Jay & Miles X-Plain the X-Men

Author: Miles

The Mutation of a Logo

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One last special feature before our final episode!

Friend of the podcast and friend of us Katie Moody made our logo twice over the years, based on the iconic comics logo, and we thought you might be interested to learn how.

Click the Continue Reading link, and we’ll turn it over to Katie for a deep dive into design!

Continue reading

As Mentioned in Episode 531 – Here Comes Tomorrow

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Please enjoy this loving rendering of Wolverine’s ass. (New X-Men #151)
Meet the ‘Crawlers. (New X-Men #151)
Rover is a good boy. (New X-Men #151)
I really have trouble buying this as E.V.A.(New X-Men #151)
Do you know how long he had to grind for that belt? (New X-Men #151)
Meet Tito Bohusk, sexy hawk. (New X-Men #151)
The Stepford Cuckoos, all grown up. (New X-Men #151)
Wow, Emma. Wow. (New X-Men #152)
The Proud People, who absolutely deserve their own miniseries. (New X-Men #152)
Apollyon is totally That Guy. (New X-Men #152)
Goth team-up! (New X-Men #152)
A great illustration of the power of lettering. (New X-Men #152)
Wolverine poses dramatically. (New X-Men #152)
Wolverine poses dramatically.(New X-Men #152)
Everyone poses dramatically. (New X-Men #152)
…the fuck?!(New X-Men #152)
The Terminds. Don’t get too attached. (New X-Men #153)
They have fun. (New X-Men #153)
Yeah, valid. (New X-Men #153)
I love him.(New X-Men #153)
Didn’t see that team-up coming. (New X-Men #153)
Rover, NOOOOOO!(New X-Men #153)
Wolverine poses dramatically. (New X-Men #153)
Sublime X-Plains Sublime. (New X-Men #154)
The secondary colors of evil science. (New X-Men #154)
Hot Topic Phoenix. (New X-Men #154)
Wolverine X-plains the last century and a half. (New X-Men #154)
The end of the Stepford Cuckoos. (New X-Men #154)
Beast takes a turn posing dramatically. (New X-Men #154)
Phoenix night at the club. (New X-Men #154)
Only departure from the status quo can save the universe. (New X-Men #154)
NEXT EPISODE: The End.

 

As Mentioned in Episode 527 – Whodunnit?

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So very romance comics! (New X-Men #139)
Ouch. (New X-Men #139)
Damn, Jean. (New X-Men #139)
Fun times in Emma’s memory. (New X-Men #139)
More fun times in Emma’s memory. (New X-Men #139)
Less fun times in Emma’s memory. (New X-Men #139)
And that’s why you always leave a note! (New X-Men #139)
It’s mystery time! (New X-Men #140)
Someone doesn’t dance the tango to championship standards. (New X-Men #140)
The Phoenix knows what you did (or, I suppose, didn’t do).(New X-Men #140)
Bishop looks prepared to break into song at any moment. (New X-Men #140)
Yeah, they grow there. (New X-Men #140)
AWESOME is what they are. (New X-Men #141)
THE CUTEST MONSTER BABIES (New X-Men #141)
She’ll be back. (New X-Men #141)
Emma’s spleen and heart are now reversed, but it’s cool. (New X-Men #141)
NEXT EPISODE: Assault on Weapon Plus!

527 – Whodunnit?

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Illustration by David Wynne

In which Jean Grey crosses several lines; Emma Frost is killed; Bishop and Sage visit from X-Treme X-Men; mutants are weird; the plot thickens; Emma Frost is resurrected; and we learn several secrets of fly reproduction.

X-PLAINED:

  • The brothers Xorn
  • A question of reading order
  • New X-Men #139-141
  • Cosmic force problems
  • A showdown
  • A brief tour through the mind of Emma Frost
  • A murder most foul
  • Bishop (briefly) (again)
  • Sage (briefly) (again)
  • Many suspects
  • One way to get drugs, I guess?
  • A mysterious shack and its mysterious contents
  • Perils and advantages of being a living computer
  • A murder weapon
  • Angel and Beak’s excellent babies
  • A resurrection
  • A subtly remarkable taxicab
  • The advent of mixed-case lettering in Marvel comics
  • How Angel and Beak’s reproductive cycle corresponds to actual fly reproduction

NEXT EPISODE: Assault on Weapon Plus

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

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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 521 – Snowflakes

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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.

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

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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

As Mentioned in Episode 513 – Eve of Destruction

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Scott Summers, sharply dressed in (morally) gray! (Uncanny X-Men #391)
“Geez, Dad, can you say midlife crisis??” (Uncanny X-Men #391)
Summerses gotta Summers. (Uncanny X-Men #391)
“You must be thinking of the me from Earth-10005 or Earth-13122.” (Uncanny X-Men #391)
Exposition in the front, party in the (flash-)back. (Uncanny X-Men #391)
Scott’s face in that second panel… (Uncanny X-Men #391)
*sniffle* (Uncanny X-Men #391)
Anyone have ideas about the significance of the text on that gravestone in the foreground? (X-Men #111)
A purple and unpleasant land. (X-Men #111)
Muscles and shadows. (X-Men #111)
“Here with us is Doctor Henry McCoy, who’s really good with his… uh, science.” (X-Men #111)
Hey, she’s being nicer than she was back in her Alliance of Evil days! (X-Men #111)
A picture is worth – and includes – a thousand words. (X-Men #111)
Now that’s how you end a prologue. (X-Men #111)
The All-New, Mostly-Untrained X-Men. (Uncanny X-Men #392)
Jean recruits Jean-Paul Beaubier, Northstar! (Uncanny X-Men #392)
Jean recruits Hector Rendoza, AKA Wraith! (Uncanny X-Men #392)
Jean is about to recruit Paulie Provenzano, AKA Omerta! (Uncanny X-Men #392)
Jean recruits Leyu Yoshida, AKA Sunpyre! (Uncanny X-Men #392)
They’re… they’re gonna do fine. (Uncanny X-Men #392)
Jean recruits(?) Joanna Cargill, AKA Frenzy! (Uncanny X-Men #392)
Jean accepts the coincidental timing of the arrival of Alison Blaire, AKA Dazzler! (Uncanny X-Men #392)
NEXT TIME: Eve of Destruction concludes.

LINKS AND FURTHER READING:

As Mentioned in Episode 510 – Giant-Size Special #14 (feat. Alex Paknadel)

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Well backgrounded, Tom Raney! (X-Men: The Search for Cyclops #1)
And then Jean holographically re-traumatized herself. (X-Men: The Search for Cyclops #1)
And then Cable holographically re-traumatized himself. (X-Men: The Search for Cyclops #1)
That monkey is INTO THIS. (X-Men: The Search for Cyclops #1)
Time to switch lip balm brands, my friend. (X-Men: The Search for Cyclops #1)
Scott Summers: great at boats. (X-Men: The Search for Cyclops #1)
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. (X-Men: The Search for Cyclops #1)
Okay, this doesn’t literally happen in this issue, but it looks pretty rad. (X-Men: The Search for Cyclops #2)
Angry mobs: a core feature of any historical period or geographic locale! (X-Men: The Search for Cyclops #2)
Bad kitty. (X-Men: The Search for Cyclops #2)
As if his day couldn’t get any worse… (X-Men: The Search for Cyclops #2)
It’s easy to forget how well Apocalypse rocks that heavy metal haircut. (X-Men: The Search for Cyclops #3)
“I’m not even supposed to be here today! (X-Men: The Search for Cyclops #3)
“Hey, who turned out the lights?” (X-Men: The Search for Cyclops #3)
(Cue goofy Hanna-Barbera chase music) (X-Men: The Search for Cyclops #3)
“Your butt was really different the last time we hung out!” (X-Men: The Search for Cyclops #3)
<3 (X-Men: The Search for Cyclops #3)
“Sorta-mom, didn’t your sorta-daughter wear that same color when she was old in the future that is my past?” (X-Men: The Search for Cyclops #4)
Now that’s how you enter a panel! (X-Men: The Search for Cyclops #4)
Jean is having a day. (X-Men: The Search for Cyclops #4)
Jean Grey and her weaponized feelings. Hell yeah. (X-Men: The Search for Cyclops #4)
Okay, that’s legit cool. If also a little silly. (X-Men: The Search for Cyclops #4)
“…at least until our relationship falls apart in New X-Men.” (X-Men: The Search for Cyclops #4)
NEXT TIME: Gambit and Bishop get their own series!

Find Alex Paknadel on Bluesky and Instagram!

As Mentioned in Episode 505 – The Amulet of Ass

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Excalibur volume 2! But actually more like Captain Britain volume 2. (Excalibur #1)
Pretty sure we’ve all had that dream. (Excalibur #1)
What a sciencey science machine that is! (Excalibur #1)
You’d think Betsy’s face tattoo would remind Brian of the Crimson Dawn… But honestly, who remembers the Crimson Dawn? (Excalibur #1)
Where’s Waldo? (Or, this being a British story: Where’s Wally?) (Excalibur #1)
Some friend. (Excalibur #1)
Captain UK’s mullet remains sweet. (Excalibur #1)
Hi, Crusader X! (Excalibur #2)
Meggan didn’t get the memo that this was a crotch-first mission. (Excalibur #2)
…as played by Viggo Mortensen. (Excalibur #2)
I do love a good Team Hero pose. (Excalibur #2)
“It’s… probably one of these things on my back… Hang on…” (Excalibur #2)
The Brit-Cave! (Excalibur #2)
Subtlety! (Excalibur #3)
The greatest hero in history, chosen primarily for his… sperm? (Excalibur #3)
“Not, like, literally Excalibur. That thing’s in the next room.” (Excalibur #3)
An evil science machine! (Excalibur #3)
You guys used to be cuter. And less murderous. (Excalibur #3)
Gahhh, this panel is referencing a specific past panel from a specific past comic, but we can’t remember which! (Excalibur #3)
Sword of Omens, grant me sight beyond sight! (Excalibur #3)
Best trope best trope! (Excalibur #4)
Mastermind wields the blade Excalibur! Brian Braddock wields an especially dangerous word balloon! (Excalibur #4)
With the powers of elemental magic, telekinesis, and… sword! (Excalibur #4)
It works way better to sacrifice your queen when your queen is immune to death. (Excalibur #4)
“Hey, I liked my spikes, ya jerk!” (Excalibur #4)
The chamber would be filled with old familiar faces, but they’re all dead. (Excalibur #4)
…and no one ever spoke of this again. (Excalibur #4)
NEXT TIME: Rachel Summers is back!