X Is For Comics: An X-Men Podcast

Over the last four years, Marvel Comics has initiated a lot of refreshes on their big name properties, from the start of the Krakoan Age to the first semester at Strange Academy. So many books got a big reset to their status quo. Today, a lot of those stories are winding down, or have already moved into their next era, from the Fall of the House of X to a new start for Daredevil. We’re taking a look at what came before and what’s coming after. 

X Is For Show is your premiere place for web content where we discuss your favorite media, from comics to film & television to gaming and beyond! You can find the Action Pack here every week, so be sure to tune in and join us for all the fun.

Halloween is unlike any other holiday in the Marvel Universe – a winter-holiday story about Christmas, Hanukkah, or Yule needs that sweet spot publishing date of Oct, Nov, or Dec; while there’s always a bit of romance in a title, Feb really hits it with Valentine’s Day; and it’s only ever Flag Day, Memorial Day, or Veteran’s Day in Cap Comics – but Marvel can produce a whole character line around *spoooooky* characters any time of the year! Join the Action Pack as they look at a host of recent Marvel Halloween Hits from Ghost Rider, Werewolf By Night, the Spider-Verse, and more! 

X Is For Show is your premiere place for web content where we discuss your favorite media, from comics to film & television to gaming and beyond! You can find the Action Pack here every week, so be sure to tune in and join us for all the fun.

Daredevil is a complicated hero – DD historically sits at the bottom of the top tier heroes (save for a dynamic once-every-decade redefining run), mixing dark magic ninjas with Irish-Catholic guilt like few comics can, and – in great part due to a shared pool of creators – is regularly seen as a crimson-imitation of Batman (and sometimes, they even team up). But then, in 2019, Chip Zdarsky dared to bring Daredevil due on 55 years of potential, promises, and conflicting mythologies: Mike Murdock lives, Elektra dons the cowl, The Daredevils vs The Fisks for the fate of NYC, new trajectory for Typhoid Mary, and the “resolution” to The Hand saga. After a 70 issue Daredevil Era-Event-Experience, the finale left Matt, Elektra, & Hell’s Kitchen itself in a dangerously familiar yet mysterious direction. Join The Action Pack PLUS The Billy Club crew as they look at Daredevil (vol 8) #1 PLUS a look at the 25h anniversary of Guardian Devil, the landmark Kevin Smith story proving Daredevil still had more life after Frank Miller & Ann Nocenti’s then-nearly decade old runs & a history of Daredevil's biggest eras, number ones, and more!

X Is For Show is your premiere place for web content where we discuss your favorite media, from comics to film & television to gaming and beyond! You can find the Action Pack here every week, so be sure to tune in and join us for all the fun.

The nature of the shifting comic book news cycle means readers often see covers, know plots, teams, creators, and more sometimes as much as six months in advance of release, leaving readers in holding patterns where the nature of what’s out now vs what’s coming next can become confusing. At other times, the announcements can aggressively infringe on the validity of what’s coming out at the time. Nico, TK, & Kevo take a look at the current and future states of Marvel like Fall of X vs Fall of House of X, Avengers by McKay vs Avengers: Twilight by Zdarsky, and J. Hick’s Ultimate Invasion vs J. Hick’s Ultimate Spider-Man!

X Is For Show is your premiere place for web content where we discuss your favorite media, from comics to film & television to gaming and beyond! You can find the Action Pack here every week, so be sure to tune in and join us for all the fun.

Wolverine & Ghost Rider team-up for Weapons Of Vengeance -- a four-part crossover building on the current runs of both books by Ben Percy. The crossover goes deeper, painting a picture of a missing moment in both heroes’ journeys, leading the Action Pack to examining the history of Wolvie & the Rider, across multiple iterations of both characters, starting when the two first met in 1990, with no signs of stopping.

X Is For Show is your premiere place for web content where we discuss your favorite media, from comics to film & television to gaming and beyond! You can find the Action Pack here every week, so be sure to tune in and join us for all the fun.

Whether its the comics or the TV show, the world of Daredevil wouldn't b be the same without Gladiator -- but his earliest appearances do Melvin Potter no justice, as he struggles to find his character. The earliest years of Daredevil feature so much testing-new-ideas, The Hornhead faces some forgettable foes like The Tri-Man and the Masked Marauder as well. But it's cool because Gladiator is so hot it really doesn't matter. Then – Daredevil spends much of the 1960s searching for an identity. Ka-Zar's jungle vibes and his weird crime-boy brother do not help this journey, but it's still a fun romp. Plus holy &$*& 1960s letters pages were savage! (Beware of  Pat, Matt!!) Next – The holidays are a time for family! This Thanksgiving weekend installment sees the return of Producer Kevo, so our Billy Club family can discuss exactly that: family, and its significance to one recently-gilded hornhead. Daredevil's surprising (and significant!) appearance in She-Hulk's finale has significantly amped up our excitement for Charlie's and Matt's futures with the MCU, and our team has gathered to praise the former's hard work and look forward to what the latter has in store. Last – It's that time of year where everyone starts posting their holiday and end of year best episodes -- and The Billy Club is swinging in with a special look at one of the team's all time favorite issues! Mark Waid's Daredevil v3 #7 contains so many of the character's best features, conventions, and storytelling highlights, including the much famed "I Am Not Daredevil" shirt. Join Nico, Tori, & Producer Kevo as the three of them celebrate everything that makes Daredevil so holly, jolly, and deadly all year round!

X Is For Show is your premiere place for web content where we discuss your favorite media, from comics to film & television to gaming and beyond! You can find the Action Pack here every week, so be sure to tune in and join us for all the fun.

When Marvel fans think of classic friendships, Daredevil and Spider-Man often comes to mind first. While many of the earliest stories lack the exact magic that later tales would contain, this early story is filled with memorable moments and a battle with the Masked Marauder. But really, it’s about the power of community the two characters manage to share despite their as-of-yet-unknown secret identities hanging overhead! Then – It takes the title a while to find its groove and its recurring character line-up, but Daredevil: The Man Without Fear is on its way. A two-part arc with Gladiator and the Masked Marauder sees Nico, Tori, and occasional spots from Kevo examine how much Gladiator has transformed over the last few years! Last – The Owl is one of the villains most synonymous with Daredevil's wild rogues gallery -- but he was not always the same sort of scary/silly he is today -- he started a lot sillier. A lot. Join Nico, Tori, and producer Kevo as the three of them take a look at the very odd, error-filled, and disjointed return of The Owl!

X Is For Show is your premiere place for web content where we discuss your favorite media, from comics to film & television to gaming and beyond! You can find the Action Pack here every week, so be sure to tune in and join us for all the fun.

The Ox was not the most memorable villain Daredevil had in the earliest issues o the title, but Ox’s second appearance, while rote with tropes that were common to the era, manages to finally reclaim the energy that once belonged to the title. The transition of artists, writers, and genre left Daredevil languishing, like the wrong mind in the wrong body – which is exactly what Daredevil #15 delivers! Then – The Billy Club is back with an all-new news special! Daredevil Omnibus volume 2 was announced leading Nico & Tori to a deeeeep rabbit hole looking at literally every Marvel Omnibus edition to contain Daredevil or Elektra content! They look at the proper runs (the Classic 60s, Miller, Bendis, Waid, & more) plus crossover collections (like Shadowland and the X-Men collections), as well as what's still missing (like the Ann Nocenti run)! Next – The D23 Expo may as well been named Daredevil 23 Expo with the amazing news they provided to The Billy Club team! The incredible event gave new clips from She-Hulk featuring Daredevil, Echo news, a new Born Again logo, and more beyond just the new Disney+ show! There’s news of Daredevil headed to the theme parks and even a Mickey Mouse and BEARDEVIL mashup!? Last – The hotly-anticipated appearance of Matt Murdock (aka I Am Not Daredevil) has finally arrived! On this installment of The Billy Club, Nico and Tori are joined by Producer Kevo as they discuss the hornhead's triumphant return to superheroics with his first full appearance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Does the devil live up to the hype? Hell yes!! The She-Hulk series perfectly nails the character of Matt Murdock that we knew and loved from the Netflix series while continuing to expand the character, making these fans even more excited for what's to come.

X Is For Show is your premiere place for web content where we discuss your favorite media, from comics to film & television to gaming and beyond! You can find the Action Pack here every week, so be sure to tune in and join us for all the fun.

As Daredevil continues to struggle to develop its voice as a title, the characters continue to evolve and transform into the heroes we know them as today. In Daredevil #9, Matt gets his first “you-may-get-your-sight-back” story as well as the first DD villain who never shows up again – in fact, never even sees mention again. Klaus Kreuger acts as a rough Doctor Doom stand-in, and finds himself slipped into Matt & Foggy’s past, and then just as easily slips right back out again. But of course, regardless of anything else, Matt’s struggles against ableism are far from over. Next – Daredevil continues to transform as a title before The Billy Club’s eyes! Join Nico and Tori as they take a look at Wally Wood’s Daredevil script, a story taking DD from his previous element to the next stage of his storytelling – a crime/superhero hybrid! The Organizer recruits The Organization (convenient!) featuring Cat-Man, Frog-Man, Bird-Man, & Ape-Man to cause a crimewave as Foggy Nelson becomes a political figure. In some ways, these are the base elements of what will become Daredevil’s building blocks going forward, but at the same time, this silly story never moves to where it needs to to sustain the Crimson Crusader and his place in the Marvel Universe! Then – Well, we knew this was coming. In an effort to create more Daredevil, Daredevil stops being Daredevil, exactly. Daredevil makes the switch to monthly and in, to accommodate additional issues, a three-part story about Ka-Zar completely replaces the title. It’s a weird choice. Ka-Zar, while a staple of the Marvel Universe, is not a great fit for Daredevil and the weird dynamic created by forcing Daredevil into a story in his own title meant to facilitate crafting a bigger picture for the burgeoning comic line, Daredevil truly begins to get lost in the lack of an identity presented by being not-quite-Spider-Man-for-adults. Last – It's been an exciting weekend for Daredevil fans!! Your Billy Club hosts Nico & Tori couldn't be more thrilled about all of the amazing news that came from San Diego ComicCon this year, so we've put together a little reaction special just to talk about it! Don't worry, they'll be back with their usual DD deep dives on our next installment. Until then, stay fearless!

X Is For Show is your premiere place for web content where we discuss your favorite media, from comics to film & television to gaming and beyond! You can find the Action Pack here every week, so be sure to tune in and join us for all the fun.

Few Marvel heroes stretch back as far as Namor: The Sub-Mariner does through canon, and a year into Daredevil’s run, the two characters come against one another! In Daredevil #7, Namor WIPES THE FLOOR with Daredevil, kicking his ass in the air, on land, and underwater. But despite this power imbalance, Namor sees the worth in Daredevil and treats him with dignity, only leaving him in defeat, instead of destroyed. Then – Marvel’s first family made contact with Daredevil back in DD #2, our second episode. Once again, the FF & DD find themselves teaming up, and this time MM, RR, SS, & Co are facing off against D(r)D for the BB. Fantastic Four, Daredevil, Matt Murdock, Reed Richards, Sue Storm, Doctor Doom, and Baxter Building, respectively. The story here focuses far more on the FF with DD in more of a support role, which suits him just fine. Stepping in, and once again hopelessly outmatched, against Doctor Doom while a powerless Fantastic Four flounder, Daredevil gives a solid 20 pages in this two part Billy Club Bonus appearance! Last – Daredevil’s rogues gallery is known for a number of incredible, threatening villains, representing menaces of all kinds. Whether it’s Kingpin, Bullseye, or yes, even The Beast of The Hand, the villains of Daredevil cover the peak-human, the not-so-human, and the all-powerful. However, none of those guys show up until later. And for every early Purple Man and The Owl, there’s Stiltman, the most under-appreciated Daredevil villain of them all. In a story full of twists and turns and a pivoting point for the awkward trio-romance, more than just the Stiltman comeths. Cometh? Comeths. Sure.

X Is For Show is your premiere place for web content where we discuss your favorite media, from comics to film & television to gaming and beyond! You can find the Action Pack here every week, so be sure to tune in and join us for all the fun.