Jay & Miles X-Plain the X-Men

Jay Edidin & Miles Stokes•www.xplainthexmen.com

Arts

Books

Visual Arts

Because It's About Time Someone Did

Follow on

Episodes

7 – Cyclops Has a Good Day

With guest Greg Rucka! In which death is a revolving door, we really liked Days of Future Past, space pirates are the best pirates, Vulcan is (still) the worst, Miles has a Corsair costume, Lilandra has lovely plumage, no one knows how to pronounce "M'Kraan," we studiously avoid discussing the Phoenix force, Saurids speak Hebrew, Raza Longknife's name is a bit on the nose, Rachel is the worst at hugs, Greg has a 'ship, and we all kind of identify with Cyclops. X-Plained: The Starjammers (and how...

May 25, 2014•48 min•Season 1Ep. 7

6 – Days of Future Whatever

In which we more or less prepare you for the upcoming feature film; Rachel Summers is a black hole of continuity; Kitty Pryde breaks the Danger Room; Earth 200500 is clearly the best earth; even the X-Men have no idea what's going on; First Class Emma Frost is so boring that we forget she exists; wolverines are definitely not wolves; and you can have Rachel's Community references when you pry them from her cold, dead hands. X-Plained: Rachel Summers "Days of Future Past" Gravestone engraving sta...

May 18, 2014•38 min•Season 1Ep. 6

5 – The Retcon That Walks Like a Man

In which the Bronze Age begins; Dave Cockrum is your god now; the band gets together; Sunfire joins the team; cultural sensitivity is not Marvel's strong suit; Sunfire quits the team; it sucks to be Cyclops; Professor X crosses a moral event horizon; Sunfire joins the team; Ed Brubaker channels Thomas Hardy; you are probably a Summers brother; and Sunfire quits the team. X-Plained: Bamf-Voltron Nightcrawler Giant-Size X-Men #1 The worst hat of the Marvel Universe The Mostly-New, Mostly-Different...

May 11, 2014•42 min•Season 1Ep. 5

4 – American History X-Men

In which Rachel finally gets to say "WHAT?!," we examine three variations on the Silver Age, Twin Peaks is reality TV, we can't believe you hired Hitler, Angel is not Batman, even the most sympathetic Xavier is still pretty creepy, Cyclops has a good day, Marvel Girl is not going to throw a dinosaur for you, Iceman is the Troy Barnes of the X-Men, and we say a fond farewell to the Silver Age. X-Plained: The X-Axis X-Men: Children of the Atom Hard-sell noir How to party like it's sometime between...

May 04, 2014•49 min•Season 1Ep. 4

3 – Cartoons, Lies, and Video Tape

Featuring Emergency Backup Co-Host Chris Sims! In which Rachel and Chris X-plain three cartoons and track a disagreement to its source; Gambit is definitely the worst person you know; Broadcasting Standards and Practices is tired of your death ceremonies; Storm doesn't have an inside voice; and we finally get around to mentioning that one dude with the claws. X-Plained: Weaponized creepiness The evolution (and Evolution) of X-Toons Why you hate Cyclops (and Rachel doesn't) Adaptation overload Br...

Apr 27, 2014•44 min•Season 1Ep. 3

2 – Sentinels in the Mist

In which we introduce the villains of the Silver Age: Magneto makes some valid points, Mastermind is a Nice Guy of OkCupid, the Scarlet Witch predicts Cat Breading, the Trasks should really have known better, and the Comics Code Authority is down with pterosaurs. X-Plained: Common characteristics of enduring X-villains Mutant identity politics and moral relativism Context-agnostic Juggernaut flashbacks An unorthodox approach to anthropology Cyclops's greatest diplomatic achievement Silver-Age ha...

Apr 20, 2014•43 min•Season 1Ep. 2

1 – The Strangest Podcast of Them All

In which we begin at the beginning: everything clicks with #3, Professor Xavier is a jerk, Magneto is a fearless fashionista, Cyclops gets a name, Jean Grey has a chronic case of the Silver Age, and allegorical diversity is not enough. X-Plained: Mutant genetics and taxonomy Practical semantics of "X-Men" Charles Xavier's equally dubious ethics and decorating choices Superhero couture of the Atomic Age Why Cyclops can't control his powers The miracle of comic-book magnetism A problematic analogy...

Apr 13, 2014•31 min•Season 1Ep. 1

← Prev