Days of Future Podcast: Examining the X-Men

It's the Spoopiest time of the year, so you know what that means - Trev and Joe once again trying to figure out just what a Halloween episode of this show should even be! Thankfully, this time we have not one but TWO Halloween related issues to discuss. First up is the recently released "X-Men #4," which sees Jean Grey doing psychic battle with the Doctor Strange villain Nightmare on the night bef...

For our 150th episode spectacular, we're perhaps going the obvious route, and taking an in-depth look at "Uncanny X-Men #150," from October of 1981. On its 40th anniversary, we're taking a look at this classic tale from writer Chris Claremont and artist Dave Cockrum - a very famous and important chapter in the ongoing battle/relationship between the X-Men and their most important villain, Magneto....

The comics world and X-Men fans in particular were recently rocked by the news that, upon the conclusion of his "Inferno" event, Jonathan Hickman will be entirely leaving the X-Books, much earlier than many were expecting. As the grand architect of this new era of the X-Men, Hickman has been a controversial figure in X-fandom, but there's no denying the impact he has had on the status quo of these...

We're back, and once again looking at a bizarre "X-oddity" of the past - this time, a free promotional tie-in comic from 1983, made in partnership between Marvel and the Dallas Times Herald, in which the X-Men must try to stop Magneto from recruiting a young half-man, half-horse mutant...while also taking in all the exciting sights and attractions the Texas State Fair has to offer! Bur first, we d...

In Part Two of our look at the multi-issue "Hellfire Gala" story, we discuss the fallout of the gigantic revelation that the mutants have terraformed Mars. There's a new Regent of Mars, and we are very excited about their identity. Plus, there were multiple deaths during the party (cause let's face it, it wouldn't be a mutant party without trouble), and each promises intriguing new story direction...

The long-awaited Hellfire Gala is upon us, and it's such a big party, it's taking us two episodes to discuss it. This time, we're looking at the first six issues, with special attention paid to the gigantic, world-shattering (or in this case, world-building) events of Gerry Duggan's "Planet-Size X-Men #1." The mutants of Krakoa have just taken another huge step in showing how powerful they are now...

In this episode, we're looking at a true X-Men oddity, the 2009 one-shot "X-Women," written by Chris Claremont and illustrated by legendary Italian artist Milo Manara. Perhaps best known to many American comic readers for his controversial "Spider-Woman" cover, Manara is primarily known for his work in erotic comics. And this is no different, presenting a hyper-sexually-charged look at an adventur...

In true timely DOFP fashion, we're finally sharing our overall thoughts on THE FALCON & THE WINTER SOLDIER, the latest MCU Disney+ series. Sure, maybe it's X-connections were tangential at best, but IS the latest big Marvel property to discuss, and that will have to do before we start getting some real X-Men content in the MCU. Also, we DO talk some X-Men, when we take a look at some of the fancy...

No, this isn't another parallel universe episode where Trev & Joe are hosting an Avengers podcast, but we ARE taking a look at a recently completed story-arc in the Jason Aaron's current AVENGERS book, as it has obvious connections to X-Men AND will most likely have gigantic repercussions for the entire Marvel universe. That's right, Trev recently read the six-issue "Enter the Phoenix" storyline,...

We're back for our annual Mutant March Madness tournament! This time around, we're taking a look at 64 X-Men universe characters that were never represented (or only appeared VERY briefly) in the Fox X-Men franchise. That's right, even in a ten year franchise with numerous films, there are still tons of comic characters that never made the cinematic cut, and we're ready for a spirited discussion i...

And now, a timely review of Marvel's WANDAVISION! That's right, we've had a few weeks to process the entire series, and we're finally ready to share our thoughts. Of course, we discuss the show's X-Men connections (or lack thereof), while also sharing our overall opinions on what worked and what didn't. Plus, we take a look at recent rumors regarding future MCU plans, and decide if there's any val...

During the 90s, Blockbuster Video teamed up with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children to launch Blockbuster Kidprint, a well-intentioned but undeniably strange program dedicated to keeping children safe. For the kids who took part in 1996, one perk was a free X-Men comic special, "Be X-Tra Safe with Blockbuster Video Kidprint & the X-Men," in which our heroes teach a young child al...

If you've seen Episode Five of WANDAVISION on Disney+, you know it ended with a shocking surprise(?) that might have huge ramifications on the future of the MCU, and the X-Men's place in it. In this episode, we discuss our overall thoughts on the show so far, and then do a deep dive into that moment and share what we think it all means. But first, we discuss Marvel recently letting fans vote on th...

In 2011, Marvel Entertainment teamed with Japanese animation studio Madhouse on a set of four 12-episode anime series, each featuring Marvel superheroes sent on adventures in Japan. Each overseen by problematic comic superstar Warren Ellis, the shows were a unique blend of traditional Marvel tales with anime sensibilities. As these shows have recently been added to US Netflix streaming, we figured...

With 2020 thankfully coming to an end, it's time to look back on the year in X-Men comics. With Joe reading the current books for the first time since this show started, we are finally able to kick off a new tradition, with the first annual Daysy Awards, offering our pick for the year's best X-Men artist, character, storyline, title, and more!  But first, we discuss our overall thoughts and impres...

Two nerd worlds collide, as we take a look at two fascinating crossover issues - 1996's "Star Trek/X-Men" and the 1998 follow-up, "Star Trek: The Next Generation/X-Men: Second Contact." With these sort of media mash-ups having a fairly spotty pop-culture record, we examine whether the novelty of having Marvel's Merry Mutants meet up with the crews of the Starship Enterprise actually pays off, and...

You may have heard America just had an election. Even though this tiny event was not covered too much by the media, it still inspired us to try out an interesting (and surprisingly difficult) exercise. So join us as we both choose our dream President, Vice-President, and full presidential cabinet, using only characters from the X-Men universe. But first, some general discussion of the actual elect...

In our laziest Halloween special yet, we forget entirely about the themed aspect of these October episodes and instead take an in-depth look at "X of Swords: Creation," the kick-off issue for the giant "X of Swords" crossover event currently running in the X-books. What did we think about the start of this epic story? Are we now excited for what is to come, or dreading this daunting, 22-part(!) st...

We're finally living in a post-NEW MUTANTS world, and to celebrate, Trev has decided to be nice and let Joe lead a deep dive into - to date - the ONLY solo title starring one of his favorite X-Men characters. So we're taking a look at 2004's "Jubilee," written by Robert Kirkman of THE WALKING DEAD and MARVEL ZOMBIES fame. In this superheroic take on teen high school dramedies, Jubilee moves in wit...

84 years after it was first announced, Fox's THE NEW MUTANTS is finally here. While your standard theaters might still not be safe, we both headed to our local drive-in to check out Josh Boone's film. Amidst numerous controversies regarding whitewashing, in-film racism, and misspelled credits, there's also the simple question...is the movie actually any good, and worth the lengthy wait? We discuss...

On the eve of the VERY long-awaited NEW MUTANTS movie release, we finally take an in-depth look at the classic comic book story-arc that serves as it's inspiration, the "Demon Bear" story from issues 18-20 of "New Mutants" (1983). Writer Chris Claremont and artist Bill Sienkiewicz (making his debut on the book) gave readers an intense horror tale the likes of which hadn't been seen in an X-book, a...

With Channing Tatum's oft-delayed GAMBIT movie a fading memory of our past, in this episode we turn to a recent X-Men fan film - GAMBIT: PLAY FOR KEEPS - in order to get our live-action fix of the ragin' Cajun. Along with Gambit, the short film features a few other comic book favorites like Rogue, Magik, and...uhhh...Eric Roberts? Anyway, we discuss whether or not the film accurately captures the...

The ongoing saga of THE NEW MUTANTS, filmed back in 1923, continues, and so does our coverage. This time, we were both lucky enough to attend this year's San Diego Comic Con!! Well, okay, in fact EVERYONE was, as it was an entirely online virtual event this year. One of the most anticipated moments WAS the NEW MUTANTS panel, featuring director Josh Boone and the entire cast, and we're here to disc...

Trev & Joe return (again) from an unexpected hiatus, to address their thoughts on the strife and frustration of recent current events in America. What is the importance of comic books, particularly a socially-minded franchise like the X-Men, at times of real life tragedy and resistance? What is the value of these characters beyond just simple entertainment? And how would we like to see the comic b...

In the latest installment of our film commentary series, we're taking a look at 2016's surprise mega-hit DEADPOOL. What makes Ryan Reynolds such a great casting choice? What does director Tim Miller bring to a crowded genre? How close to the comics is the film? And does the movie hold up four years after its release? We discuss all this and more while viewing the film. As usual with our commentari...