Episode Description
In which we make our Comics Alliance debut, Cyclops makes a startling discovery, Carol Danvers joins the team (sort of), Chris Claremont calls out some bullshit, Havok still has terrible taste in hats, and Peter Corbeau gets his own theme music.
Content Note[]
In this episode, we spend a lot of time talking about a rape that occurs in a previous Avengers arc, the community and narrative response thereto, and the larger landscape and ethics of portrayals of sexual violence in superhero comics.
X-Plained[]
- Mystique’s mercurial alliances
- Rachel and Miles X-Plain the X-Men
- Uncanny X-Men #154-158
- Avengers Annual #10
- Bollywood Starjammers
- The dread Psi-Scream
- Shi’ar Fashion Technology
- Dr. Peter Corbeau (more) (again)
- Rogue
- Carol Danvers
- The Whole Marcus Thing
- Chris Claremont vs. rape culture
- Computers
- Gender politics of the Dark Phoenix Saga
- Next week: Dracula!
Clarification[]
Since we neglected to specify in the episode: Avengers #200 was written by James Shooter, George Pérez, Bob Layton, and David Michelinie; Avengers Annual #10 was written by Chris Claremont.
Listener Questions[]
- Question about Rogue's powers: When she touches someone and gains an ability she didn't have before, say for instance kungfu, when that wears off will she continue to have that kung fu knowledge or would that go away too? I understand if absorbing another mutant's power would go away but if she learns kung fu or how to build car after touching someone and uses that knowledge shortly after, should not she be able to keep that knowledge?
- Several of the defining Bronze Age stories have a major moment that involves the death of a prominent female character. Gwen Stacy in SpiderMan, Supergirl in Crisis on Infinite Earths. These events often typified the Woman in Refrigerators trope. Do you think that the death of Jean/Phoenix in 137 is another of these moments or is there something intrinsically different?