X-Men – Page 23 – Jay & Miles X-Plain the X-Men

As Mentioned in Episode 60 – Rachel Summers and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

June 8, 2015 Jay 4 comments

Listen to the podcast here!

Art by David Wynne. Prints and cards available until 6/14/2015 in the shop, or contact David for the original.

The last thing you see before you die. (Uncanny X-Men #206)

Do you ‘ship Storm and Bree Morrell now? You probably should. (Uncanny X-Men #206)

The outfits in this arc are just 100% amazing. (Uncanny X-Men #206)

Damnit, Rachel. This is why we can’t have nice things. (Uncanny X-Men #206)

“Teamwork! Our only weakness!” (Uncanny X-Men #206)

“It’s Madelyne! They’ve shot her! And dyed her hair! And given her fairly extensive cosmetic surgery!” (Uncanny X-Men #206)

Wolverine hates Arizona. (Uncanny X-Men #207)

We were going to make up a drinking game based around how many times Wolverine really or metaphorically kills Rachel in this story, but you would die of alcohol poisoning by the end of the first issue. (Uncanny X-Men #207)

Spoiler: It’s a metaphor. (Uncanny X-Men #207)

THE OUTFITS, THO. (Uncanny X-Men #207)

…And again. (Uncanny X-Men #207)

Same song, different issue. (Uncanny X-Men #207)

Neither of you is wrong. You’re just both assholes. (Uncanny X-Men #207)

Well, that escalated quickly. (Uncanny X-Men #207)

THOSE. OUTFITS. THO. (Uncanny X-Men #208)

Kitty tells it like it is. (Uncanny X-Men #208)

Damnit, Selene. (Uncanny X-Men #208)

Feelings are boring. Murder is awesome. (Uncanny X-Men #208)

It really sucks to be a mortally wounded telepath, y’all. (Uncanny X-Men #208)

Oh, SNAP. (Uncanny X-Men #208)

What. Selene. No. What are you even doing. No, Selene. (Uncanny X-Men #208)

No, but seriously: costume satin, right? (Uncanny X-Men #208)

Well, then. (Uncanny X-Men #208)

Never not funny. (Uncanny X-Men #209)

And then, it got weird. Weirder. (Uncanny X-Men #209)

‘Kay. (Uncanny X-Men #209)

That one time a member of the Inner Circle wore a costume so bad it actually killed him. (Uncanny X-Men #209)

Fun fact: this is the second time they’ve pulled this particular move. (Uncanny X-Men #209)

Okay, that’s actually pretty awesome. (Uncanny X-Men #209)

Seeya in Excalibur, kid! (Uncanny X-Men #209)

Next Week: New Mutants breaks our hearts, over and over and over.

LINKS AND FURTHER ~~READING~~ LISTENING:

60 – Rachel Summers and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

June 7, 2015 Jay 47 comments

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In which Rachel Summers went to sleep with Wolverine’s claws in her dreams and now there’s claws in her lungs and when she got out of bed this morning she tripped on her traumatic backstory and by mistake she dropped the Phoenix Force in the sink while the water was running and she could tell it was going to be a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.

X-PLAINED:

Freedom Force
Supervillains’ day jobs
Uncanny X-Men #206-209
The X-Men’s first brief tenure in San Francisco
Terrible house guests
Lindsay McCabe
David Ishima
Bree Morrell
A metaphorical ghost story
Lycanthropy, but dumber
The crossing of several ethical lines
Death by narrative stasis (and also impaling)
Craft night at the Hellfire Club
Death by costume satin (and also heart failure)
One way to write someone out of a book
Our favorite Summers kids
X-Music

Special thanks to Elle Collins

NEXT WEEK: The New Mutants break your heart.

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!

Rachel & Miles Review the X-Men, Episode 35

May 1, 2015 Jay 11 comments

Week of April 29, 2015 –

In which Mister Sinister is comedy gold, G. Willow Wilson gives us the Rachel Grey we’ve been waiting for, and we have some Feelings about Spider-Man and the X-Men.

REVIEWED:

Wolverines #16 (0:24)
X-Men #26 (3:51)
*Spider-Man and the X-Men #6 (7:09)

*Pick of the Week (10:25)

Rachel and Miles X-Plain the X-Men is 100% ad-free and listener supported. These video reviews–and everything else here–are made possible by the support of our Patreon subscribers. If you want to help support the podcast–and unlock more cool stuff–you can do that right here!

As Mentioned in Episode 52 – Previously on Rachel & Miles X-Plain the X-Men…

April 12, 2015 Jay 8 comments

Listen to the episode here!

Given the nature of this week’s episode, we decided against putting together a visual companion (we instead recommend clicking through the preceding visual companions as fast as you can). However, we did assemble a handy index of every single previous episode, which you can find below the cut!

52 – Previously on Rachel and Miles X-Plain the X-Men…

April 12, 2015 Jay 15 comments

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In which we recap a year’s worth of podcasts–and 23 years’ worth of X-Men–in under an hour.

X-PLAINED:

Rachel & Miles X-Plain the X-Men, Episodes 1-51
Uncanny X-Men #1-200 & assorted annuals
Giant-Size X-Men #1
The New Mutants
New Mutants #1-35 & assorted annuals and specials
The Uncanny X-Men and the New Teen Titans
God Loves, Man Kills
Wolverine vol. 1
X-Men/Micronauts
Storm and Illyana: Magik
Kitty Pryde and Wolverine
Dazzler: The Movie
Beauty and the Beast
Firestar
Secret Wars vol. 1
Secret Wars vol. 2
Longshot
Several other assorted X and X-relevant stories
Our pipe-dream pitches
Multiversal designations

NEXT WEEK: The return of Jean Grey!

Special thanks to R. Pawson for the WHAT?! supercut!

You can find a companion index to the material mentioned in this episode on our blog!

Find us on iTunes or Stitcher!

Help us keep making cool stuff on Patreon!

We’re not selling prints of this week’s illustration, but you can still contact David Wynne to inquire after the original!

As Mentioned in Episode 48 – Guitar Solos of the Gods

March 15, 2015 Jay 24 comments

Listen to the episode here!

Art by David Wynne. Prints and cards available until 3/22/2015 in the shop, or contact David for the original.

X-Men! (X-Men Annual #9)

New Mutants! (X-Men Annual #9)

Check out the gorgeous John R. Neill homage going on in that title card. (New Mutants Special Edition #1)

Karma, transformed. Adams draws her very differently–both more realistically and more recognizably–than Sienkiewicz or Leialoha; and it would be awesome to see a superhero with this as their default shape. (New Mutants Special Edition #1)

Marvel Asgard is basically the land of metal album covers. (New Mutants Special Edition #1)

Aw, Doug. No one appreciates you. (New Mutants Special Edition #1)

Asgardian Wars is chock full of pop-culture cameos and references. (New Mutants Special Edition #1)

GET IT? Not if you weren’t reading Longshot as it was coming out! (New Mutants Special Edition #1)

Warlock in a nutshell. (New Mutants Special Edition #1)

Bobby has found his element. (New Mutants Special Edition #1)

AMARA, WHAT IS THE FIRST RULE OF DEALING WITH FAIRIES? (New Mutants Special Edition #1)

The hands-down most awesome variation on the Darkchylde design. If only this had stuck around. (New Mutants Special Edition #1)

No, seriously, Shan is literally on Arrakis. (New Mutants Special Edition #1)

THE WARRIORS THREE ARE THE BEST AND ANYONE WHO TELLS YOU OTHERWISE IS FULL OF WRONG. (New Mutants Special Edition #1)

Fire-elf Magma. (New Mutants Special Edition #1)

Throughout the nine realms, skalds sing of the masterwork fire extinguishers of Nidavellir. (New Mutants Special Edition #1)

The Dani-becomes-a-Valkyrie arc reminds me of the thing where literally everyone else realizes you’re queer before you do. (New Mutants Special Edition #1)

Another Darkchylde panel, because this costume is just so damn good. (New Mutants Special Edition #1)

IT’S STORM AND SHE’S A HAWK AND SHE HAS A TEENY MOHAWK. That’s all. Carry on with your business. (New Mutants Special Edition #1)

Those title cards, though. (X-Men Annual #9)

What, don’t you have a psychic link with your “roommate”? (X-Men Annual #9)

‘Kay. (X-Men Annual #9)

TOO SOON, RACHEL. TOO SOON. (X-Men Annual #9)

Because I was raised by bleeding-heart feminists in the ’80s, I now have “Free to Be… You and Me” stuck in my head. THANKS, CLAREMONT. (X-Men Annual #9)

Aw, man. (X-Men Annual #9)

I want to see a “What If” splinter story where Sam is an epic hero and also basically Carrot from Discworld. I mean, there kind of is one–“What if the New Mutants Had Stayed in Asgard”–but still. MORE. (X-Men Annual #9)

DANI LITERALLY NO ONE IN THIS ROOM HAS PHYSICAL POWERS. (X-Men Annual #9)

Art Adams draws awesome Warlock. (X-Men Annual #9)

WOLF MAKEOUTS! (X-Men Annual #9)

Subtext: Not just for the ladies! (X-Men Annual #9)

This isn’t directly relevant to the episode. It’s just awesome. (X-Men Annual #9)

NOW LET’S GO DEFEAT THE FRENCH! (X-Men Annual #9)

It’s no KRAKADOOM, but I guess it’ll do. (X-Men Annual #9)

Dani is THE BEST VALKYRIE. (X-Men Annual #9)

“Well, at least I have this 1/6-scale statuette to keep me company.” (X-Men Annual #9)

NEXT WEEK: Rachel and Miles get lucky.

LINKS AND FURTHER READING:

The Mighty Thor #362 is one of the best issues of one of the best runs in Marvel history.
For craft wonks, we recommend the hell out of the Thor Artist’s Edition, if you can get your hands on a copy.
Actually, you know what? Just go read the whole Simonson run, right now. It’s collected and available in a bunch of forms. You won’t regret it. we promise.
Once you’re done reading Thor, go watch Leverage, because it is wonderful.

48 – Guitar Solos of the Gods

March 15, 2015 Jay 36 comments

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | RSS

Art by David Wynne. Prints and cards available until 3/22/2015 in the shop, or contact David for the original.

In which Asgardian Wars occupies the precise intersection of Miles’s favorite things; Marvel Asgard is your favorite metal album; no one appreciates Cypher; Wolfsbane gets some action; Warlock gets meta; Cannonball is a catch; Rachel Summers gets a new costume; Loki does Shakespeare; and Rachel overthinks Leverage.

X-PLAINED:

Various Mjolnirs and their attendant powers
Asgardian Wars
New Mutants Special Edition #1
X-Men Annual #9
The Surtwar
Art Adams
Amora the Enchantress
Lorelei
Several pop culture cameos
A really dubious beach party
The Viking Sorceress Asgardian Portrait of Dorian Grey
Ed Grimley
Hrimhari
Wolf makeouts
The Marvel version of Norse mythology
The Warriors Three
Rule #1 of dealing with fairies
A hawk ‘hawk
Valkyries
Einherjar
A costume in somewhat questionable taste
Interdimensional lightning-bolt mixology
Our favorite Thor story, ever
How to get your friends and neighbors into comics
Asgardian mutants (or lack thereof)
X-Leverage cross-casting

NEXT WEEK: Longshot!

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

Find us on iTunes or Stitcher!

Support us on Patreon!

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

Miles Reviews the X-Men, Episode 28

March 7, 2015 Jay 13 comments

Week of March 4, 2015.

In which Monet is awesome, Wolverines is ridiculous, and the Denver Airport might actually be Hell.

Reviewed:

Avengers World #18 (0:31)
*X-Men #25 (1:41)
Wolverines #9 (4:09)

*Pick of the week (6:23)

These video reviews are made possible by the support of our Patreon subscribers. If you want to help support the podcast–and unlock more cool stuff–you can do that right here!

Miles Reviews the X-Men, Episode 25

February 13, 2015 Jay 7 comments

Week of February 11, 2015.

In which Rachel is out sick, Miles perseveres in the face of adversity, and X-Force goes out with a bang.

Reviewed:

Guardians of the Galaxy #24 (0:37)
X-Men #24 (2:01)
Nightcrawler #11 (3:58)
All-New X-Men #36 (5:35)
Cyclops #10 (7:07)
Wolverines #6 (8:35)
*X-Force #15 (9:39)

*Pick of the week (11:24)

These video reviews are made possible by the support of our Patreon subscribers. If you want to help support the podcast–and unlock more cool stuff–you can do that right here!

As Mentioned in Episode 42 – A Firestar Is Born

February 1, 2015 Jay 12 comments

Listen to the episode here!

Art by David Wynne. Prints and cards available until 2/1/2015 in the shop, or contact David for the original.

Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends (but not in that order).

Context is irrelevant. (Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends)

“John, dude, can we talk about the fact that you just turned into a fucking bear? No? Okay.” Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends

“It means you’ll be hated and feared! Isn’t that wonderful?” (Firestar #1)

“Professor, is it true what they say about exposition in X-books?” (Firestar #1)

Wait ’til they find out she hasn’t even read Carlyle! (Firestar #1)

Oh. Angelica. Honey. No. (Firestar #1)

I’m pretty sure there’s a Talking Heads music video that starts exactly like this. (Firestar #1)

DON’T TRUST HER, ANGELICA! SHE’LL BLOW UP YOUR HORSE! (Firestar #1)

This horse’s name is Butter Rum. Don’t get too attached. (Firestar #2)

The Emma Frost who actually cares about her students did not make her first appearance until some years later. This Emma Frost is just an unapologetic monster. (Firestar #2)

Emma Frost is the best evil narrator. (Firestar #2)

“What could POSSIBLY go wrong?” (Firestar #2)

Miles ‘ships it SO hard. (Firestar #2)

That horror-movie WHINNEY! in the last panel, though. (Firestar #2)

Remember that time Emma Frost convinced a vulnerable teenage girl that she had killed her beloved horse by becoming sexually aroused? BECAUSE THAT DEFINITELY HAPPENED. (Firestar #2)