As Mentioned in Episode 467 – Disorganizing Principle

November 8, 2024 Miles Leave a comment

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And then Marrow whacked a centaur with a dinosaur, as happens. (Uncanny X-Men #373)

Piotr Rasputin, clown in training. (Uncanny X-Men #373)

Nice Sienkiewicz-style sketchiness… (Uncanny X-Men #373)

What’s up, Doctor Klaw? (Uncanny X-Men #373)

Poor Sarah… (Uncanny X-Men #373)

Mikhail turns a chair into a dinosaur to prove every point. (Uncanny X-Men #374)

Jeez, at least put a beanbag chair in the corner or something. (Uncanny X-Men #374)

Marrow 4.0 meets Marrow 1.0. (Uncanny X-Men #374)

Marrow 4.0 meets Marrow 2.0. (Uncanny X-Men #374)

For him, it was Tuesday. (Uncanny X-Men #374)

I… definitely knew it all along! It was obvious, really! (Uncanny X-Men #374)

“I wish I could just turn into a bird like in X-Men Evolution.” (X-Men #93)

I’m starting with the elf in the mirror… (X-Men #93)

Honestly, Rogue’s response would’ve been understandable regardless of the nature of her powers. (X-Men #93)

Polaris is a little… out of character in this arc. Get used to it, I guess. (X-Men #93)

“So were Mystique and Destiny… Roommates? Gal Pals?” (X-Men #93)

I appreciate a clear sense of panel-to-panel movement. Even more so when it’s Rogue kicking ass. (X-Men #93)

Sunfire ponders how to quit the scene. (X-Men #94)

You wish it was just one journal, Kitty. Just you wait. (X-Men #94)

I know all of the As stand for Apocalypse, but I like to think Destiny was just giving her prophecies excellent grades. (X-Men #94)

Listen, Rogue, it could be worse – your mom may have disappeared in the middle of a sincere conversation, but at least she didn’t throw you off a bridge to be picked up by an evil wizard lady and her attractive daughter! (X-Men #94)

NEXT TIME: Jubilee gets revenge!

467 – Disorganizing Principle

November 3, 2024 Jay 3 comments

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In which Nightcrawler has a type; the Hill is a bad place to raise your kids up; Colossus introduces Marrow to art; we come out against autotrepanation; Mikhail Rasputin never learns; Destiny leaves clues from beyond the grave; and The Twelve looms.

X-PLAINED:

That one universe where Mystique raised Nightcrawler in an attic
An event in name only
Some shit that went down a while ago
The Hill (more) (again)
Uncanny X-Men #373-374
X-Men #93-94
Marrow as a child soldier
Rural Boston
Some asshole
Mikhail Rasputin (more) (again)
How to prove that you’re a god
The souls of furniture and some other things
The green psychic entity who’s been secretly controlling Mikhail Rasputin, I guess?
Ninja problems
B. Byron Biggs
Ronnie Lake
A Conspiracy
How Rogue and Destiny met
Compulsory heterosexuality
Destiny’s diaries
Prognostication vs. agenda-setting
Skrullverine’s power mimicry
How the Mannites could’ve been used in the Krakoan era

NEXT EPISODE: Secrets of Jubilee’s past!

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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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453 – X-Men ’97, Part 1

June 23, 2024 Jay 21 comments

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SPOILER WARNING: ALL OF THEM, NONSTOP

In which we put the comics on hold to take a look at X-Men ’97; it is still always Inferno in here; Wolverine is best used sparingly; a Marvel show finally embraces politics; Wolverine is best in small doses; Madeylne Pryor still always deserves better; Jubilee grows up; and we are all in on this series.

X-PLAINED:

“Beyond Good and Evil”
X-Men: The Animated Series and our respective feelings about it
X-Men ’97, episodes 1-5
Watching X-Men ’97 with and without context
Making animated Cyclops work
The Magneto’s-hair-length morality index
Politics
Voices
Adaptation pacing
Agency
Abcissa
Foreshadowing
Time compression
Horniest Rogue
Death in cartoons
A metaphor
Nonbinary identity in 1997
Character evolution

NEXT EPISODE: Episodes 6-10

No visual companion this week!

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As Mentioned in Episode 422 – Cairn Touch This

September 10, 2023 Jay Leave a comment

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If your sick room isn’t a fire hazard, you’re doing it wrong. (X-Men #74)

Well, that’s not good. (X-Men #74)

He’s got a million of ’em. (X-Men #74)

Seriously, Hank, what the hell? (X-Men #75)

I LOVE THESE GUYS THEY ARE SO WEIRD (X-Men #75)

Wolverine has been up to some… stuff. (X-Men #75)

We’re not in Westchester anymore. (X-Men #75)

Hi, Pilgrimm! (X-Men #75)

Hi, Magneto! (X-Men #76)

Hi, Eany and Meany! (X-Men #76)

It is rough to be Maggott. (X-Men #76)

NEXT EPISODE: Excalibur isn’t over (quite) yet!

422 – Cairn Touch This

August 27, 2023 Jay 3 comments

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In which the X-Men’s membership is a complicated subject; not all angels know each other; we need to talk about Beast’s Wasp costume; Cecilia Reyes speaks for all reasonable folk; Storm gets a mysterious package; and reading comics day-and-date may not be for everyone.

X-PLAINED:

The variable loyalties of the N’garai
X-Men #74-76
A somewhat atypical team lineup
A whole lotta backstory
How to join the X-Men
Warren Kenneth Worthington III as a religious figure
Flechette clean-up
Teenage drama
Detective Jim Logan
A lot of murder
The N’garai
Beast’s Wasp costume
Explanatory captions for real life
The Ru’tai
Pilgrimm
Mai’Keth the Undying One
The Eye of Kierokk
Maggott’s secret origins
X-Men cartoons for a 7-year-old
Reckoning with loss in comics

NEXT EPISODE: Excalibur rushes toward its conclusion

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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 319 – Giant-Size Special #9

January 3, 2021 Jay 4 comments

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

There’s… a lot of design happening here. (Further Adventures of Cyclops & Phoenix #1)

Even if the podcast couldn’t all be ink appreciation, the visual companion can! (Further Adventures of Cyclops & Phoenix #1)

Sir, this is a Wendy’s. (Further Adventures of Cyclops & Phoenix #1)

LOOK AT THAT BEARD. (Further Adventures of Cyclops & Phoenix #1)

THE DRAMA! (Further Adventures of Cyclops & Phoenix #1)

Tremble’s collection of human curiosities. (Further Adventures of Cyclops & Phoenix #1)

This might be my favorite look for Apocalypse. (Further Adventures of Cyclops & Phoenix #1)

This one’s pretty sharp, too, though. (Further Adventures of Cyclops & Phoenix #1)

What I’m getting here is that the Askani Sisterhood has been recruiting Asbury Park mermaids. (Further Adventures of Cyclops & Phoenix #2)

More artists should use color silhouettes–they can be such a cool effect! (Further Adventures of Cyclops & Phoenix #2)

Feelings… AND TEXTURES! (Further Adventures of Cyclops & Phoenix #2)

Marauder, schmaurader; I know a reaver when I see one. (Further Adventures of Cyclops & Phoenix #3)

The secret origin of ruby quartz! (Further Adventures of Cyclops & Phoenix #3)

“Sinister, you say? Ooh, that’s good. I should write that down.” (Further Adventures of Cyclops & Phoenix #3)

This is a bad plan and I do not want to be part of it. (Further Adventures of Cyclops & Phoenix #3)

LOOK AT THIS GLAM MOTHERFUCKER (Further Adventures of Cyclops & Phoenix #4)

Aw, he’s still got a heart, maybe, kind of. (Further Adventures of Cyclops & Phoenix #4)

Yeah, that’s not gonna happen. (Further Adventures of Cyclops & Phoenix #4)

TIME LOOP! TIME LOOP! (Further Adventures of Cyclops & Phoenix #4)

LINKS & FURTHER ADVENTURES

Follow our guests on Twitter!
How to Be a Mutant

The written list of the SDAPCAfEaX winners will go up on Monday! If you are a creator who won and would like a physical award, drop us a line, and we will make it happen.

319 – Giant-Size Special #9 (feat. Vita Ayala, Tini Howard, and Leah Williams)

January 3, 2021 Jay 11 comments

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In which Jay and Miles receive a mysterious missive and are visited by three of our favorite X-writers; Further Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix is a pleasant surprise; Nathaniel Essex is the most dramatic man in the Marvel Universe; the sewers of Victorian London were a happenin’ place; Apocalypse isn’t even French; Beast is the flip-side of Sinister; community is for everyone; the Internet is (kind of) Krakoa; and death is fixable, but trauma might take a little more work.

X-PLAINED:

A quotation
Further Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix #1-4
A closed loop
Time travel with Scott Summers and Jean Grey
Mister Sinister (Nathaniel Essex)
A somewhat excessive visual aid
Beards
Cootie Tremble
The cultural context of sideshows
The first Marauders and/or Nasty Boys
Victorian Apocalypse
Strained allegories
Sanctity
Apocalypse vs. the Hellfire Club
Oscar the Somewhat Less Nasty Boy
Varyingly anachronistic costuming
The secret origin of ruby quartz
A very vague objective
A makeover
A closed time loop
Actual Cat Wizard Jonathan Hickman
Something Jay is not in fact going to pitch to Marvel
Creative dynamics and processes in the current X-line
Revolutionary joy
What’s cooler than one sword
The Sixth Annual Super Doctor Astronaut Peter Corbeau Awards for Excellence at X-Cellence

NEXT WEEK: Jay & Miles take a break

NEXT EPISODE: Excalibur gets several Peters and a wolf!

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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 313 – Iguanafall

November 8, 2020 Jay Leave a comment

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

Not even close, but go on. (Storm #1)

Spoiler: no. (Storm #1)

That is some weird-ass product placement. (Storm #1)

This is the worst panel. I hate it and everything it stands for. (Storm #1)

SERIOUSLY LOOK AT THOSE TEETH THIS IS NOT OKAY (Storm #1)

You’d think that context might salvage it. You would be wrong. (Storm #1)

The best character in this miniseries. (Storm #2)

Coooool. (Storm #2)

Misdirection or mistake? YOU BE THE JUDGE! (Storm #1)

I guess this counts as a malicious pose, but I feel like its main victims are her spine and ribcage. (Storm #2)

Hi, Callisto! Bye, Callisto! (Storm #2)

I refuse to accept this as “Daddy.” (Storm #2)

ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew (Storm #3)

Yeah, I don’t quite get it, either. (Storm #3)

“And I TRIPLE-DARE YOU!” (Storm #4)

Somewhere in the multiverse, there’s a timeline where Aidan Quinn was cast as Cable, and I want to go there. (Storm #4)

THIS IS NOT A GOOD WAY TO DISPOSE OF A BOMB WHOSE CONTENTS YOU DO NOT KNOW. (Storm #4)

Damn, Storm. Harsh. (Storm #4)

SURE WHY NOT LET’S JUST GO WITH THAT (Storm #4)

Really? You’re going to end your miniseries HERE? (Storm #4)

NEXT EPISODE: Jay has a lot of feelings about this issue of X-Factor

LINKS & FURTHER REPTILES:

This dress was weirdly central to the Internet Discourse of 2015.
We covered Lifedeath II in Episode 45 – A Woman Who Could Fly.
Here’s where you can find some of the more obscure stories we’ve X-Plained:

313 – Iguanafall

November 8, 2020 Jay 12 comments

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In which sky pirates are the best pirates; Wolverine eats chicken in the woods; Xavier’s area loses its status as our least favorite panel; Cable is suspiciously credulous; we search in vain for a consistent metaphor; Storm has a thing or two to learn about restorative justice; and this entire miniseries should probably just have been an annual.

X-PLAINED:

Storm’s pirate adventures
Storm #1-4
Mark Trail
The Morlocks (more) (again)
Unacceptable gradients
Butt murder
Fashion
Several memes of yesteryear
Product placement
The new Worst Panel
Several variations on the Ceremony of Light
How not to identify a body
The Hill (Limbo)
“Daddy”
The inconsistent portrayals of Mikhail Rasputin
Still more members of Gene Nation
A new costume
The most obscure stories we’ve covered
That time Wolverine at his own arm

NEXT EPISODE: Jay’s favorite issue of X-Factor (and some others)!

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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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