Jay & Miles X-Plain the X-Men

As Mentioned in Episode 424 – Times Change

September 17, 2023 Jay Leave a comment

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Looking for a stand-alone file of the muppet opening? Here you go:

Fixx just wants to be friends. (X-Factor #146)

Seriously, what the hell is going on with that facial hair? (X-Factor #146)

Havok’s powers look so good in this whole arc. (X-Factor #146)

Aw, Shard. (X-Factor #147)

I really enjoy this scene. (X-Factor #148)

Again: Havok’s powers, looking cool. (X-Factor #148)

It really is a terrible sweater. I should probably knit it someday. (X-Factor #149)

“Have fun in Alaska!” (X-Factor #149)

Madrox doesn’t betray anyone in that future, at least. (X-Factor #149)

And that’s that. (X-Factor #149)

Narrator voice: It was, in fact, the end. (X-Factor #149)

NEXT EPISODE: Psi-War!

424 – Times Change

September 17, 2023 Jay 4 comments

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In which everything is Havok’s fault; Jay is a bad influence; Polaris makes some valid points; Jamie Madrox is the Bobby Drake of X-Factor; and X-Factor vol. 1 ends with a bang.

X-PLAINED:

Muppet rules
X-Factor, vol. 1, in general
X-Factor #146-149
Sense of place
Jude Black and his inexplicable facial hair
Boundaries
Edible Arrangements
A different kind of sports bar
Kevin
Nostalgia, I guess?
Several confrontations
Temporal insanity
A very specialized course
What happens next
The universe where Dazzler replaced Jean Grey in the original X-Factor
Characters we would like to have seen more of

NEXT EPISODE: Psi-War!

Special thanks to muppets Michal Richardson, Bilal Dardai, and Matt Hunter!

(You can find an mp3 of just the muppet opening in the visual companion.)

Check out the visual companion to this episode on our blog!

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Jay 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!

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As Mentioned in Episode 423 – Moby Dick Ice Cream

September 10, 2023 Jay Leave a comment

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Probably not even the fanciest trash can on Muir Island. (Excalibur #121)

She’s fun. (Excalibur #121)

It’s no SMEK, but it’ll do.

What’s doubly interesting about this is that David’s personality isn’t actually there. (Excalibur #121)

And off they go. (Excalibur #121)

Hmm. (Excalibur #122)

That’s a lot of hair. (Excalibur #122)

Spoiler: Not actually the X-Men. (Excalibur #122)

The Mimic and his beard. (Excalibur #122)

The sound of love. (Excalibur #122)

Aw, those wacky kids. (Excalibur #123)

The now-beardless Mimic. (Excalibur #123)

NEXT EPISODE: X-Factor explodes.

423 – Moby Dick Ice Cream

September 10, 2023 Jay 4 comments

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In which subtlety is not Sabra’s strong point; Moira takes a vacation; Meggan broods; you should take care in referencing the Dark Phoenix Saga; Excalibur may or may not shave Mimic; and Captain Britain is a silly man.

X-PLAINED:

Ghosts
Excalibur #121-123
The Mutant Underground
Empathic recon
An extremely disgruntled kiss
Kitty’s new costume
Several of Legion’s personalities
A mysterious disk
A very fancy trash can and/or ice cream maker
Ice cream of Cloud City
A good dog
Remains of Operation Zero Tolerance
The devolution of Douglock
Mimic (Calvin Rankin)
Mimic’s facial hair
Some Prime Sentinels
Wedding planning
Liking parts of things
Villains who want to marry Storm
Maddy Pryor

NEXT EPISODE: The end of X-Factor!

Check out the visual companion to this episode on our blog!

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Jay 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!

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As Mentioned in Episode 422 – Cairn Touch This

September 10, 2023 Jay Leave a comment

Listen to the episode here.

If your sick room isn’t a fire hazard, you’re doing it wrong. (X-Men #74)

Well, that’s not good. (X-Men #74)

He’s got a million of ’em. (X-Men #74)

Seriously, Hank, what the hell? (X-Men #75)

I LOVE THESE GUYS THEY ARE SO WEIRD (X-Men #75)

Wolverine has been up to some… stuff. (X-Men #75)

We’re not in Westchester anymore. (X-Men #75)

Hi, Pilgrimm! (X-Men #75)

Hi, Magneto! (X-Men #76)

Hi, Eany and Meany! (X-Men #76)

It is rough to be Maggott. (X-Men #76)

NEXT EPISODE: Excalibur isn’t over (quite) yet!

422 – Cairn Touch This

August 27, 2023 Jay 3 comments

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In which the X-Men’s membership is a complicated subject; not all angels know each other; we need to talk about Beast’s Wasp costume; Cecilia Reyes speaks for all reasonable folk; Storm gets a mysterious package; and reading comics day-and-date may not be for everyone.

X-PLAINED:

The variable loyalties of the N’garai
X-Men #74-76
A somewhat atypical team lineup
A whole lotta backstory
How to join the X-Men
Warren Kenneth Worthington III as a religious figure
Flechette clean-up
Teenage drama
Detective Jim Logan
A lot of murder
The N’garai
Beast’s Wasp costume
Explanatory captions for real life
The Ru’tai
Pilgrimm
Mai’Keth the Undying One
The Eye of Kierokk
Maggott’s secret origins
X-Men cartoons for a 7-year-old
Reckoning with loss in comics

NEXT EPISODE: Excalibur rushes toward its conclusion

Check out the visual companion to this episode on our blog!

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Jay 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!

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As Mentioned in Episode 421 – Dudleyworld or Bust

August 27, 2023 Jay Leave a comment

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Fast times at Dudleyworld! (Colossus #1)

Aw, these wacky kids.(Colossus #1)

Note: This is supposed to be taking place during the day. (Colossus #1)

EliSabeth, you mean! (Colossus #1)

The Proletarian! (Colossus #1)

BECAUSE YOU DIDN’T TELL HER WHAT WAS GOING ON. (Colossus #1)

On the scale of bad disguises, I’ve seen worse. (Colossus #1)

He’s smooth, I’ll give him that. (X-Men Unlimited #19)

“What the HELL, Mom?!” (X-Men Unlimited #19)

See what I mean about her head? (X-Men Unlimited #19)

My kingdom for follow-through on this tease. (X-Men Unlimited #19)

NEXT EPISODE: The secret origin of Maggott!

421 – Dudleyworld or Bust

August 20, 2023 Jay 3 comments

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In which one letter can make a big difference; it’s just not Arcade without giant pinballs; Colossus is nobody’s fool; Margali Szardos is not a relative you want to stay in touch with; Nightcrawler turns to the jerk side; and Jay and Miles pitch an X-Men kids’ show.

X-PLAINED:

Elisabeth Wilford vs. Elizabeth Wilford
Colossus #1
X-Men Unlimited #19
How to name a miniseries or one-shot
The destructive potential of happiness
A clock
An inaccurate duplicate of Avalon
The return of the Proletarian
Costumes with characters’ faces on them
Death by irony
A journey to Limbo
Several blasts from the past
Margali Szardos’s head
Foreshadowing that we desperately wish had panned out
Cold open curation
A hypothetical X-Men show for five-year-olds

NEXT EPISODE: The secret origin of Maggott

Check out the visual companion to this episode on our blog!

Find us on iTunes or Stitcher!

Jay 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 rad swag at our TeePublic shop!

420 – The Legendary House of Wolverine, feat. Christopher Michael Roman

August 13, 2023 Jay 4 comments

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In which Jay sits down with scholar Christopher Michael Roman to discuss his recent book, Queering Wolverine in Comics and Fanfiction: A Fastball Special; alongside queer theory, porous bodies, and nontraditional mentorship.

CONTENT NOTE: This episode includes graphic discussions of physical trauma as well as consensual if weird fictional sex.

NEXT EPISODE: Colossus and Meggan finally go to Dudleyworld, sort of!

No visual companion this week, but if you want to pick up Chris’s book, you can do that here!

Find us on iTunes or Stitcher!

Jay 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 rad swag at our TeePublic shop!

As Mentioned in Episode 419 – Stuff Happens

July 29, 2023 Miles Leave a comment

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Run, Penance! The retcons are coming for you! (Generation X #40)

Hey, that’s not how telepathy works! (Generation X #40)

I’d be responding with a lot more middle fingers and lawsuits than Synch is here. (Generation X #40)

Monet, I know your brother is super evil and all, but do you really have to be so mean about it? (Generation X #40)

I see someone just earned their Villainous Wordplay merit badge! (Generation X #40)

Huh, that was easy. (Generation X #40)

…as Disney’s copyright lawyers back slowly away… (Generation X #40)

This issue’s an odd and somewhat troubling one, but damn that art is great. (Generation X #41)

Jubilee: from youngest X-Man to youngest Gen X’er. (Generation X #41)

AAAAAAAHHHHHHH (Generation X #41)

And once more I say AAAAAAAHHHHHHH (Generation X #41)

I’m impressed we can tell Emma and Paige apart for once, but what really impresses me is EVERYTHING ABOUT JUBILEE’S HAIR (Generation X #42)

Is… is this how flirting works? Have we been doing it wrong? (Generation X #42)

We’ll get to this. (Generation X #42)

The color of PAIN (Generation X #42)

It must be hard to be Just Some Dude in the Marvel Universe. (Generation X #42)

Why Gaia is probably actually a Neutrino from TMNT, figure 1. (Generation X #42)

Why Gaia is probably actually a Neutrino from TMNT, figure 2. (Generation X #42)

Hi, Elsie-Dee and Albert! Bye, Elsie-Dee and Albert! (Generation X #42)

I feel like Emma makes that face at Sean a lot. (Generation X #43)

This run may be baffling and bizarre, but I can’t say I’m not having a good time. (Generation X #43)

FUN FACT: Did you know that 1996’s Super Mario RPG was the first time Princess Peach, then called Princess Toadstool, used a frying pan as a weapon? (Generation X #43)