #20)

OUCH. (Cable #20)

I’M NOT CRYING YOU’RE CRYING (Cable #20)

Aw, these guys. And it didn’t even take a bathtub! (Cable #20)

Sometimes a family is eight people in tight clothing posing dramatically for the end of the world. (Cable #20)

NEXT EPISODE: Welcome to Earth-295! Hope you survive the experience!

LINKS & FURTHER EVENT HORIZONS:

Come see us at Emerald City Comic Con! Miles is delightful in person; and Jay, um, exists corporeally.
Jay wrote an X-Men comic! It’s about Cyclops, and it will be out in April. Please tell your local comics shop to order a lot of copies so that they will let him write more.
Also, Thor: Metal Gods continues on over at Serial Box!
We covered the first 3/4 of Legion Quest in Episode 285 – Immediately If Not Sooner…
…and interviewed Fabian Nicieza about X-Force and a bunch of other stuff in Episode 250 – Minding the DNA!
New Intersections: Queer Futurism and the Krakoan Body Politic is a really fascinating article.

286 – Family Before Continuity

February 23, 2020 Jay 16 comments

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In which Sunspot is a bad enough dude to save the president; Black Air is nowhere near as fun as WHO; we reach the end of Fabian Nicieza’s X-Force run; Rictor and Shatterstar talk about feelings; Gambit does not go gently into that good night; Scott and Jean choose family over continuity; Legion Quest comes to a close, along with Earth-616; the heart of Dawn of X is its margins; you should come see us at ECCC; and we announce a new schedule.

X-PLAINED:

The Maker (Reed Richards of Earth-1610)
Jay & Miles at ECCC and FlameCon 2020
Stuff Jay writes
Excalibur #86
X-Force #43
Cable #20
Black Air
Pete Wisdom
What’s been up in Genosha
The Midnight Runner
Navigating Kitty Pryde’s age in Excalibur
A very abrupt ending
The ongoing evolution of X-Force
Locus’s new look
Clubbing with Rictor and Shatterstar
Legion Quest so far
Complicated feelings at the end of the world
A reunion
Where it all started
Vague power sets
Complicated feelings about Dawn of X
The new podcast schedule

NEXT EPISODE: The Age of Apocalypse

Check out the visual companion to this episode on our blog.

Find us on iTunes 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!

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Come see us at ECCC, March 12-15!

As Mentioned in Episode 278 – A Sheep in Wolf’s Clothing

December 22, 2019 Jay One comment

Listen to the podcast here.

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

Fun times with the MLF. (X-Force Annual #3)

They were really pushing the idea that he was Roberto. (X-Force Annual #3)

I get that it’s supposed to be a bad thing; but, man, Dani’s horse got AWESOME. (X-Force Annual #3)

“Of course, they won’t need to figure out my password if they walk in on me journaling in IMAX.” (X-Force Annual #3)

The Collective Man! (X-Force Annual #3)

These two are just really not good at false identities, are they? (X-Force Annual #3)

Sometimes a family is a ghost and her imaginary baby. (X-Force Annual #3)

Alas, contrary to the implications of this cover, Storm will not be seduced by a giant statue of a lady in this story. (X-Man Annual #3)

“Chess is sexy, right?” (X-Man Annual #3)

Gene Ha draws a really terrific Storm. (X-Man Annual #3)

Do they usually? (X-Man Annual #3)

“Squares.” (X-Man Annual #3)

She’s not wrong. (X-Man Annual #3)

(It’s okay; it’s only a dream.) (X-Man Annual #3)

These are the most lackluster Lords Cardinal I’ve ever seen. (X-Man Annual #3)

“Even sixth base?” (X-Man Annual #3)

I unrepentantly love this silliness. (X-Man Annual #3)

Ugh, seriously, so good. (X-Man Annual #3)

NEXT EPISODE: NEXT EPISODE: Giant-Size Winter Special, feat. Christina Strain & Chip Zdarsky…

…hope you survive the experience!

LINKS & FURTHER ATROCITIES:

Listen to Miles talk about people who turn into dinosaurs on Battle of the Atom!
Here is a fairly remarkable Marxist examination of Sex House; because, why not?
Should you be so inclined, you can watch the entire series here. It’s worth noting that the first few episodes do not reflect the tone of the series as it progresses. (Content Warning: I don’t even know anymore.)
We delved into Reignfire’s weird, weird origins in the cold open to Episode 238 – Meet Them Where They Are.
Jay co-wrote a serial Thor novel! You can subscribe to it here, if you are so inclined.

278 – A Sheep in Wolf’s Clothing

December 22, 2019 Jay 13 comments

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In which Moonstar really wasn’t fooling anybody; Bird Brain is somehow still alive; Cassidy Keep is weird; Gene Ha draws excellent Storm; Reeva Payge makes her sole comics appearance; and Shinobi Shaw is wrong about everything.

X-PLAINED:

A not-particularly-cunning disguise
Upcoming coverage
X-Force Annual #3
X-Men Annual #3
The MLF
Reignfire (more) (again)
Moonstar (more) (again)
An unconventional way to keep a secret diary
A bittersweet semi-reunion
3Peace
Murphy Keep
A ghost, maybe
The kind of thing that happens at Cassidy Keep
An excellent burn
Leather
“Neurotoxins”
Sex House as the definitive artifact of the 2010s
How not to draw someone having a nightmare
A very short-lived version of the Hellfire Club
How not to villain
Coming to terms with bad fictional tech

NEXT EPISODE: Giant-Size Winter Special, feat. Christina Strain & Chip Zdarsky!

Check out the visual companion to this episode on our blog.

Find us on iTunes 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 rad swag at our TeePublic shop!

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!

263 – The Oldest Teens of Them All

September 8, 2019 Jay 10 comments

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In which Cable and Domino may or may not be very old teenagers; disguises are not Dani Moonstar’s strong suit; Empath remains awful; Shatterstar probably talks exactly like a telenovela; X-Force needs an office manager; Mothra is larger than most things; and if you get to choose between being an External or a Guthrie, always be a Guthrie.

X-PLAINED:

Bastion, to some extent
X-Force #34-37
Optical disambiguation
Moonstar
Face tentacle semantics
Sandwiches (again)
The Richter family
An entirely avoidable fight
Some time-travel bullshit
Hannigan Electronics
An insecurity system
Nimrods
Things neural networks would probably do instead of murdering you
Defining traits of the Externals
Adoption, X-Factor style
Wolverine: The Long Night

NEXT EPISODE: Douglock!

Check out the visual companion to this episode on our blog!

Find us on iTunes 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 rad swag at our TeePublic shop!