In Episode 118 of CEREBRO, Connor and Marvel/DC writer Josh Trujillo (What If? Gambit, Blue Beetle, Wiccan and Hulkling) play a game of thrones with the liberal Lilandra Neramani, Majestrix Shi'ar! Created by Chris Claremont and Dave Cockrum as the primary love interest for Charles Xavier, alien princess (and sometime empress) Lilandra became a major player in intergalactic politics and a frequent friend — but sometimes foe — of the X-Men. Her assassination in the 2009 cosmic event War of Kings was a devastating blow to social progress in the Shi'ar Imperium, but in recent years her daughter by Charles, Xandra, has taken the throne and worked to finally realize the reforms her mother championed.

The CEREBRO character file on Lilandra begins at 51:27.

(Content Advisory: Lilandra is the ruler of an imperial state built on conquest and slavery. She tries to improve things from within, but there's a lot of rough stuff in here. This episode also discusses current events in America and — without going into detail — the sexual misconduct allegations against Neil Gaiman.)

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In Episode 117 of CEREBRO, Connor and fan favorite guest Jordan Blok go under the knife with Yuriko Oyama, the diabolical Lady Deathstrike! Created by Denny O'Neill and William Johnson as a brief love interest for Daredevil, the character was heavily reimagined by later writers as the ultimate woman of war, a key nemesis of the X-Man Wolverine and leader of the vicious cyborgs called the Reavers. A fan favorite character despite her evil history, in recent years Deathstrike has been portrayed as more of an antihero than a pure villain.

This is Part Two of Two. Go back to Part One if you haven't heard it yet! Patreon subscribers now have exclusive access to the combined 9-hour Extended Mrs. Claws Mix.

Jordan's curated Lady Deathstrike playlist, FINGERCRIMES, is available now on Spotify as a complement to this episode.

(Content Advisory: Yuriko's story includes suicide, racism, child abuse, threatened sexual violence, torture, and genocide.)

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In Episode 117 of CEREBRO, Connor and fan favorite guest Jordan Blok go under the knife with Yuriko Oyama, the diabolical Lady Deathstrike! Created by Denny O'Neil and William Johnson as a brief love interest for Daredevil, the character was heavily reimagined by other writers (particularly Chris Claremont) as the ultimate woman of war, a key nemesis of the X-Man Wolverine and leader of the vicious cyborgs called the Reavers. A fan favorite character despite her evil history, in recent years Deathstrike has been portrayed as more of an antihero than a pure villain.

The CEREBRO character file on Lady Deathstrike begins at 1:10:00.

This is Part One of Two. The second half is coming soon! When it drops, Patreon subscribers will also get exclusive access to the combined Extended Mrs. Claws Mix.

Jordan's curated Lady Deathstrike playlist, FINGERCRIMES, is available now on Spotify as a complement to this episode.

(Content Advisory: Yuriko's story includes suicide, racism, child abuse, sexual violence, torture, and genocide.)

Our Sponsors:
* Check out Mood and use my code CEREBRO for a great deal: https://mood.com


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Hey there, Zalagang!

Some scheduling issues have delayed the next episode of CEREBRO, but it should be in your ears for the holidays. Since it's been a minute — and a mysterious shadow early in the current run of Jed McKay's X-Men certainly looked like this beautiful weirdo — I've decided to release a CEREBRO Appendix episode publicly.

This episode was originally released as a Patreon exclusive on August 9th, 2023. It's a fun sample of the joy awaiting you for just $5 dollars a month in the House of Z — especially as Holly will soon be my co-host for Krakoa Revisited, a Patreon series analyzing the five-year Krakoan arcs of every character already covered on CEREBRO.

Thanks for your patience! More soon.

In the latest installment of the CEREBRO Appendix, Dr. Holly Raymond of Temple University returns to the pod to talk about Astra, an extremely strange character. Created by Alan Davis, Fabian Nicieza, and Leinil Francis Yu, Astra is a retconned-in founding member of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. 

She loves cloning Magneto, for reasons.

(Content Advisory: Astra's story includes torture, brainwashing, and Oedipal vibes.)

The CEREBRO Appendix is a bonus episode series spotlighting characters who do not have a full Zaladane of 12 appearances, or who never get the personal focus that would merit a full episode of CEREBRO.

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In Episode 116 of CEREBRO, Connor and returning guest comedian Jay Jurden refuse to blend in with Victor Borkowski, the aggravating Anole! Created by Nunzio DeFillipis, Christina Weir, and Keron Grant, Victor is one of the more enduring characters from the Academy X generation. Devised for an 'issue story' about gay teen suicide that was ultimately nixed by Marvel editorial, in the decades since — like many in his age cohort — he has struggled to find a consistent role in the franchise. Things are looking up for the character, however, with his new gig as a regular cast member in NYX, written by Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly as part of the From the Ashes linewide relaunch.

The CEREBRO character file on Anole begins at 46:33.

(Content Advisory: Victor's story includes homophobia. This episode also discusses a storyline about suicide that was planned but never published.)

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Hey there, Zalagang!

Today I'm joined by beloved friend of the pod Spencer Ackerman for a very special bonus episode: a discussion of his new ongoing title Iron Man!

The first arc of this new run picks up from Gerry Duggan's finale, following Tony Stark as he struggles to recover from a catastrophic injury — while also fending off a hostile takeover by the nefarious board of directors Feilong appointed in his absence. It features stunning art by Julius Ohta and a cavalcade of glamorous supervillainesses. I loved it.

This episode contains FULL SPOILERS for Iron Man #1, so please read the issue before listening.

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Hey there, Zalagang!

Today I'm joined by Marvel writer Murewa Ayodele (I Am Iron Man) to discuss his new title Storm, which debuts today as part of the From the Ashes relaunch!

This new solo series follows Ororo Munroe as she attempts to establish herself as a local superheroine in Atlanta, Georgia, while juggling her obligations to both mutantkind and the Avengers. At the same time, she must assert herself responsibly as a global political figure after her time as Regent of Arakko.

This episode contains FULL SPOILERS for Storm #1, so please read the issue before listening.

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In Episode 115 of CEREBRO, Connor and returning fan favorite guest Sara Century double their fun(?) with Jeanne-Marie Beaubier, the audacious Aurora! Created by John Byrne and Chris Claremont, but primarily developed by Byrne, Aurora is the twin sister of her Alpha Flight teammate Northstar, from whom she was separated at birth. Unfortunately, her abusive upbringing in a cruel orphanage left her with a very soap opera-style split personality — and the endless struggle to integrate cold, prudish Jeanne-Marie and arrogant, irrepressible Aurora into a stable whole has dominated the character's stories over her long, often frustrating publication history.

The CEREBRO character file on Aurora begins at 1:00:47.

(Content Advisory: Jeanne-Marie's story includes child abuse including child sex abuse, sexual violence, domestic violence, attempted suicide, torture, and extreme ableism. This episode features frank discussion of exploitation cinema, including the rape-revenge horror/action subgenre. Aurora has a very distressing history. Please take care.)

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In Episode 114 of CEREBRO, Connor and returning fan favorite guest Spencer Ackerman live the life aquatic with Namor McKenzie, the studly Sub-Mariner! Created by Bill Everett in 1939, Namor is among Marvel's earliest characters, one of only a handful to be carried over from predecessor imprint Timely Comics. Arguably the first antihero in the superhero genre, the Sub-Mariner was reimagined in the Silver Age as a sometime foe of the Fantastic Four, a romantic complication for leading lady Sue Storm. In the 21st century, after many years of stories technically designating him as a mutant, Namor finally spent a stretch of time in the X-Men franchise in work by Matt Fraction and Kieron Gillen.

The result here is a strange, undersea adventure for which Connor is not entirely prepared.

First, though, a little chat about Spencer's new gig as the incoming writer of Iron Man!

The CEREBRO character file on the Sub-Mariner begins at 1:15:06.

(Content Advisory: Namor's story includes racism, colonialism, genocide, and sexual violence.)

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Surprise!

After some technical difficulties last year, last weekend for the third annual CEREBRO live show at FlameCon we did manage to pull the audio from the sound board. There are a few little hiccups, but overall I am really happy with the sound quality.

Here is a quick six-minute teaser of the full live episode, which has a runtime of 1:16:26 and is now available on the CEREBRO Patreon at the House of Zaladane tier ($5/month).

This year I was joined by friend of the pod Anthony Oliviera to talk about his new Marvel digital comic Avengers Academy, featuring the mutant character Escapade... and then generally tangent into other things, exactly as one might expect from me and Anthony Oliviera sitting on a stage together. At the halfway mark we pivot to a very fun Q&A segment.

This performance was recorded on August 17th, 2024 at the Sheraton Times Square in Manhattan.

Thanks to Tony for being my guest, to FlameCon for being my absolute favorite regional convention, and to everyone who attended the show. I wish the audience was more audible on the track! You were amazing.

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