The Oh Gosh, Oh Golly, Oh Wow! Podcast

We are most definitely not calling all trolls to this week’s nuanced discussion of the different but equally complex personal and professional successes and failures of Kurt Wagner and Scott Summers in and around Excalibur #58, “Troll Call,” in the gracious company of X-Twitter fixture, social justice researcher, and all-around expert in the inner lives of mutants, Conor Mulvaney (@ConorReadsXMen...

Not a dream, not a hoax, not a fuzzy image of Cable on a video screen asking who the heck's calling at 3 am. The real X-Men are here, in the same room (er, sewer) with Excalibur, and also—trolls! (By which we mean Phumm, Phop, Phay, Phlopp, Phlegm, Phough, Gambit, and Jubliee.) Anna, Mav, and Andrew plus special guest writer/podcaster/X-pert Austin Gorton wade through hugs, hurt feelings, and humo...

You know that we do it together. In our case, that means podcasting about Excalibur with super-smart friends, and in Nightcrawler and Wolverine’s case, it means spending a relaxing weekend in Bavaria, taking in a few shows, fighting/helping monsters, and sharing a romantic horseback ride under a pinkish moon. Well, maybe relaxing isn’t the right word... but we stand by the romance 😉 Comics and me...

If you’re a superhero, you probably shouldn't throw a party. And you especially shouldn’t throw a party where you invite the fascist dictator from an alternate dimension masquerading as the former girlfriend with whom you’ve been cheating on your current girlfriend, who’s teamed up with the reality-warping older brother who hates your guts. We reckon with the consequences of this state of affairs...

The last time Excalibur threw a party, Meggan became a vampire and tried to eat a dog. So expectations are high! But this issue’s up to the challenge, and so’s our guest, comics and pop culture scholar Jeffrey A. Brown , author of many fabulous books including, most recently, Love, Sex, Gender, and Superheroes . We talk plenty about those four topics in this episode, in which multiple blonde ladie...

A legally binding Twitter poll said we had to cover Excalibur: Air Apparent, and we are very law-abiding citizens so here we are, giving you an hour and fifteen of smart talk about a comic that coulda been smarter but hey, at least some of the pictures are nice! Comics scholar Zachary J.A. Rondinelli , creator of the award-winning “Welcome to Slumberland” project, joins us to hash out what works,...

Listeners of this pod know we share one thing with Brian Braddock, which is that we’d follow Meggan anywhere, including down a rabbit hole into a series of Alice in Wonderland-inspired nightmares that teach us things about ourselves! Jason R. Lady , author of fantasy and sci-fi for young readers, helps us unpack why Brian’s archnemesis is whimsy in Excalibur #54, “Curiouser and Curiouser,” in whic...

Welcome back to the podcast where we talk about Excalibur and nothing but Excalibur… except when we talk about Spider-Man! Which we’re doing this week! Comics scholar and Steve Ditko expert Dr. Zack Kruse joins Anna, Mav, and Andrew to discuss Spidey and the unique vision of his complicated co-creator along with some Excalibur #53, “The Litter,” in which Brian tells Meggan a story from his misspen...

And we’re back! With a special episode of “Retconning with Reck,” in which writer/artist/podcaster Adam Reck of the Battle of the Atom Podcast joins us to untangle Excalibur #52, “All You Ever Wanted to Know About Phoenix… But Were Afraid to Ask,” which left us wondering if some questions are better left unanswered. But we’re gonna ask anyway, delving deep into our mighty collective knowledge of X...

New logo… new species?? That right—we’re back to regular episodes and getting weird about dinosaurs with Christi and Chris Eddleman, sauropod enthusiasts and hosts of the Chrises on Infinite Earths podcast, taking a bite out Excalibur #51, “Don’t Drink the Water,” starring Alysdon and Alysaur Stewart, Shadowcompsognathus, Britanicus Rex, Megon, and Nightstrutter in a story that’s not as profound a...

What’s this? Anna, Mav, and Andrew talking about a current comic book? Released this very past Wednesday?? It took Chris Claremont writing a tie-in to our darling, officially known as X-Men Legends #12: “Start Again: A Prelude to Excalibur” to drag us into the present. Except it’s not really the present; it’s still the past, specifically, the space between “Fall of the Mutants” and the arrival of...

Anna, Mav, and Andrew plus a plethora of amazing guests have been podcasting about Excalibur for an entire year—54 weeks to be exact! Which seems like a perfect time to look back on the year that was. This Anniversary Special features approximately one minute from each of our regular episodes, chronicling Excalibur #1-50. Sit back, relax, and relive all the guffaws, griping, and gushing. I can onl...

Our guest, venerable comics scholar Dr. Andrew Kunka , says he wanted to join us for the mega-sized Excalibur #50, “Winner Loses All,” in part to hear us talk about a particular scene, in which saving the multiverse requires everyone going inside everyone. We hope we didn't disappoint him (or you!) with our discussion of this supersexy climax—and its scholarly and narrative significance. We also d...

This week, Anna threatens to spend the whole show talking about teleporting, but shows admirable restraint in letting our honored guest, comics and pop culture scholar Nicole Freim , lead us through at least twelve fun and fascinating discussions of at least twelve other dimensions in the mostly-stationary but nonetheless jam-packed Excalibur #49, “Let There Be Dark.” In which Necrom gets closer (...

We forget to celebrate our 50th episode with a deep dive into an archeological dig turned theological dilemma in Excalibur #48, “Irish Stew,” guided by comics and pop culture scholar and host of The Protagonist Podcast , Dr. Joseph Darowski ! Asking important questions like: what is the Anti-Phoenix? And do we actually care? We also extol the virtues of Kylun, catch up with the team’s team-buildin...

It’s about time we talked about the guy who introduces every episode: the one and only Merlin, who may not be so one and only. Our journey is guided by Bevan Thomas , a comics creator, teacher, and scholar with a keen interest in British and Welsh folklore. The joy of newborn lizard-dragon hybrids can’t keep us from having a few nuanced gripes about an issue in which too many pages are spent retco...

Not a spoiler since it’s right there in the title—for the first time since Excalibur #2, Colin McKay is back in the 616 and out for revenge… on Kurt Wagner? In the bathroom?? While Kurt’s armed only with a cane and the world’s smallest towel??? We talk about that but spend the bulk of the episode exploring what’s up with Rachel Summers in general and Rachel and Meggan specifically with educator, P...

Is Kurt a good leader or is he just an expert in dressing the part? Anna, Mav, and Andrew debate this and other important questions with comics & pop culture scholar Matt Linton , discussing Excalibur #45, “Nightcrawler’s Technet”—a comic book in which most of the characters are dressed like Nightcrawler, but the story might actually be about Brian? But don't count out Rachel and Meggan, coming in...

Kurt’s got a cast but he’s not letting it cramp his style in an issue that compels Anna, Mav, and Andrew to question whether 1991 was a particularly sexy year for velvet (spoiler: it was). But Excalibur #44, “Witless for the Prosecution,” does more than establish the precise texture of Mr. Wagner’s fur. It also compels interesting—and sometimes troubling—questions about racial representation which...

This week, we're giving Anna's favourite issue of Excalibur the celebration it deserves, chatting with award-winning comics creator and educator Dr. Nick Sousanis about the very skillful, very complex, very sexy, very important visual storytelling of Excalibur #43, “Home Comforts.” We talk picturing dreams, Kurt’s fondest desire(s), and what Kurt and Brian are actually fighting about (is it Meggan...

New Year, new era of Excalibur, as Alan Davis makes his triumphant return to the title he co-created to write and draw one of our all-time favourite breakfast scenes! But there's more than toast on the menu in Excalibur #42, “A Hatch is Plotted.” There's also explosive eggs and explosive shakeups of the team's status quo—within a much-appreciated return to form. Writer and music critic Quentin Har...

The holidays are upon us, but GGW never rests. To celebrate the season and the first year(ish) of the podcast, we did a *special video episode* which you can watch now on YouTube ! This is the audio version, unedited, but not too messy (we hope!). We reflect on past issues and convos, including what we've learned and what surprised us. For the first time ever, we also answer listener questions! Pl...

In Excalibur #41, “At Last… The Reunion!” Nightcrawler and not-Wolverine have one on-panel conversation, which is all the excuse Anna, Mav, and Andrew needed to talk about the epic romance—sexual or otherwise—between Logan and his favourite elf with fan, artist, writer, con-organizer, and self-professed Mad Cat Lady Sue Whisterfield ! Plus! Tales of the 80s British fandom scene, feat. a certain Mr...

It's time for a journey in rhyme/In spirit but static in time/Will Lockheed get back to his body/Before his rhyme schemes get too shoddy? In other words: Anna, Mav, and Andrew are cross-examining the decision to write most of an entire superhero comic in rhyming couplets, discussing Excalibur #40, "The Trial of Lockheed," with animal comics expert Dr. Daniel F. Yezbick ! We address a regular zoo o...

This week, Anna, Mav, and Andrew are positively giddy about closing out “The Promethium Exchange,” chatting Excalibur #39, “The Heart of the Matter,” with editor, critic, and scholar Andrea Ayres , who’s allergic to kelp but addicted to trash. (She may have been sarcastic about the latter.) We talk the role of subjectivity in scholarship, how to deal (or not deal) with problematic people who make...