Jay & Miles X-Plain the X-Men

Month: April 2026

Visuals for Audio

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If you follow us on a feed, you may have noticed a change in the icon that appears beside the podcast. We’ve got brand new cover art for the Morrison run, by artist and friend of the show Ramon Villalobos!

We also thought this might be a good time to take a peek back through twelve years of X-Plain art, starting with its comic-book antecedent. Click through to watch us evolve! (By completely coincidence, we’ve changed the cover art every six years. Go figure.)

The iconic cover to X-Men #137!
Our original cover art, by Ming Doyle.
In 2020, we updated for the Age of Apocalypse with art by Peter Nguyen.
Six years later, Ramon Villalobos ushers us into the age of New X-Men!

 

As Mentioned in Episode 522 – Fetus Fight

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Listen to the podcast here.

‘Nuff said, as they say. (New X-Men #121)
And in they go! (New X-Men #121)
The Cassandra Nova doors also shoot psychic energy and spit green goo. They’re great. (New X-Men #121)
I love this sequence. (New X-Men #121)
Hi, Charles. (New X-Men #121)
Not as weird as it could have been! (New X-Men #121)
FETUS FIGHT! FETUS FIGHT! (New X-Men #121)
Charles should’ve kept this look when he got his body back. (New X-Men #122)
Fuck, yeah, Emma. (New X-Men #122)
So it goes. (New X-Men #122)
HOW DO NONE OF THE X-MEN HAVE MEDIA TRAINING?! (New X-Men #123)
How to win over Emma Frost. (New X-Men #123)
That they regularly have meetings here is yet another piece of evidence that the Xavier School has no HR. (New X-Men #123)
I’ve had more relationships end this way… (New X-Men #123)
NEXT EPISODE: Your new OTP.

522 – Fetus Fight

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Illustration by David Wynne

In which Marvel goes wordless; Cassandra Nova breaks space; none of the X-Men have media training; and Gus was the best dog ever.

X-PLAINED:

  • Erik the Red (more) (again)
  • Kin Crimson
  • A big messy bag of mutant glory
  • New X-Men #121-123
  • ‘Nuff Said
  • A journey into Charles Xavier’s mind
  • What Emma is drinking
  • A fetus fight
  • The criminal culpability of a fetus
  • Space problems
  • A cosplay challenge
  • Space
  • Charles Xavier’s weird last wish
  • A press conference
  • Teen romance
  • The Stepford Cuckoos
  • Gus
  • Charles Xavier’s age
  • Nanosentinels
  • Stuf
  • Pre-ride safety announcements from the X-Men
  • Whether Cassandra Nova should’ve been a component of Onslaught

NEXT EPISODE: Cassandra Nova vs. the X-Men (Round 2)!

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

Find us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify!

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 Dashery shop!

As Mentioned in Episode 521 – Snowflakes

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Listen to the episode here.

Illustration by David Wynne
Did those eyeballs come from a different jock or did he steal them between panels from this one? (New X-Men #118)
Telepaths must see a lot of weird fetishes. (New X-Men #118)
Onward, faculty! (New X-Men #118)
DAMMIT EMMA (New X-Men #118)
Mean or literal? You be the judge! (New X-Men #118)
Angel Salvadore is so gross and awesome! (New X-Men #118)
John Sublime remains the absolute worst. Also, hi Martha! (New X-Men #118)
I was always a little sad that Angel never got to wear the bumblebee helmet in the comics themselves. (New X-Men #119)
Sublime is awful, but that’s a great panel layout. (New X-Men #119)
Logan needs to work on his bedside manner. (New X-Men #119)
Explanations are not excuses. (New X-Men #119)
Kitty Pryde she isn’t… (New X-Men #119)
The tiniest morgue drawers! (New X-Men #119)
Just a kick-ass cover. (New X-Men #120)
Again: Kitty Pryde she isn’t! (New X-Men #120)
Aww shit. (New X-Men #120)
The Stepford Cuckoos. (New X-Men #120)
Effortless. (New X-Men #120)
This is fine. (New X-Men #120)
Martha’s revenge. (New X-Men #120)
Michael Jackson? (New X-Men #120)
NEXT TIME: Shh.

521 – Snowflakes

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Illustration by David Wynne

In which John Sublime sucks; Angel Salvatore rules; trauma does not justify evil; and you should never, ever, ever mess with Jean Grey.

X-PLAINED:

  • A horrifying revelation
  • The universe where Jay and Miles work for Cassandra Nova
  • New X-Men #118-120
  • John Sublime (more) (again)
  • The U-Men
  • Psychic energy, gender-reveal party-style
  • The Stepford Cuckoos
  • One way to disperse a mob
  • An uncivil conversation
  • The death and/or discomfort of many U-Men
  • An awakening of sorts
  • Squaring the phoenix
  • Hank McCoy’s “coming out”

NEXT EPISODE: The Shi’ar invade!

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

Find us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify!

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 Dashery shop!

As Mentioned in Episode 520 – Head Like a (Black) Hole

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Listen to the episode here.

Illustration by David Wynne
To unlock Xorn, you’ll need the Lapis Eye key, the Purple Bull key, a code from carbon paper, and a number written in blood in a padded cell. (New X-Men Annual 2001)
X-Corporation Hong Kong has a pretty big headquarters for a staff of two… Well, now just one. (New X-Men Annual 2001)
Introducing John Sublime, tech-bro douchebag (and ancient/sentient bacteria). (New X-Men Annual 2001)
Grant Morrison: “I need you to draw a containment suit!” Leinil Francis Yu: *cracks knuckles* Every future artist: “DAMMIT LEINIL” (New X-Men Annual 2001)
Ninja business. (New X-Men Annual 2001)
Ao Jun’s flesh golems! Just… wow. (New X-Men Annual 2001)
Logan would be great at charcuterie. (New X-Men Annual 2001)
I’m still not over this kid dying. (New X-Men Annual 2001)
Just a hell of an action shot. (New X-Men Annual 2001)
Is Emma telling the truth about her powers or bullshitting us? Discuss! (New X-Men Annual 2001)
The New X-Men Story. (New X-Men Annual 2001)
Think about that third panel in the context of the eventual Xorn reveal… (New X-Men Annual 2001)
Hey, it’s Beak! Hi Beak! (New X-Men #17)
And then the Xavier Institute changed forever. (New X-Men #17)
DAMMIT TRISH YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO MAKE BEAST THAT SAD (New X-Men #17)
Seriously. (New X-Men #17)
…with letters by Richard Starkings and Comicraft’s Saida Temofonte. (New X-Men #17)
No no no no (New X-Men #17)
Poor… everybody. (New X-Men #17)
And the Academy Award for Best Secretly Body-Swapped Lead Actress goes to… (New X-Men #17)
What trim level is that? (New X-Men #17)
NEXT TIME: X-Men vs. U-Men

520 – Head Like a (Black) Hole

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | RSS

Illustration by David Wynne

In which several individuals are not what they seem; John Sublime sucks; Cyclops talks Xorn down from a cosmic ledge; we meet the inimitable Beak; and Cassandra Nova makes herself (limitedly) known.

X-PLAINED:

  • John Sublime
  • Marvelscope™
  • New X-Men 2001 Annual
  • New X-Men #117
  • Xorn
  • X-Corporation
  • The U-Men
  • Ao Jun (and his super gross mutant power)
  • Synchronized heists
  • Psychometry vs. telepathy
  • A big eventual twist
  • Beak (Barnell Bohusk)
  • A kiss
  • Some really fucked up use of telepathy
  • Some Moira MacTaggert continuity nonsense

NEXT EPISODE: U-Men vs. X-Men

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

Find us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify!

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 Dashery shop!