Jay & Miles X-Plain the X-Men

As Mentioned in Episode 7 – Cyclops Has a Good Day

Listen to the podcast here!



Links and Further Reading:

Greg Rucka

A visual introduction to the worst Summers brother

Rachel’s “Cyclops Has a Good Day” sketchbook

Cyclops #1

Lazarus

Veil

Stumptown

Lady Sabre and the Pirates of the Ineffable Aether

7 – Cyclops Has a Good Day

With guest Greg Rucka!

In which death is a revolving door,Ā we really likedĀ Days of Future Past,Ā space pirates are the best pirates, VulcanĀ is (still) the worst,Ā Miles has a Corsair costume, Lilandra has lovelyĀ plumage, no one knows how to pronounce “M’Kraan,” we studiously avoid discussing the Phoenix force,Ā Saurids speak Hebrew,Ā Raza Longknife’s name is a bitĀ 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 to pronounce their names)
  • The Shi’ar
  • The Neremani Dynasty
  • Plumage
  • Apostrophe abuse
  • Corsair
  • The secret origins of the Starjammers
  • Why Hepzibah talks like that
  • The Rule of Cool
  • VisorĀ iterations
  • Summerstaches
  • Cyclops’s dubious deductive skills
  • Hugs
  • The All-New, All-the-Same X-Men
  • Teenagers, again
  • CyclopsĀ #1
  • Cyclops vs. Scott
  • Space-parenting
  • Rachel’s convention sketchbook
  • Greg’s Kitty Pryde feelings
  • An exceptionally vividĀ threat
  • Intergalactic fashion
  • Corsair’s pecs
  • Key parties in space
  • The greatest romance of the Marvel Universe

You can find a visual companion to the episode ā€“ and links to recommended reading ā€“Ā on ourĀ blog.

Find us onĀ iTunesĀ orĀ Stitcher!

Next week: Welcome to the Claremont era, listenersā€”hope you survive the experience!

 

Days of Future Past, &c.

As promised, here’s a link to Rachel’s (miraculously spoiler-free)Ā Days of Future Past review over at Wired.com.

We also want to take a moment to note thatĀ making a goodĀ movie does not give Bryan Singer a pass for allegedlyĀ raping children. Whether that affects your decision to seeĀ Days of Future PastĀ is your callā€”we’re not advisingĀ one way or the otherā€”but either way, we hope you’ll join us in making a donation to RAINN.

This week,Ā writer Greg Rucka will be joining us to talk about the Starjammers and his newĀ Cyclops ongoing series! If you have questions for us or for Greg, stick ’em in the comments below or our Tumblr askbox, or tweet ’em to @RaeBeta with the hashtag #xplainthexmen!

As Mentioned on Episode 6 – Days of Future Whatever

Listen to the podcast here!



Further Reading:

Summers School: Gabriel 101

“Days of Future Past”

The Marvel Comics Database Universe Listing

Rachel’s recap of X-Men Origins: Wolverine

The post-credits scene fromĀ The Wolverine

25 Moments (X-Men: Days of Future Past viral marketing site)

Did you know that we have a shop?Ā We totally do.

6 – Days of Future Whatever

In which we more or less prepare you for the upcoming feature film;Ā 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;Ā First ClassĀ Emma Frost is so boring that we forget she exists; wolverines are definitely not wolves; and you can have Rachel’sĀ Community references when you pry them from her cold, dead hands.

X-Plained:

  • Rachel Summers
  • “Days of Future Past”
  • Gravestone engraving standards ofĀ 2013
  • The Mostly-New, Mostly-Different Brotherhood of Evil Mutants
  • AnotherĀ unfortunate hat
  • CausalityĀ in theĀ Marvel Multiverse
  • Earths 811, 1191, 295, 311, and 200500
  • Hall monitors with laser rifles
  • How to fix a broken timeline
  • TheĀ X-Men cinematic universe, and points of divergence from the comics
  • The oneĀ thingĀ X-Men: The Last Stand does right
  • The Xavier Index of Cinematic Continuity
  • The difference betweenĀ Canis lupus andĀ Gulo gulo
  • AĀ Days of Future Past cinematic cram course
  • Fix-it fic
  • Blink, Bishop, andĀ dark-future mash-ups
  • The enduring appeal of Earth-811
  • The significantlyĀ less enduring appeal of Earth-242
  • The Nazi Excalibur of Earth-597

You can find a visual companion to the episode ā€“ and links to recommended reading ā€“Ā on our blog.

Find us onĀ iTunesĀ orĀ Stitcher!

Next week: Greg Rucka,Ā Cyclops, and Starjammers!

 

Summers School: Gabriel 101

On Episode 5 – The Retcon that Walks Like a Man, we metĀ Gabriel Summers, and did a very quick drive-by introduction to the Summers family and their really depressing space adventures. Because this shit is complicated,Ā Rachel,* the residentĀ Summers Family Continuity expert, has put together a brief visual guide to Gabriel’s backstory. Click through for the origin of the third and worst Summers Brother:

*Edidin, not Summers or Grey.

As Mentioned on Episode 5 – The Retcon That Walks Like a Man

Listen to the podcast here!


 


Further Reading:

Rachel made a separate guide to Kid Vulcan, which you can find here.

Giant Size X-Men #1

X-Men: Deadly Genesis

Cheryl Lynn Eaton on Storm and race