eXaMENation

X-Force #18, S.W.O.R.D. #4

This episode the guys discuss what can make the upcoming Falcon and Winter Soldier truly special, what they are expecting from the high fashion Hellfire Gala and Planet Sized X-Men, and the newly announced United States of Captain America storyline.  Looking for some psychological, horror suspense in your X-Men comics?  Look no further than the continuation of the Quentin Quire storyline in X-Force.  You may have forgotten, but Krakoa is still under siege from the symbiote Cable in the S.W.O.R.D. King in Black tie in where we get another glimpse into just how powerful Manifold is.

This episode the guys give their final takes on WandaVision, specifically the finale and where we go from here.  With WandaVision behind us, Falcon and the Winter Solider is up next and the guys discuss where there hype meter is at for Marvel’s next Disney+ product.  In the comic book world, our X-Men are primed for another big event with the announcement of Planet-Sized X-Men and the tie-in event with the Hellfire Gala coming this summer.  X-Factor takes on a spooky tone as the team takes on the Morrigan, totally unprepared.  Meanwhile, Krakoa is on the verge of getting some new blood with the Children of the Atom.  But is everything as it appears at first glance?  The Danger Room this week is a soul testing exercise.  Are Kelsey and Dane sharp enough to make it out alive.  Find out on this week’s episode.

Hellions #10

This episode the guys discuss the emotion behind the penultimate episode of WandaVision (with a brief pit stop for Dane to complain and infinity stone colors) and where our expectations are for next week’s new release: Children of the Atom.  Hellions does, what Hellions do.  You get action, you get drama, you get emotion, you get humor as Arcade reveals the steps he’s taken to set his nefarious (and downright crazy) plan in action and how that involves the Sinister and his ragtag Hellions.  With only one book to discuss the Danger Room gets ramped up x5!  Five answers, 100 QUESTIONS!  Kelsey and Dane have never faced a challenge like this.  Do they have the endurance and skill to handle such a gauntlet?  Find out on this week’s episode!

Wolverine #10, New Mutants #16, X-Men #18

SEASON FIVE IS HERE!  This episode the guys discuss everything coming to the MCU (now both movies AND TV) for the rest of 2021, including the newly announced Christmas release of Spiderman: No Way Home and answer the question, What X Team Would You Be On?  Will Wolverine’s past catch up to him once more or can old friends be trusted?  What's the main story line of New Mutants?  You’ve got choices because Krakoa is a busy place for the young island citizens.  Over a year later (for us, who knows how long for them!) and we finally get a peak inside the vault.  Is it everything we were hoping for and more?  Instead of the traditional Danger Room, the guys celebrate the start of a new season by ranking the current Reign of X books, what makes each one tick, and who they are for.  Interested in getting into another X Book or two but don’t know which ones?  Find out on this week’s episode!

This episode the guys discuss the weekly WandaVision takes and the news about the potential future of DC Comics under the AT&T umbrella.  Consequences have actions and the Marauders make sure to teach that lesson.  But will Verendi and the island of Madripoor teach it right back?  Time travel and clones should make for an incoherent story, but great art, awesome dialogue and grounded characters make Cable a routine success and this week is no different.  Kelsey and Dane have taken a beating in the Danger Room lately.  Can they heal up and take down their foe this week?  Find out on this week’s episode!

S.W.O.RD. #3, X-Force #17, Excalibur #18

This episode the guys discuss the big twist in WandaVision this week (SPOILERS), what actors they wouldn’t mind returning when we get new X-Men movies, and the newly released cover art of upcoming issues including the return of Nimrod.  Manifold gets some solo time in S.W.O.R.D. as he traverses space at whim hoping to deal with Knull and Earth’s current symbiote problem.  X-Force gives us a deep dive on Quentin Quire.  Why is he so snarky and rebellious and what would he be like if someone could push that aside for him for even just a second?  Excalibur continues the mystery of Betsy Braddock.  Betsy’s back, but is she OUR Betsy?  Things get heated in the Danger Room.  Will Kelsey and Dane fly high or burn out trying?  Find out on this week’s episode!

King in Black: Marauders #1, X-Factor #7, Hellions #9

This episode the guys discuss if there is any election fraud involved in the vote for the new X-Men roster and what kind of potential there is for a new Wakanda Disney+ TV show.  The Marauders/King in Black crossover comes with the good and bad of a one shot story; we get some high seas adventure, but what does it really mean?  X-Factor gets a big lead on one mystery but discovers an entirely new one and continues to develop underutilized X-Men.  Hellions...well, it’s Hellions.  It’s great.  We laugh, we cry, we contemplate our own reality.  Kelsey and Dane enter the Danger Room and ask some pretty wild questions.  Number 14 might shock you!  What is it?  Do they succeed?  Find out on this week’s episode!

Excalibur #17, New Mutants #15, Wolverine #9, X-Men #17

This episode the guys discuss revisiting Age of Ultron with our (soon to be) spouses in light of WandaVision, no X-Men in April...and a brief pit stop into professional wrestling...for some reason?  Excalibur has OUR Betsy waking up in another timeline where Betsy is the Queen of England and has to find her way home with a familiar...roommate?  New Mutants has too much to summarize in one sentence as we see a day in the life of struggling young mutants on the island of Krakoa.  Wolverine, sorry, Patch, plays to the classic underground auction trope as we reveal even more of his troubled past and where it is going to lead in his future.  X-Men sends some classic heavy hitters into Shi’ar space to deal with the disappearance of their new queen in a very 90’s special.  The Danger Room takes a backseat as the Podcast debates who they will formally endorse for the X-Men elections.  Who will the guys throw their political weight behind?  Find out on this week’s episode!

X-Force #16, Cable #7

This episode the guys discuss their review the MCU’s first venture into television in Wandavision as well as what other comics, books, and television they are consuming.  X-Force finds the team investigating the shoreline zombie invasion and tracking down the source with a little help from under the sea guest.  This week’s Cable is a family affair as Cable and Rachel track down the missing mutant babies (with the help of Philadelphia's finest) as Cable discovers the source of the problem: himself?  Kelsey takes the helm of the Danger Room and things get hot, but will Quintin and Dane survive the inferno?  Find out in this episode?

Marauders #17, S.W.O.R.D. #2

This episode the guys discuss the two day countdown to Wandavision and who Venom is to them (hint: when you are an eight year old boy, it’s just a way cooler Spider-Man).  Marauders continues to center around the political drama of the Hellfire Club, but is the book becoming TOO much politics, not enough action?  S.W.O.R.D. finds the team smack in the middle of the King in Black story line as the newly formed squad has to break through a symbiote encased earth to help out the team on the surface.  Dane and Kelsey have to merge their minds to survive the danger room, but will they get the answer in time?  Find out in this episode!