Episode 185: Why-Men (Lesser-Known X-Men; Stacy X, Lifeguard, Slipstream, and Northstar)

Continuing to work towards completing the “Lesser Known X-Men” feature, we cover four characters this time; three short-term members, and one who is possibly well-known enough to not qualify, but is important enough to merit inclusion to make sure as many learn about him as possible.

That’s Iceman she’s talking to, before he came out of the closet.

Her New Warriors look.

Lifeguard as her powers originally manifested.

And her look after the Shi’ar DNA kicked in.

And this is how her brother reacted when he saw the “difference.” Um, overreact much?

Northstar in his John Byrne-y goodness.

Can you guess in what decade this issue came out (pun intended)?

Congrats, guys! You only get the wraparound cover for very special occasions!

Episode 184: Why-Men (Lesser Known X-Men; Xorn, Zorn, and Chamber)

Returning to my Lesser Known X-Men feature (affectionately dubbed the “Why-Men”), we break from chronological joining to cover twins who were recruited at different times, but are so close that they may as well be one character, as well as a mutant mentioned briefly in the “New Warriors Vol 4” episode of the show.

“Make me one with everything…”

As someone reading the books at the time, this was a big twist!

Zorn, as opposed to Xorn. (Babylon 5 fans, insert “Zathras” joke here)

Does he have to get his shirts custom made, or do they just do that when he puts them on?

So, apparently the lines on the face are built into Apocalypse’s DNA.

Jono as Decibel. Although at the volume he could produce, he probably should have been called Bel.

Episode 181: Why-Men (Lesser Known X-Men; Thunderbird, Mirage, and Sage)

Continuing once again with the Lesser Known X-Men feature, we’ve reached the “aughts” or the first decade of the 2000s, where we find an Indian with a Native American codename, a Native American who gets tangled up with Norse Mythology, and a spy with a computer for a brain that wants to be a superhero.

There’s not even any bird symbology to his powers. I just don’t get it.

Mirage in one of her earliest appearances.

When she became a Valkyrie, she grew up!

An early Tessa appearance (yes, all the women in the Hellfire Club basically dressed like that).

Sage as the “Woman in the Chair” mode. (Did Jubilee say it was okay to borrow her jacket?)

Episode 180: LGBT Characters in Marvel (with JennytheGeek)

Back in Episode 89, we discussed LGBT characters in DC with JennytheGeek.  Well, after three years, she’s back to discuss LGBT characters in Marvel.  From Northstar’s coming out story to the recent “Pride” issues, we touch on some of the characters we feel the most strongly about, and what Marvel is getting right and wrong in their representation.

So…much…crosshatching! Yes, this came out in the 90s.

Ah yes, waving your arms around. The universal symbol for “You’re gay.”

Deadpool and his Valentine (no really, their name is Valentine)

No subtext allowed. (And yes, there’s a reason Nightcrawler is in a modified Spider-Man costume, but you have to read the story for that explanation…)

Episode 179: Why-Men (Lesser Known X-Men; Joseph, Cecilia Reyes, Maggott and Marrow)

Wrapping up the 90s era of “Lesser Known X-Men,” we have the clone, the doctor, the sentient slugs, and the bone-wielding Morlock all joining the team, though few of them stay on the team for too long. What happened to them after? I discuss that and many other details of their lives in this episode.

You can tell he’s not the real Magneto. Erik would never look that surprised.

Welcome to the X-Men. Hope you…ow! Ow! Stop hitting me!

He’s eating for three. Actually, two are eating for him…

A little taste of Maggott’s South African accent.

Marrow’s first appearance.

And a more recent appearance. You can tell she’s the same, right?

Episode 178: Why-Men (Lesser Known X-Men; Bishop, Kwannon & Cannonball)

The 1990s was one of the best-selling eras for the X-Men comics.  But, if you didn’t read them, you might not know who Bishop, Kwannon, or Cannonball are.  Take a listen here to find out what makes each of those characters unique and what they brought to the team.

I think you might be overstating it there…A lot will be the same, trust me.

It’s not Betsy, I swear!

Revanche is a dish best served…confusingly.

Little Sam Guthrie. Not his best look…

Good idea. Cover the forehead with goggles.

Episode 176: Why-Men (Lesser Known X-Men; Dazzler and Forge)

Continuing our focus on the “Almost Famous” members of the X-Men, we wrap up the members who joined in the 80s with the Disco Queen known as Dazzler, and the Indigenous American inventor who goes by Forge.  But, before that, an important announcement about the future of the show.

Oh yeah, and she’s an expert roller skater. Just in case she wasn’t “Disco” enough for you.

Her first (but nowhere near her last) costume change.

Forge working on some Krakoan tech, showing off his cybernetic leg.

Episode 175: Who Are The New Warriors? (Volume 4)

For the sixth anniversary of Welcome to Geektown, Kurt continues looking at the history of the New Warriors.  However, this is the only incarnation of the team that does not have his favorite superhero, Speedball, as a member. Who are these new kids, and where do they get off taking the team’s name?

The team being on a different page from Night Thrasher was a common theme…

Donyell. And yes, that “…with…” is doing a lot of heavy lifting there.

If you don’t know who this is, then you should definitely be writing in with questions more…

Jubilee as a vampire (it was only a phase…)

The only member of the team who felt the need to be labeled.

Stacy X. And yes, that “blown” is doing a lot of heavy lifting there…

Chamber in his mutant form, although he got his face back when he was resurrected later.

No, you’re not (at least not yet for two of you). That’s Redneck, Radian and Tattoo in positions 1, 2, and 5 going from left to right.

Episode 174: Why-Men (Lesser Known X-Men; Rachel Summers, Longshot, Psylocke)

Our fourth in a recurring series on the less famous members of the X-Men roster, we reach the 80s, with a alternate future child, a mullet-wearing alien clone, and a body swapped telepathic ninja.  Yes, the X-Men are weird.  Take a listen to find out exactly how weird it can get!

Rachel’s had a few different looks over the years, as she went from Hound to just Rachel, to Phoenix, to Marvel Girl, to Prestige to Askani. See if you can guess which costumes apply to which code name.

Business in the front, party in the back, pouches on the belt (a trendsetter both in hair and superhero costumes).

Betsy’s also gone through many looks. I’m grateful for the cover that shows them all in one image.

Episode 160: Neurodivergent Superheroes

Based on his portrayal in the recent movie bearing his name, a listener is curious about The Flash ever having been shown on the autism spectrum before this, as well as the presence of other neurodivergent characters in the superhero realm, which is what we discuss this episode.

Link to the Autistic Self-Advocacy Network for more information on autism and other neurodiverse conditions.

Yeah, I can see it…

Oh, Reed, no…

Yes, we’ve had white suit…but what about second white suit? And third…and fourth…

He is the one that delivers…

Sniff any hair lately, Ed? (Listen to Gothamites, you’ll get it…)

Episode 154: Secret Invasion Deep Dive (Ep 1)

Who Can You Trust? Find out (or at least theorize) in this first episode of our Deep Dive into the Secret Invasion show on Disney+. Is Nick Fury really as washed up as everyone says he is, or is that just another one of his spy tricks? Special guest TrekNexus from the Beyond Trek podcast joins me as we debate that and other details from the show.

If you watch this after watching Episode 1, you’ll notice some new things you didn’t see the first time.

I say the chances of seeing something like this in the show are just about nil, but that’s okay, because this never was something that actually happened in the comics either.

No soda sipping for the original Talos…

As I say in the episode, I believe this is Gravik’s closest comic counterpart.

Episode 152: Unusual Superhero Vehicles (1 of 2) - The Spider-Mobile

For the next two episodes, we’ll look at a couple of unusual vehicles driven by famous superheroes.  We skip over the Batmobile, the Invisible Jet, and other well-known vehicles and go straight to the bizarre, starting with the wall-crawler’s ill-fated car, the Spider-Mobile.

A display with a few iterations of the Batmobile inspired our listener’s missive.

I feel like the “Spidey” license plate is redundant. And also probably not an actual NY license plate.

…with a vengance!

You can’t get rid of it that easily, Spidey!

It will haunt you forever…

The Spider-Verse is a little nuts.

Episode 149: The Why-Men (Lesser-Known X-Men; Banshee, Sunfire, & Thunderbird)

Continuing our look at some of the less-famous X-Men roster, we’ve reached the Giant-Sized issue that reinvented the team, and the three members who never quite reached the fame of their compatriots like Nightcrawler, Colossus, Storm, and Wolverine.

Only one of the three we discuss even makes the cover. That’s got to hurt.

Banshee in one of his early villainous appearances.

…and what he looks like after joining the good guys. Amazing how much more attractive heroes are.

Sean in his “Horseman of Death” aspect.

And now as “Vox Ignis.”

Welcome to the team!

Well, that was quick…

The always pleasant to be around John Proudstar…

Welcome to the X-Men, John! Hope you survive the…Oh. Never mind.

45 years later…finally back!

Episode 145: Who is Kang? (aka Rama-Tut, aka Immortus, aka…)

Kang the Conqueror makes his first full appearance in the MCU with Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania, which came out earlier this weekend. But who is Kang, and what makes him so threatening that he’ll be the next Big Bad after Thanos? Learn his comic book history, including his many aliases by listening to this episode.

Damn, early 60s Janet is thirsty! Also, thank you Marvel Studios for adapting the Kang Lounge Chair.

Narrator voice: No, he is not.

Why you hittin’ yourself? Why you hittin’ yourself?

Okay. Maybe early 60s Janet had a point…

Just a few of the Avengers seen in “Avengers Forever.” Go read it!

Episode 140: S.H.I.E.L.D., H.A.M.M.E.R., S.W.O.R.D., and Other Marvel Acronym Agencies

Sure, S.W.O.R.D. and S.H.I.E.L.D. make sense together.  But, where did H.A.M.M.E.R. come from?  S.T.R.I.K.E.? W.A.N.D.? And what the heck does U.L.T.I.M.A.T.U.M. stand for? This episode, we go through various groups in the Marvel Universe that use acronyms and go through some of their history.

Total Recall totally ripped the “gun in the x-ray” off!

SHIELD’s first Director after 40 years of Fury…Maria Hill.

Tony doing his best to get in on that sweet Bond action.

Norman Osborn was going through a bit of a “What if I was played by Tommy Lee Jones” phase.

Until they gave her the gauntlets, I had a hard time telling Daisy and Maria apart. How about you?

If by “markedly different,” you mean “treasonous,” then you’re spot on!

Abigail Brand, Director of SWORD. With her sometime boyfriend Beast behind her (to her right, our left).

Episode 127: She-Hulk - A Deep Dive (Episode 1)

As should be obvious by now, I love the character of She-Hulk, so I’m going to be diving into her “fun lawyer show” on Disney+, along with guest Andy Wilson from the Kiss Your Franchise Goodbye podcast.  In this first episode, we get Jen’s super heroic origin story, and we learn more about Captain America than we may have wanted…

Episode 125: The Alternates (Spider-Man/Into the Spider-Verse)

Inspired by the animated movie, “Into the Spider-Verse,” a listener asks about the various characters in the Spider-Family that differ from the Spider-Man we all know and love.  There are too many to go through in one episode, but we’ll start this series of “The Alternates” by looking at those featured in the movie that inspired the question.

According to the movie, he’s put on some weight since then.

As promised, here’s what he looks like when he shows up in the mainstream continuity. You’re welcome/I’m sorry.

I did say he was the darkest…

A little different from the anime girl we saw in the movie, but not as much as you’d think.

No, she’s never called “Spider-Gwen” within the story itself.

Episode 123: The Revolving Death Door (Why all the Resurrections in Comics?)

The saying the listener asking this week’s question references used to be: “No one stays dead but Bucky, Jason Todd and Uncle Ben,” but two of those three have also returned from the grave. So, why are so many characters brought back to life after being given a “permanent” end to their story?

Yes, I see where this is going…

Yes, that makes sense…

Wait. What?

This is…not how lightning works. Except the “you dying” part.

This will work out fine, I’m sure.

Or…not.

He got better.

Episode 113: Who Are The New Warriors? (Volume 2)

Continuing the anniversary tradition, Kurt moves forward in his chronological look at Speedball and the New Warriors team.  Having finished up the 75 issue Volume 1 last year, we now move on to the short lived Volume 2, focusing on how they got back together and on the new members that joined, mutant teen Bolt, and the inner city youth turned mythological champion, Aegis!

New volume, new costumes for everyone!

Well, for a little while, anyways.

The fight actually went much better for the team than this cover suggests.

Episode 112: Who is Moon Knight (aka Marc Spector aka Steven Grant aka Jake Lockley aka…)?

In anticipation of the upcoming Disney+ show (and the Deep Dive I’ll be doing with author John Mulhall), it’s time to take a look at the origins of Moon Knight, why some call him “Marvel’s Batman,” and most importantly what makes him completely unique.

If he was really clad in solid silver, do you think he’d be able to move?

Leaning into the multiple identities idea from the very start.

Like having Spider-Man, Wolverine, and Captain America guest-star in every issue!

Khonshu is Khreepy.