Sharon Friedlander – Jay & Miles X-Plain the X-Men

As Mentioned in Episode 131 – The Reaver Bunch

October 24, 2016 Jay 12 comments

Listen to the episode here.

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

That cloak! Those Kent Williams inks! (Uncanny X-Men #252)

These are not the foundations of a healthy relationship. (Uncanny X-Men #252)

Ah, yes, the old-fashioned way. With robot dingos. (Uncanny X-Men #252)

Man, Lady Deathstrike is so cool. (Uncanny X-Men #253)

Emergency medicine must be a pretty different field in the Marvel Universe. (Uncanny X-Men #253)

Really? REALLY? (Uncanny X-Men #253)

Never change, Callisto. (Uncanny X-Men #253)

“Wait, what’s this over here? A stack of books. They all say… Complete Handbook of the Marvel Universe?” (Uncanny X-Men #253)

Hope you survive the experience! (Uncanny X-Men #254)

MOIRA THAT IS NOT SAFE LAB WEAR (Uncanny X-Men #254)

Remember that time the Morlocks brought Professor Xavier back from the dead and then dressed him in bondage gear? Good times. (Uncanny X-Men #254)

Well, THAT’S ominous. (Uncanny X-Men #254)

Relationship goals. (Uncanny X-Men #254)

There’s such a thing as trying too hard. (Uncanny X-Men #254)

LOOK AT HIM MUGGING GOOFILY AT THE SECURITY CAMERA (Uncanny X-Men #255)

Aw, man. (Uncanny X-Men #255)

Aw, man. (Uncanny X-Men #255)

NEXT WEEK: Back to Asgard!

131 – The Reaver Bunch

October 24, 2016 Jay 18 comments

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In which Jubilee is the sassiest Xenomorph; Lady Deathstrike is way too good for the Reavers; Wolverine gets a sidekick; Forge arm wrestles the Shadow King; Moira takes a cavalier approach lab safety; Magneto’s motives get kind of reconciled; Legion is a chaos gamer; Mystique and Destiny break our hearts; queer erasure in fiction reflects erasure in life; and the Shadow King is not even a little bit subtle.

X-PLAINED:

That one time Donald Pierce pretended to be Cyclops for like a year
The post X-Men X-Men
What may be our deepest cut yet
Uncanny X-Men #252-255
Where’s Wolverine?
The Reaver Bunch
Major-League lumpoids
Robot dingoes
A prescient vision
Trouble at sea
Several significant deaths
Subtext and queer erasure
The key of agony
Smile noises
Non-mutants we’d team up with the X-Men

NEXT WEEK: Back to Asgard!

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!

As Mentioned in Episode 65 – The Mutant Massacre, Part 1

July 13, 2015 Jay 10 comments

Listen to the episode here.

Art by David Wynne. Prints and cards available until 7/19/2015 in the shop, or contact David for the original.

And so it begins. (Uncanny X-Men #210)

Dazzler vs. Dazzler. (Uncanny X-Men #210)

We’d make a joke about taking a drink for every X-Men/X-Factor near miss, but you’d die of alcohol poisoning before the end of the crossover. (Uncanny X-Men #210)

Aw, Colossus. (Uncanny X-Men #210)

Not sure why Alanis Morisette didn’t bring this up in “Ironic.” (Uncanny X-Men #210)

Good job Kitty. (Uncanny X-Men #210)

Well, damn. (Uncanny X-Men #210)

There’s something really unsettlingly cheery and Silver-Age about this page. (Uncanny X-Men #211)

No idea who the purple individual is, which is a shame, because they seem awesome. (Uncanny X-Men #211)

STORM, NO! DON’T SPLIT THE PARTY! (Uncanny X-Men #211)

Whoa. (Uncanny X-Men #211)

This is the closest they’ll come to an actual conversation until Inferno. (Uncanny X-Men #211)

Whoops. (Uncanny X-Men #211)

So, THAT happened. (Uncanny X-Men #211)

SO, THAT HAPPENED. (Uncanny X-Men #211)

Dani Moonstar’s powers are METAL AS FUCK. (New Mutants #46)

“My powers are limited to the counterculture.” (New Mutants #46)

Powerlessness and the sense of being able to accomplish too little too late are pervasive themes in the Mutant Massacre. (New Mutants #46)

Everything’s sadder when teenagers are reacting to it. (New Mutants #46)

Well, shit. (New Mutants #46)

How have they not learned to listen to Doug by now? He is ALWAYS RIGHT. (New Mutants #46)

Cold, Wolverine. (Uncanny X-Men #212)

In her defense, everything is in fact well and truly fucked. (Uncanny X-Men #212)

And again. See what I meant about the alcohol-poisoning thing? (Uncanny X-Men #212)

You can, however, take a drink when Storm takes off her clothes for no clear reason. (Uncanny X-Men #212)

First mention of the man with the plan! (Uncanny X-Men #212)

Well done, Wolverine! (Uncanny X-Men #212)

I don’t care who you are: Callisto is better at leadership than you. (Uncanny X-Men #212)

It’s cool. It’s just Thor; we’ll be covering that stuff next episode. (Uncanny X-Men #212)

Psylocke’s psychic projection is adorable and also super creepy. (Uncanny X-Men #213)

NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE (Uncanny X-Men #213)

Betsy Braddock is hardcore. (Uncanny X-Men #213)

Two classic Claremontisms… (Uncanny X-Men #213)

…on a single page. (Uncanny X-Men #213)

Damn, Psylocke. (Uncanny X-Men #213)

How much do we love Psylocke’s totally femme-princess superhero costume? SO MUCH. (Uncanny X-Men #213)

Next Week: The Mutant Massacre, Part 2!

If you want to follow along with the crossover, you can find a guide to the reading order–and how we’re dividing it between episodes–here.

65 – The Mutant Massacre, Part 1

July 13, 2015 Jay 47 comments

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In which we hit the first big X-centric crossover; a lot of Morlocks die; X-Factor is a dark farce; Kitty Pryde talks down a mob without using racial slurs; when Doug Ramsey tells you there’s a problem, you listen; and Callisto should be one of the iconic leaders of the Marvel Universe.

X-PLAINED:

Death by intellectual-property dispute
The Mutant Massacre
Mutant Massacres that might have been
Uncanny X-Men #210-213
New Mutants #46
The Marauders
The best way to guarantee the New Mutants’ involvement in a storyline
Limbo fashion
The responsibility of leadership
Wolverine vs. Sabretooth
Psylocke vs. Sabretooth
The evolution of crossovers
Characters we’d like to see more of post-Secret Wars

NEXT WEEK: The Mutant Massacre, Part 2!

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

Find us on iTunes or Stitcher!

Rachel 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!

As Mentioned in Episode 61 – Even Horses

June 15, 2015 Jay Leave a comment

Listen to the podcast here!

Art by David Wynne. Prints and cards available until 6/21/2015 in the shop, or contact David for the original.

So much love for this cover. (New Mutants #41)

Danielle Moonstar on cultural identity. (New Mutants #41)

I guess when you’ve spent ten years trapped in a demon bear, it’s easier to take things like flying horses in stride. (New Mutants #41)

“Ill wind.” Who even says that? (New Mutants #41)

SPOILER: This does not end well. (New Mutants #41)

Yeah, I can see how that might put a crimp into a friendship. (New Mutants #41)

Oof. (New Mutants #41)

How badass is Dani? BADASS ENOUGH TO SHOUT DOWN DEATH. (New Mutants #41)

On the list of iconic showdowns of New Mutants, this one will always be near the top. (New Mutants #41)

A very different brush with death. (New Mutants #41)

There’s a lot going on here, but the best part is that Lila is wearing a Lila t-shirt. (New Mutants #42)

AW, SAM. (New Mutants #42)

Headcanon: Sam never has any idea what his mom’s going to look like when he gets home. (New Mutants #42)

In Joshua’s defense, his fears will turn out to have been ENTIRELY JUSTIFIED. (New Mutants #42)

Damnit, Sam. (New Mutants #42)

Later, he’ll sprout wings, but we try not to talk about that story. (New Mutants #42)

Lila goes and changes, but seriously, how great is this look? SO GREAT, RIGHT? (New Mutants #42)

This does not seem like safe behavior around an aircraft in flight. (New Mutants #43)

In which Sunspot does his best Miles. (New Mutants #43)

Aw, they’re so happy. About revenge. (New Mutants #43)

In the New Mutants’ defense, Empath is in fact the literal worst. (New Mutants #43)

Have I mentioned recently how goddamn underrated Doug Ramsey is? Doug Ramsey is so goddamn underrated. (New Mutants #43)

Moment of silence for Dani’s super awesome Kyle Baker-inked hair. (New Mutants #44)

Illyana’s door signs are pretty priceless. (New Mutants #44)

Friendship! (New Mutants #44)

Kinda love the team reaction shot going on here. (New Mutants #44)

If Reverend Craig were an ice cream flavor, he’d be Presbyterianism and dick. (New Mutants #44)

Changing in a parking lot on the way to a school dance is about as New Mutants as it gets. (New Mutants #45)

Our first introduction to Larry Bodine. (New Mutants #45)

They’re talking about two entirely different things, but only one of them realizes it. (New Mutants #45)

THESE jerks. (New Mutants #45)

X-Factor keeps popping up as the off-screen bogeyman in other titles. (New Mutants #45)

Oh, Larry, no. (New Mutants #45)

(New Mutants #45)

Warlock trying to understand death is pretty much always the saddest thing. (New Mutants #45)

Aw, Kitty. (New Mutants #45)

Aw, everyone. (New Mutants #45)

Trivia: This scene has been referenced in a number of flashbacks, but it’s almost always misidentified as Doug Ramsey’s funeral. (New Mutants #45)

It’s really remarkable how consistent the evolution of Kitty’s feelings about identity politics has been, from here, through Mekanix, and into All-New X-Men. (New Mutants #45)

Next Week: GIANT-SIZE SUMMER SPECIAL SUPER TABLETOP TEAM-UP!

LINKS AND FURTHER READING:

National Suicide Prevention Line (U.S.): 1-800-273-TALK (8255) www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org
A fairly comprehensive list of suicide prevention hotlines outside of the U.S.: http://www.suicide.org/international-suicide-hotlines.html
Advice for intervention if you suspect that someone you know may be suicidal: http://www.helpguide.org/articles/suicide-prevention/suicide-prevention-helping-someone-who-is-suicidal.htm
The Guthrie Family Tree, from UncannyXMen.net
From Shaman to Equinox: The Challenges and Failures of Indigenous Representation in Superhero Comics, by James Leask
For more discussion of Legion in particular and mental illness in comics in general, listen to Episode 44 – Assembling Legion, with Si Spurrier.

61 – Even Horses

June 15, 2015 Jay 37 comments

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In which the band gets back together; Dani faces down Death; Sam takes Lila home to meet his mom; revenge is a dish best left unserved; there is nothing sadder than Warlock confused by the concept of death; Kitty Pryde has a some opinions about identity politics; and X-Men has not been great with textual representations of neurodiversity.

NOTE: Given some of the material covered in this episode, we wanted to link a few resources below, for anyone who might need them:

National Suicide Prevention Line (U.S.): 1-800-273-TALK (8255) www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org
A fairly comprehensive list of suicide prevention hotlines outside of the U.S.: http://www.suicide.org/international-suicide-hotlines.html
Advice for intervention if you suspect that someone you know may be suicidal: http://www.helpguide.org/articles/suicide-prevention/suicide-prevention-helping-someone-who-is-suicidal.htm
Autistic Self Advocacy Network: http://autisticadvocacy.org/

X-PLAINED:

The rotating members of the Guthrie family
New Mutants #41-45
One way to end a friendship
A respectable number of dubious decisions enacted over several issues
An epic showdown with an anthropomorphic personification
Additional Guthries
The Xavier Institute PTA
The worst Hellion (more) (again)
Legion (more) (again)
The second-saddest issue of New Mutants
The life and death of Larry Bodine
A somewhat bleak recurring continuity error
Depression and mental illness in X-canon
Care and storage of comic books
Autism in X-canon

NEXT WEEK: GIANT-SIZE SUMMER SPECIAL SUPER TABLETOP TEAM-UP!

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

Find us on iTunes or Stitcher!

Rachel 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!

As Mentioned in Episode 56 – Death by Crossover

May 10, 2015 Jay 10 comments

Listen to the podcast here!

Art by David Wynne. Prints and cards available until 5/17/2015 in the shop, or contact David for the original.

Bobby makes some valid points. (New Mutants #36)

Remember being fourteen? (And also a mutant superhero?) (New Mutants #36)

Damnit, Beyonder. (New Mutants #36)

Hey, look! It’s a literal derailment in the middle of a metaphorical derailment! (New Mutants #36)

Don’t you hate it when your best friend’s soul gets split by a cosmic force and suddenly you’re stuck with her eldritch armor, weapon, and amulet, when all you really wanted was a library book? Yeah, us, too. (New Mutants #36)

Not even being brainwashed and absorbed into a cosmic hive-mind can come between Cannonball and his classic science fiction allusions. (New Mutants #36)

Aw, Illyana. (New Mutants #36)

This cover = Rachel’s definitive Beyonder. (New Mutants #37)

The New Mutants have the best incidental moments by a wide margin. (New Mutants #37)

Seriously: WHO THE HELL IS THAT ABOVE RAHNE? (New Mutants #37)

Relevant metaphor is relevant. (New Mutants #37)

THE BEYONDER IS A DICK. (New Mutants #37)

THAT IS NO EXCUSE. (New Mutants #37)

The Beyonder comes off as a petulant child in a lot of Secret Wars, but in New Mutants, he’s legitimately terrifying. (New Mutants #37)

Headcanon: In Marvel Asgard, there is at least one legit full-length saga about this storyline, focused on Dani. (New Mutants #37)

This cover. This scene. This series. (New Mutants #38)

Of all the scenes in all the issues of New Mutants, NONE has ever stuck with Rachel as hard as this one. (New Mutants #38)

Aw, kids. (New Mutants #38)

YES (New Mutants #38)

Is there a better pep talk than a pep talk from FROG THOR? We think not. (New Mutants #38)

Warlock, you delightful scamp! (New Mutants #38)

Empath is the worst ever forever. (New Mutants #38)

That “Next Issue” blurb, tho. (New Mutants #38)

Another memorable cover. (New Mutants #39)

Aw, man. (New Mutants #39)

Sadneto. (New Mutants #39)

Keith Pollard’s Emma is so good. (New Mutants #39)

It just DOES NOT STOP SUCKING to be Tom and Sharon. (New Mutants #39)

Madneto! (New Mutants #39)

Emma Frost, you sneaky person! (New Mutants #39)

WARLOCK IS THE BLACKBIRD. YOUR ARGUMENT IS INVALID. (New Mutants #40)

Magneto is trying so hard to be the man he promised Xavier he’d be. Poor guy. (New Mutants #40)

Really, Cap? Really? You gonna go there? (New Mutants #40)

Teacher Magneto might be the best Magneto. Definitely one of the most critically unremembered and underused. (New Mutants #40)

Aw, New Mutants. (New Mutants #40)

The perfect Emma Frost moment. (New Mutants #40)

Next Week: Angel in tiny briefs (more) (again), too much Tower, and the dubious debut of Apocalypse!

LINKS AND FURTHER READING:

Yaybo! Marvel Unlimited added New Mutants #36-40 just in time for this episode (starting here)!
In terms of formative influence, Kyle Baker’s Why I Hate Saturn was basically Rachel’s third parent.

56 – Death by Crossover

May 10, 2015 Jay 23 comments

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In which nothing comes between Sam Guthrie and his classic sci-fi allusions; Sunspot tries; the Beyonder is really scary; you can have Danielle Moonstar’s agency when you pry it from her cold, dead hands; Empath remains the worst kid; Tom Corsi and Sharon Friedlander just cannot catch a break; Emma Frost gets nuanced; Magneto does the wrong things for the right reasons; Rachel and Miles like liking things; and we finally wrap up Secret Wars II.

X-PLAINED:

Soulsword custody
New Mutants #36-40
The best Secret Wars II tie-in
Several Beyonder-triggered crises of confidence
A literal derailment in the midst of a metaphorical derailment
The Greek tragedy of Illyana Rasputin
Personal personifications of death
Counting coup
The death of the New Mutants
Crossover-related PTSD
A pep talk from a frog
Art style as a component of narrative
The Hellions (again)
Sadneto
Madneto
A completely avoidable fight
Rachel’s definitive Emma Frost moment
Emma Frost, Charles Xavier, and moral culpability

NEXT WEEK: The dubious debut of Apocalypse!

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

Find us on iTunes or Stitcher!

Rachel 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!

As Mentioned in Episode 32 – Off the Map

November 23, 2014 Jay 22 comments

Listen to the episode here!

Art by David Wynne. Prints available here through November 30, or contact David Wynne for the original!

Bill Sienkiewicz on Moon Knight.

Rachel’s other convention sketchbooks are all self portraits. Here’s Bill Sienkiewicz’s.

Sienkiewicz’s last stint on an X-book before New Mutants #18 was Uncanny X-Men #159.

The first page of Sienkiewicz’s run. (New Mutants #18)

The death of Charles Xavier of Earth-811. (New Mutants #18)

The New Mutants in the Danger Room. (New Mutants #18)

LOOK. AT. THIS. PERFECT. PAGE. LAYOUT. LOOK. AT. THIS. PERFECT. SPACE. TEENAGER. (New Mutants #18)

The first full reveal of the Demon Bear. (New Mutants #18)

Gradually, across the Demon Bear Saga, the strangeness bleeds out from the panels and into the design elements. The corner square of New Mutants #18 was a Bob McLeod team portrait. This is the corner square from New Mutants #19.

The same thing is happening on the credits pages–in this case, the title, but just wait ’til you get to next issue… (New Mutants #19)

Tom Corsi and Sharon Friedlander are both charming and in serious trouble. (New Mutants #19)

Those sound effects. Those colors. That layout. (New Mutants #19)

The Demon Bear is less a creature than a space: looming, protean, with very little detail save for its eyes, teeth, and claws. (New Mutants #19)

Illyana’s soul armor makes its first appearance. (New Mutants #19)

And then that happened. (New Mutants #19)

The cover of New Mutants #20. We have no idea what’s going on in the corner square.

It’s worth remembering, as you flip through these, that you’re watching the definition and scope of superhero comics change and stretch. We are–literally and figuratively–off the map. (New Mutants #20)

Map detail. (New Mutants #20)

Later in the same issue. (New Mutants #20)

And finally. (New Mutants #20)

Sienkiewicz’s art gets a lot of attention, but Glynis Wein’s colors are absolutely critical to what the Demon Bear Saga accomplishes visually. (New Mutants #20)

Illyana’s soul armor spreads. (New Mutants #20)

Corsi and Friedlander, in their demon forms. (New Mutants #20)

The Demon Bear breaks down. (New Mutants #20)

Whoa. (New Mutants #20)

New Mutants: generally pretty okay with race and culture issues, but when it fails, it fails HARD. (New Mutants #20)

“Also, I recently leveled up and learned Cure Moderate Wounds.” (New Mutants #20)

One of the best covers of all time. (New Mutants #21)

Actually, let’s take a moment to look at that without the design elements, too, because it’s just that gorgeous. (New Mutants #21)

The “don’t let the normal kids see” joke kinda never gets old. (New Mutants #21)

Binary’s hair, tho. (New Mutants #19)

In case you were wondering, this is why Lee Forrester ends up finding Magneto in the middle of an ocean in Uncanny X-Men #187. (New Mutants #21)

TEENAGERS. (New Mutants #21)

Scariest makeover ever. (New Mutants #21)

YAY FOR ROCKY & BULLWINKLE REFERENCES! (New Mutants #21)

Warlock wakes up. (New Mutants #21)

It’s theoretically possible to imagine Warlock designed by an artist other than Bill Sienkiewicz, but why would you ever want to? (New Mutants #21)

Can we take a moment to acknowledge the self-restraint we are demonstrating by not just filling this entire gallery with pictures of Warlock? (New Mutants #21)

Warlock trying to make friends with inanimate objects is the gift that keeps on giving. (New Mutants #21)

Doug Ramsey X-plains proportionate response. (New Mutants #21)

“Can we keep him?” (New Mutants #21)

Next Week: Crossovers!

Special thanks to Andrew Vestal for help assembling the images for this post.

32 – Off the Map

November 23, 2014 Jay 14 comments

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In which we hit the definitive arc of New Mutants; Bill Sienkiewicz blows our minds; Rachel gets choked up over a credits spread; Rahne gets a makeover; Doug Ramsey is justifiably flustered; and Warlock is a friend to household appliances.

NOTE: This episode includes a lot of art talk. While doing so is not strictly necessary to follow the discussion, we recommend listening with the visual companion open.

X-Plained:

Warlock
The transmode virus
New Mutants #18-21
The Demon Bear Saga
Bill Sienkiewicz
Task leaders vs. social leaders
Page layout as a storytelling tool
Soul armor
The Demon Bear and its shadow
One of the best covers of all time
Makeovers
The deeply problematic fate of Tom Corsi and Sharon Friedlander
What the New Mutants are up to these days

Next Week: Crossovers!

You can find a visual companion to the episode on our blog.

Find us on iTunes or Stitcher!

Support us on Patreon!

Buy prints of this week’s illustration here, or contact David Wynne for the original!

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