Jay & Miles X-Plain the X-Men

In which there’s nothing inherently wrong with monster-of-the-week; Marrow’s makeover extends to her font; Red Skull gets a Power Glove; Marvel sets up a slate of spinoffs; and you should hire Matt Hunter to produce your podcast! X-PLAINED: What Danger’s been up to lately Uncanny X-Men #371 X-Men #91 X-Men Annual 1999 Crossover cover design Skrullverine Machine Man Dethlok vs. Dethklok Jack Truman (Agent 18) (to some extent) A nice dress An awkward reunion Gambit as a mentor Billy G. A daring but silly rescue Several upcoming series Marrow’s bone bikini and/or pubes Whether Rogue can absorb animals NEXT EPISODE: Cecilia Reyes returns from retirement! Want to hire J&MXPtXM producer Matt Hunter to produce your podcast? Email him! The visual companion to this episode will be up later this week. 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 TeePublic shop!

Transcribed - Published: 22 July 2024

In which Roadhouse is basically a Wolverine story; Spider-Man does crimes; space names are derivative; there are lots of good reasons to yell at Professor Xavier; the X-Men do Doctor Who; Galactus is not interested in your puny human feelings; Marrow gets a new look; the Skrulls need a crash course in UI; and we overthink bones. X-PLAINED: The time the Skrulls did “A Piece of the Action” The trouble with benevolent dictatorships X-Men #89-90 Uncanny X-Men #370 A New York City that is not in fact New York City “Spider-Man” A ruse Faces Skrull problems Mar-Vell Adam Warlock Sass vs. joviality Skrull Cop City Disguises Nova (Frankie Raye) How Galactus eats planets Condiments Several melees Bone pubes Skrull UI Whether Moopsy could drink Wolverine’s bones X-Musicals NEXT EPISODE: The return of Douglock! The Roald Dahl short story whose title Jay couldn’t recall is “Beware of the Dog.” The visual companion to this episode will be up later this week! 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 TeePublic shop!

Transcribed - Published: 8 July 2024

SPOILER WARNING: ALL OF THEM, NONSTOP In which Barry Windsor-Smith is too sexy for television; we know what happens when unstable molecules get struck by lightning; X-Men gets political and does it spectacularly; this Captain America would not sew the cape; Magneto continues to throw things into space; and they kissed and we missed it. X-PLAINED: Fabian Cortez’s name X-Men ’97 episodes 6-10 Lifedeath I & II: a surprising adaptation Varying levels of going in blind A somewhat different and possibly better Forge The Adversary vs. the Owl Queen Stormiest and least-Stormy costumes Professor Charles Xavier, Official Space Boyfriend Colonialism vs. Identity Delayed catharsis The narrative power of altered opening credits What makes allyship effective (and not) Justified mutant anger The worst version of Nina DaCosta What makes Prime Sentinels scary Summers family feels The best damned fight scenes out there Bastion, robo-avatar of conservative white patriarchy Simultaneous crossovers A psychic gay bar A last boss arena Acolyte equivalencies Phoenix Ex Machina Crying Whether Magneto was right Apoca-futures and Apoca-pasts A bulletin board and our hopes for its contents Soft Serve Kitty Pryde’s coffee shop AU X-Men ’97 as the perfect gateway NEXT EPISODE: Skrulls! LINKS AND FURTHER READING: The Judgment of Magneto by Asher Elbein No visual companion this week! 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 TeePublic shop!

Transcribed - Published: 30 June 2024

In which we put the comics on hold to take a look at X-Men ’97; it is still always Inferno in here; Wolverine is best used sparingly; a Marvel show finally embraces politics; Wolverine is best in small doses; Madeylne Pryor still always deserves better; Jubilee grows up; and we are all in on this series.

Transcribed - Published: 24 June 2024

In which Magneto is not full of mirth; nobody real or fictional likes Fabian Cortez; when you’re a speedster, every problem is a metaphorical nail; The Zealot makes some valid points; and when Quicksilver declares himself your conscience, it’s time to examine your life.

Transcribed - Published: 10 June 2024

In which we remain fascinated by Magneto’s robot butler; murder is Logan’s love language; the Juggernaut punches a hole in reality; Professor Xavier makes it weird; and Storm lectures several gods.

Transcribed - Published: 3 June 2024

In which we celebrate our tenth anniversary by X-Plaining what may be the most reviled X-arc; you should not try this at home; Mystique is so much better than this story; Azazel is a really boring devil; Nightcrawler should probably be missing a hand; the Xavier School definitely does not have an HR department; and we would prefer that you not pee on Iceman.

Transcribed - Published: 27 May 2024

In which artist Russell Dauterman joins us to discuss super-powered costume design! X-PLAINED: Why it’s important to get a professional to design your superhero costume Why Miles doesn’t trust the government Russell’s history at Marvel Designing for the Hellfire Gala Mutant fashion The word “fashionize” Iconic looks Modernizing superhero costumes Powers vs. personality Punk goddess Storm Designing for drawability Magic hair Russell’s influences Definitive Rogue costumes X-Men ‘97 Best X-team costumes Jay’s holy grail cosplay Magic hair, cosplayed Costume retrospectives Where to find Russell online Evil twin trends of the 1990s Fuck You Pink NEXT EPISODE: Jay & Miles Live at the Clinton Street Theater! 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 TeePublic shop!

Transcribed - Published: 13 May 2024

In which artist Russell Dauterman joins us to discuss super-powered costume design! X-PLAINED: Why it’s important to get a professional to design your superhero costume Why Miles doesn’t trust the government Russell’s history at Marvel Designing for the Hellfire Gala Mutant fashion The word “fashionize” Iconic looks Modernizing superhero costumes Powers vs. personality Punk goddess Storm Designing for drawability Magic hair Russell’s influences Definitive Rogue costumes X-Men ‘97 Best X-team costumes Jay’s holy grail cosplay Magic hair, cosplayed Costume retrospectives Where to find Russell online Evil twin trends of the 1990s Fuck You Pink NEXT EPISODE: Jay & Miles Live at the Clinton Street Theater! 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 TeePublic shop!

Transcribed - Published: 13 May 2024

Feral's back - just in time to wreck Jay's voice again! (And Siryn's, but we'll get to that later.) (X-Force #88) In which timeline math is almost never worth it; Tarot comes back from the dead (kind of) (maybe); Magma makes a heel turn; “King Bedlam” would be a great name for a ska band; not every nude man can turn into a bear; and you don’t have to talk to your supervillain relatives. X-PLAINED: The Triune Understanding Birthday party follow-up X-Force #87-90 Legacy and continuity Bedlam (Jesse Aaronson) Tarot (Marie-Ange Colbert) Goat Simulator King Bedlam (Christopher Aaronson) The New Hellions Perils of body-swapping Linear time Science Armageddon Man Paradigm Senator Owen Danville Family A fancy hat Madame Web Many natural disasters Early Genoshan history Longshot as a villain NEXT EPISODE: Dressing the X-Men with Russell Dauterman! 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 TeePublic shop!

Transcribed - Published: 6 May 2024

In which everything is an event these days; Skin may or may not have a skeleton; everyone has a crush on Synch; we are intrigued by Integer; and it’s hard to be Emma Frost. X-PLAINED: War of the Mutants Generation X #50 X-Man #50 Nate Grey (again) Adrienne Frost Science Dark Beast (again) Gene Nation Vessel Hemingway Membrain Fever Pitch Dark Opsidian Iron Maiden Wynter Tattoos More science Integer Trauma Multiversal designations The Morlock Tunnels NEXT EPISODE: X-Force vs the New Hellions 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 TeePublic shop!

Transcribed - Published: 29 April 2024

Ah, the age-old question: would you scissor your clone while yelling? (Uncanny X-Men #367) In which the Magneto War comes to a close. X-PLAINED: X-Men #86-87 Uncanny X-Men #367 Quite a few other things, which we'll add to this post tomorrow! NEXT EPISODE: Nate Grey meets Generation X! 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 TeePublic shop!

Transcribed - Published: 15 April 2024

In which not every story needs to be an event; Alan Davis returns to the X-line; X-mansion security is not what it once was; Rogue needs some new fantasies; and Magneto wants a country.

Transcribed - Published: 8 April 2024

In which it’s difficult to flee with soup; Miles may or may not be haunting the X-Men; Colossus collaborates involuntarily; Marrow is full of surprises; Magneto is a dick; Jay continues to carry a torch for Secret Wars: Siege; and you should totally come to our birthday party. X-PLAINED: Several rather pointed allusions X-Force #86 Uncanny X-Men #365 X-Men #85 Almost Reno, NM Where mutants come from The Aguilar Institute (more) (again) Abandoned towns Mary the telepathic moppet (more) (again) Odysseus Indigo The Damocles Foundation Sibling names The Fundamental Attribution Error A haunting Christmas beer Christmas ghost exquisite corpse Bill Jones A rescue mission Essential stories of the ‘90s Our weird favorites Siege Our upcoming 10th birthday party (more) (again) NEXT EPISODE: Magneto War begins! Check out the visual companion to this episode on our blog! RSVP to our birthday shenanigans! 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 TeePublic shop!

Transcribed - Published: 1 April 2024

Jay is dealing with an ongoing family medical emergency, so episode releases may be somewhat unpredictable for the next few weeks. Thank you for your patience!

Transcribed - Published: 24 March 2024

In which we walk down X-Plain Memory Lane; everyone needs Bitch Planet; HoX/PoX wouldn't stay on shelves; we learn how to make sure a comic doesn't get canceled; Marvel should have kept publishing those Krakoa-era anthology TPBs; X-Men is indeed a soap opera; and you can jump in here 'cause we're all confused. X-PLAINED: The most crowded X-year Books With Pictures, official best comics shop in the world Our upcoming 10th birthday party Katie Pryde’s X-history Prioritizing marginalized nerd identities Lapsed X-readers X-sprawl The Dawn of X books that worked (and the one that didn’t) The frustration of discontinued collection formats The perfect number of X-books (again) Drama and kissing What we want after Fall of X Readers’ single issue vs collection preferences The power of the preorder Katie’s (naming) origin story Readers versus speculators How to organize a comic book store Non-X recommendations for X-fans The glory of Judge Dredd X-Men who can be trusted to watch a comic book store NEXT EPISODE: Deviants, Christmas ghosts, and Magneto! LINKS AND FURTHER READING: Books With Pictures in Portland, Oregon The Books With Pictures Podcast RSVP to our birthday shenanigans! 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 TeePublic shop!

Transcribed - Published: 11 March 2024

In which Marrow remains a connoisseur of dead rats; Jay has opinions about the NYC Subway system; U.L.T.I.M.A.T.U.M. are snazzy dressers; Doctor Doom gets excited about Onslaught; Magneto can have a rocket pack if he wants; villainous game recognizes villainous game; weird retcons are the best retcons; and you should totally come to our birthday party.

Transcribed - Published: 3 March 2024

In which Banshee should eat the rich; the real Monet is way more of a jerk than the fake one; the Marvel Universe is the world inside your brain-case; Maggott joins and quits Generation X at almost the speed of Sunfire; Dracula gives Chamber the D; and if Jay and Miles die in this episode, they die in real life. X-PLAINED: Dracula as a universal standard Earth-441 Generation X #48-49 The missed potential of 13,000-year-old teenager Gaia The Jay Faerber run of Generation X Emma and Banshee’s forgotten X-friendship That time that Moira ripped off Banshee’s skin and wore it like a Halloween costume (again) Cordelia Frost, Emma’s younger sister Adrienne Frost, Emma’s older sister Interpersonal arguments by way of Asgardian combat scenarios Jubilee, fox; versus M, scorpion Alaska, moping capital of the Marvel Universe Clever scene transitions Constantine Francis Slaughter IV and his mustache Puberty as body horror Husk’s breakup haircut Slug emulation Generation X / Dracula Annual 1998 The Council of Cross-Time Draculas Chamber’s goofy face Vampire fonts Jubilee’s bunny slippers Charlie Brown in Snow Valley Count von Count (again) Monsters as class metaphor What would happen if Synch synced with Legion Who would pronounce Cable like Britta Perry pronounces bagel NEXT EPISODE: Victor Von Doom X-Plains the 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 TeePublic shop!

Transcribed - Published: 26 February 2024

From organic steel to organic... whatever that is. (X-Men #83) In which the Hunt for Xavier remains vaguely disappointing; Gambit is good with kids; nanomachines are the new unstable molecules; Marrow is a walking armory; and we recommend comics for babies. X-PLAINED: The Hunt for Xavier, Part 2 Babies and/or ghosts Chekhov’s repowering X-Men #83-84 Uncanny X-Men #364 Cerebro / Cerebro Prime Cerebrite Alpha Cerebrite Beta X-Men serial numbers What Gambit’s friends call him How Miles stopped worrying and learned to love Gambit Evil robot sperm Mary Purcell Multiple-monitor displays A computer with a computer AI The Florida facility Post Pile-Driver X A glimpse into the butt of all humanity Comics for babies Name-based powers NEXT EPISODE: Generation X has Dracula problems! 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 TeePublic shop!

Transcribed - Published: 12 February 2024

In which we reach the beginning of an end; Jay totally forgot Gambit was there; we’re all living in the Mary Purcelliverse; the X-Men split the party; and we explore The Bay Area’s Bohemian Hotbed of Student Anarchy. X-PLAINED: Mary Purcell (sort of) The re-defaulting of the X-Men Uncanny X-Men #362-323 X-Men #82 Nebraska Pyro (Saint John Allerdyce) and his endless illness Legacy Virus variations Going home again Running back and forth in quarries Marrow, who’s come a long way The two forms of fire: skeleton monsters and sexy ladies Cerebro (the evil one) San Francisco and Tajikinistan Asphalt ball pits A topsy-turvy nonsensical impossible hell Nina the Mannite Desire, love, loss, and fear Skulls and spines The New (New) Brotherhood of Mutants Cerebrites Alpha and Beta A lost, smelly fish Ambiguous art Blood, sweat, and fears Which mutants would cause the most chaos at holiday gatherings Hopes for post-Fall society NEXT EPISODE: 2 Hunt 2 Xavier 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 TeePublic shop!

Transcribed - Published: 4 February 2024

In which Gambit knows how to make an entrance; Rogue and Gambit only have relationship conversations during superhero fights; Wolverine fights a shark; and we have opinions on how to handle certain aspects of backstory.

Transcribed - Published: 29 January 2024

"Hot Topic Rennfaire" was a somewhat controversial choice for X-Force's prom theme. (X-Force #85) In which the overlap between Rocky Horror and ‘90s X-Force fans is probably pretty significant; Pandemonia has priorities; the warehouse gets an evil, sexy glowup; swears are great; Johnny Blaze’s motorcycle probably shouldn’t still be on fire; and there is no single definitive X-Men experience. X-PLAINED: Master Pandemonium X-Force #85 X-Force/Champions Annual 1998 What X-Force has been up to lately The regrettable absence of Doctor Doom Possession Community Cougars (euphemistic) The thrift cycle Rusty Collins on Krakoa Fashion An eons-old accord between the Houses of Chaos and the Lord of Valhalla Jennifer Kale The list Swears A statue of Hades Various appendages sticking out of the earth Hercules The mystic power of sarcasm The greatest fear of a Titan Monet St. Croix vs. the Count of Monte Cristo Good X-books for your fifteen-year-old niece NEXT EPISODE: Wolverine vs. Vampires (again)! 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!

Transcribed - Published: 15 January 2024

In which Colossus has had a rough time of it; the X-Men are at their best in bar fights; Bronze-age Wolverine was a jerk; Ursa Major deserves more page space; kids dig Nightcrawler; and we imagine an X-Men newspaper comic strip.

Transcribed - Published: 8 January 2024

Illustration by David Wynne In which we have had an eventful year; Longshot is a classic folk hero; writer Kieron Gillen makes a triumphant and mildly terrifying return to the show; and you remain the best listeners of any podcast, ever. X-PLAINED: Our tenth birthday party! 2023 Longshot vol. 2 #1 Longshot as a folkloric archetype Longshot (more) (again) Dismal Nitch, Washington The Thingee Baum, Kansas Corn Betty Barrie, Kansas The Albony Avenue Sanitarium and several of its residents Innocence, broadly The Wuggly Ump, by Edward Gorey Love Immortal X-Men Nathaniel Essex and several significant clones thereof Defining Mister Sinister Making Charles Xavier sympathetic Reset phrases Eternals The 10th Annual Super Doctor Astronaut Peter Corbeau Awards for Excellence at X-Cellence Many people to whom we are grateful NEXT EPISODE: X-Men: Liberators Special thanks to: Matt Hunter All Kennedy Max Carleton Kieron Gillen Tea Fougner Anna Stokes All of our patrons All of you listening, always <3 "Sinister Is Cloning This Town" performed by Steve and Erin Pence 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!

Transcribed - Published: 1 January 2024

In which the X-Men turn 35; we pause to celebrate the death of Henry Kissinger; Jay is a space nerd; Marrow hang-dries her delicates; space shuttles are not rockets; the band gets back together; and the Danger Room isn’t the first piece of X-tech to get sentience and a robot body. X-PLAINED How Excalibur got a Blackbird Uncanny X-Men #360 X-Men #80 Many callbacks The Benassi Rocket The Cassini Probe The All-New, Slightly Off X-Men The Grey King (Addison Falk) Chaos and/or Xhaos (Dan Dash) Mercury Rapture (Sister Joy) Crux (Cristal Lemiuex) Landslide (Lee Broder) The Founder Super Doctor Astronaut Peter Corbeau (again) The Mutant Defense Net Heroic narration Lack of spacefaring continuity Friendship Technology Costumes All-New All-Different Dungeons & Dragons NEXT EPISODE: GIANT-SIZE WINTER SPECIAL #10 The visual companion to this episode will be up later this week! 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!

Transcribed - Published: 18 December 2023

In which we take a retrospective look at X-Factor and Excalibur: where the series began, where they went, and what’s in store after the ends of their first volumes. X-PLAINED: What Rictor’s been up to X-Factor Excalibur NEXT EPISODE: A Corbeau cameo! The visual companion to this episode is scattered through the last eight years of visual companions, mostly under the X-Factor and Excalibur tags. 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!

Transcribed - Published: 11 December 2023

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.

Transcribed - Published: 4 December 2023

No notes. (Generation X Underground Special #1) 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! 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!

Transcribed - Published: 20 November 2023

In which birds have no business in sex dreams; feelings are complicated and allegories are imperfect; Mystique made some valid points; Psycho-Man is good at UI; Callisto was right; and the label “Omega-level mutant” actually kind of makes sense.

Transcribed - Published: 13 November 2023

Dracularmy (X-Men Unlimited #21) 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!

Transcribed - Published: 5 November 2023

Love and chaos. (Excalibur #125) In which you shouldn’t invite nazis to your wedding, there’s a lot of multiverse, Captain Britain and Meggan are pretty heteronormative but make it work, everybody forgot Feron, and the next husband will be Gatecrasher’s. X-PLAINED: Captain Britain varieties The history of Brian Braddock and Meggan Puceanu, abridged Excalibur #124-125 Mutants most likely to jump out of a cake The Crazy Gang (again) Meggan’s crush on Colossus Colossus’s guilt about Meggan’s crush on Colossus A surprise bridal shower The return of Captain UK Brian Braddock’s teetotaling techniques Mimic’s ever-changing facial hair Glorious, glorious chaos Poor, poor Feron Multiple awkward conversations The return of Widget and also everyone else Lightning Force (dammit) A lengthy but not exhaustive list of Captains Britain So many cameos ...Seriously, so many cameos Dai Thomas’s anti-iron Shockingly healthy communication Bouquet brawls and garter gar-nage A bittersweet ending Nightcrawler’s best outfit The universe where the X-Men X-Plain Jay & Miles Our hypothetical post-finale Excalibur lineup NEXT EPISODE: The return of X-Factor! Kind of! 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!

Transcribed - Published: 23 October 2023

In which we have grown to love Adam Pollina; the Vanisher is delightfully awful; Ekaterina Gryaznova gets a new look; Domino rejoins X-Force; superheroes actually have a conversation instead of fighting; Cannonball rejoins X-Force; we don’t even remember recording this one; and something cool is coming (stay tuned).

Transcribed - Published: 16 October 2023

In which the Shi’ar have zero chill; Bishop and Deathbird do space opera; we travel to the far-future year of 2018; Alanna Nerimani stretches the definition of “bird”; Deathbird is the cool aunt; Bishop needs a break from dark futures; and Bishop and Sauron have an intimate encounter.

Transcribed - Published: 9 October 2023

In which moose are nothing to mess with; Cyclops requests a reality check; Bachalo does Kirby; Rogue absorbs a catchphrase; and the Shadow King needs a villain song.

Transcribed - Published: 26 September 2023

In which everything is Havok’s fault; Jay is a bad influence; Polaris makes some valid points; Jamie Madrox is the Bobby Drake of X-Factor; and X-Factor vol. 1 ends with a bang.

Transcribed - Published: 18 September 2023

In which subtlety is not Sabra’s strong point; Moira takes a vacation; Meggan broods; you should take care in referencing the Dark Phoenix Saga; Excalibur may or may not shave Mimic; and Captain Britain is a silly man. X-PLAINED: Ghosts Excalibur #121-123 The Mutant Underground Empathic recon An extremely disgruntled kiss Kitty’s new costume Several of Legion’s personalities A mysterious disk A very fancy trash can and/or ice cream maker Ice cream of Cloud City A good dog Remains of Operation Zero Tolerance The devolution of Douglock Mimic (Calvin Rankin) Mimic’s facial hair Some Prime Sentinels Wedding planning Liking parts of things Villains who want to marry Storm Maddy Pryor NEXT EPISODE: The end of X-Factor! 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!

Transcribed - Published: 11 September 2023

In which the X-Men’s membership is a complicated subject; not all angels know each other; we need to talk about Beast’s Wasp costume; Cecilia Reyes speaks for all reasonable folk; Storm gets a mysterious package; and reading comics day-and-date may not be for everyone.

Transcribed - Published: 28 August 2023

In which one letter can make a big difference; it’s just not Arcade without giant pinballs; Colossus is nobody’s fool; Margali Szardos is not a relative you want to stay in touch with; Nightcrawler turns to the jerk side; and Jay and Miles pitch an X-Men kids’ show.

Transcribed - Published: 21 August 2023

In which Jay sits down with scholar Christopher Michael Roman to discuss his recent book, Queering Wolverine in Comics and Fanfiction: A Fastball Special; alongside queer theory, porous bodies, and nontraditional mentorship.

Transcribed - Published: 14 August 2023

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

Transcribed - Published: 30 July 2023

Jay & Miles X-Plain the X-Men, Episode 418 - Reignfirefighters: In which S.H.I.E.L.D. agents are scarier in suits; Reignfire is the new Erik the Red; “background assets” would be a very funny euphemism; it’s always either time travel or clones; and you should probably not get a corporate logo tattooed on the side of your head.

Transcribed - Published: 24 July 2023

In which you, too, can use Cerebro; Jubilee is here, for some reason; the Xavier School should absolutely not be accredited; Hulk Hands would solve many of Rogue’s problems; Sauron gets a gun; Psylocke pulls a Lois Lane maneuver; you really shouldn’t spring a Phoenix costume on anybody; Joseph has (another) identity crisis; and Canada has problems.

Transcribed - Published: 17 July 2023

In which we are incapable of X-Plaining the Great Lakes Avengers; Pete Wisdom evolves; Douglock hacks the island; Nightcrawler cosplays Nightcrawler; and we find ourselves bafflingly defensive of the Bamfs.

Transcribed - Published: 3 July 2023

In which Gambit does Stardust; Wilbur Weston holds no one’s redemption; Gambit is unequivocally bisexual; Lucifer is kinda goofy; and we still don’t know what’s in the box.

Transcribed - Published: 26 June 2023

In which Wild Child makes an unlikely Santa Claus; Sabretooth champions continuity; Random’s last name should’a been Violence; Forge doesn’t have to like you; and Mackie’s X-Factor run gets interesting—right before its untimely end.

Transcribed - Published: 19 June 2023

In which X-Force goes to Exploding Colossal Man; Douglas Wolk may or may not have superpowers; Karma gets girlfriends; we are already tired of Reignfire; Meltdown and Sunspot initiate a love triangle; and Jay is writing some more X-Men.

Transcribed - Published: 5 June 2023

In which Kelly and Seagle's X-runs begin with immense promise; dark psychic residue gets just everywhere; Storm's past is literally buried; Wolverine is just saying is all; Cecilia Reyes's job doesn't deserve her, and Cyclops and Phoenix are the worst at being normal. X-PLAINED: The Grey family reunion X-Men #71-72 What counts as an Uncanny X-Men #138 cover reference Baggage and also suitcases Steve Seagle’s (scuttled) Phoenix plans Bone whiskers Telemarketer power moves Cecilia Reyes Marrow (Sarah) Sam Guthrie's tiny ponytail The ol’ wall-of-televisions trope The cost of one banana Sebastian Shaw vs the IRS (maybe) A mostly empty attic Wolverine’s etiquette lessons The dessert claw vs the salad claw The physicality of Carlos Pacheco’s art Cannonball, the grown-up in the room Magneto’s increasingly complicated past Magnus, Erik, and Max (again) Uncanny X-Men #351-352 Cecilia Reyes’s return-to-office Intersectionality Pyro, forever dying of the Legacy Virus Daredevil vs Cecilia Reyes’s bedside manner Kevin, Lord of the Jungle Ending conversations by turning into a bird A.I.M.* (*Advanced Idea Mechanics) Crows of Ill Portent A Box of Entity Condors and Cockatoos Logan’s denim proclivities Arcade vs. Mojo Special thanks to Dylan Higgins for edits and production assistance! NEXT EPISODE: X-Force goes to Burning Man! 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!

Transcribed - Published: 28 May 2023

In which we actually kind of like a Sabretooth story; we’re not asking for viscera, here; all pants on Earth-616 are tearaway pants; we’d like to see more Wolverine stories about bodily autonomy; Gambit’s hallucinations have hallucinations; and there are probably too many X-books.

Transcribed - Published: 22 May 2023

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.

Transcribed - Published: 8 May 2023

In which nobody is sure what Emplate actually eats; airport food is not a good peace offering; Larry Hama writes a good Jubilee; the St. Croix siblings merge; and we honestly have no idea what a token is.

Transcribed - Published: 1 May 2023