eXaMENation

This week, the guys discuss Marvel’s new ‘What If?’, but only briefly, with no spoilers.  That comes next week.  Also on the docket is the state of Krakoa’s future with the recent announcement of Jonathan Hickamn’s newly announced 3 Worlds, 3 Moons and Substack.  Children of the Atom wraps up by exploring what it means when one of their team is revealed as mutant and how that affects the dynamics of the team and their relationships.  X-Force continues revealing what Xeno is up to in its quest to manipulate floronic life.  The Danger Room is back and running, but it’s put up or shut up for Kelsey and Dane, there are no alternatives.  Do they make it out alive?  Find out this and more in this week’s episode!

X-Men #2, Hellions #14

In part two of a double feature, the guys discuss the upcoming Marvel What-If and a surprising amount of Suicide’s King Shark.  In the Crucible each member defends a ‘lesser’ book and why they think it can rise up the ranks.  X-Men picks up right where it left off with classic X-Men team stories, drawing on the past to create the present and power the future.  Hellions continues to test the number of ways we can compliment the book.  Just read it.  If you’re not reading it, you’re making a mistake.  The Danger Room makes its return as Kelsey and Dane come out the gate like some savages.  Will it be enough?  Find out this and more in this week’s episode!  (Stick around to the end if you’re a fan of talk about outdated search engines!)

Wolverine #14, S.W.O.R.D. #7, Cable #12

We’ve had technical difficulties (both personally and with our podcast services) so it is late.  But the good news is, that means you guys are getting a double feature.  This episode the guys discuss the full slate of upcoming Marvel TV shows and movies.  What made the shows so far great?  What are we most excited about in the next slate of TV shows?  How about movies?  What needs to happen to make these new properties really stick?  Scarlett Johannsen sues Marvel for breach of contract regarding her incentives for a theatrical release and the fact that Black Widow was the first Marvel product to be streamed with its release.  Stepping into the Crucible the guys discuss the most punchable face on Krakoa.  Wolverine gets back to basics and reminds us why he is the best at what he does as he investigates mutant threats in Madripoor.  S.W.O.R.D. takes place in space, but feels like it gets a little hijacked by the Annihilation tie-in story.  Cable gets his swan song as the team takes on Stryfe one more, or last, or the first time (time travel is hard!).  Where is the character of Cable when all of this is over and where can he go from here?  Find out this and more in this week’s episode!

Marauders #22, New Mutants #20

This episode some guys discuss Loki episode 6 and the lasting effects on the MCU, the Loki and Wandavision finale sync ups, and Henry Cavill taking a very British MCU meeting.  In the Crucible the team is faced with the haunting reality that we haven’t had a good X-Men video game in over 15 years.  Hellfire Club, sorry, Marauders, reveals a long ago plot of Emma’s proving she’s been betraying Shaw for a lot longer than Krakoa has been around.  New Mutants continues good heartfelt stories about young mutants on the island.  But how long can things stay wholesome with the Shadow King, murder, and the youthful bucking of authority?  Find out this and more in this week’s episode!

We discuss Excalibur, Way of X, and X-Corp.  Loki is killing it too!

Children of the Atom #5, X-Force #21, Hellions #13, X-Men #1

This episode the guys discuss Loki episode 4 and what it means for Loki being in the Simpson Cinematic Universe, expectations for the upcoming Trial of Magneto and Inferno and which event comics in Marvel have done the best job of laying out and tying in issues.  Children of the Atom is starting to wrap up with its final character focus issue and some good old fashion superhero action.  X-Force continues dealing with its telephonic problems but things get a little more complicated when Xeno returns into the fold.  Hellions continues the never ending hot streak as the team dynamic continues to evolve as they discover the Sinister who lead them into Arakko was not the Sinister who brought them out.  Finally, Krakoa is a weird new world so it is nice when something feels like home.  X-Men, much like its name, gets back to the classics of what makes mutant superheroes great.  The Danger Room finally makes a return but can Kelsey and Dane evolve their strategies fast enough to keep up?  Find out in this episode!

Wolverine #13, S.W.O.R.D. #6, Way of X #3, X-Factor #10, Cable #11

This episode the guys discuss Loki episodes 2 and 3 and its introduction of new take on a classic Asgardian character, some of the review information on the soon to be released Black Widow and whether or not Kelsey will watch it opening weekend (spoiler, he will, but semi-involuntarily), and if Marvel making small changes to its streaming content is an interesting or even good thing.  Wolverine grows from the seeds planted by X-Force and blooms into a full force Terra Verde conflict at the gala (and other plant based puns).  S.W.O.R.D. follows the intergalactic fallout and follow-up to the Planet Sized moves of the X-Men.  He may be drunk, but that doesn’t stop Nightcrawler from asking the tough questions, but tough questions can lead to tough answers.  Oh, and Onslaught.  X-Factor is a book about a chosen family and solving mysteries and it wraps up with a chosen family solving some heavy mysteries and uncovering one more.  The 80’s action movie that is Cable introduces a ‘new’ ‘old’ character as it ramps up to a finale we have to assume is going to be full of some quality one-liners.  Where have we been (The Gala) and where are we going (The Trial of Magneto?  While Quintin couldn’t make it, he couldn’t go a whole two weeks without being heard so stick around to the very end for his hot takes on the last five issues!

This episode the guys discuss what grabbed them about the first episode of Marvel’s Loki TV show on Disney+ and what they think about the promise of SquareEnix’s newly announced Guardians of the Galaxy game and the promise of no DLC or microtransactions.  Planet Sized X-Men brings the big global (well...bigger than global) scale change from mutants on the 616 universe.  New Mutants drops emotional hammer after emotional hammer.  Whether you're a friend, lover, or sibling, there is a heart string pulled for everyone.  Angel and Monet mean business as they use the gala as an opportunity to find the rest of their corporate board.

This episode the guys discuss Kelsey’s mostly spoiler free takes on episode one of Loki!  Q and Dane haven’t seen it yet, so look for more in depth (and spoiler ridden) discussion next week.  The gala continues first with Excalibur.  Rictors is very grumpy but the team has bigger problems as Britain wants out of the alliance with Krakoa and ends that treaty with mutant blood.  The X-Men are announced with a 4th wall breaking (5th wall breaking?) appearance by Kevin Feige.  Children of the Atom continues giving each character the chance at perspective, this time hearing from Marvel Guy, Ben Thomas.  Are the wannabe mutants going to be able to make it to the gala themselves?  Find out on this week’s episode!

Marauders #21, X-Force #20, Hellions #12

This episode the guys discuss next week's release of Loki, who’s going to watch and what’s expected and whether the all-star creative team for the new run of Venom is enough to excite a bunch of mostly X-readers.  Marauder’s kicks off the much anticipated Hellfire Gala.  While we get answers as to how the night starts and ends, what happens throughout the night is left to the remaining books to come.  X-Force works security for the event but Beast has other, more nefarious plans.  Does that sit well with the rest of Krakoa?  Plus, a guest appearance from a fan favorite honorary mutant.  Hellions is as Hellions does.  What, did you expect them NOT to get drunk and crash the party with fun and violence?  In the Danger Room Kelsey and Dane use more than four questions, but how many more is yet to be seen.  Find out how many on these week’s episode!