Jay & Miles X-Plain the X-Men

HAWK TALK – Surviving 2020

This would usually be a skip week, but the world is still being a jerk, so we made you a bonus, entirely unedited, and almost entirely off-topic episode. This time, we talked (exhaustedly) about This Freaking Year.


Topics, roughly:

  • This year was pretty rough
  • Maybe next year will be better?
  • Some things are cool, though

NOTE: Miles watched Knives Out immediately after recording this episode, and Jay was right: it is delightful.

8 comments

  1. Whew, Onslaught…

    This is probably going to the biggest challenge of your podcast careers and I do not envy the path you have chosen at this point.
    If you can explain that one you will have been cemented as THE greatest podcast of them all.

    Thankfully, you can skip a lot of the non-X-Men related stuff that was labeled “Impact” 1 or 2. That still leaves quite a few comics.

    I’m guessing that next year is somehow going to be worse than this year. Nothing I can put my finger on, it’s just a feeling.

    Anyway, Happy Holidays and best to both of you. I am looking forward to the Winter Special. Even if it isn’t up to your usual standards it will still be one of the best things this year.

  2. 1. What’s basically been giving me hope for 2021 (or at least SOMETHING to look forward to) is LA local politics right now. The BLM protests had some really wonderful effects here: a longtime “punish the homeless” Dem got ousted from city council, we traded a DA who never prosecuted police for one who will and is getting rid of cash bail, 3 strikes, sentencing enhancements etc, and – most importantly – BLM-LA is now a political force (they’re responsible for the DA switch and passing an important social programs funding measure). Engagement with local government has been way up too, so I’m at least looking forward to watching this trend (HOPEFULLY) continue.

    2. Yeah, I deleted Twitter in April amidst some BAAAD doomscrolling and, while I miss interacting mainly with you guys and some other comics folks, it’s been overall much better for my mental health.

    3. I’m legit excited for Onslaught coverage. It’s a hot mess, but it’s a hot mess I have fond memories of reading one summer. I can still remember carrying around X-Men: Onslaught and reading it between classes one of my last days of 4th grade.

    4. I definitely feel like Miles re: missing parties. I’m grateful for Zoom hangouts, but I do miss milling about with a glass of wine in one hand and finger food I prepped all day in the other.

    1. And yes, want to add to the thanks! Particularly for Hawk Talk. That was above and beyond the call of duty and definitely was a much-appreciated contribution towards making 2020 a little bit more okay.

  3. Just wanted to add – in a place where Jay and Miles might see it – how much I appreciate and enjoy you guys and your work. In the best of years, it is a “can’t-miss” listen. In 2020, you two were such a help. Thanks for the laughs and the thoughts. Keep up the good work!

  4. Of all the things I expected out of 2020, being extra -grateful I’m an only vaguely social introvert (I can certainly be sociable, but it’s not my comfort zone) with the ability to work from home thanks to reliable internet, and a wide circle of online friends were not amongst them.

    I’m pensive about 2021 too, but there’s not a lot I can do about it at the moment, so will just have to take it as it comes.

    And I’ll add to the gathering chorus of thanks for you chaps being there throughout, even if I haven’t been able to listen to you on the commute I’m no longer making at the moment, I can listen to you when I AM working.

  5. Binging the podcast from beginning to current has been a huge part of keeping my sanity this year. Thank you for all that you do!

  6. Can we expect more Hawk Talk in 2020?

    I tried to convince my partner that we should name our cat Orcrist or Glamdring (Thorin and Gandalf’s swords, respectively), but we ended up going with Jadis (the White Witch’s real name).

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