Multiple Man – Jay & Miles X-Plain the X-Men

As Mentioned in Episode 385 – Super Whiny Adults Simulator 64

September 11, 2022 Jay Leave a comment

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

Forge, what the everloving hell? (X-Factor #134)

BY YOU. THEY WERE EXAGGERATED BY YOU. ON PURPOSE. (X-Factor #134)

I don’t know what’s going on with Forge’s face here; and frankly, I don’t want to know. (X-Factor #134)

Wow, Trevor. Wow. (X-Factor #134)

Trevor has gone full creepy moppet. This is not a drill. (X-Factor #135)

This game sucks. (X-Factor #135)

WHAT THE HELL, KID (X-Factor #135)

Aw, Guido, we missed you, too. (X-Factor #135)

And now, time for the fun stuff! (Strong Guy Reborn #1)

Comic-book space is a happenin’ place. (Strong Guy Reborn #1)

Either the sand figures are a metaphor, or Guido is a font of weird hidden talents. (Strong Guy Reborn #1)

Ha! (Strong Guy Reborn #1)

Aw, it’s Kreetor! Hi, buddy!

Each saucer comes with a tiny image of Calvin peeing on a trademark symbol. (Strong Guy Reborn #1)

Biff! Bam! Pow! (Strong Guy Reborn #1)

*Rimshot* (Strong Guy Reborn #1)

The comic is good, but getta loada the activity pages! (Strong Guy Reborn #1)

I want to know if anyone actually cut these out and used them. (Strong Guy Reborn #1)

I hope so. (Strong Guy Reborn #1)

Spoiler: I’m pretty sure it’s an ice cream truck. (Strong Guy Reborn #1)

NEXT WEEK: Hawk Talk
NEXT EPISODE: Maggott!

385 – Super Whiny Adults Simulator 64

September 11, 2022 Jay 6 comments

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In which we make an omission; X-Factor’s concept of “underground” is somewhat unconventional; Trevor Chase turns uncanny moppet; and Strong Guy and Lila Cheney have some very silly space adventures.

X-PLAINED:

X-Factor #134-135
Strong Guy Reborn #1
The “deaths” of X-Factor (again)
Lady Cop
A contextually inappropriate pun
The Adversary (more) (again)
Why you use an air-gapped system
How not to fake your own death
Trevor Chase and his mysterious mutant powers
Rusty Trail
X-Factor X-Ploits
A lot of wasted potential
The Jorken-Kront war
Space stuff
Lila Cheney (more) (again)
Kreetor
Spiff’s Saucers
Calvin & Hobbes licensing in the Marvel Universe
The Chalker Brothers (briefly) (again)
The most useful and fun mutant powers
Musicals with Mister Sinister

NEXT WEEK: Hawk Talk

NEXT EPISODE: Maggott!

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 381 – If We Told You, We’d Have to Kill You

August 14, 2022 Jay Leave a comment

Listen to the episode here.

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

If Alex Summers had more issues, he’d be a comics shop. (X-Factor #131)

I guess he swallowed the thumb, which makes its lack of repeat appearance less surprising. (X-Factor #131)

The world’s slowest plasma blast. (X-Factor #131)

The real reason for Jamie Madrox’s heel turn. (X-Factor #132)

“And if you don’t like our terms, there’s also a free AOL install!” (X-Factor #132)

Agent Bowser. (X-Factor #133)

The Many Deaths of X-Factor: Sabretooth. (X-Factor #133)

The Many Deaths of X-Factor: Wild Child. (X-Factor #133)

The Many Deaths of X-Factor: Polaris and Shard. (X-Factor #133)

The Many Deaths of X-Factor: Mystique. (X-Factor #133)

The Many Deaths of X-Factor: Forge. (X-Factor #133)

NEXT EPISODE: Excalibur vs. Crimson Dawn!

381 – If We Told You, We’d Have to Kill You

August 7, 2022 Jay 6 comments

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In which real life sucks; Havok may or may not be a bad enough dude to rescue mutantkind; X-Factor quits; CD-ROMs were never THAT cool; subtlety is for suckers; Val Cooper hates nothing more than she hates the U.S. government; and Jamie Madrox wants nothing to do with your nonsense.

X-PLAINED:

One way to end a wedding
X-Factor #130-133
Malice (again)
A thumb (and the biting thereof)
Barnes (and her hair)
The relative versatility of plasma
The Brotherhood
A ruse and/or retcon
Lighting design
A CD-ROM
The time Jay wrote some Captain America comics
The last time you’re gonna see these
Trevor Chase (more)
One thing that might’ve inspired Jamie Madrox’s heel turn
The nature of Jamie Madrox’s relative mortality
Brand names
Many faked deaths
Agent Bowser
A very fancy haunted house
X-Factor’s true calling
The X.S.E. (again)
Mutant shifts in adaptations
‘Nuff said

NEXT EPISODE: Excalibur vs. Crimson Dawn!

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!

As Mentioned in Episode 373 – Tainted Loins

May 22, 2022 Miles 7 comments

Listen to the episode here.

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

Looks like your dad’s pain is a little worse than yours, Bobby. (Uncanny X-Men #340)

Now that is 1996 Sam Guthrie. Finally. (Uncanny X-Men #340)

Graydon Creed according to Joe Madureira… and Victor Creed as a glass of whiskey. (Uncanny X-Men #340)

If the command van’s a-knockin’… (Uncanny X-Men #340)

Joe Madureira’s mostly known for his action scenes, but he’s pretty great with quiet conversations too. (Uncanny X-Men #340)

Your government dresses you funny, Madrox. (X-Factor #128)

That’s so Raven. (X-Factor #128)

Graydon Creed according to Jeff Matsuda… and Harper, who is well aware of the need for discretion. (X-Factor #128)

Mystique transforms, version 1. (X-Factor #128)

Sabretooth and less-interesting-Sabretooth. (X-Factor #128)

Val Cooper just got back from the most dangerous sleepover ever. (X-Factor #129)

I love it when powers cross panel borders. (X-Factor #129)

Mystique transforms, version 2. (X-Factor #129)

Having grown up in the 90s, I can assure you this is quite an accomplishment. (X-Factor #129)

Well I’m impressed. (X-Factor #129)

Ah, that explains it. (X-Factor #129)

Scrawling SOON across your son’s campaign poster is the first step in saving his life. (X-Factor #129)

Blowing a hole in your son’s campaign poster is the second step in saving his life. (X-Factor #130)

Blowing additional holes in your son’s campaign poster is the third step in saving his life. (X-Factor #130)

Mystique transforms, version 3. (X-Factor #130)

Graydon Creed according to Eric Battle… and Val Cooper has changed out of her sleepwear. (X-Factor #130)

I’m just writing a visual companion, and I kinda want to yell “GUARDS”. (X-Factor #130)

This should’ve been two-thirds of the issue instead of two pages. (X-Factor #130)

Snazzy! (X-Factor #130)

Raven, just interrupt! You’re allowed! (X-Factor #130)

And with that..! (X-Factor #130)

NEXT EPISODE: Hawk Talk! IN TWO WEEKS: Frank Punisher meets Carl the X-Cutioner.

373 – Tainted Loins

May 22, 2022 Miles 7 comments

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In which the Drake Roberts identity is retired; Gambit bonds with William Drake; Graydon Creed is evil but nondescript; tales of Pyro’s death have been somewhat exaggerated; and some mysteries resolve better than others.

X-PLAINED:

Damian Tryp
X-Factor (more) (again)
Uncanny X-Men #340
X-Factor #128-30
More Drake family dynamics
The Sword of Shannara
The general vagueness of Graydon Creed
Several ninjas
Hound stuff
Val Cooper’s pajamas
An unexpected return
Shapeshifting
Overextended plotlines
Some unusually threatening dad jokes
The anticlimactic death of Graydon Creed
Some time travel bullshit
Which series are ending and which are relaunching between Reign of X and Destiny of X
How and when Colossus stopped being the Juggernaut

NEXT WEEK: Hawk Talk

NEXT EPISODE: The Adventures of Carl & Frank

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 260 – Professor Power’s Prodigal Podcast

August 18, 2019 Jay Leave a comment

Listen to the episode here!

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

Storm and Polaris: a study in contrasts. And not just the hair. (X-Factor #101)

Guido’s smile is his mask… (X-Factor #101)

…and sometimes that mask falls. (X-Factor #101)

You know how you could tell how much trouble the heroes were in on early seasons of Star Trek: Voyager by how messed up Janeway’s hair was? Havok is like that too, but with angst and stubble. (X-Factor #101)

…and plasma blasts. (X-Factor #101)

We are so, so here for Forge’s pettiness. (X-Factor #101)

Thank you, DeMatteis, for remembering to let Moira mourn too. (X-Factor #101)

You know, now that Forge has gotten over himself a little, he and Storm are a pretty great couple. (X-Factor #101)

Mutant power as metaphor. Yes please. (X-Factor #102)

Not only does Rahne have her freedom and independence back, but she also has one of the best friendships in the Marvel Universe! (X-Factor #102)

It’s the biggest character redemption for Moira MacTaggert until we find out that… eh, that’s probably a little too current to spoil. (X-Factor #102)

“Specifically, it may or may not be a PowerBook 500 series with one o’ them newfangled Ethernet ports!” (X-Factor #102)

He’s been practicing that line in the mirror for months. (X-Factor #102)

The next morning, Forge found a “#1 BOSS” coffee mug on his desk with a thank-you card from Polaris. (X-Factor #102)

God damn, Jan Duursema sure can draw a fight scene. (X-Factor #102)

Polaris has your number, Random. (X-Factor #102)

Crap crap fucky fucky (X-Factor #102)

“And I see you brought your abs!” (X-Factor Annual #9)

Half the cast may be gone, but X-Factor sure still is X-Factor. (X-Factor Annual #9)

“This is my good side, though. It is my butt. My butt is my good side.” (X-Factor Annual #9)

Man, LEGO figures got weird in the 90s. (X-Factor Annual #9)

The Shores of Oblivion feature mist, candles, and PowerPoint presentations! (X-Factor Annual #9)

“This will be much easier now that I’ve finally made it into an actual X-book!” (X-Factor Annual #9)

BOOOOO THIS PLOTLINE (X-Factor Annual #9)

Haven X-Plains Haven. (X-Factor Annual #9)

YOUR FETUS’S FACE IS FAMILIAR (X-Factor Annual #9)

Aww, Guido… (X-Factor Annual #9)

We didn’t talk about this pinup by Steve and Marianne Lightle, but it is delightful. (X-Factor Annual #9)

Not only did Miles have a partially-neon Bart Simpson shirt in the early 90s (as did the much older kid next to him), he also had a truly questionable mullet.

NEXT TIME: Live from Flame Con 2019!

260 – Professor Power’s Prodigal Podcast

August 18, 2019 Jay 8 comments

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

In which we explore the aftermath of Multiple Man’s death; X-Factor has a lot of feelings; it probably sucks to grieve with Charles Xavier; neither power nor responsibility is particularly fun; we finally find out who was trying to kill Polaris; Professor Power makes it to the big leagues; and the ‘90s were one long leg day.

X-PLAINED:

Vectors of Malice transmission
X-Factor #101-102
X-Factor Annual #9
The aftermath of Jamie Madrox’s death
Several ways to grieve
Captain Capitalism and Plucky the Girl Wonder
A foiled robbery
Several guest stars
Multiple Man’s Muir Island years
Several assassination attempts
Some shady government shenanigans
Beatrice Conners (sort of)
A surprisingly muscular astral projection
Haven’s deeply dubious origin story
Professor Power
A surprisingly muscular android
One way to clean a room
Creative uses of mutant powers
Top-ten lists

NEXT EPISODE: Live at FlameCon with Vita Ayala!

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 252 – Snakes on a Trolley

June 16, 2019 Jay Leave a comment

Listen to the podcast here.

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

TBH, this candle situation was basically how Jay decorated his room in the ’90s, too. (X-Factor #97)

“Also, the hand of orbital lasers.” (X-Factor #97)

I love this panel so much. (X-Factor #97)

SERIOUSLY THOUGH SHE HAS ORBITAL LASERS (X-Factor #97)

Spoiler: both of these dudes spend this arc being nonstop awful. (X-Factor #97)

“Antici– (X-Factor #98)

–pation!” (X-Factor #98)

Meanwhile, in a nearby Ralph Bakshi movie. (X-Factor #98)

Aw, Jamie. (X-Factor #98)

Haven’s real superpower is her AMAZING HAIR. (X-Factor #98)

Forge, fuck off. Lorna is literally the only competent member of X-Factor, including you. (X-Factor #99)

The snake shoes, in all their structurally questionable glory! (X-Factor #99)

Aw, Rahne. (X-Factor #99)

Aw, Rahne! (X-Factor #99)

I feel vaguely that I should be making a “what does G-d need with a starship” joke here, but frankly, Star Trek V doesn’t deserve the nod. (X-Factor #100)

Don’t tell them that. Never tell them that. (X-Factor #100)

You see what I mean about the captions, though, right? (X-Factor #100)

This is basically Jay’s morning routine. (X-Factor #100)

Aw, Jamie. (X-Factor #100)

It’s okay; he’ll be back eventually, mostly, probably. (X-Factor #100)

And now, an out-of-context infomercial-style tag! (X-Factor #100)

NEXT EPISODE: Haven’t we been here before?

LINKS & FURTHER MODES OF TRANSPORTATION

We did indeed review Dark Phoenix; and you can find that review–and links to everywhere else we’ve been talking about it online–right here.
Friend, have you seen the wonders of the Wolverine Meets Freddie Mercury saga? Either way, here it is (plus a pretty splendid coda).
You can find the comments Miles mentioned attached to Episode 241 – Conducive to Moral Subversion.
The Trolley Problem is a pretty interesting ethical thought experiment and also a pretty interesting way to send yourself spiraling into an existential crisis!
Yes, Miles’s stepdad actually has a trolley company.
Please read all of Max Wittert’s Jean & Scott comics immediately.

252 – Snakes on a Trolley

June 16, 2019 Jay 7 comments

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

In which Miles invokes Freddie Mercury; Polaris is more competent than the rest of X-Factor put together; Armageddon theology does not intersect well with superpowers (or politics, or anything else); Val joins a cult (kind of); Random joins the team (kind of); Haven is a surprisingly nonviolent mass-murderer; Havok is confused by women; and good guys don’t have orbital lasers.

X-PLAINED:

Hope across the multiverse
X-Factor #97-100
Haven (Radha Dastoor)
Man, Mutant, and the New Humanity
A very fashionable outfit
One of the greatest Marvel art submissions of all time
Trinket the cat
Catalogs
A dramatic entrance
Mahapralaya (kind of)
Jamie Madrox vs. Jamie Madrox vs. the Legacy Virus
The Trolley Problem
Possession
Orbital lasers as a metric of morality
Monsoon (Aloba Dastoor)
The apparent death of Jamie Madrox
Our favorite takes on the Phoenix
Who our X-Universe counterparts should be

NEXT EPISODE: A very short engagement!

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

Find us on iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, or your favorite podcatcher!

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!

HAPPY PRIDE! This month, we’re donating all of the proceeds from our TeePublic shop to Trans Lifeline!

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