Art by David Wynne. Prints, cards, and travel mugs available at the shop, or contact David to purchase the original. In which we play Evolutionary War Mad-Libs; it's probably a bad sign when Apocalypse decides you need an intervention; Dani is (briefly) the new Doug; horses are jerks; it's probably really dangerous to be Longshot; Storm has the coolest friends; the High Evolutionary is very high indeed; and we make a (very token) nod to Valentine's Day. X-PLAINED: Secret Origins of the High Evol...
Feb 15, 2016•1 hr 1 min•Season 1Ep. 96
Art by David Wynne In which the X-Men finally follow up on a dropped plotline; you should probably not mess with abandoned star sharks; "Dawn of Blood" is a sometimes food; The Goblin Queen makes her first appearance; we debut a new podcast feature; and there may or may not be a frozen woman in the Xavier School basement. X-PLAINED: The Providian Order Uncanny X-Men #232-234 The Brood (again) Several ill-fated campers Harry Palmer The Brood as horror antagonists Why John Doggett is the best X-Fi...
Feb 08, 2016•52 min•Season 1Ep. 95
Art by David Wynne. Prints and cards available at the shop, or contact David to purchase the original. In which Miles and Elisabeth X-Plain Pryde of the X-Men; Magneto is somehow even worse at branding than Mystique; the X-Universe is in desperate need of responsible adults; Wolverine hates kids; everybody's mean to Lockheed; and the Sentinels represent your feelings. X-PLAINED: Wolverine's Australian accent Pryde of the X-Men X-Men / Muppet Babies analogues The Brotherhood of Mutant Terrorists ...
Feb 01, 2016•50 min•Season 1Ep. 94
Art by David Wynne. Prints and cards available at the shop, or contact David to purchase the original. In which airplanes are really dangerous if you’re a mutant, Magik remembers that time she dreamed about remembering a dream, those who live by mystically bad judgment die by mystically bad judgment, It’s Always Mystique (TM), and everything leads to Inferno. X-PLAINED: Forge’s moral compass New Mutants #62-63 and #65-66 Empath and irredeemable vs. sympathetic villains Magical postal eagles Nova...
Jan 25, 2016•51 min•Season 1Ep. 93
Art by David Wynne. Prints and cards available at the shop, or contact David to purchase the original. In which X-Factor loves press conferences, Archangel provides many opportunities for terrible puns, Cyclops gets to be happy for a whole five pages, X-Factor learns how doors work, the X-kids are generous (except Boom Boom), Infectia makes monsters to fight the patriarchy, Ship is your cool aunt, and Destiny accidentally predicts Cable. X-PLAINED: Apocalypse versus Ed Wood X-Factor #27-31 Super...
Jan 18, 2016•44 min•Season 1Ep. 92
Art by David Wynne. Prints and cards available at the shop, or contact David to purchase the original. In which New Mutants #64 is the saddest single issue of any X-book ever; the New Mutants have to grow up fast; Warlock comes to terms with mortality; The Last of Us is harder to play the second time; Tattoo Tales: X-Men: Masquerade is delightfully unhinged; animated Cyclops is totally the worst; Beast probably has a terrible garage band; Jean starts a kitchen fire; and Wolverine saves Jubilee's...
Jan 11, 2016•50 min•Season 1Ep. 91
Art by David Wynne. Prints and cards available at the shop, or contact David to purchase the original. In which the X-Men move to Australia; O.Z. Chase is definitely not a werewolf; Dazzler is a smart, glittery laser cookie; Gateway falls into some uncomfortable tropes; Havok remains the king of terrible hats; Madelyne Pryor hacks the planet; Rogue makes a friend; Rick Leonardi draws the definitive Magik; Colossus' secondary mutation is allegory; and there are a lot of great places to donate you...
Jan 04, 2016•57 min•Season 1Ep. 90
Art by David Wynne. Prints and cards available at the shop, or contact David to purchase the original. In which Jay and Miles finally X-Plain some Excalibur; Kyle interviews the X-Perts; Logan gets up-close and personal with the X-Men; Elle casts Excalibur; Chris X-Plains Santa Claus; and you are still the best listeners of any podcast, ever. X-PLAINED: Excalibur: The Sword Is Drawn Christmas at the X-Mansion The best hair in the Marvel Universe The not particularly secret origins of Excalibur M...
Dec 28, 2015•2 hr 57 min•Season 1Ep. 89
Art by David Wynne. Prints and cards available at the shop, or contact David to purchase the original. In which X-Factor finally comes out ahead; Jay and Miles weigh in on the X-Men: Apocalypse trailer; En Sabah Nur is better at theater than tactics; no one does scale like Simonson; Iceman pulls an Xavier; Cyclops and Marvel Girl totally do it; and we conclude our three-part coverage of Fall of the Mutants. X-PLAINED: A potential (but unlikely) vector for resurrecting Cyclops-616 Events vs. cros...
Dec 21, 2015•1 hr•Season 1Ep. 88
Art by David Wynne. Prints and cards available at the shop, or contact David to purchase the original. In which the New Mutants learn that they are not, in fact, immortal; Louise Simonson finds her stride; the Ani-Mator makes Cameron Hodge look downright reasonable; hating humans is Magneto's security blanket; Doug Ramsey dies; and we continue our coverage of the Fall of the Mutants. X-PLAINED: Sugar Man New Mutants #59-61 Bird Brain The Ani-Mator The Ani-Mates Stylistic whiplash Why you always ...
Dec 14, 2015•52 min•Season 1Ep. 87
Art by David Wynne. Prints and cards available at the shop, or contact David to purchase the original. In which we begin our 3-part coverage of Fall of the Mutants; Roma is very good at her job; strange things are afoot in Dallas; Mystique's parenting skills are somewhat lopsided; Neal Conan is awesome; Havok gets a soapbox; Storm and Forge flirt with godhood; Rogue's costume exists in a state of quantum uncertainty; Colossus is the organic steel wrench in the gears of chaos; and the X-Men die f...
Dec 06, 2015•58 min•Season 1Ep. 86
Art by James Stokoe In which Miles finally makes it to Battlepod; we delve into our favorite continuity snarls for the benefit of the Beyonder; Kang is everyone; we're really grateful that the D.C. Multiverse is out of our usual scope; someone gets a new costume; and the Secret Convergence on Infinite Podcasts reaches its shocking conclusion! Featuring Paul O'Brien of House to Astonish and Kieran Shiach of Journey Into Misery; with Greg Rucka as the voice of the Beyonder! X-PLAINED: Kang The Thi...
Nov 29, 2015•1 hr 9 min•Season 1Ep. 85
Art by David Wynne. Prints and cards available until 11/29/2015 at the shop, or contact David to purchase the original. In which Franklin Richards is the center of a disproportionate number of X-Men specials; Quicksilver without powers is comedy gold; Luna is the best little girl on the moon (but it's kind of a low bar); Jay accidentally cares about the Inhumans; Jean Grey may or may not be the Wesley Willis of X-Factor; Cameron Hodge's exit interview is weirdly professional; Boom Boom is the be...
Nov 23, 2015•54 min•Season 1Ep. 84
Art by David Wynne. Prints and cards available until 11/22/2015 at the shop, or contact David to purchase the original. In which we travel back in time to 1979 for our second live convention special; X-Men Annual #3 desperately needs a Queen soundtrack; George Perez draws great Banshee; Polemachus is kind of a bullshit planet; we dream of a world without Funky Winkerbean; Cyclops's costume does not mix and match well; if you can be someone else, you should probably be Brian Blessed; Colossus get...
Nov 16, 2015•47 min•Season 1Ep. 83
Art by David Wynne. In which Louise Simonson's New Mutants run gets off to a rough start; drugs are not a reliable way to impress your space girlfriend; Magma gets a character arc; Tarot's powers are kind of iffy; it'll take more than a few illegal fish to stop Magik; and Bird Brain thoroughly fails to live up to his potential. X-PLAINED: Sunspot's brushes with villainy The de-aging of the New Mutants New Mutants #55-58 A memorable dress Raek A cautionary tale The New Mutants as a Saturday morni...
Nov 09, 2015•51 min•Season 1Ep. 82
Art by David Wynne. Prints and cards available until 11/8/2015 at the shop, or contact David to purchase the original. In which we sit down with one of our favorite writers to talk about his upcoming series; the X-teens take to the road; Season One is kind of Friday Night Lights; good relationships make good stories; and we are really excited for All-New X-Men. X-PLAINED: Genesis (Evan Sabahnur) Dennis Hopeless Secret origins of X-Men: Season One All-New X-Men, vol. 2 How to write Jean Grey Buil...
Nov 02, 2015•43 min•Season 1Ep. 81
Art by David Wynne. Prints and cards available until 11/1/2015 at the shop, or contact David to purchase the original. In which we go back in time to take a look at two annuals; everyone is really excited about Excalibur; Claremont ups his illusion game; Horde should probably not be allowed to dress himself; Rachel fires the X-Men; Havok needs better role models; Psylocke's secondary mutation is femme power; Kyle X-Plains giant monsters; we check in with Super Doctor Astronaut Peter Corbeau; and...
Oct 26, 2015•55 min•Season 1Ep. 80
Art by David Wynne. Prints and cards available until 10/25/2015 at the shop, or contact David to purchase the original. In no one trusts Magneto; Dr. Druid is the comfiest superhero; She-Hulk wants to punch a meteor; Rachel and Miles are really bad at both nature and maritime law; boat fights are the best fights; everyone makes terrible choices; and James Jaspers should really have been disbarred by now. X-PLAINED: Darkstar vs. Dark Star X-Men vs. Avengers #1-4 Magneto's narrative milestones Dr....
Oct 19, 2015•1 hr 9 min•Season 1Ep. 79
Art by David Wynne. Prints and cards available until 10/18/2015 at the shop, or contact David to purchase the original. In which we persevere in the face of adversity; Storm goes on a quest; Mr. Sinister makes his first appearance; Dazzler learns about teamwork (again); it still sucks to be Havok (but not as much as it sucks to be Madelyne Pryor); you should probably put down that cactus; the Murder Grampas join Freedom Force; Storm's life is a metal-album cover; and the X-Men are doomed as hell...
Oct 12, 2015•53 min•Season 1Ep. 78
Art by David Wynne. Prints and cards available until 10/11/2015 at the shop, or contact David to purchase the original. In which we relax our definition of X-book; we really want Sunspot to grow a mustache; Miles gets an excuse to say "shillelagh"; Bill the Lobster goes on a rampage; and Fallen Angels is really, really, really wonderful. X-Plained: Devil Dinosaur Moon Boy Fallen Angels #1-8 Jo Duffy Assembling a team Sunspot as a point-of-view character Compassion as a superpower Da Costa's Devi...
Oct 05, 2015•55 min•Season 1Ep. 77
Art by David Wynne. Prints and cards available until 10/4/2015 at the shop, or contact David to purchase the original. In which we record our first live episode; Rose City Comic Con is AMAZING; Ann tells us how to torture the X-Men; Jean Grey needs more friends; Chris survives an encounter with an angry vampire; Squirrel Girl sets the high bar for questions; everyone has opinions about Longshot's hair; Jeff gets meta; Cyclops is the best at fighting Sentinels; and Rachel ALMOST gets through an e...
Sep 28, 2015•50 min•Season 1Ep. 76
Art by David Wynne. Prints and cards available until 9/20/2015 at the shop, or contact David to purchase the original. In which Masque is the worst Morlock; makeouts are a good reason to learn to control your powers; Cyclops and Marvel Girl are terrible role models; Iceman is the heart of X-Factor; Cameron Hodge finally shows his hand; the kids are all right (and probably the only ones who are); and we’ve basically given up on X-Factor ever learning to use doors. X-PLAINED: The Right The Ani-Mat...
Sep 21, 2015•48 min•Season 1Ep. 75
Art by David Wynne. Prints and cards available until 9/20/2015 at the shop, or contact David to purchase the original. In which Franklin Richards is definitely a normal human meat child; Thing’s code-name is delightfully ambiguous; your kids are probably robot sailors; it’s always a Doombot; Rachel accidentally identifies with Reed Richards; all dramatic roads lead to Latveria; and superheroes are terrible at conflict resolution. X-PLAINED: Franklin Richards Rachel & Miles at Rose City Comic Con...
Sep 14, 2015•1 hr•Season 1Ep. 74
Art by David Wynne. Prints and cards available until 9/6/2015 at the shop, or contact David to purchase the original. In which Rachel holds down the fort; Robert N. Skir X-Plains several cartoons; teenagers are basically mutants; Southern goths are the best goths; and you should really just watch X-Men: Evolution already. X-PLAINED: Bad parenting choices Rachel & Miles @ Rose City Comic Con Secret origins of Robert N. Skir The development of X-Men: Evolution The Unauthorized X-Men Point-of-view ...
Sep 07, 2015•54 min•Season 1Ep. 73
Art by David Wynne. Prints and cards available until 9/6/2015 at the shop, or contact David to purchase the original. In which Dazzler is not a team player; Longshot is the Zonker Harris of the X-Men; Juggernaut is That Guy; Rachel and Miles channel Statler and Waldorf; and Alex Summers is seriously never, ever going to finish grad school. X-PLAINED: Mutant X The only well-adjusted Scott Summers in the Multiverse The Goblin Entity Uncanny X-Men #217-219 The evolution of the X-Men’s lineup Standa...
Aug 31, 2015•49 min•Season 1Ep. 72
Art by David Wynne. Prints and cards available until 8/30/2015 at the shop, or contact David to purchase the original. In which the New Mutants return from space; Professor Xavier ruins everything; Magneto is the Craig Pelton of X-Men; Cypher carouses shamefully with Hellfire tramps; Karma quits the team; and we wrap up Chris Claremont's New Mutants run. X-PLAINED: Leong and Nga Coy Manh New Mutants #51-54 The Starjammers (again) The paradox of Professor X Several dramatic speeches The Hellfire ...
Aug 24, 2015•1 hr 2 min•Season 1Ep. 71
Art by David Wynne. Prints and cards available until 8/23/2015 in the shop (also pencils skirts, ‘cause, why the hell not?) or contact David for the original. In which everything is terrible; miscommunication triangles are way more awkward than love triangles; Boom Boom is universally delightful; Miles has feelings about ‘80s fashion; Apocalypse is judging your band posters; X-Factor still hasn’t gotten the hang of doors; Cyclops’s life continues to be an anxiety dream; the Twelve are better in ...
Aug 17, 2015•59 min•Season 1Ep. 70
Art by David Wynne. Prints and cards available until 8/9/2015 in the shop (once Redbubble’s uploader starts working again, anyway), or contact David for the original. In which Elle and Graeme save the day; Hank McCoy joins the real world (sort of) (briefly); Carl Maddicks may or may not be undead; academic discourse in the Marvel Universe leaves a few things to be desired; Steve Englehart is an unsung hero of X-Men; Mastermind lives up to his name; Warren Worthington has a good attitude about mu...
Aug 10, 2015•1 hr 24 min•Season 1Ep. 69
Art by David Wynne. Prints and cards available until 8/9/2015 , or contact David for the original. In which we catch our breath after the Mutant Massacre; Miles’s taste is both epic and adorable; Dazzler’s Achilles heel is fame; Madelyne Pryor; it’s hard to be a teenage ghost; Crimson Commando is not actually Frank Borman (but we wish he were); Wolverine may or may not make truck noises; Heroes for Hope is profoundly baffling; and Sunspot would definitely be way into Leslie Knope. X-PLAINED: Sev...
Aug 03, 2015•52 min•Season 1Ep. 68
Art by David Wynne. Prints and cards available until 8/2/2015 in the shop, or contact David for the original. In which the New Mutants get unstuck in time; Robert the Bruce is surprisingly shallow; Sentinels dabble in decoupage; Rachel pitches a comic; there’s no such thing as a happy Magneto flashback; you should probably respect teenagers more than you do; the seeds of Inferno are sewn; and Doug Ramsey hacks the planet. NOTE: Rachel and Miles are moving this week. Expect everything to be late....
Jul 27, 2015•54 min•Season 1Ep. 67
