Husk – Jay & Miles X-Plain the X-Men

432 – Weird Little Adventures

December 3, 2023 Jay 4 comments

In which we reach the end of Larry Hama’s run on Generation X; Gaia remains remarkably normal for someone who has spent millennia chained up alone in a citadel; Synch practices radical forgiveness; we ponder the nature of Emma Frost and Sean Cassidy’s relationship; and Forge is extra unqualified to lecture on ethics.

X-PLAINED:

How Jubilee stopped being a vampire
The Draco, kinda
Generation X #44-47
Bianca LaNeige (again)
Polaroid cameras
Gaia (more) (again)
Reality warping
Woody and Arlo Guthrie
Iceland
Several continuity errors
Psi War fallout
Paul Weller
New school uniforms
Accreditation
Miss Pickwick
Penance’s nationality
Guthrie manifestation
Teamwork
Forge’s decision-making skills
Paradox
Indoor/outdoor moppets
Four theoretical horsemen of Apocalypse
Awkward family holidays

NEXT EPISODE: Jay & Miles autopsy X-Factor and Excalibur!

Jay’s kid is both sick and teething, so the visual companion to this episode will be up later this week. Hopefully.

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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!

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As Mentioned in Episode 431 – Doctor Jennifer Murder’s Drop-In Deathatorium

November 19, 2023 Miles Leave a comment

Listen to the episode here.

Alright, who stuck their surprisingly awesome fan-zine on this comics rack? (Generation X Underground Special #1)

Do the extra-long fingers help or hurt? (Generation X Underground Special #1)

Triumphant walk! (Generation X Underground Special #1)

Cibo Matto! (Generation X Underground Special #1)

“I’m just not sure about this neighborhood. Let’s head over to Crime Alley instead.” (Generation X Underground Special #1)

No notes. (Generation X Underground Special #1)

(Former since the Donut Day Riots) Detective Lucas Bishop. (Generation X Underground Special #1)

Eat your heart out, Jack Kirby. (Generation X Underground Special #1)

You and me both, random gangster. (Generation X Underground Special #1)

And, in fact, that very funk will save the day. (Generation X Underground Special #1)

Chamber’s secondary mutation is to be more heavily inked when he’s depressed. (Generation X Underground Special #1)

If you’re ever this heavily inked, please talk to someone. (Generation X Underground Special #1)

Al made a shirt and so can you! (Generation X Underground Special #1)

Man vs. Man, Man vs. Nature, Beatniks vs. Hostess Fruit Pies… (Generation X Underground Special #1)

Nate is such a good dude sometimes. (X-Man: All Saints Day #1)

What an oddly relevantly helpful old woman! (X-Man: All Saints Day #1)

Downtown Transylvania circa 1998, I assume. (X-Man: All Saints Day #1)

Hey, your face isn’t even all that bony! (X-Man: All Saints Day #1)

See, kids? This is why you shouldn’t smoke. (X-Man: All Saints Day #1)

She had to wait days for a lightning storm epic enough for her to make her entrance properly. (X-Man: All Saints Day #1)

How has no one brought this delightful villain back since this issue?! (X-Man: All Saints Day #1)

Didn’t see that one coming… (X-Man: All Saints Day #1)

NO NOTES. (X-Man: All Saints Day #1)

Doctor Von Mort’s home office is way cooler than mine. (X-Man: All Saints Day #1)

Abysnthia Von Mort x-plains Absynthia Von Mort. (X-Man: All Saints Day #1)

“Help! We’ve been filed!” (X-Man: All Saints Day #1)

I’m not crying you’re crying (X-Man: All Saints Day #1)

NEXT EPISODE: Generation X suits up!

431 – Doctor Jennifer Murder’s Drop-In Deathatorium

November 19, 2023 Miles 4 comments

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In which Synch is a more versatile character than he originally got credit for; “eep” and “eek” are likewise underused; space makes everything better; Nate Grey is the proto-himbo; and if you can decipher the secret code in this episode, you, too, can win a Silver Surfer jet ski!

X-PLAINED:

Diablo
Generation X Underground Special
X-Men Unlimited #30
X-Man: All Saints Day
Jim Mahfood
Skin’s video-game preferences
Strange superpowers
Poster pirates
Visual representations of the passage of time
“Banshee’s Angels”
Charlie’s Angels
The infamous donut-day riots
Perfect costumes
Adequate restraints for small children
The raw power of funk
Generation X vs. the Beat Generation
The greatest disco event in the universe
Nate Grey
Some kid named Jerome
Countess Absynthia Von Mort
Transylvania
Dr. Cindy’s Castle
The state of Phoenix affairs
The color bar at the top of the page in ‘90s comics

NEXT EPISODE: Generation X suits up!

Check out visual companion to this episode on our blog!

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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!

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As Mentioned in Episode 429 – Slightly Sticky

November 5, 2023 Miles 2 comments

Listen to the episode here.

A goofy and fun cover for a goofy and fun comic. (X-Men Unlimited #20)

Poor Maxie… (X-Men Unlimited #20)

Poor Maxie!!! (X-Men Unlimited #20)

? indeed, Nettles. ? indeed. (X-Men Unlimited #20)

STOP HATIN’ (X-Men Unlimited #20)

I don’t think this Ferris wheel passed inspection. Or was ever inspected in the first place. (X-Men Unlimited #20)

Generation X’s greatest nemesis: a runaway Ferris wheel. (X-Men Unlimited #20)

Paige Guthrie would make a terrible babysitter. (X-Men Unlimited #20)

What was Penance doing in that closet? We’ll never know! (X-Men Unlimited #20)

And then a cop gaslit a child. (X-Men Unlimited #20)

A goofy and fun cover for a goofy and fun comic… again! (X-Men Unlimited #21)

Video rental store clerks: truly the absolute worst of humanity, apparently. (X-Men Unlimited #21)

HE’S HUGE! (X-Men Unlimited #21)

Friendship! (X-Men Unlimited #21)

John Henry Irons he ain’t. (X-Men Unlimited #21)

Gently punched by nostalgia. (X-Men Unlimited #21)

Halt, you men! (X-Men Unlimited #21)

Wolfsbane’s like the kid who clearly put together their science fair project the night before the science fair. (X-Men Unlimited #21)

Party one… (X-Men Unlimited #21)

…party two. (X-Men Unlimited #21)

And then Jay exploded. (X-Men Unlimited #21)

The hero we need! (X-Men Unlimited #21)

It’s a Dracularmy! (X-Men Unlimited #21)

Guido’s going to be telling this story for the rest of his life. (X-Men Unlimited #21)

The X-Factor denouement we never got. (X-Men Unlimited #21)

NEXT EPISODE: The X-Men team up with the Fantastic Four!

429 – Slightly Sticky

November 5, 2023 Miles 15 comments

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In which you should stop hatin’, there’s a big difference between fill-ins and filler, Snow Valley needs higher Ferris wheel standards, Todd DeZago must really hate video rental clerks, and we’re all monsters – some of us just smell better than others.

X-PLAINED:

Strong Guy’s hellacious history
The nature and purpose of X-Men Unlimited
X-Men Unlimited #20-21
Rock Trolls (Chambliss, Nettles, and Munson)
What Asgard was up to in 1998
Magik vs magic
The Snow Valley Harvest Festival
Jubilation Lee, one of the guys
Eagles vs Hats
Fatman, Beardlady-o, Stickman-o, & Frogman-o
Tic Tac Toe fundamentals
Angry mobs
Paige Guthrie, Angry Mom
The many potential applications of Husk’s powers
Falls Edge, VA vs Eagle Ridge, WV
Payphones & video rental stores
X-friends
Rutland, VT (again)
Melvin J. Weals
Helen Back
The Donnybrook Country Club
Cat Fancier & Motorcycle Conventions
The Shi’ar Wardrobe Transmogrifier
Steel (the Shaq one)
The worst pun we’ve ever seen in a comic
Earth: the Hipster Planet
Which X-Men throw the best and/or wildest Halloween parties
Fan-casting X-voices

NEXT EPISODE: The X-Men team up with the Fantastic Four!

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 419 – Stuff Happens

July 29, 2023 Miles Leave a comment

Listen to the podcast here.

Run, Penance! The retcons are coming for you! (Generation X #40)

Hey, that’s not how telepathy works! (Generation X #40)

I’d be responding with a lot more middle fingers and lawsuits than Synch is here. (Generation X #40)

Monet, I know your brother is super evil and all, but do you really have to be so mean about it? (Generation X #40)

I see someone just earned their Villainous Wordplay merit badge! (Generation X #40)

Huh, that was easy. (Generation X #40)

…as Disney’s copyright lawyers back slowly away… (Generation X #40)

This issue’s an odd and somewhat troubling one, but damn that art is great. (Generation X #41)

Jubilee: from youngest X-Man to youngest Gen X’er. (Generation X #41)

AAAAAAAHHHHHHH (Generation X #41)

And once more I say AAAAAAAHHHHHHH (Generation X #41)

I’m impressed we can tell Emma and Paige apart for once, but what really impresses me is EVERYTHING ABOUT JUBILEE’S HAIR (Generation X #42)

Is… is this how flirting works? Have we been doing it wrong? (Generation X #42)

We’ll get to this. (Generation X #42)

The color of PAIN (Generation X #42)

It must be hard to be Just Some Dude in the Marvel Universe. (Generation X #42)

Why Gaia is probably actually a Neutrino from TMNT, figure 1. (Generation X #42)

Why Gaia is probably actually a Neutrino from TMNT, figure 2. (Generation X #42)

Hi, Elsie-Dee and Albert! Bye, Elsie-Dee and Albert! (Generation X #42)

I feel like Emma makes that face at Sean a lot. (Generation X #43)

This run may be baffling and bizarre, but I can’t say I’m not having a good time. (Generation X #43)

FUN FACT: Did you know that 1996’s Super Mario RPG was the first time Princess Peach, then called Princess Toadstool, used a frying pan as a weapon? (Generation X #43)

Oh right, these guys. (Generation X #43)

NEXT EPISODE: Queering Wolverine with Dr. Christopher Michael Roman!

419 – Stuff Happens

July 29, 2023 Miles 9 comments

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In which the St. Croix family is constructed largely of retcons; Generation X adjusts surprisingly quickly to a massive status quo shift; Psi-War is coming soon to a podcast near you; Snow White – I mean, Bianca LaNeige – has an intriguing but exceptionally minimal backstory; and if you die in this podcast episode, you die in real life.

X-PLAINED:

Hellfire Club history
Generation X #40-43
MillXnials
Mercy General Hospital vs Our Mother of Mercy Hospital
Ambiguous psionic overlap
Nicole & Claudette & Monet & Marius St. Croix
The Downtown Stomp
Synch, agreeable and bland (for now)
Vincent Adultman
The nature of Penance
A glacial but effective pace
Bianca LaNeige, evil Snow White from space
Warpy, Stinky, Spiky, Windy, Greasy, Brainy, and Blurry
The Enchanted Forest of Oregon
Claremont:Body Swaps::Hama:Getting Stuck In Other Dimensions
Jay vs. Accents
Terminal Dream Syndrome
A surprisingly gruesome fill-in
An underrated era for Emma Frost
Betty & Veronica, presenting like mandrills
Zak the Neutrino
Albert & Elsie-Dee (briefly)
The Dodsons vs Mike Allred
Dr. Bronner’s uncredited Marvel career
Our coverage of Ultimate X-Men (or lack thereof)
Dr. Phil Zimbardo’s xplainthexmen study

NEXT EPISODE: Queering Wolverine with Dr. Christopher Michael Roman!

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 410 – Jubilee, Don’t Eat That

May 7, 2023 Jay Leave a comment

Listen to the podcast here.

A boojum, which is later referred to repeatedly as a snark but is clearly not one for reasons expounded in this episode. (Generation X #37)

Gaia the Super Chill. (Generation X #37)

SURE WHY NOT (Generation X #37)

A somewhat unlikely timetable. (Generation X #37)

SURE WHY NOT (Generation X #37)

I freakin’ love this cover. (Generation X #38)

Interdimensional portals are rad as heck. (Generation X #38)

(Generation X #38)

jubilee no don’t eat that why would you even (Generation X #39)

SURE WHY NOT (Generation X #39)

In a genre full of deeply oblivious goons, these two may in fact be the most oblivious. (Generation X #39)

NEXT EPISODE: The return of the Angry Clarmontean Narrator!

410 – Jubilee, Don’t Eat That

May 7, 2023 Jay 12 comments

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In which the M-Plate Saga continues; Jay gets into the spirit of the day; we briefly give up on our primary mission; the story is coordinated if not coherent; Miles is not allowed to continuity-shame about Tolkein; Gaia is extra chill; Dirt Nap discovers altruism; and Jubilee should absolutely not have eaten that.

X-PLAINED:

Vampires vs. Marrow (again)
Whether Marrow is a mutant
Drugs
X-Plaining the inexplicable
Generation X #37-39
M-Plate (more) (again)
A Boojum
How to correctly identify a snark
The Universal Amalgamator (more) (again)
A door
Moria, kind of, I guess?
Mysterious topiary
An equally mysterious train
The Citadel of the Universal Amalgamator
Gaia
How to make a deal with a Token
Orange milk
A network of interdimensional water closets
The Bill the Pony Effect
An attempted murder
Monet vs. Northstar
Characters we’d like to see come out of the subtext

NEXT EPISODE: The Angry Claremontean Narrator Returns

CORRECTION: Miles said that the previous episode was #410. This episode is in fact #410; the previous episode is #409.

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!