Art by David Wynne. Wanna buy the original? Drop him a line! In which Leah dives headfirst into the world of con panels; Magdalene will burn down your idols; Sina is a fashion icon; none of the X-Men are straight (but they do share a sweater); you can't spell "gay sex" without X; and we are all very, VERY in love with FlameCon. Special thanks to Sina, Mags, Leah, Matt, Maya, Tea, Anna, the Discord crowd, and all our amazing listeners and patrons! NEXT EPISODE: Stryfe's Burn Book! Check out some ...
Sep 10, 2018•46 min•Season 1Ep. 213
Art by David Wynne. Wanna buy the original? Drop him a line! In which nobody but Stryfe's diary understands him; Apocalypse is the best at what he does (and what he does is remarkably versatile); Scott and Jean weaponize their clichés; Jae Lee does his best Patrick Nagel; Apocalypse is poisonous; Cable goes full T-800; nothing good ever happens to Cyclops on the moon; Stryfe dies as passive-aggressively as he lived; and X-Cutioner's Song finally concludes. X-PLAINED: How Cable dies The Story So ...
Sep 03, 2018•56 min•Season 1Ep. 212
Art by David Wynne. Wanna buy the original? Drop him a line! In which Jubilee is underwhelmed by X-Force; Havok and Gambit make weirdly good buddy cops; Department K is a hot vacation destination; Cable is secretly a Coen Brothers protagonist; you can cancel Community but you can never take away Jay's gratuitous Community references; Rusty goes full cultist; nobody is Stryfe's real dad; smoking on a space station is a REALLY bad idea; Apocalypse is here to help; and Miles lies at length about mu...
Aug 27, 2018•52 min•Season 1Ep. 211
Art by David Wynne. Wanna buy the original? Drop him a line! In which you may or may not have your own Black Bug Room; FlameCon was in fact every bit as wonderful as we projected (and more); Caliban hates true love; no one will ever be as extra as Mister Sinister; X-Cutioner's Song is secretly a farce; we achieve Peak Cable; and the quintessential '90s crossover event begins! X-PLAINED: The Black Bug Room A good deal of pre-event status quo Uncanny X-Men #294 X-Factor #84 X-Men #14 X-Force #16 T...
Aug 20, 2018•56 min•Season 1Ep. 210
Art by David Wynne. Wanna buy the original? Drop him a line! In which we welcome Marvel editor Jordan D. White to the podcast to talk about the current state of the X-Universe! X-PLAINED: The cosmic luck balance Mr. Dapples A remarkable concurrence of luck Our FlameCon live show lineup What an X-Men group editor does How X-books happen Longshot Saves the Marvel Universe Shatterstar Jordan's history with X-Men Uncanny X-Men: First Class Wolverine: First Class Whether Deadpool is an X-Man (No.) Me...
Aug 12, 2018•1 hr 9 min•Season 1Ep. 209
Art by David Wynne. Wanna buy the original? Drop him a line! In which nobody wears the pants in the X-Plain family; Havok is a remarkably okay boss; Polaris may want to find a new doctor; Quicksilver has no time for your nonsense; we are very conditionally okay with resurrections; and if you spoil Season 5 of Steven Universe for Miles, we will never ever ever forgive you. X-PLAINED: Jay & Miles at FlameCon Advantages of recording remotely X-Factor #81-83 What Genosha's been up to Prodigal An imp...
Aug 06, 2018•49 min•Season 1Ep. 208
Art by David Wynne. Wanna buy the original? Drop him a line! In which Miles has a Dracula problem; we are really, really excited about FlameCon; Fabian Nicieza is the unsung hero of the early '90s; Jay doesn't explain the Iranian Hostage Crisis; Cable does not have a good history with trademark disputes; Cable: Blood and Metal is secretly an allegory for the X-books of the early 1990s; friendship and explosions don't have to be mutually exclusive; and history evokes but doesn't quite repeat itse...
Jul 30, 2018•59 min•Season 1Ep. 207
Art by David Wynne. Wanna buy the original? Drop him a line! In which you should all come see us at FlameCon; all lizards are good lizards; we recap a recap; the Phoenix force is really complicated; Earth-99476 may or may not be the secret history of Earth-616; Alan Davis takes on continuity; the X-Men fail to save the day; the Phoenix says its piece; Rachel takes a vacation in space; Captain Britain doesn't like to be psychoanalyzed; and the Crazy Gang gets a happy ending. X-PLAINED: Evil Shado...
Jul 23, 2018•55 min•Season 1Ep. 206
Art by David Wynne. Wanna buy the original? Drop him a line! In which Jay returns from Latveria; Sabretooth is significantly less menacing in French; Fabian Nicieza takes the reins; X-Force wins our hearts and minds; Gideon plunders Flash Gordon's wardrobe; Crule does not actually rule; Rictor was right; Ship is the friend who helps you move, but better; the X-Force kids strike out on their own; and it's probably impossible to explain Joseph too much. X-PLAINED: The secret origin of Gideon How t...
Jul 16, 2018•58 min•Season 1Ep. 205
In which Jay runs away to Latveria (but Hub is here to save the day!); you shouldn't eat the brown promethium; Magneto and Cap fight over the world's tiniest man; Rom is somewhat set in his ways; all anyone in the 616 really wants out of a disguise is plausible deniability; and Hub was inside your heart all along (and you might want to see a doctor about that). X-PLAINED: Several Limbos Captain America Annual #4 Captain America vs. Magneto The return of the theoretical Magnetostache The Great Mu...
Jul 09, 2018•1 hr 12 min•Season 1Ep. 204
Art by David Wynne. Wanna buy the original? Drop him a line! In which the Morlocks used to have more agency, we have a surprising amount to say about the Rat King from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Archangel receives some exceptionally disturbing news, and 90s comics are all about finding the parts you love. X-PLAINED: Marrow’s internal organs The post-Image Exodus era Judging books by their covers Uncanny X-Men #291-293 Sexy dead girls (again) The Morlock leadership vacuum A significant Callist...
Jul 01, 2018•59 min•Season 1Ep. 203
Art by David Wynne. Wanna buy the original? Drop him a line! In which music is dangerous and confusing, Jamie Madrox has a weakness for femmes fatale, the term "f-holes" makes Miles turn 12, and we bid a fond farewell to Larry Stroman. X-PLAINED: That time Havok was the nexus of all realities How to get to Florida, Magneto style X-Factor #79-81 Lesser-used applications of super-speed Rhapsody (Rachel Argosy) Mutant late bloomers The surprising convenience and safety of fictional shop windows Exc...
Jun 25, 2018•51 min•Season 1Ep. 202
Art by David Wynne. Wanna buy the original? Drop him a line! In which we begin our third podcast century; Cyclops is bi-inclusive; we have high standards for Mojoworld; Dazzler can survive your big-budget horror show; Jim Lee makes his exit; video games that involve Protomen are better than video games that don't; and plasma is the new magnetism. X-PLAINED: Carter Ryking and his Very Durable Underpants Fontanelle Jay & Miles Town Cry ye X-Men An upcoming event X-Men #10-13 A somewhat disappointi...
Jun 18, 2018•57 min•Season 1Ep. 201
Art by David Wynne. Wanna buy the original? Drop him a line! In which we celebrate a major milestone with the coolest person ever to work on the X-books and look back at the last four-plus years of the podcast; and nobody ends up on trial at the Hague. NEXT WEEK: Jay & Miles take a much-needed vacation. NEXT EPISODE: The X-Men take the fight to Mojoworld! Check out our blog for links to the stuff we discussed in this episode! Find us on iTunes or Stitcher! Jay and Miles X-Plain the X-Men is 100%...
Jun 03, 2018•2 hr 49 min•Season 1Ep. 200
Art by David Wynne. Wanna buy the original? Drop him a line! In which Shattershot is definitely better than the Cold War; Beast X-plains the X-teams; Cyclops is a tired babysitter; sustenance is not frivolous; Jim Henson is the hero that Mojoworld needs; Shatterstar is not a great head of state; it's hard to be Val Cooper; and Cable has definitely figured out how to take you (yes, YOU) out. X-PLAINED: Astra Content-to-story ratio The Mojoverse (more) (again) Longshot Shatterstar (Gaveedra Seven)...
May 28, 2018•1 hr 13 min•Season 1Ep. 199
Art by David Wynne. Wanna buy the original? Drop him a line! In which Excalibur goes 16-bit platformer; Alysande gets new threads; Shadowcat should probably just change her code name to Ripley; Captain Britain may or may not destroy the universe; Doctor Doom tries his hand at human resources; Excalibur is at home with weirdness; and no lizard needs breasts. X-PLAINED: Invisible Boy Human heralds of Galactus Excalibur Special Editions Excalibur: Air Apparent Excalibur: XX Crossing Dr. Jonothon Ca...
May 20, 2018•1 hr 6 min•Season 1Ep. 198
Art by David Wynne. Wanna buy the original? Drop him a line! In which Wolverine is an eternal teenager; most of what Jay knows about Hawaii comes from Lilo and Stitch; Shiv is a complicated fellow; Nightcrawler represents an unattainable beauty standard; the Easter Bunny flies at dawn; Wolverine: The Jungle Adventure is delightful; Logan inadvertently starts a cult; Gahk does as she pleases; Jay and Miles are going to FlameCon; and we are all now Honkers forever. X-PLAINED: What Bloodscream and ...
May 14, 2018•1 hr 16 min•Season 1Ep. 197
Art by David Wynne. Wanna buy the original? Drop him a line! In which space bugs break time; you may already be a member of Excalibur; Earth-616 remains somewhat baffled by basic telecommunications technology; you should absolutely not order monkeys from an ad in a comic book; Widget gets a new look; Excalibur gets a new logo; Merlin X-Plains everything; and Rachel gets in touch with her roots. X-PLAINED: The Timebroker Excalibur #48-50 What "fair use" doesn't mean Penis bones, revisited Feron P...
May 07, 2018•1 hr 11 min•Season 1Ep. 196
Art by David Wynne. Wanna buy the original? Drop him a line! In which Jay may have Stockholm syndrome; Nick Fury is objectively sillier than G. W. Bridge; we get a brief artistic reprieve; Cable's legal expertise does not extend to trademarks; our favorite Ship returns; Miles's grandmother calls it like it is; Sauron is bad at taxonomy; and Garrison Kane is basically a very violent Inspector Gadget. X-PLAINED: Brother Mutant X-Force #8-10 X-Force (again) A protracted flashback The Wild and/or Si...
Apr 30, 2018•57 min•Season 1Ep. 195
In which Ghost Rider has some fairly serious medical issues; you should probably never invite Bishop to a picnic; Gambit's past catches up with him; it's always Mardi Gras in Fictional New Orleans; Wolverine is thrilled; and Jay swears a solemn vow. X-PLAINED: The Tithe The Momentary Princess The T'ieves Guild Why real New Orleans doesn't have catacombs X-Men #8-9 Ghost Rider #26-27 The abstract idea of Nicholas Cage Genesis The last of the X-Men A sick burn A picnic Boundaries Bella Donna Boudr...
Apr 23, 2018•1 hr 2 min•Season 1Ep. 194
Art by David Wynne. Wanna buy the original? Drop him a line! In which we pour one out for Malcolm and Randall; Cyclops is the worst at fun; Storm is better than you and always will be; Bishop forgets his first name; the X-Men can't tie bow ties; Iceman's dad is spectacularly awful; Mikhail Rasputin may have some lingering issues; and Doug Ramsey would probably have been pretty entertained by Hackers if he had survived long enough to see it. X-PLAINED: Whether Professor Xavier is dead Marvel time...
Apr 15, 2018•1 hr 5 min•Season 1Ep. 193
Art by David Wynne. Wanna buy the original? Drop him a line! In which Alan Davis's Excalibur is a spiritual sibling to The Muppet Show; Captain Britain gets a Captain Britain lesson; Opal Luna Saturnyne has no time for your nonsense; Meggan and Rachel take a brief detour into a Hammer film; Earth-148 is extra heroic; no member of Excalibur will ever use a bathroom in peace; Cerise joins the team; Technet embraces the future; and the end of the world is nigh. X-PLAINED: Pixie's powers and parenta...
Apr 09, 2018•1 hr•Season 1Ep. 192
In which writer Kelly Thompson joins us to talk Rogue and Gambit; Antarctica is Earth's answer to the Blue Area of the Moon; Kelly unfreezes one of the great X-romances; Rogue has walked a mile in everyone's shoes; you should probably not take romantic cues from fictional characters; Gambit should always wear hot pink; and continuity is fundamentally messy. X-PLAINED: What happened in Antarctica The Trial of Gambit Rogue and Gambit Narrative tension vs. growth Dueling accents Kelly's defining Ro...
Apr 01, 2018•1 hr 6 min•Season 1Ep. 191
In which the term "bloodlust" shows up a lot in popular culture; Wolverine pees between panels; Michael Higgins has a lot to answer for; Jay wants to fight a comic book; Nightcrawler's limbs have never seemed more potent; Florida kids don't understand basements; and Doug Ramsey didn't die for this. X-PLAINED Chaos War Destiny's diaries Wolverine: Bloodlust Excalibur: The Possession Bloodlust Several approaches to sound effects The greatest sound effect Perfect binding Several men who may or may ...
Mar 26, 2018•1 hr 6 min•Season 1Ep. 190
In which Jay's mom broke the Internet; correct credits are important; everyone has a Danger Room; no one needs that many teeth; there are so many reasons to laugh at Stryfe; the Watcher is probably affiliated with Pepperidge Farm; Boom Boom is the Rogue of X-Force; and Cable's pouches are definitely full of menstrual products. X-PLAINED: The Franklin Richards of Earth X The One True Cable X-Force #5-7 Pocket-Size Juggernaut A novel approach to trauma surgery A moment of intersectionality Teeth o...
Mar 21, 2018•59 min•Season 1Ep. 189
In which Jay makes a sartorial switch; Hope Summers is less confusing than you might expect; we are very happy to present our first all-artist convention special; Ramon kills his idols; Rachelle deciphers the past; Bret (re)defines New Mutants; a long-time mystery is resolved; colorists deserve more respect; the Xavier School probably has an actual curriculum; and a lot of X-Men have really cool hair. X-PLAINED: The adventures of Hope Summers Several Phoenix hosts The time Quentin Quire became a...
Mar 12, 2018•57 min•Season 1Ep. 188
Art by David Wynne. Wanna buy the original? Drop him a line! In which Lee Forrester deserved better; we have somehow made 187 of these; Bizarre Adventures is accurately named; the Grey sisters do not steal a yacht; trite jerks are doubly offensive; Black Panther is everything and you should go see it right now; Namor has a type; Attuma reads like an import from Game of Thrones; Florida is the Australia of North America; Iceman has a good weekend; half of the Vanisher materializes in Poughkeepsie...
Mar 05, 2018•1 hr 5 min•Season 1Ep. 187
Art by David Wynne. Wanna buy the original? Drop him a line! In which you are the wind beneath our wings; Sunfire doesn't quit the team even once; the X-Men do "Judgment War," kinda; Iceman's clothes are mostly incidental; Mikhail Rasputin is a surprisingly accomplished vintner; Colossus has a bad day; Super Doctor Astronaut Peter Corbeau is a core value; and we are REALLY excited about our plans for Emerald City Comic Con! X-PLAINED: Colossus vs. Breakworld Jay & Miles at Emerald City Comic Con...
Feb 26, 2018•59 min•Season 1Ep. 186
Art by David Wynne. Wanna buy the original? Drop him a line! In which All-New Wolverine and X-Men Red writer Tom Taylor joins us to talk friendship, heroism, pelican statues, and how to build on legacy without being bogged down by it. X-PLAINED The epic awesomeness of Gabrielle Kinney All-New Wolverine The evolution of Best Wolverine Character-first story Family X-Men Red Finding Jean Grey's voice Gentle (Nezhno Abidemi) Transcending the Silver Age Laura Kinney in Logan Wolverine-style brain sur...
Feb 19, 2018•1 hr 1 min•Season 1Ep. 185
David is still on vacation. Please enjoy this reasonable gentleman and his fancy accoutrements! In which the 616 was inside Age of X all along; everyone is very sassy; an attempt at political commentary falls very flat; Wolfsbane kills a straw man; everything is better with Larry Stroman; the Rule of Cool is not transitive; X-Factor Quicksilver is the best Quicksilver; and some allegories are subtler than others. X-PLAINED: How to hide a universe Bees "War and Pieces" X-Factor #76-78 The Incredi...
Feb 12, 2018•1 hr 12 min•Season 1Ep. 184
