giant-size special – Jay & Miles X-Plain the X-Men

As Mentioned in Episode 319 – Giant-Size Special #9

January 3, 2021 Jay 3 comments

Listen to the episode here!

Art by David Wynne. Wanna buy the original? Drop him a line!

There’s… a lot of design happening here. (Further Adventures of Cyclops & Phoenix #1)

Even if the podcast couldn’t all be ink appreciation, the visual companion can! (Further Adventures of Cyclops & Phoenix #1)

Sir, this is a Wendy’s. (Further Adventures of Cyclops & Phoenix #1)

LOOK AT THAT BEARD. (Further Adventures of Cyclops & Phoenix #1)

THE DRAMA! (Further Adventures of Cyclops & Phoenix #1)

Tremble’s collection of human curiosities. (Further Adventures of Cyclops & Phoenix #1)

This might be my favorite look for Apocalypse. (Further Adventures of Cyclops & Phoenix #1)

This one’s pretty sharp, too, though. (Further Adventures of Cyclops & Phoenix #1)

What I’m getting here is that the Askani Sisterhood has been recruiting Asbury Park mermaids. (Further Adventures of Cyclops & Phoenix #2)

More artists should use color silhouettes–they can be such a cool effect! (Further Adventures of Cyclops & Phoenix #2)

Feelings… AND TEXTURES! (Further Adventures of Cyclops & Phoenix #2)

Marauder, schmaurader; I know a reaver when I see one. (Further Adventures of Cyclops & Phoenix #3)

The secret origin of ruby quartz! (Further Adventures of Cyclops & Phoenix #3)

“Sinister, you say? Ooh, that’s good. I should write that down.” (Further Adventures of Cyclops & Phoenix #3)

This is a bad plan and I do not want to be part of it. (Further Adventures of Cyclops & Phoenix #3)

LOOK AT THIS GLAM MOTHERFUCKER (Further Adventures of Cyclops & Phoenix #4)

Aw, he’s still got a heart, maybe, kind of. (Further Adventures of Cyclops & Phoenix #4)

Yeah, that’s not gonna happen. (Further Adventures of Cyclops & Phoenix #4)

TIME LOOP! TIME LOOP! (Further Adventures of Cyclops & Phoenix #4)

LINKS & FURTHER ADVENTURES

Follow our guests on Twitter!
How to Be a Mutant

The written list of the SDAPCAfEaX winners will go up on Monday! If you are a creator who won and would like a physical award, drop us a line, and we will make it happen.

319 – Giant-Size Special #9 (feat. Vita Ayala, Tini Howard, & Leah Williams)

January 3, 2021 Jay 9 comments

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In which Jay and Miles receive a mysterious missive and are visited by three of our favorite X-writers; Further Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix is a pleasant surprise; Nathaniel Essex is the most dramatic man in the Marvel Universe; the sewers of Victorian London were a happenin’ place; Apocalypse isn’t even French; Beast is the flip-side of Sinister; community is for everyone; the Internet is (kind of) Krakoa; and death is fixable, but trauma might take a little more work.

X-PLAINED:

A quotation
Further Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix #1-4
A closed loop
Time travel with Scott Summers and Jean Grey
Mister Sinister (Nathaniel Essex)
A somewhat excessive visual aid
Beards
Cootie Tremble
The cultural context of sideshows
The first Marauders and/or Nasty Boys
Victorian Apocalypse
Strained allegories
Sanctity
Apocalypse vs. the Hellfire Club
Oscar the Somewhat Less Nasty Boy
Varyingly anachronistic costuming
The secret origin of ruby quartz
A very vague objective
A makeover
A closed time loop
Actual Cat Wizard Jonathan Hickman
Something Jay is not in fact going to pitch to Marvel
Creative dynamics and processes in the current X-line
Revolutionary joy
What’s cooler than one sword
The Sixth Annual Super Doctor Astronaut Peter Corbeau Awards for Excellence at X-Cellence

NEXT WEEK: Jay & Miles take a break

NEXT EPISODE: Excalibur gets several Peters and a wolf!

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

Find us on iTunes or Stitcher!

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 TeePublic shop!

As Mentioned in Episode 279 – Giant-Size Special #8

December 29, 2019 Jay 10 comments

Listen to the episode here!

Art by David Wynne. Wanna buy the original? Drop him a line!

IT BEGINS! (Generation X #1)

Seriously, though, that is really gross. (Generation X #1)

I want to read a miniseries about this kid. (Generation X #1)

They are so very, very parents. (Generation X #1)

Sean Cassidy, OF ALL PEOPLE, should know EXACTLY how dangerous trees can be. (Generation X #1)

An old friend–of ours, and apparently of Monet’s. (Generation X #1)

Emplate is so cool and creepy! (Generation X #1)

Also cool and creepy: Chamber. (Generation X #1)

The covers of this series are so inviting. (Generation X #2)

For the record, HICK is worth 13 points to LOSER’s 5. (Generation X #2)

Penance is nothing if not efficient.

Ooh, Monet is GREAT. (Generation X #2)

That horror-movie framing! (Generation X #2)

DAMN, Paige! (Generation X #3)

Chamber is a neat dude. (Generation X #3)

Nanny X-plains puberty. (Generation X #3)

Mondo and Cordelia are… complicated. (Generation X #3)

If it weren’t for the two troubles in a row, this cover would be pretty darn near perfect, gradient and all. (Generation X #4)

Bachalo’s marginalia is WONDERFUL. (Generation X #4)

Seriously, so good. (Generation X #4)

Hi, Eliot. (Generation X #4)

Not all the images are gonna be of these guys, but it was tempting. (Generation X #4)

Fortunately, sometimes they intersect with plot. (Generation X #4)

And sometimes not. (Generation X #4)

I… I just love them so much. (Generation X #4)

Orphanmaker grew up! (Generation X #4)

Meanwhile, everything is terrible. (Generation X #4)

Well, maybe not everything. (Generation X #4)

This is one of my favorite scenes in any comic, ever. (Generation X #4)

And then, Legion Quest ended. (Generation X #4)

So, yeah, this is a thing, and you can watch it here should you find yourself so inclined.

NEXT WEEK: Jay & Miles on vacation!

NEXT EPISODE: Bishop goes solo!

LINKS & FURTHER FESTIVITY:

Jay Smooth’s timeless “In Defense of Humbug” turns 10 years old this year!
The movie with the hipster fuckghost is The Spirit of Christmas, which involves disappointingly little ghostfucking but surprisingly accurate 19^th-century bartending.
Tom Otterness’s “Life Underground” statues in NYC’s 14th St./8th Ave. Subway station have a lot in common with Bachalo’s marginalia.
For more on the intersection of mutant and real-world politics, check out our 2017 RCCC special, Welcome to the Mutant Revolution!
Follow Christina Strain on Twitter…
…and check out her upcoming Netflix original movie, Finding Ohana!

The full list of winners of the 2019 Super Doctor Astronaut Peter Corbeau Awards for Excellence at X-Cellence will be posted separately on 12/30.

279 – Giant-Size Special #8

December 29, 2019 Jay 11 comments

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In which Jay would absolutely fight Christmas; we welcome guest X-Perts Christina Strain and Chip Zdarsky; a gift arrives; we consider the relationship of Generation X to Generation X; it is really not okay to leave your discarded skins lying around; D.O.A. is inordinately delightful; Chamber is the punk Shadow; Gateway goes to school; the Generation X TV movie is very, very bad; telepathy is free; the grown-ups are all right; home sucks; freedom rocks; Mondo deserves better; Matt Frewer did most things first; Kevin McNulty has appeared in literally everything; and you remain our favorites, ever.

X-PLAINED:

Mutation, for some value of the term
Holidays and the observation thereof
December 9
Jay’s ideal Christmas
How Chris Bachalo’s name is pronounced (more) (again) (sorry)
Several promotions
Generation X
Generation X #1-4
Generation X
Husk (Paige Guthrie)
M (Monet St. Croix)
Skin (Angelo Espinosa)
Synch (Everett Thomas)
Chamber (Jonothon Starsmore)
The New Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters
Counting Genises
The housekeeping implications of body horror
The M retcon
Continuity in costume design
The Danger Grotto
Emplate (somewhat)
D.O.A.
Penance (not that one)
Scrabble burns
An alternate take on power duplication
Mondo ()
The return of Nanny and the Orphanmaker
Eliot ()
A tentative friendship
How the Age of Apocalypse comes to Generation X
A movie that never fails to disappoint
The vagaries of adaptation
The best on-screen Emma Frost
Gang emails of the 1990s
Refrax
Buff
William Castle
The comedic genealogy of Max Headroom
Hatley Castle
The 2019 Super Doctor Astronaut Peter Corbeau Awards for Excellence at X-Cellence

NEXT WEEK: Jay & Miles go on vacation!
NEXT EPISODE: Bishop goes solo!

Special thanks to Christina Strain, Douglas Wolk, and Chip Zdarsky; and–always–to Matt Hunter, David Wynne, Tea Fougner, Anna Sheffey, and all of our patrons and listeners!

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

Find us on iTunes or Stitcher!

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 TeePublic shop!

As Mentioned in Episode 229 – Giant-Size Special #7

December 30, 2018 Jay 2 comments

Listen to the episode here.

Art by David Wynne. Wanna buy the original? Drop him a line!

Surprisingly, not the worst trip either of them has been on. (The Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix #1)

Welcome to the future. Hope you survive the… y’know. (The Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix #1)

I kind of feel like most parents would be a little irritated if their kids did this. (The Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix #1)

Despite the cybernetics, this is definitely the closest li’l Nathan Christopher has ever looked to an actual human baby. (The Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix #1)

That is the face of a man who knows he will never, ever get to take a real vacation. (The Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix #1)

We see what you did, there. (The Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix #2)

Parents, amirite? (The Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix #2)

It takes a certain degree of dedication to throw an orgy this boring. (The Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix #2)

That’s our Stryfe! (The Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix #2)

Apocalypse’s future look. (The Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix #2)

Gene Ha is so good at weird cyborgs! (The Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix #2)

“Also, where do babies come from?” (The Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix #3)

I love the conceit that everyone in the future gives them shit for PDA. (The Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix #3)

OH, HEY, IT’S THE LEGACY VIRUS. (The Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix #3)

Quite literally face to face. (The Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix #3)

Nobody likes Stryfe. (The Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix #3)

And you thought puberty hit you hard. (The Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix #4)

Aw, Rachel. (The Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix #4)

“Also, I was thinking we could do brunch sometime. No? Too soon?” (The Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix #4)

This dysfunctional fictional family is so damn important to me. (The Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix #4)

Clone Problems(TM). (The Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix #4)

I mean, the first time aside from THE ENTIRETY OF THE LAST TWELVE YEARS. (The Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix #4)

I’m not crying. You’re crying. We’re both crying. Everyone is crying. (The Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix #4)

This comic, man. Right in the feels. (The Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix #4)

We don’t usually post pages that we also read, but we couldn’t in good conscience leave this one out. (The Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix #4)

“Time to get a lot of guns and some snappy one-liners.” (The Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix #4)

NEXT EPISODE: Bring kleenex.

LINKS & FURTHER FESTIVITY:

David Wynne is awesome! Here’s where you can find him on the Internet:
- Tumblr
- Twitter
- David’s Comics:
- Josh & Jamie Do Daredevil
The Apocrypals pretty much do what we do, but for the bible!
The Fantasticast pretty much does what we do, but for the Fantastic Four!

Click through for Corbeau Awards and song lyrics!

229 – Giant-Size Special #7

December 30, 2018 Jay 28 comments

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In which we are beset by festivity; Scott Summers still can’t take a vacation; the Daysprings are a really good family; “G’journey” is a really good greeting; Stryfe is his own namesake; retcons have served Cable well; illustrator David Wynne makes his X-Plain podcast debut; and you should probably go ahead and get a shelf for all these awards.

X-PLAINED:

The Hayes family
The Grey-Summers Family circa 1993
The Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix #1-4
Summers/Sommers disambiguation
Gene Ha
Time travel
Earth-4935
Mother Askani
Prelate Ch’vayre
What “Askani” means
When and whether Cable sleeps
The passage of time
Slym and Redd Dayspring
A biblical allusion
A very good greeting
Prior Turrin
“Old” English
Li’l Stryfe
Some constraints of superhero comics
Parenting
Rachel Summers’s self-image
The origin of Cable’s codename
David Wynne and his art
“Strontium Dogs”
The X-Fandom starter pack
The Fifth Annual Super Doctor Astronaut Peter Corbeau Awards for Excellence at X-Cellence
D&D with the Blue Team
All-New staying power
Fictional intersectionality
Change, in general

NEXT EPISODE: Bring kleenex.

CORRECTION: In this episode, Miles states that Scott and Jean are cool. They are, in fact, categorically uncool. We regret the error.

Special thanks to carolers Tina Carleton, Matt Gardner, Peter Gresser, Erin Pence, and Steve Pence!

Check out the visual companion to this episode–along with all the song lyrics and the complete Corbeau awards–on our blog!

Find us on iTunes or Stitcher!

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!

We’re in the process of migrating our official shop to TeePublic! Click over to check it out! (You can still find the designs we haven’t moved yet at Redbubble.)

As Mentioned in Episode 178 – Giant-Size Special #6

January 7, 2018 Jay One comment

Listen to the podcast here.

Art by David Wynne. Wanna buy the original? Drop him a line!

The All-New, All-Yelling X-Men! (X-Men #1)

Say what you want about Jim Lee’s art, but his Magneto is GREAT. (X-Men #1)

You’d think S.H.I.E.L.D. would pay Nick Fury enough to buy a suit that fits. (X-Men #1)

Fun fact: almost every spot illustration of an X-Man that you’ve ever seen comes from this or the following issue. (X-Men #1)

We are worried about Psylocke. (X-Men #1)

CORRECTION: Gambit did not kiss Jean. He kissed a robot replica of Jean, which then exploded. We regret the error, but Gambit probably regrets it more. (X-Men #1)

LOOK AT THIS FASHION GOD. (X-Men #1)

“Also, one of them has an underscore in his Twitter handle.” (X-Men #1)

Magneto, master of text. (X-Men #1)

Another image from early in Lee’s tenure that shows up a lot in other publications. (X-Men #2)

Okay, NOW we get it: Nick Fury spent his entire suit budget on pouches. (X-Men #2)

Never not hilarious. (X-Men #2)

We’re just gonna let this page speak for itself. (X-Men #3)

Raise a glass. (X-Men #3)

NEXT EPISODE: Havok gets a job.

OUR PRODUCER MATT HUNTER IS A SUPER RAD DUDE! HERE IS WHERE YOU CAN FIND HIM ON THE INTERNET:

THE 2017 SUPER DOCTOR ASTRONAUT PETER CORBEAU AWARDS FOR EXCELLENCE AT X-CELLENCE:

Best Writer: Charles Soule, for Astonishing X-Men
Best Artist: Alessandro Vitti, for Iceman
Best Colorist: Felipe Sobreiro, for Generation X
Best Ongoing Solo Series: Iceman
Best Ongoing Team Series: Generation X
Irene Adler Memorial Award for Most Anticipated Upcoming Series: Storm, by Ta Nehisi Coates and Jen Bartel
How-Was-This-So-Good? Award for a Premise That Shouldn’t Have Worked But Did: “Weapons of Mutant Destruction” by Greg Pak
Cyclops Has A Good Day: Champions #12, for good friends being good friends.
So That Happened: Last page of Jean Grey #10
Nate Grey Award for Best Cross-Dimensional Import: Bloodstorm in X-Men: Blue
Coming Back Strong: Hope Summers in Jean Grey
Norman Osborne Award for Gratuitous Resurrection: Logan
Light of Our Life: Honey Badger
These Deep Cuts Form a Picture: Gifted
Best Non-X Marvel Title: Runaways by Rainbow Rowell and Kris Anka

Classic Corbeaus

Buried Treasure: “Weapon X,” as published in Marvel Comics Presents
You Tried: Chris Claremont, circa 1991
Why Havok Didn’t Finish His Dissertation This Year: He was busy being Magistrate on Genosha
Object Permanence Is Overrated Award for Inconsistent Corporeality: Amanda Sefton
Murder Rainbow Award for Most Entertainingly and Chromatically Redesigned Costumes: Late-run New Mutants
Lurking in the Wings Award: Guido Carosella
Sauron’s Jorts Award for Draculas Who Are Not Draculas but Try Real Hard: Crimson and the Blackbirds
Let Us Never Speak of This Again: Charles Xavier’s swimsuit area as distressingly rendered by Whilce Portacio
Major Christopher Summers Award for Most Awkward Family Reunion: Rachel Summers and Jean Grey in “Days of Future Present”
Kitty Pryde Sartorial Exception of Excellence: The Rocketeer ensemble from X-Men: True Friends
On-the-Nose Award for Effective Use of Heavy-Handed Metaphor: Genosha
Best Jacket Ever Award: Cyclops in X-Factor Forever
Erik the Red Award for Justifying the Existence of This Podcast: Jen Askani
Future Past Award for Most Anticipated Upcoming Series Coverage: X-Factor

AND FINALLY:

Best Listeners of Any Podcast, Ever: YOU. Extra hard, this year.

178 – Giant-Size Special #6

December 24, 2017 Jay 78 comments

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In which we enter a new era of X-Men; Magneto reluctantly returns to villainy; Jay tries to like X-Men volume 2; when in doubt, you should open your story with a space fight; Nick Fury has so many pouches; experimenting on babies unsurprisingly backfires; psychic powers are pink; Claremont deserved better; Producer Matt makes his on-air debut; and you (yes, you!) are once again the recipients of a Super Doctor Astronaut Peter Corbeau Award for Excellence in X-Cellence.

X-PLAINED:

Loa
The 1991 relaunch of X-Men
X-Men vol. 2 #1-3
Chris Claremont’s departure from Marvel
X-Men vs. Uncanny X-Men
Blue Team
Gold Team
Why Magneto is emblematic of Claremont’s vision for the X-Men
Why there are so many copies of X-Men #1
How comics sales are counted
Our very different perspectives on X-Men #1
A space fight
Revision vs. reversion
What may or may not be in Nick Fury’s pouches
Daring loungewear worn well
Fabian Cortez
Flatscans
Disproportionate escalation
The Acolytes
Delgado, kind of, maybe
Several notable absences
The Magneto Protocols
That one time Magneto got turned into a baby
Some dubious science
A semi-invisible plane
Code Silver
Further miracles of magnetism
Producer Matt Hunter
Chiptunes
Podcasting about video games
The Fourth Annual Super Doctor Astronaut Peter Corbeau Awards for Excellence at X-Cellence
Best X-Toon holiday episodes

NEXT EPISODE: Havok gets a job!

Special thanks to Cordelia for her help on the episode opening!

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

Find us on iTunes or Stitcher!

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!

We’re in the process of migrating our official shop to TeePublic! Click over to check it out! (You can still find the designs we haven’t moved yet at Redbubble.)

As Mentioned in Episode 125 – Giant-Size Special #4

September 12, 2016 Jay Leave a comment

Listen to the podcast here.

Art by David Wynne. Prints and cards available at the shop, or contact David to purchase the original.

In which a bunch of twenty and thirty-something PNW nerds pretend to be New England teenagers. Left to right: Crystal Frasier as Jubilee, Miles Stokes as Boom Boom, Logan Bonner as the indifferent god of a cruel world, Jay Edidin as Havok, Max Carleton as Shadowcat.

Starring Hachi the Studio Dog as himself, or possibly as Mystique. The jury’s still out on that one.

Bayville or bust!

Fun fact: Miles’s only hot pink shirt is a Gaming’s Feminist Illuminati shirt, which we feel is 100% Boom Boom-appropriate.

Erik. The. Rad.

NEXT EPISODE: Live from Rose City Comic Con, featuring Greg Pak!

LINKS:

We are playing the Marvel Superheroes Adventure Game, modified by Logan Bonner for X-Men: Evolution.
Logan Bonner
- Twitter
Max Carleton
- Waiting for the Trade
- I Love Television
Crystal Frasier
- Tumblr

125 – Giant-Size Special #4

September 12, 2016 Jay 13 comments

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In which Logan Bonner, Max Carleton, and Crystal Frasier hike up their boxers and join us at the gaming table for an X-Men: Evolution tabletop adventure; what happens in virtual reality stays in virtual reality; Shadowcat is great at boats; Jubilee and Boom Boom blow up everything; Havok tries; and Team Reckless Endangerment wins the day!

FEATURING:

Logan Bonner as Writer and Gamemaster / Erik the Rad
Max Carleton as the Shadowcat / Pirate Kitty
Crystal Frasier as Jubilee / the Genie
Jay Edidin as Havok / the Corsair
Miles Stokes as Boom Boom / Boomavara

NEXT EPISODE: Live from RCCC, with Greg Pak!

You can find a visual companion to this episode on our blog!

Find us on iTunes or Stitcher!

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 prints of this week’s illustration at our shop, or contact David Wynne for the original!

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