X-Factor Files: Investigating the Mutant Universe

We're back and reviewing a three issue arc centered on Captain Janeway doing her best when stranded with some crusty Delta quadrant villains! Join us as we chat about the drama involved. Plus, Tom and Harry are dumb.

We get a fun little adventure in Alpha Flight's first annual- including the return of our queen, Gilded Lily! After that, we see the book start to change under Mantlo's pen with the resuscitation of Beta Flight!

The Voyager crew encounters the Kazon for the first time within the comic! Also: cheesecake.

Ready for the end of the Atlantis arc? Well, before we get to that- we get an eight page story about Puck! Then we move on to Alpha Flight 39-40 and Avengers 272. And spoiler: it ends in a wedding!

We begin our exploration of the Delta Quadrant with Star Trek: Voyager issues 1-3! Journey with us as we dive into some Talaxian-related drama!

We get a brand new villain in the book- Pestilence! And he's gross! These four issues are the first half of a big arc that focuses on Snowbird, Shaman, Talisman, and Marrina (primarily).

We bid farewell to Starfleet Academy with its final three issues and we have some big feelings about it!

The X-Men are here! Well, for a couple pages. But then we get Wolverine and Lady Deathstrike's first appearance! We chat about those Alpha Flight episodes, plus the issue of Marvel Fanfare that focuses on Northstar!

We learn all about T'Priell and the whole Romulan/Vulcan thing. The bad news: she's dead. The good news: she's kind of not!

We are solidly in the Mantlo era as the team gets a new headquarters, an old opponent, and a crumbly ally! Also: body horror!

The cadets are on trial and you'll never guess who their defense lawyer is! Plus, parents day at the academy with some very iffy parents!!!

We say "bye bye" to Byrne and "hello" to the Hulk (and new writer Bill Mantlo!) as we cover Alpha Flight issues 26 through 29 and Incredible Hulk 313! These issues work together as a big arc that clears the path for Mantlo to start innovating in the title. Join us as we end one chapter of Alpha Flight's history and begin another!

Our recruits go to the only planet that carries a Federation death sentence! But first, they deal with a bratty teen and a changeling. How will our cadets fare? Tune in to find out!

Some else dies!??!!? Surprise, don't get too attached to anyone in Alpha Flight as we bid goodbye to another beloved member.

For real, a team member dies in these issues and we would say you wouldn't expect it, but we hardly know these people! Other topics include a new person with a drug addiction, a tiny black hole, and our first letters pages!

We take a trip to the west coast to check out some prospective new headquarters for the team, then find ourselves at a troubled circus! There's a ton of Alpha Flight action and a complicated back story for a villain who doesn't make it out of issue 21!

We kick off our brand new season by beginning a brand new Star Trek series- Starfleet Academy! We meet a bunch of new characters (along with one familiar one!) as they begin their careers training to be a part of Starfleet!

What happens when flashback month coincides with Marvel wanting to start a new volume of Alpha Flight? Why, Alpha Flight Minus 1! Join us as we discuss the retcons present in this issue, as well as update you all on what we've been up to and what to expect for next season!

The Marvel Deep Space Nine series closes out with two standalone issues- one all about tribbles and Klingons, the other about Garak!

The fantastic D'Manda Martini joins as we progress through the Six-Fingered Hand Saga!

Happy 2025! We are starting the year off right with the two issue X-Men and Alpha Flight crossover from 1985! Loki shenanigans abound and the two teams have to work together to thwart his scheme.

Another Lwaxana Troi wedding?!?! Dearly beloved, there are some shenanigans afoot!

An Uncanny Experience Virtual Class! Join Daryl as he chats with Madison Jeffries, Northstar, and Aurora as we dig a little bit into their characters and toss some questions their way. This was originally presented as a fundraiser for OutFront Minnesota and we encourage you to make a donation, however small, to help out their mission!

X-Factor Investigations is done! We go through the final six issues to see what happens to each member of the team.

It's a rocking good time as Chandler and Chris from X-Reads: The Podcast join Daryl to discuss the next chapter int he Six-Fingered Hand Saga!

Egg monster! You read that right, a scrambled foe (not to be confused with Scramble, who is still in our future) is just the tip of the iceberg for this episode. Ready to not feel sorry for a racist getting his due? Tune in as the team goes back in time to unravel a mystery and face another Great Beast!

Ready to go back to the Gamma Quadrant? We have an away team mission that, well, goes awry. When doesn't it, honestly? Take a trip with us and enjoy the ride!

We finish up the Hell on Earth war. Someone unexpectedly dies! Someone else becomes ruler of Hell! What the...

We're north of the border again! Time to catch up with Alpha Flight and see what they're up to (or down to, in the case of Puck and Marrina). Also, the team gets a new leader!

Ready for a Halloween episode? It's a Son of Satan centric issue guest starring Dracula! Phillip is here to marvel of Daimon's abs, arms, and cake while we advance further along in the Six-Fingered Hand Saga!

We're back with a triple issue episode for DS9! We get a one-off story, followed by a two part story that sees the crew go on a classic Trek mission.

The Hell on Earth War begins! We have a group of baddies confronting the team and it's not looking entirely positive for our ragtag band of favorites.

We had a blast at The Uncanny Experience and chat about what we really loved about everything!

Time for us to check in our Defenders team and see how they're doing! Daryl is joined by Jason from the Avenging Hour to talk all about what's going on and how things are heating up for the team!

Mac is still dead and now the team reacts to it. Plus- a lake monster! These two issues are so, so good.

Dr. Pulaski is back! But also, we see chemical warfare up close and personal and it's gross. Nothing like a highly contagious disease to really bring the mood down, eh? But our crew does it with great skill and aplomb!

We pick up with the team where we left off- greatly reduced in numbers and with various complications in their lives. However, we got some honeymoon action in the middle and an actual Confederate general getting murdered, so it can't be all bad, right?

What, you thought we would never actually finish the 1993 season? Well, folks, we are one step closer- as D'Manda Martini joins us to talk all about Excalibur's annual from 1993. Will Khaos reign or will he get the boot?

The unquestioned ruler of the current Marvel 2099 realm, Steve Orlando, stops by to chat about the first three issues of X-Men 2099 with us! Also, we touch on ewoks, beefy wrestlers, and all the upcoming greatness Steve has coming out!

This is it- the end of the beginning! A HUGE change happens to the team and we set up the next era of Alpha Flight with these two important issues!

Chad from Graymalkin Lane swings by to chat about Defenders 93, which sees Namor and Atlantis try, once again, to conquer the surface world. Does it work out this time? Guess you'll have to tune in to find out!

Holy wow, there's a lot of character development packed into these five issues. Billed as five days that will change the team forever...but we don't know if we quite agree.

We're onto our next Marvel Star Trek title with issues 1 and 2! Come along as we explore the edges of the Alpha Quadrant and see the whole station transported to the Gamma Quadrant!

Ready for a Sasquatchin' good time?!?! Let me hear your Aurora! Okay, now that the bad puns are out of the way, join us for two new issues of Alpha Flight! We get to see Jeanne-Marie's backstory and finally get some time with Walter Langkowski, too!

We get a little bit of focus on a lot of characters in these four issues of X-Factor, including some fun character development for a few of them! We see how messed up Layla's vision of the future is, as well as Banshee's battle with someone who will definitely be back in her future...

We end our coverage of Star Trek Unlimited (for now) with a celebration worthy of Pride (and every) month! We are joined by our friends, collectively known as the Star Trek Gays, to review the last issue of Star Trek Unlimited!

record scratch We're going off format today as Daryl introduces a semi-regular episode concept to talk all about the Defenders, one issue at a time! But why start with issue #1 when you can start with issue #92, which is the start of J.M. DeMatteis' incredibly fun run on the book! For this episode, Daryl is joined by Mr. Scott Free to talk about Defenders and DeMatteis. We also touch on the recent Marvel Legends reveals and Justice League International

We get the great combo of a Northstar and Aurora main story with Snowbird's origins in these two issues. Ready to meet Northstar's daddy?

What happens when one of the most dynamic characters from Asgard chooses to mess with Midgard? You're about to find out as Sara Century walks us through three issues starring the wonderful Amora! Listen along as we chat about Journey into Mystery 103, Avengers 83, Dazzler 1, and as a bonus- we touch on Defenders 4!

We have a very special episode with Stephanie Williams, the phenomenal comic talent who has her first Trek story published in the Pride special put out by IDW! Stephanie talks about her love of Trek, some of her favorite characters, and teases her story in the anthology one shot out in comic stores right now!

The penultimate (sort of) episode covering the Star Trek Unlimited title, and it's a whole bunch of Klingon stories! More Klingons than you can shake a bat'leth at! So grab some gagh and come chill with us.