Line #41 Podcast/JayAndMilesXPlainTheXMen


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3	->''"Because it's about time someone did!"''
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5	''Jay and Miles X-Plain the X-Men'' is a weekly {{podcast}} hosted by Jay Edidin (who you might also know as the guy behind ''Blog/WorstMuse'') and Miles Stokes, covering the "ins, outs and {{retcon}}s" of their favorite {{superhero}} SoapOpera, the ''ComicBook/XMen''.
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7	Each episode sets out to explain the X-Men for listeners, usually covering a specific story arc in the team's extensive history, starting from their very first issue in 1963 onwards --- though they sometimes break from their usually scheduled programming with creator interviews, live episodes, and even some TabletopRPG specials.
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9	Some noted creators with experience writing X-Books who've appeared on the show include Creator/AnnNocenti (''Longshot''), Creator/GregRucka (''ComicBook/{{Cyclops\|MarvelComics}}''), Si Spurrier (''ComicBook/XMenLegacy''), Greg Pak (''X-Treme X-Men'', ''ComicBook/{{Storm\|MarvelComics}}''), Dennis Hopeless (''X-Men: Season One'', ''ComicBook/AllNewXMen''), G. Willow Wilson (''X-Men'') and Creator/ChrisClaremont.
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11	You can find it [[http://www.xplainthexmen.com/ here]].
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14	!! Jay and Miles have explained (and provided examples of) the following tropes:
15	* AerithAndBob: Miles is so disappointed that Bolivar Trask named his son ''Larry''.
16	* BigWhat: Miles closes out every ColdOpen (in which Jay describes a particularly convoluted X-Men story element) with one of these. On live shows, the whole [[AudienceParticipation audience]] joins in.
17	* BornAsAnAdult: Stan Lee's inability to properly write dialog for teenagers spurs Jay and Miles to speculate on this.
18	* BorrowedCatchphrase: In Episode 396, the ColdOpen is Miles inviting Al Kennedy of ''Podcast/HouseToAstonish'' to stand in for Jay during his parental leave:
19	-->'''Al''': So, how long were you thinking?\
20	'''Miles''': A couple of months or so.\
21	'''Al''': ''WHAT??''
22	* BriefAccentImitation: The second Giant-Size Special features Miles and guest host Tina pulling commendable impressions of ComicBook/{{Rogue}} and ComicBook/{{Wolverine}} respectively, right down to their signature VerbalTic[=s=].
23	* ButtMonkey: Jay and Miles often remark on how members of the Summers family tend to lead crappy lives.
24	* CallBack: In Episode 001 they argue that Jean Grey is initially a FlatCharacter for being characterized soley as [[TheSmurfettePrinciple "the girl"]]. Miles makes the same comment about her counterpart the ComicBook/ScarletWitch being "the girl" of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. It isn't lost on them how both characters undergo massive development under later writers.
25	* {{Crossover}}:
26	** Many storylines covered on the show feature these, crossing over with titles such as ''ComicBook/TheMightyThor'' and ''ComicBook/PowerPack'', among others.
27	** This show is one of the podcasts involved with the ''Secret Convergence On Infinite Podcasts'' crossover show.
28	* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness:
29	** It's pointed out in Episode 001 that Cyclops is initially called ''Slim'' Summers, with Creator/StanLee originally planning for this to be his canon name. He wouldn't receive the name Scott until issue #3.
30	** Beast is also initially presented as pretty similar to the other guys in the first class, except his hands and feet are big. Interestingly, it's not until issue #3 that his GeniusBruiser characterization begins to sink in.
31	* FlatCharacter: Part of the criticism of the 60's characterization is that unlike characters like ComicBook/SpiderMan the first class are basically all "Hey, they're teenagers and they have powers!" with no further development early on. Iceman fares a little better, but only because he's shown to be younger and more immature, basically making him a reverse-powered version of Johnny Storm. Jean fares the worst, much like [[ComicBook/FantasticFour the Invisible Girl]] and [[ComicBook/TheAvengers the Wasp]] in other Stan and Jack ensembles simply because her characterization is [[TheSmurfettePrinciple "the girl"]].
32	* FlatWhat: When rarely Jay is closing the cold open their "What?" tend to this type.
33	* FormulaBreakingEpisode:
34	** Various special episodes. Form an informal talk with assorted guests to a tabletop [=RPG=] session.
35	** Episode 404 has Miles and Al discussing ''ComicBook/DeathsHeadII'', which has WolverinePublicity but is in no real sense an ''X-Men'' book. They were going to do ''ComicBook/{{Battletide}}'', which has more prominent mutant guest stars, but decided this one was more fun.
36	* HeManWomanHater: Mastermind seems to be this from his very first appearance.
37	* {{Homage}}: The podcast's official cover art --drawn by Ming Doyle-- is an homage to the cover of [[http://img1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20051201150047/marveldatabase/images/2/25/X-Men_Vol_1_137.jpg X-Men #137]].
38	* IconicItem: Jay is always seen wearing sunglasses. The one time that Jay didn't wear the sunglasses was for [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness a very personal announcement]].
39	* IconicOutfit: For the entire Silver Age team, the one and only Plaid Suit, which Creator/JackKirby seemed to pass around from character to character throughout his run.
40	* InherentlyFunnyWords: "Yaybo!"
41	* InsistentTerminology:
42	** D'Ken is ''always'' referred to as "The Mad Emperor D'Ken" because he's so crazy that the qualifier is necessary.
43	** Likewise, Dr Peter Corbeau is inevitably referred to as "Super Doctor Astronaut Peter Corbeau", and no mention of the Shi'ar by Jay passes without Miles fuming "bird jerks" in response.
44	* LargeHamAnnouncer: Supporters of the show's Patreon account receive personalized spiels in the style of ComicBook/{{Apocalypse}}, an angry comic book narrator, et. al.
45	* NotMakingThisUpDisclaimer: The cold open of episode 96 presents the secret origins of the High Evolutionary as a game of madlibs and Jay feels the need to clarify in the episode proper that, yes, everything they said about him is canon.
46	* OnceAnEpisode: The ColdOpen and listener questions, bookending the main discussion of each episode.
47	* PurpleProse: Chris Claremont, one of the ''biggest'' TropeCodifier[=s=] of this, is often celebrated. Their opinion on Creator/AlanMoore's Captain Britain is that it passed purple right into ultra violet prose. And early 90s X-Factor made them wonder if Claremont and Louise Simonson had some sort of "purple off" going on those days.
48	* RunningGag
49	** Each episode's cold open involves the hosts talking about some point in the X-Men history in as confusing and convoluted a way as possible, to highlight ''why'' someone needs to X-Plain the X-Men
50	** Starting from Episode 001, every writer's inability to understand how magnetism works is thoroughly mocked. It's mentioned in this episode alone that Magneto uses his control over magnetism to create force fields, hypnotize people and even astral project at different points. This same complaint comes up nearly every time Magneto uses his powers.
51	** After his first several appearances identify Peter Corbeau as not only an OmnidisciplinaryScientist, but capable of swimming across an ocean by himself [[note]]In one panel, Corbeau is seen swimming away from the wreck of his ship with no land in sight, and thinking about the 'long swim' ahead of him; in the next panel, he pulls himself up on a beach and goes to see the X-Men, still dripping wet. [[/note]], he is forever after referred to as Super Doctor Astronaut Peter Corbeau, and every year they give out awards named after him (the "Super Doctor Astronaut Peter Corbeau Awards for Excellence in X-Cellence").
52	** Speaking of the award. Some of the categories are what you might expect (best X-Writer, best X-Artist, best ongoing X-Book, best X-Mini, and so forth), some are less so (like "Buried Treasure" for stories nobody remembers but are kinda fun), and some which are downright surreal ("Best Withering Sneers" later renamed as "Kristafer Anka Award for Best Withering Sneer in an X-Book" so someone else has a chance to win, or the "[=MetaCorbeau=] for Exemplary Use of Super Doctor Astronaut Peter Corbeau in a Comic Book").
53	** Any mention of either Firestar or Emma Frost will eventually bring up [[invoked]] [[NeverLiveItDown the time Frost blew up Firestar's pony]]. (As they admit, [[BeamMeUpScotty she actually burned the building down with the horse still inside]], but it's funnier to say that she blew it up.)
54	** Miles takes every opportunity he can to talk about Black Tom Cassidy because he wields a shillelagh, a word Miles loves saying.
55	* ShoutOut: Lest you think they're only interest is X-Men, Jay and Miles make sure to drop several pop culture references to better contextualize stories for listeners.
56	** Jay compares Toad to Torgo from ''Film/ManosTheHandsOfFate'', just bouncier.
57	** Miles compares the Sentinels to [[Franchise/DoctorWho the Daleks]] for their goofy design but terrifying presence due to years and years of context building them up as unstoppable forces.
58	** Miles compares [[ItMakesSenseInContext the Sentinels going to fight the sun]] to Lancelot trying to take down a castle with a sword in Film/MontyPythonAndTheHolyGrail.
59	* SpecialEditionTitle: The episodes dealing with the last issues of the first volumes of ''ComicBook/XFactor'' and ''ComicBook/{{Excalibur}}'' replace the usual ''WesternAnimation/XMenTheAnimatedSeries'' theme with a pastiche of ''Series/TheMuppetShow'' theme (because the ColdOpen pointed out that ''X-Factor'' followed the Creator/JimHenson advice of ending with an explosion) and the British national anthem respectively.
60	* StylisticSuck: Their physical awards have the distinct quality of "kindergarten craft hour". Like the one for guessing the NoodleIncident (the ComicBook/AllNewAllDifferentMarvel one about Cyclops) was a noodle necklace.
61	* TakeAThirdOption:
62	** In their video reviews of the current X-Men titles ("Jay and Miles Review the X-Men") they'll occasionally, when the books were especially weak, give "Pick of the week..." to things not even remotely X-Men related. From the Siege tie-in of Comicbook/SecretWars2015 to the pizza they had for dinner.
63	** Asked by a listener if their ship is Scott/Jean or Scott/Emma, they firmly go for Scott/Lee Forester.
64	* TakeThat:
65	** Many jokes are directed at some [[ComicBook/{{Deadpool}} Spider-Man looking dude]] on a regular basis. From Episode 001:
66	--->[[PrecisionFStrike "Fuck Deadpool"]]
67	** Also from Episode 002: [[ItMakesSenseInContext "Fucking generic Europe. I hate that place."]]
68	* ThisIsYourPremiseOnDrugs: [[invoked]] Jay's personal interpretation of the High Evolutionary is that the High is intended to be descriptive.
69	* WhatIf:
70	** Though not covered in full due to not being an X-Men title, the classic Marvel series is referenced several times with individual issues covered every once in awhile.
71	** Episode 002 has Jay demanding that a ''What If?'' issue be made about [[ItMakesSenseInContext Magneto having a mustache.]]
72	* XtremeKoolLetterz: The title of the podcast emulates the title of ''X-Treme X-Men'', which utilizes this trope.

Context Podcast / JayAndMilesXPlainTheXMen