CEREBRO – Détails, épisodes et analyse

Surprise!

After some technical difficulties last year, last weekend for the third annual CEREBRO live show at FlameCon we did manage to pull the audio from the sound board. There are a few little hiccups, but overall I am really happy with the sound quality.

Here is a quick six-minute teaser of the full live episode, which has a runtime of 1:16:26 and is now available on the CEREBRO Patreon at the House of Zaladane tier ($5/month).

This year I was joined by friend of the pod Anthony Oliviera to talk about his new Marvel digital comic Avengers Academy, featuring the mutant character Escapade... and then generally tangent into other things, exactly as one might expect from me and Anthony Oliviera sitting on a stage together. At the halfway mark we pivot to a very fun Q&A segment.

This performance was recorded on August 17th, 2024 at the Sheraton Times Square in Manhattan.

Thanks to Tony for being my guest, to FlameCon for being my absolute favorite regional convention, and to everyone who attended the show. I wish the audience was more audible on the track! You were amazing.

Hey there, Zalagang!

Today I'm joined by Marvel writers Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing to discuss their new title NYX, which debuts today as part of the From the Ashes relaunch!

This new volume of NYX follows a cast of young mutants, including Kamala Khan, Sophie of the Stepford Cuckoos, David Alleyne, Victor Borkowski, and Laura Kinney, as they come to terms with the traumatic loss of Krakoa and try to find a new way forward in New York City. It's a lot of fun despite the heavy themes, and I really dug this first issue.

This episode contains FULL SPOILERS for NYX #1, so please read the issue before listening.

You can support CEREBRO on Patreon!

Happy New Year, Zalagang!

Today, for a special interview, Director Rand Hoppe and President Tom Kraft of the Jack Kirby Museum & Research Center join the show to talk about their new crowdfunding project at Zoop: a hardcover collection of Jack Kirby and Wally Wood's full-color Sunday strips for Sky Masters of the Space Force (with writer Dave Wood).

A syndicated newspaper strip that launched in 1958, shortly after Sputnik 1 launched the space race in earnest, Sky Masters imagines the near future of the American space program.

Regular CEREBRO programming will resume soon. In the meanwhile, you can support the podcast on Patreon!

In Episode 29 of CEREBRO, Connor and returning guest Sara Century don their finest spiked leather with Rachel Summers, the second Phoenix! As Scott Summers and Jean Grey's time-displaced daughter from the dystopian timeline called the Days of Future Past, Rachel offers the X-Men a terrifying glimpse of the worst-case scenario for mutants.

The CEREBRO character file on Rachel Summers begins at 1:07:33.

(Content Advisory: Rachel's story includes genocide, brainwashing, torture, slavery, and child abuse with sexual implications.)

In Episode 28 of CEREBRO, Connor and writer Evan Narcisse dance the night away with Alison Blaire, the Disco Dazzler! Born from Marvel's failed first attempt at taking Hollywood by storm, Ali has struggled to find her spotlight in the years since.

The CEREBRO character file on Dazzler begins at 1:06:40.

(Content Advisory: Ali's story includes domestic violence, spousal abuse, drug addiction, miscarriage, and suicidal ideation.)

You can now support CEREBRO on Patreon at www.patreon.com/cerebrocast!

In Episode 27 of CEREBRO, Connor and ComicsXF critic Zach Rabiroff tackle the ten lives of Moira X! Dr. Moira MacTaggert was believed a human martyr for mutant rights — but the revelation of her true nature has shaken the foundations of the franchise.

The CEREBRO character file on Moira MacTaggert begins at 1:19:40.

(Content Advisory: Moira's story includes spousal abuse and rape.)

The episode cover features art of Moira X by Pepe Larraz. 

In Episode 26 of CEREBRO, Connor and 90s X-Men scribe Fabian Nicieza get their blood burning with Adam X, the X-Treme! A curiosity of the X-Men franchise, Adam Neramani was intended to be the long-lost brother of Cyclops and Havok, but wound up lost in comics limbo after Nicieza's departure. Now, 25 years later, that story will be told in the pages of the anthology series X-Men Legends.

The CEREBRO character file on Adam X begins at 54:41.

(Content Advisory: Adam's story includes brainwashing. This episode discusses plot points involving rape and enslavement.)

In Episode 25 of CEREBRO, Connor and Harvard Professor of English Stephanie Burt sail the high seas with Captain Kate Pryde, Red Queen of the Hellfire Trading Company! Best known as Shadowcat or Kitty, Pryde is the protagonist of much of the classic Claremont run, and has endured as a fan favorite. As the first explicitly Jewish superhero at Marvel Comics, she has often been the lens through which the minority metaphor of the X-Men was most refracted.

The CEREBRO character file on Kitty Pryde begins at 1:01:48.

(Content Advisory: Kitty's story includes grooming of a minor, suicide, torture, antisemitism, rape of another character, a weird alien pregnancy plot, and genocides including the Holocaust.) 

In Episode 24 of CEREBRO, Connor and bookseller Allison Senecal try to explain why you should like Havok! Alex Summers, Cyclops's volatile younger brother, has never quite managed to escape his elder's long shadow. Conflicted and insecure, he's a troubled man with an uncertain future.

The CEREBRO character file on Havok begins at 29:12.

(Content Advisory: Alex's story includes brainwashing, slavery, and parents grieving the loss of a child. This episode also discusses another character's suicidal ideation.)

In Episode 23 of CEREBRO, Connor and filmmaker Patrick Willems face the inner darkness, the anti-self: the mummudrai! Created by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely, Cassandra Nova — Professor Xavier's diabolical twin sister — is one of the few post-Claremont X-Villains to truly stand the test of time.

The CEREBRO character file on Cassandra Nova begins at 1:07:06.

(Content Advisory: Cassandra's story includes genocide, miscarriage, stillbirth, brainwashing, suicide, and the murder of children. This episode also refers to the Holocaust, 9/11, and the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.)

The episode cover includes art of Cassandra Nova, Ernst, and No-Girl by Frank Quitely, Marc Silvestri, Carmen Carnero, and Phil Jimenez. 

Subscribe to Patrick Willems on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCF1fG3gT44nGTPU2sVLoFWg

Here's our video from 2017: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVb1utdCNy0

And the X-TENDED CUT: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIAKWrPWYcc

Here's our video from 2020: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5lQw1X60eE

And the X-TENDED CUT of that one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWQomA2QtDs