cyclops – Page 30 – Jay & Miles X-Plain the X-Men

29 – Mutant in a Box

November 2, 2014 Jay 8 comments

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In which Cyclops is the worst at vacations, Mystique is your favorite MurderMom™, Havok is eternally ABD, Kitty Pryde does science, Callisto doesn’t give a damn about her bad reputation, Xavier has a Troy Barnes moment, Miles may be the only person with fond memories of Secret Wars, and Rachel finally gets to make Spalding Gray references.

X-Plained:

Fantomex
Uncanny X-Men #176-181
Reset issues
Scott Summers’s second-worst honeymoon
Cephalopod disambiguation
Project Wideawake (more) (again)
Valerie Cooper
Foreshadowing
Public displays of affection
Leech
How X-Men age
A sewer wizard
Doug Ramsey
Secret Wars
Japan
Mystique’s kids
Douglock
Mystique’s powers
The other X-Men Forever

Next Week: The New Mutants gets weird!

You can find a visual companion to the episode – and links to recommended reading – on our blog.

Find us on iTunes or Stitcher!

Support us on Patreon!

Send us your submissions to the Stealth / Plainclothes Cosplay Contest until the end of the day on Friday, November 7!

Rachel and Miles Review the X-Men, Episode 11 – Outtakes and Cosplay!

October 31, 2014 Jay Leave a comment

We don’t normally post outtakes here–normally, they’re a Patreon subscriber perk, available exclusively on our backstage blog–but if there’s anyone who justifies exceptions to the rules, it’s Adam X the X-Treme.

To see more outtakes–as well as episode outlines and other behind-the-scenes content–you can subscribe to our Patreon at any level that includes access to the backstage blog!

Meanwhile, in this week’s videos, we’re getting into the spirit of the Stealth/Plainclothes Cosplay Contest (and Halloween). We’ll be doing that next week, too–as long as the contest is running–but here’s what we’re dressed as this week:

Miles is stealth cosplaying Adam X the X-Treme.

Braids, backward baseball cap, t-shirt with spiked epaulets, THIS FACE.

Rachel is plainclothes cosplaying X-Men Evolution Cyclops.

Teal v-neck sweater, yellow t-shirt, khaki pants, brown belt, red sunglasses, doofy ’90s hair.

THESE NERDS, MAN.

Rachel and Miles Review the X-Men, Episode 10

October 24, 2014 Jay 4 comments

Week of October 22, 2014

In which we compare a comic book to Nerds Rope (TM), and you should really be reading X-Force already.

Reviewed:

Amazing X-Men #12
Axis #3
Cyclops #6
X-Force #11*
All-New X-Factor #15
The Logan Legacy #2

*Pick of the week

Video reviews are made possible by the support of our Patreon subscribers. If you want to help support the podcast–and unlock more cool stuff–you can do that right here!

As Mentioned in Episode 27 – NYCC 2014 Special

October 19, 2014 Jay Leave a comment

Listen to the episode here!

Adam X the X-Treme, redesigned by David Wynne!

From left to right: Russell, Kris, Rachel, and Miles.

Thor #1, drawn by Russell Dauterman and written by Jason Aaron. So good it preempted every X-book for our pick of the week.

Kris Anka’s art in Uncanny X-Men #26. For more on this issue, see Anka Was Right.

Generation X Underground Special, by Jim Mahfood. SO GOOD.

New X-Men #34, art by Skottie Young.

Kris Anka’s Psylocke redesign. PANTS!

Kris Anka’s Storm redesign. MOHAWK!

Russell Dauterman’s line art from the Cyclops #1 flashback page.

EMMA FROST, YOU ARE DELIGHTFUL. (Art by Kris Anka, from Uncanny X-Men #24)

We are all Emma Frost, forever. (Art by Kris Anka, from Uncanny X-Men #24)

Hepzibah’s tail, drawn by Russell Dauterman in Cyclops #1.

No, seriously. Miles has a classic Corsair costume…

…which you will never, ever, ever seen worn in tandem with Rachel’s Awkward Space Teen Cyclops costume, because there is a line, man.

Sorry, Namor: Russell Dauterman is definitely the king of Abs-lantis.

That One Octopus Shirt, as drawn by Kris Anka.

Miles is worthy as hell. (Photo courtesy of Jenn Wimmer.)

Next Week: Kitty gets a new codename. What’s new, Shadowcat?

Links and Further Reading:

Russell Dauterman – Website – Tumblr – Twitter
Kris Anka – Tumblr – Twitter
Thor
Uncanny X-Men
A couple times Rachel got craft-wonky about Russell on Cyclops and Kris on Uncanny X-Men
Powerglove’s superlative cover of the X-Men cartoon theme

27 – NYCC 2014 Special with Kris Anka and Russell Dauterman

October 19, 2014 Jay 8 comments

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Adam X the X-Treme, updated by David Wynne!

In which we sit down with two of our favorite X-artists for an hour of continuity, character design, and a lot of wine; Corsair is the coolest; Emma Frost is a secret viewpoint character; Bishop is the anti-Booster Gold; Adam X the X-Treme gets a new hat; and none of us know how to pronounce “Bachalo.”

X-Plained:

The secret X-origins of Kris Anka and Russell Dauterman
Definitive books and artists
Favorite characters and series
Mephistoid spacesuit logistics
Emma Frost as a reader stand-in
The secret origin of Psylocke’s pants
Uncanny X-Men
The best flashback montage ever
Underappreciated / underdeveloped characters
All the Rogues
Plot twists
Bishop
Dream teams
Sexy dudes with sexy abs
How to update Adam X the X-Treme

Next Week: What’s New, Shadowcat?

You can find a visual companion to the episode – and links to recommended reading – on our blog.

Find us on iTunes or Stitcher!

Support us on Patreon!

We’re at NYCC! And You Made Art!

October 10, 2014 Jay 4 comments

Reminder: No video reviews this week, ’cause we’re at NYCC! Meanwhile: Art!

Josh Abraham's Ororo is way too fashionable to care about your bullshit life decisions. (Original here.) — Josh Abraham’s Ororo is way too fashionable to care about your bullshit life decisions. (Original here.)

Michael Corley adds to the archive of Cyclops Has a Good Day art.

Cyclops Has a Good Day, by Jenny Yule

October 7, 2014 Jay 2 comments

Rachel here!

As some of you no doubt remember from Episode 7 (waaaaaaay back when), my con sketchbook’s theme is Cyclops Has a Good Day. While the sketchbook itself is purely physical media, you splendid folks will once in a while e-mail me a digital entry, and they are universally delightful.

This week’s comes from Jenny Yule, who has worked out what I am pretty sure is the absolute best recreational use of Cyclops’s powers AND gave me a total nostalgia rush for the weird old Ambroisia game Harry the Handsome Executive, which I would now very much like to see given a superhero revamp. BEHOLD:

As Mentioned in Episode 25 – The Best at What He Does

October 6, 2014 Jay 4 comments

Listen to the episode here!

Art by David Wynne, after Katsushika Hokusai. Prints available until 10/12; or contact David to purchase the original.

Because you demanded it: Probably a Summers Brother t-shirts (light or dark backgrounds) and other gear are now a thing that exist, and which you can purchase using moneydollars!

Welcome to the Wolverine comic that will forever set the bar for Wolverine comics.

Shingen: Totally a dick. (Wolverine #1)

Seriously. This asshole. (Wolverine #1)

Things that never get old: Frank Miller drawing Wolverine beating up on Ninja. (Wolverine #2)

Other things that never get old: Our favorite lady, Yukio! (Wolverine #2)

Okay, look, like 2/3 of this gallery is just going to be us drooling over these amazing Frank Miller fight scenes. Deal with it. (Wolverine #2)

Mariko is less impressed with Miller’s stylish portrayal of gruesome violence. (Wolverine #2)

MORE NINJA! (Wolverine #3)

Yukio, ladies and gentlemen. (Wolverine #3)

Taking a break from drooling over stylish fight scenes to drool over a stylish chase scene. (Wolverine #3)

If you’re not hearing the narration in Steve Blum’s voice, you’re doing Wolverine wrong. (Wolverine #4)

LOOK AT THAT NARRATIVE SYMMETRY. (Wolverine #4)

We were going to choose one or two panels from this fight scene, but, nope, it’s perfect. Deal. (Wolverine #4)

HOLY BALLS FRANK MILLER (Wolverine #4)

The X-Men show up to congratulate Wolverine on the completion of his first solo miniseries. (Uncanny X-Men #172)

Look at that adorable Ninja meet-cute! Also: Pretty sure Smith is taking a cue from Miller with the sudden influx of vertical panels and silhouetted buildings. (Uncanny X-Men #172)

Yeah, look, remember how we said this was gonna all be Miller fight scenes? There will also be a lot of Storm and Yukio, because, Storm and Yukio. (Uncanny X-Men #172)

In which Kitty Pryde realizes that Wolverine has been moonlighting in a significantly less code-sensitive series. (Uncanny X-Men #172)

There is literally nothing that you can tell us that will convince us that these two ladies are not Totally Doin’ It. (Uncanny X-Men #172)

Meanwhile, Rogue and Wolverine bond over casual violence. (Uncanny X-Men #173)

Seriously. (Uncanny X-Men #173)

Totally Doin’ It. (Uncanny X-Men #173)

They should really just hand out little warning pamphlets about Mastermind. What a dick. (Uncanny X-Men #173)

Remember when Madelyne Pryor was AWESOME? Sigh. (Uncanny X-Men #173)

Ooh, burn. (Uncanny X-Men #173)

THAT SINGLE TEAR. (Uncanny X-Men #173)

John Byrne’s original concept for what Wolverine would look like under the mask. He ended up using this design for Sabretooth instead.

Next Week: The New Mutants meet Team America!

25 – The Best at What He Does

October 6, 2014 Jay 16 comments

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Art by David Wynne, after Katsushika Hokusai.

In which Wolverine gets his first miniseries, Yukio is still (and forever) the best, we categorically reject the classification “manic pixie dreamgirl,” everything is noir as hell, Wolverine gets an Iron Giant moment, Storm is too cool for your dress code, and we finally made “Probably a Summers Brother” t-shirts.

X-Plained:

X-23
The 1982 Wolverine miniseries
Uncanny X-Men #172-173
Rachel’s Wolverine feelings
An auspicious road trip
Early Frank Miller
A really epic team-up
Plug’n’play storytelling
How to tell a good Wolverine story
Mariko Yashida
Honor
Shingen Yashida
Yukio
The Inverse Law of Ninjas
The Forty-Seven Ronin
Silver Samurai
Viper
A Ninja meet-cute
The Cyclops / Wolverine double standard
The secret origins of Wolverine’s mask and hair

Next Week: The New Mutants meet Team America!

You can find a visual companion to the episode – and links to recommended reading – on our blog.

Find us on iTunes or Stitcher!

Support us on Patreon!

As Mentioned in Episode 24 – Ororo, Queen of the Galaxy

September 28, 2014 Jay 18 comments

Listen to the episode here!

ORORO, QUEEN OF THE GALAXY, by David Wynne. (Prints available here until October 5.)

Lockheed vs. Pete Wisdom. (Excalibur #97)

Ironically, the thing she’s mad about might be the one time he actually isn’t, but the point stands in general. (X-Men #168)

Lockheed lurks. (X-Men #168)

This isn’t really relevant to the episode–we’re just hoping someone will use it as the basis for a Kitty Pryde magical-girl transformation sequence. (X-Men #168)

Scott and Lee: STILL AWESOME. (X-Men #168)

Before that one Hawkeye thing, there was this. (X-Men #168)

AWESOME TEAM-UP OF AWESOME. (X-Men #168)

But I think we all know the REAL point of X-Men #168. (We’re reviving this for this week’s art challenge – send your Kitty Pryde costume redesigns to xplainthexmen(at)gmail(dot)com!)

Very Nude Nightcrawler. (X-Men #169)

Dragon-sitting is basically the X-Men girlfriend test. (X-Men #169)

Remember that time X-Men straight-up did Barbarella? (Also the time Angel got pinned up by his wings in the Morlock tunnels. No, not that time. The other time.) (X-Men #169)

This cover is slashy in every sense of the word. (X-Men #170)

Well, then. (X-Men #170)

Remember that time Storm straight-up stabbed someone through the heart? BECAUSE THAT DEFINITELY HAPPENED. (X-Men #170)

And then Walt Simonson drew Storm, and we had Feelings. (X-Men #171)

Rogue also has feelings, but they’re less about the transcendent perfection of Simonson’s art than about her out-of-control powers. Sorry, Rogue. (X-Men #171)

Well, that escalated quickly. (X-Men #171)

This might be the most Rogue moment ever. (X-Men #171)

Remember that time Professor X was actually pretty fucking awesome? (X-Men #171)

For full effect, you have to imagine Wolverine’s lines in Steven Blum’s voice. I mean, you should really be doing that anyway. (X-Men #172)

YUKIO. Much, much more about her next week, but she’s the best. (X-Men #172)

For real, there is literally nothing you can say that will convince Rachel that these two are not TOTALLY DOING IT. (X-Men #173)

They really can’t kick her off the team after that. (X-Men #173)

BRB HAVING FEELINGS. (X-Men #173)

Oh. THAT asshole. (X-Men #173)

Meanwhile in Alaska, the most awkward meet-cute ever. (X-Men #168)

Here’s the thing about Scott and Madelyne: they’re actually kind of awesome together. Doomed, but awesome. (X-Men #170)

As a character who’s spent most of his life in a Claremont-written world, Scott is unfamiliar with the concept of coincidence. (X-Men #171)

Then, again, having spent years reading stories set in a Claremont-written world, we find it difficult to believe that this was actually just supposed to have been a coincidence. (X-Men #172)