3.5
I love that this podcast introduces a lot of these X-Men to new readers in as thorough a way as you can. But even with the many skips over pieces of history with Connor going “don’t worry about that”, it can get a bit tedious. Especially for characters who get tied up in plot cul de sacs that aren’t really addressed ever again or are reset almost immediately.
It’s not that bad for a lot of episodes. But it’s noticeable when listening to stories from the same team, like New Mutants or X-Factor. It’s a lot of retread ground. But I do love the stories focused on obscure mutants in teams often ignored, like Meggan from Excalibur. Since so much of it is new and left-of-the-dial.
Also, personally my favourite part of the podcast is the letters segment. I feel like it would do the show better if, for characters in stories that have been thoroughly covered, they didn’t need to be as thorough and got to extend discussions. Since I am craving more insight of the X-Men from a queer lens. I think that is the podcasts biggest asset, since so many of these mutants are full of queer subtext and marvel discussions online can feel drowned out by cishet fans that just don’t get it.
Meggan was the episode I mentioned, and I feel that was the most compelling. I think because her history is very focused and her powers are compelling to analyze. But even there, I would have loved more analysis of her powers from a queer and specifically a trans lens.
I think only getting to cover a character once each is a great idea but it also means it limits discussion of them. I personally feel like there could be a special series for tying up loose ends maybe by discussing iconic teams? Like covering the original first class, or New Mutants, or X-Force after finishing the iconic members of those. Where you can have a broader discussion of relationships with those teams and your ideal makeup of them and their future, as well as dedicate more time to audience discussion. Idk it’s an idea
