X-Factor – Page 16 – Jay & Miles X-Plain the X-Men

As Mentioned in Episode 66 – The Mutant Massacre, Part 2

July 20, 2015 Jay 4 comments

Listen to the episode here!

Art by David Wynne. Prints and cards available until 7/26/2015 in the shop, or contact David for the original.

If this week’s illustration reminds you of last week’s, that’s because they’re two parts of this rad panorama! Again, prints are available until 7/26/2015 in the shop, or contact David for the original.

Mystique, what are you even doing? (X-Factor #9)

This, again. (X-Factor #9)

Passing privilege in action! (X-Factor #9)

That’s actually pretty clever. (X-Factor #9)

MOPPETS. (X-Factor #9)

Meanwhile in Apartment 3G… (X-Factor #10)

WRONG CHOICE, ANGEL. (X-Factor #10)

One horseman down, three to go. (X-Factor #10)

Damn, Jean. (X-Factor #10)

Ouch. (X-Factor #10)

OUCH. (X-Factor #10)

There is never a worst time to be a Power kid than during an X-line crossover. (Power Pack #27)

Everyone hates X-Factor. (Power Pack #27)

It really does kind of cheapen Sabretooth’s menace when a bunch of kids can take him down–even these kids. (Power Pack #27)

COMICS FOR KIDS. (Power Pack #27)

And then everything was sad forever. (Power Pack #27)

BEHOLD THIS MAJESTIC THUNDER GOD AND HIS MAJESTIC BEARD! (The Mighty Thor #373)

No, but seriously, though. (The Mighty Thor #373)

Thor has frog friends. (The Mighty Thor #373)

Have we mentioned that we love Thor? We love Thor. (The Mighty Thor #373)

There’s a reason that Walter Simonson is the gold standard for epic dialogue. (The Mighty Thor #374)

Aw. (The Mighty Thor #374)

There’s a lot of straight-up killing on the hero side of this event. (The Mighty Thor #374)

(X-Men #9, specifically.) (The Mighty Thor #374)

Thor: Definitely the best dude you know. (The Mighty Thor #374)

It’s funny, because miscommunication. (X-Factor #11)

“Run! It’s a crossover issue!” (X-Factor #11)

X-Factor drinking game: Drink every time someone has to explain the relationship between X-Factor and the X-Terminators. (X-Factor #11)

Halfway there, Apocalypse! (X-Factor #11)

Ouch. (X-Factor #11)

On the upside: Boom-Boom! (X-Factor #11)

NEXT WEEK: The New Mutants party like it’s 1299!

LINKS & FURTHER READING

Listen to Episode 65–The Mutant Massacre, Part 1–here!
You can find the Mutant Massacre reading order here.
Have you read Walter Simonson’s run of The Mighty Thor yet? You should really go do that. It starts here.

66 – The Mutant Massacre, Part 2

July 20, 2015 Jay 25 comments

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In which we wrap up our first official two-parter; Gambit ruins everything; Rachel has a theory about Mister Sinister; Marvel communication technology is behind the times; Trish Tilby is tired of your bullshit; Walter Simonson is the best of the best; X-Factor pulls it together; Power Pack gets uncomfortably dark; Miles has Thor feelings; and even more mutants die.

NOTE: This episode is the second of a two-parter! If you haven’t listened to Episode 65, where we cover the first half of the mutant massacre, you should probably do that before you listen to this one!

X-PLAINED:

Masque
Tentacle disambiguation
More of the Mutant Massacre
A Sinister hypothesis
Several Marauder-related retcons
X-Factor #9-11
Power Pack #27
The Mighty Thor #373-374
Trish Tilby
Artie & Leech
Several awkward reunions
Walter Simonson
The fall of Angel
Apocalypse’s horsemen
Yet another crossover that will probably scar the Power kids for life
Franklin Richards
Thor, Donald Blake, and Sigurd Jarlson
The best issue of any comic, ever.
The Tunnelers
Ongoing repercussions of the Mutant Massacre
Rachel & Miles’s horseman identities
Which X-Men could and should wield Mjolnir

NEXT WEEK: The New Mutants party like it’s 1299!

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

Find us on iTunes or Stitcher!

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

As Mentioned in Episode 65 – The Mutant Massacre, Part 1

July 13, 2015 Jay 10 comments

Listen to the episode here.

Art by David Wynne. Prints and cards available until 7/19/2015 in the shop, or contact David for the original.

And so it begins. (Uncanny X-Men #210)

Dazzler vs. Dazzler. (Uncanny X-Men #210)

We’d make a joke about taking a drink for every X-Men/X-Factor near miss, but you’d die of alcohol poisoning before the end of the crossover. (Uncanny X-Men #210)

Aw, Colossus. (Uncanny X-Men #210)

Not sure why Alanis Morisette didn’t bring this up in “Ironic.” (Uncanny X-Men #210)

Good job Kitty. (Uncanny X-Men #210)

Well, damn. (Uncanny X-Men #210)

There’s something really unsettlingly cheery and Silver-Age about this page. (Uncanny X-Men #211)

No idea who the purple individual is, which is a shame, because they seem awesome. (Uncanny X-Men #211)

STORM, NO! DON’T SPLIT THE PARTY! (Uncanny X-Men #211)

Whoa. (Uncanny X-Men #211)

This is the closest they’ll come to an actual conversation until Inferno. (Uncanny X-Men #211)

Whoops. (Uncanny X-Men #211)

So, THAT happened. (Uncanny X-Men #211)

SO, THAT HAPPENED. (Uncanny X-Men #211)

Dani Moonstar’s powers are METAL AS FUCK. (New Mutants #46)

“My powers are limited to the counterculture.” (New Mutants #46)

Powerlessness and the sense of being able to accomplish too little too late are pervasive themes in the Mutant Massacre. (New Mutants #46)

Everything’s sadder when teenagers are reacting to it. (New Mutants #46)

Well, shit. (New Mutants #46)

How have they not learned to listen to Doug by now? He is ALWAYS RIGHT. (New Mutants #46)

Cold, Wolverine. (Uncanny X-Men #212)

In her defense, everything is in fact well and truly fucked. (Uncanny X-Men #212)

And again. See what I meant about the alcohol-poisoning thing? (Uncanny X-Men #212)

You can, however, take a drink when Storm takes off her clothes for no clear reason. (Uncanny X-Men #212)

First mention of the man with the plan! (Uncanny X-Men #212)

Well done, Wolverine! (Uncanny X-Men #212)

I don’t care who you are: Callisto is better at leadership than you. (Uncanny X-Men #212)

It’s cool. It’s just Thor; we’ll be covering that stuff next episode. (Uncanny X-Men #212)

Psylocke’s psychic projection is adorable and also super creepy. (Uncanny X-Men #213)

NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE (Uncanny X-Men #213)

Betsy Braddock is hardcore. (Uncanny X-Men #213)

Two classic Claremontisms… (Uncanny X-Men #213)

…on a single page. (Uncanny X-Men #213)

Damn, Psylocke. (Uncanny X-Men #213)

How much do we love Psylocke’s totally femme-princess superhero costume? SO MUCH. (Uncanny X-Men #213)

Next Week: The Mutant Massacre, Part 2!

If you want to follow along with the crossover, you can find a guide to the reading order–and how we’re dividing it between episodes–here.

65 – The Mutant Massacre, Part 1

July 13, 2015 Jay 47 comments

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In which we hit the first big X-centric crossover; a lot of Morlocks die; X-Factor is a dark farce; Kitty Pryde talks down a mob without using racial slurs; when Doug Ramsey tells you there’s a problem, you listen; and Callisto should be one of the iconic leaders of the Marvel Universe.

X-PLAINED:

Death by intellectual-property dispute
The Mutant Massacre
Mutant Massacres that might have been
Uncanny X-Men #210-213
New Mutants #46
The Marauders
The best way to guarantee the New Mutants’ involvement in a storyline
Limbo fashion
The responsibility of leadership
Wolverine vs. Sabretooth
Psylocke vs. Sabretooth
The evolution of crossovers
Characters we’d like to see more of post-Secret Wars

NEXT WEEK: The Mutant Massacre, Part 2!

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

Find us on iTunes or Stitcher!

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

The Mutant Massacre: A How-To Guide

July 8, 2015 Miles 9 comments

…wait, that title doesn’t sound right.

Miles here! Our next two episodes will be about the Mutant Massacre, Marvel’s first-ever X-event. It’s super depressing; huzzah! (Just like a lot of other X-events, come to think of it.)

Anyway! Since the Mutant Massacre involves eleven issues of five and a half different titles and doesn’t have distinct chapter numbers the way later events do, we thought it might be helpful to post a reading order for those following along. For the sake of simplicity, I’ll post the order we decided to use in our upcoming episodes.

(Of note: every single one of these except Power Pack #27 is on Marvel Unlimited right now.)

The Mutant Massacre, X-Men side (Episode 65):

Uncanny X-Men #210
Uncanny X-Men #211
New Mutants #46
Uncanny X-Men #212
Uncanny X-Men #213

The Mutant Massacre, X-Factor side (Episode 66):

X-Factor #9
X-Factor #10
Thor #373
Thor #374
Power Pack #27
X-Factor #11

Daredevil #238 is technically a tie-in too, but it’s a loose enough one that we’ll be skipping it.

For an alternate reading order–including a very handy flow chart–we recommend the Mutant Massacre guide at UncannyXMen.net.

We’ll see you – and a ton of dead Morlocks – soon!

EDITED TO ADD: Andrew Vestal hooked us up with this perversely cheery Official Mutant Massacre Flow Chart that Marvel published in ’86. So, that’s a thing:

As Mentioned in Episode 64 – Ski Lodge of Apocalypse

July 5, 2015 Jay 4 comments

Listen to the episode here!

Art by David Wynne. Prints and cards available until 7/12/2015 in the shop, or contact David for the original.

A very happy 4th birthday to the Littlest Consulting X-Pert, Kestrel!

Because she is AWESOME, Kes decided that she wanted a party with all her kid friends and all her grown-up friends as superheroes. Here’s Rachel as slightly off-brand O5 Cyclops, and Miles as DIY Thor.

Full O5 group: Rachel as Cyclops, Dave Proctor as Beast, Douglas Wolk as Iceman, Jesse Miller as Angel, and Katie Proctor as Marvel Girl.

Come for the superheroics, stay for the soap opera! (X-Factor #6)

“Sorry I burned down your village. Here’s some gold.” (X-Factor #6)

Oh, THERE’S the Apocalypse we know and love! (X-Factor #6)

Even your villains are fed up with your angst, X-Factor. (X-Factor #6)

Ladies and gentlemen: the world’s oldest and most powerful mutant. (X-Factor #6)

Phoenix flare or pareidolia? YOU BE THE JUDGE! (X-Factor #6)

The Saddest Mutants (TM). (X-Factor #7)

“Look! A distraction!” Cyclops, we love you, but sometimes you really are the worst. (X-Factor #7)

These guys. (X-Factor #7)

SERIOUSLY WHY ARE YOU NOT ALREADY COSPLAYING SKIDS GO COSPLAY SKIDS (X-Factor #7)

Valid. (X-Factor #7)

This is almost embarrassing to read. (X-Factor #7)

X-Factor: fighting themselves metaphorically AND literally! Side note: This scene is funny until you realize X-Factor is turning Bulk and Glow Worm’s last desperate attempt to make a difference before their inevitable death into a farce. (X-Factor #7)

What. (X-Factor #8)

Aw, man. Right in the feels. (X-Factor #8)

Jean Was Right. (X-Factor #8)

VERA. (X-Factor #8)

Freedom Force briefings are so weird. (X-Factor #8)

“An invitation to a crossover? Hot dog!” (X-Factor #8)

I don’t know why I find Spiral just taking off mid-fight for a different comic so funny, but GOD, I do. (X-Factor #8)

“Come with me if you want to be FABULOUS!” (X-Factor #8)

NEXT WEEK: The Mutant Massacre begins!

LINKS & FURTHER READING:

We’ve linked before to Chris Claremont’s X-Men, but we’re doing it again, because it’s fascinating and you should all go watch it.
If you are fond of loving snark and deep dives into Marvel continuity, you should really already be reading Max Carleton’s Waiting for the Trade. (If you’re not fond of those things, why are you here?)

64 – Ski Lodge of Apocalypse

July 5, 2015 Jay 27 comments

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Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | RSS

In which Louise Simonson saves X-Factor; Apocalypse gets off to a rough start; Cyclops is bad at people; Apocalypse should be the Kingpin of X-Men; Jean Grey is sick of your bullshit; you should totally cosplay Skids; and Mystique fundamentally misunderstands branding.

X-PLAINED

The Maximoff family tree
The Whizzer
X-Factor as sketch comedy
Louise Simonson
X-Factor #6-8
Apocalypse
Bulk
Glow Worm
Skids (Sally Blevins)
Weaponized fashion
Trish Tilby
Favorite Claremontisms
X-Finance

NEXT WEEK: The Mutant Massacre!

Special thanks to Master of Maximoffs Max Carleton of Waiting for the Trade.

A very happy birthday to the Consulting X-Pert Kestrel!

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

Find us on iTunes or Stitcher!

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

As Mentioned in Episode 61 – Even Horses

June 15, 2015 Jay Leave a comment

Listen to the podcast here!

Art by David Wynne. Prints and cards available until 6/21/2015 in the shop, or contact David for the original.

So much love for this cover. (New Mutants #41)

Danielle Moonstar on cultural identity. (New Mutants #41)

I guess when you’ve spent ten years trapped in a demon bear, it’s easier to take things like flying horses in stride. (New Mutants #41)

“Ill wind.” Who even says that? (New Mutants #41)

SPOILER: This does not end well. (New Mutants #41)

Yeah, I can see how that might put a crimp into a friendship. (New Mutants #41)

Oof. (New Mutants #41)

How badass is Dani? BADASS ENOUGH TO SHOUT DOWN DEATH. (New Mutants #41)

On the list of iconic showdowns of New Mutants, this one will always be near the top. (New Mutants #41)

A very different brush with death. (New Mutants #41)

There’s a lot going on here, but the best part is that Lila is wearing a Lila t-shirt. (New Mutants #42)

AW, SAM. (New Mutants #42)

Headcanon: Sam never has any idea what his mom’s going to look like when he gets home. (New Mutants #42)

In Joshua’s defense, his fears will turn out to have been ENTIRELY JUSTIFIED. (New Mutants #42)

Damnit, Sam. (New Mutants #42)

Later, he’ll sprout wings, but we try not to talk about that story. (New Mutants #42)

Lila goes and changes, but seriously, how great is this look? SO GREAT, RIGHT? (New Mutants #42)

This does not seem like safe behavior around an aircraft in flight. (New Mutants #43)

In which Sunspot does his best Miles. (New Mutants #43)

Aw, they’re so happy. About revenge. (New Mutants #43)

In the New Mutants’ defense, Empath is in fact the literal worst. (New Mutants #43)

Have I mentioned recently how goddamn underrated Doug Ramsey is? Doug Ramsey is so goddamn underrated. (New Mutants #43)

Moment of silence for Dani’s super awesome Kyle Baker-inked hair. (New Mutants #44)

Illyana’s door signs are pretty priceless. (New Mutants #44)

Friendship! (New Mutants #44)

Kinda love the team reaction shot going on here. (New Mutants #44)

If Reverend Craig were an ice cream flavor, he’d be Presbyterianism and dick. (New Mutants #44)

Changing in a parking lot on the way to a school dance is about as New Mutants as it gets. (New Mutants #45)

Our first introduction to Larry Bodine. (New Mutants #45)

They’re talking about two entirely different things, but only one of them realizes it. (New Mutants #45)

THESE jerks. (New Mutants #45)

X-Factor keeps popping up as the off-screen bogeyman in other titles. (New Mutants #45)

Oh, Larry, no. (New Mutants #45)

(New Mutants #45)

Warlock trying to understand death is pretty much always the saddest thing. (New Mutants #45)

Aw, Kitty. (New Mutants #45)

Aw, everyone. (New Mutants #45)

Trivia: This scene has been referenced in a number of flashbacks, but it’s almost always misidentified as Doug Ramsey’s funeral. (New Mutants #45)

It’s really remarkable how consistent the evolution of Kitty’s feelings about identity politics has been, from here, through Mekanix, and into All-New X-Men. (New Mutants #45)

Next Week: GIANT-SIZE SUMMER SPECIAL SUPER TABLETOP TEAM-UP!

LINKS AND FURTHER READING:

National Suicide Prevention Line (U.S.): 1-800-273-TALK (8255) www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org
A fairly comprehensive list of suicide prevention hotlines outside of the U.S.: http://www.suicide.org/international-suicide-hotlines.html
Advice for intervention if you suspect that someone you know may be suicidal: http://www.helpguide.org/articles/suicide-prevention/suicide-prevention-helping-someone-who-is-suicidal.htm
The Guthrie Family Tree, from UncannyXMen.net
From Shaman to Equinox: The Challenges and Failures of Indigenous Representation in Superhero Comics, by James Leask
For more discussion of Legion in particular and mental illness in comics in general, listen to Episode 44 – Assembling Legion, with Si Spurrier.

61 – Even Horses

June 15, 2015 Jay 37 comments

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | RSS

In which the band gets back together; Dani faces down Death; Sam takes Lila home to meet his mom; revenge is a dish best left unserved; there is nothing sadder than Warlock confused by the concept of death; Kitty Pryde has a some opinions about identity politics; and X-Men has not been great with textual representations of neurodiversity.

NOTE: Given some of the material covered in this episode, we wanted to link a few resources below, for anyone who might need them:

National Suicide Prevention Line (U.S.): 1-800-273-TALK (8255) www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org
A fairly comprehensive list of suicide prevention hotlines outside of the U.S.: http://www.suicide.org/international-suicide-hotlines.html
Advice for intervention if you suspect that someone you know may be suicidal: http://www.helpguide.org/articles/suicide-prevention/suicide-prevention-helping-someone-who-is-suicidal.htm
Autistic Self Advocacy Network: http://autisticadvocacy.org/

X-PLAINED:

The rotating members of the Guthrie family
New Mutants #41-45
One way to end a friendship
A respectable number of dubious decisions enacted over several issues
An epic showdown with an anthropomorphic personification
Additional Guthries
The Xavier Institute PTA
The worst Hellion (more) (again)
Legion (more) (again)
The second-saddest issue of New Mutants
The life and death of Larry Bodine
A somewhat bleak recurring continuity error
Depression and mental illness in X-canon
Care and storage of comic books
Autism in X-canon

NEXT WEEK: GIANT-SIZE SUMMER SPECIAL SUPER TABLETOP TEAM-UP!

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

Find us on iTunes or Stitcher!

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

As Mentioned in Episode 58 – Miniseries Mayhem

May 25, 2015 Jay 8 comments

Listen to the episode here!

Art by David Wynne. Prints and cards available until 5/31/2015 in the shop, or contact David for the original.

We encourage you to judge this book by its cover. (Nightcrawler #1)

WELL DONE. (Nightcrawler #1)

No idea whether “Boggie” is actually a Bored of the Rings reference, but we’d like to think so. (Nightcrawler #1)

Yowza! (Nightcrawler #1)

We want a vacation home in Dave Cockrum’s brain. (Nightcrawler #1)

AND THEN A SHARK WIZARD HAPPENED. (Nightcrawler #1)

Things about this series that are absolutely delightful: all of them. (Nightcrawler #2)

Boggies X-Plain the plot. (Nightcrawler #2)

OH HELL YES (Nightcrawler #2)

Whoops. (Nightcrawler #2)

Don’t get comfortable! You’ve still got two issues to go! (Nightcrawler #2)

Bamfs are basically terrible sex smurfs. (Nightcrawler #3)

Meen. It’s spelled M-E-E-N. (Nightcrawler #3)

Suuuuuure, we’ve heard that one before. (Nightcrawler #3)

Wellp. (Nightcrawler #3)

X-cellent use of sound effects. (Nightcrawler #3)

Lady Bamfs are ALSO terrible sex Smurfs. (Nightcrawler #4)

CRETACEOUS SAM, WE LOVE YOU. (Nightcrawler #4)

That Illyana Rasputin owns a prodigious collection of pornography is the least surprising revelation of this series. (Nightcrawler #4)

In his defense, she does have extra fancy hair. (Iceman #1)

“You don’t steal another man’s elemental puns!” (Iceman #1)

If we had a dollar for every time this happened… (Iceman #1)

Aw, Bobby. (Iceman #1)

This could definitely not be read as an allegory for anything else ever, right? (Iceman #1)

This is basically how all of our family reunions go, too.

Sneaking in the window, in his underwear (costume, but STILL), carrying an interdimensional projector: kind of the perfect Bobby Drake moment, no? (Iceman #2)