In this episode, manga scholar Dr. Mimi Okabe steers Anna, Mav, and Andrew through the mecha/shōjo/shōnen (?) inspired Excalibur #18, “Wild Wild Wheels!” Featuring cars, cars, and more cars plus a dirty pair of Adam Warren homages speeding through a world that worships racing, including star race car driver Jamie Braddock. We discuss the politics of intercultural exchange, historical interconnections between manga and superheroes, and the difference between parody and tribute. We also slam Kurt ...
Jul 03, 2021•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 20
In this episode, Anna, Mav, and Andrew are joined by Liz Large of ComicsXF to ride a “Warlord”-inspired hangover straight into a never-ending bacchanalian party, discussing drinking, dancing, and dueling in Excalibur #17, “From the Crucible—A Captain?” When we’re not unpacking what might be the series’ most explicit sex scene (featuring none other than Alistaire Stuart), we work through the re-traumatization of Rachel and make a rare detour into the present, discussing depictions of sexuality—an...
Jun 26, 2021•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 19
Some people say you shouldn’t go full Nightcrawler. The GGW pod disagrees. Especially Anna, Kurt Wagner’s (Unofficial) PR Manager, who’s hoping he’ll be hiring her in an official capacity after this episode on the sword and sorcery extravaganza that is Excalibur #16, "Warlord." Comics scholar Dr. Keith Friedlander falls from the sky onto the deck of our sleek pirate corsair to talk swashbuckling, lust, consent, and Kitty’s first kill. And Nightcrawler. So. Much. Nightcrawler. (Almost all of him,...
Jun 19, 2021•1 hr 17 min•Ep. 18
In this episode, Dazzler stan and all-around X-Men aficionado Dr. Nicholas Miller joins Anna, Mav, and Andrew to talk serious political allegories and equally serious gender play in Excalibur #15, "Technet: Impossible Missions!" We work through conflicted feelings about an affecting but messy story invoking imperialism & apartheid before fully embracing the rainbow of possibilities ignited by Brian's most important moment of character growth to date: a two-panel sequence in which he admits h...
Jun 12, 2021•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 17
In this episode, we laugh, we cry, we over-intellectualize the self-reflexivity of itty-bitty X-Men on the run from the spineless dictator of a reality TV-based hellscape. Which can only mean one thing: we’re talking about “Mojo Mayhem,” the second Excalibur special and the first to co-star Sugah, Wolvie, Lil Dazzler, Lil Havok, Shower, Lil Longshot, Colossusus, and Psychilde—otherwise known as the X-Babies! Children’s comics expert Dr. Gwen Tarbox joins Anna, Mav, and Andrew to talk rhetorical ...
Jun 05, 2021•1 hr 17 min•Ep. 16
Summer’s rolling in, which means it’s time for an epic crossover! Anna, Mav, and Andrew are joined by Sean Ross of the Secret Wars & Beyond Podcast to slice-and-dice our way through the too-silly-to-exist shenanigans of Excalibur #14, “Too Many Heroes,” featuring appearances by the Silver Skateboarder, Deathlok-Captain America, a too-giant Giant Man, and… Chris Claremont and John Byrne? Amid this tidal wave of mayhem, we retreat to the safety of Phoenix force cocoons to discuss the history, ...
May 29, 2021•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 15
What do Gloria Anzaldúa, Donna Haraway, and Kitty Pryde have in common? Find out in this week’s discussion of Excalibur #13, “The Marriage of True Minds,” where Anna, Mav, and Andrew are graced by the intersectional insights of comics scholar & queer archives specialist Dr. Margaret Galvan ! Topics include the multivalent feminism of one K. Pryde, the queered metamorphoses of one Nigel Frobisher, the mysterious selective face-blindness of one Brian Braddock, and the multitudinous pleasures o...
May 22, 2021•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 14
In this episode, Alan Davis is back and Excalibur’s gone—on the Cross-Time Caper, that is! Anna, Mav, and Andrew are joined by educator, supermom, and Excalibur superfan Kathy Stevens to talk Excalibur #12: “My Friends Call Me Billy the Kid!” We're off the rails and back on track with an issue featuring zero Nazis and lots of sexy dryads, tentacle monsters, butch ogres, sex and gender-bending transformations, and a marriage proposal…? We hash out all of that, plus the subjective-ness of shipping...
May 15, 2021•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 13
This episode, talking Excalibur #11: “The Price,” is a pod-friends reunion as Anna, Mav, and Andrew are joined by Dr. Michael Hancock , the self-proclaimed “Beta Ray Bill of comics and games research” and co-host of Three Panel Contrast (aka Andrew & Anna’s other/OG podcast!). There’s less Nazis but more (friendly!) griping about another Alan Davis-less issue that focuses on a love triangle (most of us) hate and spends entirely too much time trying to make Nigel Frobisher happen. Also, Anna’...
May 08, 2021•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 12
In this episode, Anna, Mav, and Andrew team up with Dr. Travis Smith, author of Superhero Ethics , to discuss the ethically fraught Excalibur #10: “Widget,” in which Brian spends way too many pages punching his Nazi counterpart, while Kitty finds a new (inappropriate) crush and confronts a disturbing demon self. We do the most complaining we’ve ever done, but talk ourselves into talking about fight choreography, the dangers of compromise, the heartbreak of rushed fill-in art, and what a responsi...
May 01, 2021•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 11
In this episode, Anna, Mav, and Andrew are joined by monster hunter/lover Dr. Sam Langsdale ( @s_langsdale ), co-editor of Monstrous Women in Comics , to talk a little quantum mechanics and a whole lotta Meggan in Excalibur #9: “The Two-Edged Sword.” Topics include the gendered qualities of monstrousness, the subversive charge of ugliness, the particular power of shapeshifting, and when & why monsters are crush-worthy. Also, we trash Aristotle, and Anna makes a solid gold pitch for a Kurt/Me...
Apr 24, 2021•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 10
In this episode, Anna, Mav, and Andrew are joined by specialist in superhero style Monica Geraffo ( @monicamarveloux ) to discuss the sartorial splendors of Excalibur #8, "Excalibur’s New York Adventure." We talk tracksuits, unstable molecules, impossible garments, and, as usual, lots of politics of representation in a story where Brian's gym togs nearly get him arrested and Meggan tries out a number of looks—and skin tones. Also, Kitty yells at the New Mutants, Kurt steals a jet, and Rachel doe...
Apr 17, 2021•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 9
In this episode, Anna, Mav, and Andrew are joined by film and comics scholar and self-professed Kitty Pryde fanboy Matt Linton ( @ABoyCalledMonk ) of The Kino Club 313 Blog for another day in the Inferno, discussing Excalibur #7, "Goblin Morn." We celebrate Kurt’s healthy flirting with a (non-binary?) animate gargoyle, and talk Kitty as Final Girl/Cool Girl/Mary Sue, along with BDSM fashion and why throwing random ingredients and the recipe book into a fire doesn't usually make a cake (unless yo...
Apr 10, 2021•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 8
In this episode, Anna, Mav, Andrew, and special guest Laura Grafton ( @llgrafton ) of Masked Mom Review enter the Inferno with Excalibur #6, "Goblin Night." We talk temptation, seduction, demonic fashion, sexy pajamas (and when Kurt became the police of them), and why Kitty needing to pee is an all-time great moment in comicdom. Also, Laura coins a sexy new catchphrase for the pod.
Apr 03, 2021•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 7
In this episode, Anna, Mav, Andrew, and comics scholar Dr. Shawn Gilmore ( @ gipperfish ), impresario of VaultofCulture.com , discuss Excalibur #5, "Send in the Clowns." We talk British comics influences, the rise and fall of Courtney Ross, the flexible roles of villains, and a whole lotta supersex, including a very queer, very creamy climax we can only assume the Comics Code Authority was too embarrassed to challenge....
Mar 27, 2021•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 6
In this episode, Anna, Mav, Andrew, and their special guest, romance comics expert Sydney Heifler ( @romancecomicbks ), discuss Excalibur #4, "Still Crazy After All These Years." We barely talk about Murderworld, but we do talk super-smooches, super-styles, super-symbolism, super-shapeshifting (that’s definitely not Freudian at all), and why it’s super important not to tickle people without their consent (looking at you, Kurt).
Mar 20, 2021•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 5
In this episode, Anna, Mav, Andrew, and special guest Brad Mendenhall of the Cosmic Geppetto Podcast discuss Excalibur #3, “Moving Day,” and fight about the Juggernaut (just kidding—everyone loves him). Other topics include the domestic texture of Excalibur , and why this might just be the Best Issue Ever. Also, Anna shuts down Mav’s assertion that Kurt is the Duckie of Excalibur’s central love triangle....
Mar 13, 2021•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 4
In this episode, Anna, Mav, and Andrew discuss Excalibur #2, “A Warwolf Possessed.” Topics include how comics communicate agency within sexualization, the politics of retributive justice within fantasy spaces, the joys of long-form serialized storytelling, the depth of Rachel and Kitty’s time and space-defying bond, and Kurt Wagner’s Very Extra fashion sense.
Mar 06, 2021•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 3
In this episode, Anna, Mav, and Andrew discuss Excalibur #1, “Warwolves of London." Topics include Excalibur ’s sophisticated (maybe even postmodern!) pacing, its revolutionary genre bending, its playfully mature sexuality, and why Meggan interrupting Nightcrawler in the bath to compare him to Joan Collins and bring him a hot chocolate he subsequently accepts with his tail is the single most important scene in the issue (it must be, based on how long we talk about it!).
Feb 27, 2021•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 2
In this mega-sized debut, Anna, Mav, and Andrew explore the origins of Excalibur in Marvel UK, the X-Men franchise, and Excalibur: The Sword is Drawn (1988). Come for Mav’s argument no one should re-read “Mutant Massacre”; stay for Anna’s argument everyone should always re-read Dave Cockrum’s 1985 Nightcrawler series; and thrill to Andrew’s argument that Excalibur is really a grief support group masquerading as sex farce.
Feb 19, 2021•1 hr 29 min•Ep. 1
