wolverine – Page 25 – Jay & Miles X-Plain the X-Men

As Mentioned in Episode 33 – Crossoverload

November 30, 2014 Jay 8 comments

Listen to the episode here!

Art by David Wynne! Prints here, or contact David for the original.

There is a lot going on in The Uncanny X-Men and the New Teen Titans.

The best thing about Metron is that his eyebrows are part of his costume. (The Uncanny X-Men and the New Teen Titans)

Things we never get tired of: Cyclops using his powers to cheat at pool. (The Uncanny X-Men and the New Teen Titans)

Darkseid is Creepy Santa (so, basically, Santa). (The Uncanny X-Men and the New Teen Titans)

Cyclops has a bad day. (The Uncanny X-Men and the New Teen Titans)

How Gar manages to get an image that specific from her description remains a mystery. (The Uncanny X-Men and the New Teen Titans)

Flash Fact: Wally West is the best Flash, and anyone who tells you otherwise is full of lies.

Deathstroke the Terminator: the assassin who designed his costume to be as visible as possible against pretty much any backdrop. (The Uncanny X-Men and the New Teen Titans)

The Greys just CANNOT catch a break. (The Uncanny X-Men and the New Teen Titans)

Simonson doing cosmic Kirby is our jam, now and forever. (The Uncanny X-Men and the New Teen Titans)

Were we less mature and tasteful, this is where we’d put a “butte sex” joke. (The Uncanny X-Men and the New Teen Titans)

Probably not actually the fourth wall. (The Uncanny X-Men and the New Teen Titans)

Oh, that’s not gonna end well. (The Uncanny X-Men and the New Teen Titans)

TEAM-UP! (The Uncanny X-Men and the New Teen Titans)

You know this is the happiest moment of Kitty Pryde’s entire life. (The Uncanny X-Men and the New Teen Titans)

Along with fire and life, slightly creepy Cyclops feels are a running Phoenix Force motif. (The Uncanny X-Men and the New Teen Titans)

Can we talk about how very much better this Cyclops-as-Phoenix costume is than the AvX version? (The Uncanny X-Men and the New Teen Titans)

This isn’t actually all that relevant, but we couldn’t resist one last page of cosmic Simonson art. (The Uncanny X-Men and the New Teen Titans)

We are pretty into crossovers that come with convenient captioned character guides! (The X-Men and the Micronauts #1)

This is Kitty’s regular Ariel costume, so, no need to drink. Yet. (The X-Men and the Micronauts #1)

Baron Karza is Darth Vader Plus. (The X-Men and the Micronauts #1)

A possibly recognizable villain. (The X-Men and the Micronauts #1)

I’d like to take a moment to point out that the Professor Xavier who is punishing Kitty for thinking too loudly is explicitly good Professor X. (The X-Men and the Micronauts #1)

Action-figure-sized people fighting normal-sized people: NEVER NOT HILARIOUS. (The X-Men and the Micronauts #1)

Look at that snazzy title treatment! (The X-Men and the Micronauts #2)

Okay, that’s extra creepy. (The X-Men and the Micronauts #2)

One of the better pratfall panels. (The X-Men and the Micronauts #2)

Let’s check and see if the action-figures-vs.-full-size-people thing is still funny when the action figures are the good guys. YES. YES, IT IS. (The X-Men and the Micronauts #2)

This conceit really never stops being entertaining. (The X-Men and the Micronauts #2)

Seriously, how the hell did no one see Onslaught coming? (The X-Men and the Micronauts #2)

To be fair, she’s both body-swapped with Baron Karza AND mind-controlled by Evil Professor Xavier. (The X-Men and the Micronauts #3)

“Oh, HELL, yes,” says Kitty. “Cross THAT one off the bucket list.” (The X-Men and the Micronauts #3)

The worst part is that he gets so much creepier. (The X-Men and the Micronauts #3)

NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE (The X-Men and the Micronauts #4)

Remember the time Phoenix wiped out one planet, so Jean Grey had to die? Yeah, so do we. Marvel editorial, not so much. (The X-Men and the Micronauts #4)

Modified rule: When someone else in Kitty’s body makes her a new costume, steal someone else’s drink. (The X-Men and the Micronauts #4)

JUST TAKE A MOMENT TO IMAGINE HOW MUCH FUNNIER X-MEN WOULD BE IF THEY’D STAYED SIX INCHES TALL. (The X-Men and the Micronauts #4)

Next week: Captain America in a loincloth!

Links and Further Reading

Information and links to donate toward Bill Mantlo’s ongoing care
(You can also send physical donations–and cards and letters–addressed as follows:
Mike Mantlo
26364 East Pintail Road
Long Neck, DE 19966
Please make out any checks to “Michael Mantlo” — Bill’s legal guardian.)
The Hero Initiative
Some notes on X-Men Origins: Jean Grey, and why we’re adamantly pro-Jean.

33 – Crossoverload

November 30, 2014 Jay 37 comments

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | RSS

In which we dive into two crossovers; our DCU is the DCAU; the Greys just cannot catch a break; Darkseid is basically Santa Claus; the Phoenix Force has Cyclops feels; Baron Karza is the sonic screwdriver of supervillains; and the Enigma Force is aptly named.

CONTENT NOTE: The Micronauts portion of this episode involves not-particularly-graphic but still fairly involved discussions of sexual violence. If that’s not something you want to listen to, we’d recommend stopping the episode after the Teen Titans portion at 26:26, and fast-forwarding to 47:52 for conclusions, questions, and outro.

X-Plained:

Crossover Earth
Amalgam
Crossovers
The Uncanny X-Men and the New Teen Titans
The Teen Titans
The One True Flash
Cosmic Kirby
Darkseid
Metron
The Source Wall
Deathstroke the Terminator
Ravok
Butte sex
Cyclops and the Phoenix Force
The X-Men and the Micronauts #1-4
Bill Mantlo
The Hero Initiative
Micronauts
The Microverse
Baron Karza
Evil Xavier (more)(again)(seriously, how is anyone still surprised when this happens)
Several moral event horizons crossed in quick succession
Female protagonists in X-books

Next Week: Captain America in a loincloth!

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!

YOU MADE ART! WE MADE MUGS!

November 26, 2014 Jay 2 comments

In Episode 31, we dropped the idea of Wolverine running an advice column, and not one but two of you magical folk sent us your versions of what that would look like!

Baum_asklogan — The column itself, by Chris Baum (text by Dear Abby).

A behind-the-scenes candid from Celia Connaire !

SPEAKING OF ART! When we were uploading David Wynne’s gorgeous Demon Bear for the print of the week, Redbubble suddenly confronted us with a possibility we had never previously considered but found absolutely hilarious: Demon Bear travel mugs. I mean, look at this:

After a hurried twitter conference with David, we decided those should probably be a thing, and now they are. (Both prints and mugs will be up at the shop until Sunday, November 30, at which point the prints and probably the mugs will disappear forever.)

As Mentioned in Episode 31 – Chekhov’s Raygun

November 16, 2014 Jay 13 comments

Listen to the episode here!

You can get prints of David Wynne’s “Back to the Future Past” art here, or contact David for the original!

This guy.

We searched for the source for this for like an hour, with no luck. Wherever it comes from, we would very much like to send it back. (Update: It’s from X-Factor #69, with art by Whilce Portacio. Thank you, Breadcrumb!)

Rogue, no! He’s not worth it! He’s not even a Super Doctor Astronaut! (Uncanny X-Men #182)

Rogue’s schtick was–very briefly–throwing silver dollars. It did not last. (Uncanny X-Men #182)

Ooh, moral awakening! (Uncanny X-Men #182)

Aw, Kitty. Also, ace tandem use of speech and thought balloons. (Uncanny X-Men #183)

Remember when artists used to draw Wolverine at the proper height? (Uncanny X-Men #183)

SUNDAY PUNCH. Juggernaut, you delightful scamp. (Uncanny X-Men #183)

Wolverine is full of valuable life lessons, a remarkable number of which involve massive real-estate damage. (Uncanny X-Men #183)

Forge’s sweet, sweet pad. (Uncanny X-Men #184)

LOOK AT THIS DELIGHTFUL GENTLEMAN AND HIS DELIGHTFUL SHORTS (Uncanny X-Men #184)

Fun fact: Wolverine and the X-Men Forge is an unsettlingly accurate Miles doppelgänger.

He’s a nice dude. Too bad he’s SUPER DOOMED. (Uncanny X-Men #184)

Pro tip: the better Storm’s haircut, the better the general state of the timeline. (Uncanny X-Men #184)

Rachel Summers: THE SADDEST TIME TRAVELER. (Uncanny X-Men #185)

“What would Dracula do?” (Uncanny X-Men #185)

Well, then. (Uncanny X-Men #185)

And that’s why you always leave a note. (Uncanny X-Men #185)

And now, Barry Windsor Smith! (Uncanny X-Men #186)

God, that opening. (Uncanny X-Men #186)

Storm does not need superpowers to be more badass than you. (Uncanny X-Men #186)

Straight talk. (Uncanny X-Men #186)

In a lot of ways, Storm’s arc over the last twenty or so issues has equipped her with the tools to get through this. (Uncanny X-Men #186)

Straight talk, part two. Love that “Lifedeath” is veyr much a love story that very much doesn’t resolve as such. (Uncanny X-Men #186)

Let’s take a moment to consider the logistics of this kick, shake our heads, and weep quietly. (Uncanny X-Men #187)

SHADOW PTEROSAURS (Uncanny X-Men #187)

Yukio callback! (Uncanny X-Men #187)

The best part is that he dressed up as a pilot, like that will somehow make this less conspicuous. (Uncanny X-Men #187)

Colossus: Terrible boyfriend, pretty great brother. (Uncanny X-Men #187)

As it happens, Magneto’s asteroid got knocked out of orbit by THE BEST SPACE-ROBOT TEENAGER EVER, but we’ll get to that next episode. (Uncanny X-Men #187)

Seriously. Saddest time traveler. (Uncanny X-Men #187)

Next episode: Where we’re going, we don’t need roads.

31 – Chekhov’s Raygun

November 16, 2014 Jay 22 comments

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | RSS

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!

Halloween X

November 3, 2014 Jay 17 comments

We’ve been talking up the Stealth/Plainclothes cosplay contest a lot lately (reminder: deadline is Friday, November 7!), but right in the middle of that came Halloween–and our listeners turned out in some stellar X-wear. Check it out:

If you’re playing along with the Kitty’s Costumes game, take a drink: Meghan Ansbach made Kitty’s one-off costume from Uncanny X-Men #175!

Everything fell into place for Elle Collins‘s Domino costume! (If the name sounds familiar, we’ve mentioned Elle here before–she hosts the kickass pop-culture-obsession podcast Into It.)

PenceyPreparatory makes a marvelous Marvel Girl!

Donna Danger is the first post-Phoenix Emma Frost we’ve seen!

Genkigecko makes her way into the multiverse, as Wolverine of Earth-92124!

The McPherson family of Ohio sent us this photo of what we are objectively certain is the cutest Dark Phoenix of this or any other universe.

This costume–from listener Andrew Joyce–is from a con, not Halloween; but we’re including it anyway, because it’s the hands-down best use of a Probably a Summers Brother t-shirt we have ever seen (and puts a whole new spin on Rob Marsh‘s legendary “Wolverine Meets Freddie Mercury” Marvel submission).

As Mentioned in Episode 29 – Mutant in a Box

November 2, 2014 Jay 27 comments

Listen to the podcast here!

We’re having a stealth / plainclothes cosplay contest, with guest X-Pert judge Kris Anka, and prizes from TVStoreOnline! Submissions are open ’til November 7. JOIN US.

Yep, that’s our Fantomex.

This ridiculous motherfucker who is now THREE PEOPLE. What the hell, Fantomex?

This isn’t Cyclops’s worst vacation. Hell, it’s not even his worst honeymoon. (X-Men #176)

Wolverine and Mariko: dealing with relationship issues like grown-ups. We choose to believe that wearing a mask that looks like your hair is a prerogative of adulthood. (X-Men #176)

You’d REALLY THINK Scott would know what an octopus looks like by now, but I guess he was blindfolded for a lot of his time in Octopusheim. (X-Men #176)

Scott! The sea’s a lovely lady when you play in her. But if you play with her, she’s a BITCH! Play in the sea, yes, but never play with her. You’re lucky to be here! You’re lucky to be ALIVE! (X-Men #176, with sincere apologies to the late, great Spalding Gray. Seriously, go watch Swimming to Cambodia. And Monster in a Box. And Gray’s Anatomy. Now.)

Yeah, good luck with that, Sparky. (X-Men #176)

Val Cooper: Definitely the sister of Special Agent Dale Cooper.

The early ’80s: A more innocent time, when all a hero needed was coke and epic shoulder pads, and you could kill Wolverine by slitting his throat. (X-Men #177)

Why is Alex dressed like an elf? (X-Men #177)

As diversions go, that’s a pretty impressively orchestrated one. Go, Brotherhood! (X-Men #177)

CYCLOPS WHAT THE HELL IS EVEN WRONG WITN YOU (X-Men #178)

“Get the asprin, Rogue. I feel a crossover event coming on.” (X-Men #178)

Awyeah. (X-Men #178)

Why is Kitty wearing an unbranded Fantastic 4 costume? Who the hell knows? Do we even need a reason, at this point? (X-Men #178)

99% sure Cyndi Lauper wrote a song about this. (X-Men #179)

This is innocuous in context, until you realize he’s sniffing a dead teenager in a morgue. (X-Men #179)

Aw, Leech. (X-Men #179)

LOOK AT THIS FUCKING WIZARD LOOK AT HIS HAT LOOK AT HOW HE CLEARLY BELONGS ON THE SET OF FLASH GORDON (X-Men #179)

Professor Xavier engages in a rare moment of being absolutely delightful. (X-Men #178)

I like to imagine that Kitty and Doug’s side adventures are the subject of a mid-’80s feature film starring Jenny Lewis. (X-Men #180)

Sky closure is the best closure. (X-Men #180)

Literally the only worthwhile panel in all twelve issues of Secret Wars. (Secret Wars #1)

“I’ll see she’s raised as if she were my own. HOPE SHE LIKES BEING DROWNED IN PUDDLES.” (X-Men #181)

Oh. That guy. Again. (X-Men #181)

This Erica Henderson drawing of Warlock and Cypher doing Troy and Abed in the Morning may be the single nerdiest thing Rachel owns, and that’s saying something.

Next week: These delightful scamps.

29 – Mutant in a Box

November 2, 2014 Jay 8 comments

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | RSS

In which Cyclops is the worst at vacations, Mystique is your favorite MurderMom™, Havok is eternally ABD, Kitty Pryde does science, Callisto doesn’t give a damn about her bad reputation, Xavier has a Troy Barnes moment, Miles may be the only person with fond memories of Secret Wars, and Rachel finally gets to make Spalding Gray references.

X-Plained:

Fantomex
Uncanny X-Men #176-181
Reset issues
Scott Summers’s second-worst honeymoon
Cephalopod disambiguation
Project Wideawake (more) (again)
Valerie Cooper
Foreshadowing
Public displays of affection
Leech
How X-Men age
A sewer wizard
Doug Ramsey
Secret Wars
Japan
Mystique’s kids
Douglock
Mystique’s powers
The other X-Men Forever

Next Week: The New Mutants gets weird!

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!

Send us your submissions to the Stealth / Plainclothes Cosplay Contest until the end of the day on Friday, November 7!

As Mentioned in Episode 28 – What’s New, Shadowcat?

October 26, 2014 Jay 9 comments

Listen to the episode here!

Art by David Wynne! You can get prints here through 11/2/2014; or contact David to purchase the original.

Kitty’s Fairy Tale is one of the best and most beloved issues of Uncanny X-Men.

D’awwwwww. (X-Men #153)

The Beast With No Name does his best River City Ransom. (X-Men #153)

The rest of the X-Men are as delighted with Kitty’s fairy tale as we are. (X-Men #153)

No, seriously. This issue is FANTASTIC. (X-Men #153)

In a lot of ways, Kitty’s Fairy Tale is a fantasy riff on the Dark Phoenix Saga with a happy ending, which makes the end of the issue kinda bittersweet. (X-Men #153)

Kitty Pryde and Wolverine: We read it so you don’t have to.

The fact that she still has her skates is really damn charming. (Kitty Pryde and Wolverine #1)

Don’t call Wolverine, Kitty! He’ll bogart your miniseries! (Kitty Pryde and Wolverine #1)

Kitty’s dad: kind of the worst. (Kitty Pryde and Wolverine #2)

Your homework: Rate the creepiness of this scene on the X-Men scale of one to Belasco. (Kitty Pryde and Wolverine #2)

Okay. That’s legitimately fairly cool. (Kitty Pryde and Wolverine #2)

In which Al Milgrom is not Frank Miller, and Chris Claremont writing for Al Milgrom is not Chris Claremont writing for Frank Miller. SIGH. (Kitty Pryde and Wolverine #3)

“Well, Kitty Pryde called me from Japan and then disappeared… BUT WHO COULD THIS INTANGIBLE MASKED OPPONENT POSSIBLY BE?” (Kitty Pryde and Wolverine #3)

Can we talk about how Yukio’s outfit in this scene is THE BEST OUTFIT EVER? (Kitty Pryde and Wolverine #3)

And that’s why you always leave a note. (Kitty Pryde and Wolverine #3)

Samurai eyefucking, illustrated. (Kitty Pryde and Wolverine #4)

Oh, Kitty, no. (Kitty Pryde and Wolverine #4)

Remember being fifteen and thinking “Shadowcat” was a really good, really grown-up code name? (Kitty Pryde and Wolverine #4)

Headcanon: Yukio moonlights with the Hong Kong Cavaliers. (Kitty Pryde and Wolverine #5)

This cover is a pretty good metaphor for what went wrong in this series. (Kitty Pryde and Wolverine #6)

Sorry, Wolverine. Your Samurai eyefucking game is lacking. (Kitty Pryde and Wolverine #6)

THE BEST PART IS THAT THEY ARE DRESSED LIKE THAT TO GO OUT FOR ICE CREAM. We would SO have hung out with these weirdos in high school. (Kitty Pryde and Wolverine #6)

Seriously, Yukio, what the hell are you even wearing? I mean, it’s awesome, but, what? (Kitty Pryde and Wolverine #6)

Excalibur Kitty is the best Kitty. (Excalibur #2)

NO, SERIOUSLY.

That time Kitty realized it was very much the early aughts.

Despite its dubious title and weirdly hypersexy-shiny art, X-Treme X-Men: Mekanix is actually a super solid Kitty Pryde series.

Professor K.

Kitty and Illyana sass is the best sass. (Wolverine and the X-Men #37)

If you like granular, obsessive journeys into media, we recommend the hell out of the podcast Into It, in which our friend Elle interviews people about their pop-culture obsessions.

Next Week: Rachel finally gets to make some Spalding Grey jokes.

Links:

Into It, with Elle Collins

As Mentioned in Episode 25 – The Best at What He Does

October 6, 2014 Jay 4 comments

Listen to the episode here!

Art by David Wynne, after Katsushika Hokusai. Prints available until 10/12; or contact David to purchase the original.

Because you demanded it: Probably a Summers Brother t-shirts (light or dark backgrounds) and other gear are now a thing that exist, and which you can purchase using moneydollars!

Welcome to the Wolverine comic that will forever set the bar for Wolverine comics.

Shingen: Totally a dick. (Wolverine #1)

Seriously. This asshole. (Wolverine #1)

Things that never get old: Frank Miller drawing Wolverine beating up on Ninja. (Wolverine #2)

Other things that never get old: Our favorite lady, Yukio! (Wolverine #2)

Okay, look, like 2/3 of this gallery is just going to be us drooling over these amazing Frank Miller fight scenes. Deal with it. (Wolverine #2)

Mariko is less impressed with Miller’s stylish portrayal of gruesome violence. (Wolverine #2)

MORE NINJA! (Wolverine #3)

Yukio, ladies and gentlemen. (Wolverine #3)

Taking a break from drooling over stylish fight scenes to drool over a stylish chase scene. (Wolverine #3)

If you’re not hearing the narration in Steve Blum’s voice, you’re doing Wolverine wrong. (Wolverine #4)

LOOK AT THAT NARRATIVE SYMMETRY. (Wolverine #4)

We were going to choose one or two panels from this fight scene, but, nope, it’s perfect. Deal. (Wolverine #4)

HOLY BALLS FRANK MILLER (Wolverine #4)

The X-Men show up to congratulate Wolverine on the completion of his first solo miniseries. (Uncanny X-Men #172)

Look at that adorable Ninja meet-cute! Also: Pretty sure Smith is taking a cue from Miller with the sudden influx of vertical panels and silhouetted buildings. (Uncanny X-Men #172)

Yeah, look, remember how we said this was gonna all be Miller fight scenes? There will also be a lot of Storm and Yukio, because, Storm and Yukio. (Uncanny X-Men #172)