In which we reach the end of Larry Hama’s run on Generation X; Gaia remains remarkably normal for someone who has spent millennia chained up alone in a citadel; Synch practices radical forgiveness; we ponder the nature of Emma Frost and Sean Cassidy’s relationship; and Forge is extra unqualified to lecture on ethics. X-PLAINED: How Jubilee stopped being a vampire The Draco, kinda Generation X #44-47 Bianca LaNeige (again) Polaroid cameras Gaia (more) (again) Reality warping Woody and Arlo Guthrie Iceland Several continuity errors Psi War fallout Paul Weller New school uniforms Accreditation ..read more

No notes. (Generation X Underground Special #1) In which Synch is a more versatile character than he originally got credit for; “eep” and “eek” are likewise underused; space makes everything better; Nate Grey is the proto-himbo; and if you can decipher the secret code in this episode, you, too, can win a Silver Surfer jet ski! X-PLAINED: Diablo Generation X Underground Special X-Men Unlimited #30 X-Man: All Saints Day Jim Mahfood Skin’s video-game preferences Strange superpowers Poster pirates Visual representations of the passage of time “Banshee’s Angels” Charlie’s Angels The infamous donut ..read more

  In which birds have no business in sex dreams; feelings are complicated and allegories are imperfect; Mystique made some valid points; Psycho-Man is good at UI; Callisto was right; and the label “Omega-level mutant” actually kind of makes sense. X-PLAINED: Psycho-Man Malice (but not that one) Hate Monger (but not that one) Finding good comics from the ‘90s Uncanny X-Men #359 X-Men / Fantastic Four Annual 1998 ­X-Men #79 The dead man’s hand Dr. Aubrey Agee Psi-War fallout Dr. Bradley Beynon Hadley the robot Poker twinks La Bludgeon Psycho-Man’s Bad Feelings Box An invisible bear trap M ..read more

Dracularmy (X-Men Unlimited #21) In which you should stop hatin’, there’s a big difference between fill-ins and filler, Snow Valley needs higher Ferris wheel standards, Todd DeZago must really hate video rental clerks, and we’re all monsters – some of us just smell better than others. X-PLAINED: Strong Guy’s hellacious history The nature and purpose of X-Men Unlimited X-Men Unlimited #20-21 Rock Trolls (Chambliss, Nettles, and Munson) What Asgard was up to in 1998 Magik vs magic The Snow Valley Harvest Festival Jubilation Lee, one of the guys Eagles vs Hats Fatman, Beardlady-o, Stickman-o, &a ..read more

Love and chaos. (Excalibur #125) In which you shouldn’t invite nazis to your wedding, there’s a lot of multiverse, Captain Britain and Meggan are pretty heteronormative but make it work, everybody forgot Feron, and the next husband will be Gatecrasher’s. X-PLAINED: Captain Britain varieties The history of Brian Braddock and Meggan Puceanu, abridged Excalibur #124-125 Mutants most likely to jump out of a cake The Crazy Gang (again) Meggan’s crush on Colossus Colossus’s guilt about Meggan’s crush on Colossus A surprise bridal shower The return of Captain UK Brian Braddock’s teetotaling techniqu ..read more

In which the Shi’ar have zero chill; Bishop and Deathbird do space opera; we travel to the far-future year of 2018; Alanna Nerimani stretches the definition of “bird”; Deathbird is the cool aunt; Bishop needs a break from dark futures; and Bishop and Sauron have an intimate encounter. X-PLAINED: The current number of Summers brothers Uncanny X-Men #358 Team X 2000 The Shi’ar Empire (more) (again) Shi’ar voices Parker Posey vs. Posie Parker Sexual dimorphism in art The Ursaa Organs The Chnitt Karel Several cameos Nullifier charges Tu The first appearance of Cyclops’s Captain America teddy bea ..read more

In which moose are nothing to mess with; Cyclops requests a reality check; Bachalo does Kirby; Rogue absorbs a catchphrase; and the Shadow King needs a villain song. X-PLAINED: Uncanny X-Men #356-357 X-Men 77-78 The Cable Principle Corvid disambiguation An aborted narrative Moose Sherrif and/or Officer Chris Stacy’s sister Melissa Cul-de-sacs Ptarmigan Creek Dubiously credible lies Nostalgia Bad times in Westchester Bad times in space Punching birds Moon Wolf An absolutely inappropriate theatrical reference Ainet Ananansi vs. Anansi The Shadow King (more) (again) Psi-War Temptation Shadow po ..read more

In which everything is Havok’s fault; Jay is a bad influence; Polaris makes some valid points; Jamie Madrox is the Bobby Drake of X-Factor; and X-Factor vol. 1 ends with a bang. X-PLAINED: Muppet rules X-Factor, vol. 1, in general X-Factor #146-149 Sense of place Jude Black and his inexplicable facial hair Boundaries Edible Arrangements A different kind of sports bar Kevin Nostalgia, I guess? Several confrontations Temporal insanity A very specialized course What happens next The universe where Dazzler replaced Jean Grey in the original X-Factor Characters we would like to have seen more of ..read more

In which subtlety is not Sabra’s strong point; Moira takes a vacation; Meggan broods; you should take care in referencing the Dark Phoenix Saga; Excalibur may or may not shave Mimic; and Captain Britain is a silly man. X-PLAINED: Ghosts Excalibur #121-123 The Mutant Underground Empathic recon An extremely disgruntled kiss Kitty’s new costume Several of Legion’s personalities A mysterious disk A very fancy trash can and/or ice cream maker Ice cream of Cloud City A good dog Remains of Operation Zero Tolerance The devolution of Douglock Mimic (Calvin Rankin) Mimic’s facial hair Some Prime Senti ..read more

In which the X-Men’s membership is a complicated subject; not all angels know each other; we need to talk about Beast’s Wasp costume; Cecilia Reyes speaks for all reasonable folk; Storm gets a mysterious package; and reading comics day-and-date may not be for everyone. X-PLAINED: The variable loyalties of the N’garai X-Men #74-76 A somewhat atypical team lineup A whole lotta backstory How to join the X-Men Warren Kenneth Worthington III as a religious figure Flechette clean-up Teenage drama Detective Jim Logan A lot of murder The N’garai Beast’s Wasp costume Explanatory captions for real lif ..read more