Listen to the episode here.
Tag: hank mccoy
520 – Head Like a (Black) Hole
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | RSS

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!
As Mentioned in Episode 519 – Beautiful People With Incredible Powers
519 – Beautiful People With Incredible Powers
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | RSS

In which we start the Morrison Run; Professor X gets his hands on Chekhov’s gun; Cassandra Nova raises X-villains to a new level of weird; and humanity is running on borrowed time.
X-PLAINED:
- No-Girl
- New X-Men #114-116
- Grant Morrison and their approach to the X-Men
- Superhero fashion
- Cerebra
- Beast’s new look
- Ugly John
- Interpersonal dynamics
- Cassandra Nova (somewhat)
- Donald Trask
- Master Molds
- Wild Sentinels
- Emma Frost (more) (again)
- Negasonic Teenage Warhead (the original)
- The fall of Genosha
- Secondary mutations
- The most strapless bra of all time
- The Black Bug Room
- Summers problems
- Official X-Men and the designation thereof
- Wonder Man and mutants
NEXT EPISODE: Beast has a bad day
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 517 – Sliding Scale Ransom
Listen to the podcast here.
LINKS & FURTHER HORRORS
- We covered X-Men #159 way back in Episode 18 – You’ve Got a Dracula Problem.
- We briefly covered What If: Magik in Episode 230 – Touchstones.
- Discover the nude werewolves of Tarot: Witch of the Black Rose
- “You’ve got to get out of here! Your vagina is haunted!”
517 – Sliding Scale Ransom
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | RSS
In which we totally forgot to record a cold open (sorry); a lot of characters die (but not in Earth-616); Vampires may already be in command of America’s atomic arsenal; and we revisit a favorite.
X-PLAINED:
- What If vol. 2 #9
- What If vol. 2 #24
- What If: Magik #1
- Rahne Sinclair (moppet stage)
- The deaths of the Silver Age and All-New-All-Different X-Men
- Fancy television
- Sliding-scale ransom
- Then Ani-Men, somewhat
- The Living LASER, somewhat
- An orgy of satiation
- Wolverine, Lord of the Vampires
- Several highlights of Tarot: Witch of the Black Rose
- Vampire nonsense
- The Darkhold
- The Montessi Formula
- Some alligators
- August 5
- Frank Punisher, Vampire Hunter
- What If vol. 2 #37 (briefly)
- A kinder alternate history
- A singularly beautiful montage
- The Soul Staff
- Summers family connections
- How Wolverine climbs
NEXT EPISODE: Unspooling the X-Gene, with Dr. Jey McCreight!
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 513 – Eve of Destruction
Listen to the episode here.
LINKS AND FURTHER READING:
- Relevant once again: The Judgment of Magneto by Asher Elbein
513 – Eve of Destruction
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | RSS
In which Jay and Miles make an announcement; the X-Men are down to bare bones; Cyclops and Corsair are stunningly bad at feelings; Trish Tilby is stunningly bad at journalism; Magneto says goodbye to nuance; and Jean Grey assembles a team.
X-PLAINED:
- X-Corps vs. X-Corp
- A thing that will be happening in a few months
- The story so far
- Uncanny X-Men #391-392
- X-Men #111
- The state of the X-Men
- A short-lived Cyclops costume
- A reunion
- A sorry excuse
- Resolution, somewhat
- Genosha (more) (again)
- Conflict of interest
- Several excellent villain speeches
- Joanna Cargill (Frenzy) (again)
- Jean-Paul Beaubier (Northstar) (again)
- Hector Rendoza
- Yet another angry mob
- Paulie Provenzano (Omerta)
- Leyu Yoshida (Sunpyre)
- Ice skating in Rockefeller Center
- Our picks for a new Brotherhood of Evil Mutants
NEXT EPISODE: Eve of Destruction concludes!
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 509 – No Fun Will Be Had
Listen to the episode here.
If you’re in crisis and need someone to talk to, here are some resources (phone numbers are US specific):
- 988 is a national mental health crisis helpline.
- 741741 is a national crisis text line, reachable via text, online chat, or WhatsApp.
- Trans Lifeline is a trans peer support hotline.
- The Trevor Project offers round-the-clock phone and text support for queer and trans youth.
- The Veterans Crisis Line offers 24/7 crisis support for veterans and can be reached directly or via 988.
509 – No Fun Will Be Had
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | RSS
In which Marrow just want to be left alone; Spider-Man remains hapless; S.H.I.E.L.D. is unhelpful; Colossus dies; Shadowcat leaves the X-Men; and we are all on board for Mutants to Watch Out For.
X-PLAINED:
- How Magik caught the Legacy Virus
- Marrow (again)
- Spider-Man and Marrow #1
- Uncanny X-Men #390
- X-Men #110
- A fancy club
- A terrible plan
- The Legacy Virus (more) (again)
- Some deeply contrived “science”
- A life-affirming display of social interaction
- The death of Colossus
- A very silly sound effect
- Acceptable handwriting
- Nostalgia
- A double send-off
- Closure
- Mortality in Otherworld
- Imaginary crossovers
NEXT EPISODE: Winter Special!
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!


