CEREBRO

Episode 122: Gatecrasher & Technet (feat. Jadzia Axelrod)

In Episode 122 of CEREBRO, Connor and DC writer Jadzia Axelrod (Hawkgirl, Galaxy) traverse the multiverse with the gregarious Gatecrasher and her temperamental Technet! Created by Jamie Delano and Alan Davis, this interdimensional, time-traveling cadre of bounty hunters are best known as foes — and sometime friends — of Captain Britain and Excalibur. They are an iteration on a similar earlier team, the Special Executive, which was created by Alan Moore with a succession of artists: David Lloyd, Steve Dillon, and then Davis.An oddball gang of alien misfits, Technet have become iconic despite their relatively scanty publication history because they're simply that memorable. If you grew up reading classic Excalibur, you're likely to throw Technet into a comic book at some point.The CEREBRO character file on Technet begins at 43:38.(Content Advisory: Gatecrasher and Technet are generally pretty lighthearted, but they are adjacent to stories involving sexual violence, substance abuse, and suicide.)You can support CEREBRO on Patreon!Our Sponsors:* Check out Mood and use my code CEREBRO for a great deal: https://mood.com/CEREBROAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Episode 121: Mariko Yashida (feat. Justin Park) — Part Two: Honor, Duty, and Whatnot

In Episode 121 of CEREBRO, Connor and returning guest Justin Park consult the ancestors with Mariko Yashida, the stoic Scarlet Samurai! Created by Chris Claremont and John Byrne, inspired by the character Mariko Toda from James Clavell's 1975 historical novel Shōgun, Mariko is the daughter of an ancient Japanese noble house who becomes the great love of Logan, aka Wolverine. Over the course of Claremont's time with the character, she becomes the formidable leader of the politically powerful Clan Yashida. After her tragic death in a 1992 story by Larry Hama, Mariko's memory haunted Wolverine for decades until her resurrection in a 2018 arc of Old Man Logan written by Ed Brisson. In the interim, a popular alternate universe version of Mariko — her world's version of Sunfire — was a regular cast member in Judd Winick's Exiles in the early aughts, making a sizable impact as one of Marvel's first prominent lesbian superheroes. Recently, another alternate version of Mariko — this one created by Japanese writer-artist Peach Momoko — was the protagonist of the celebrated series Demon Days and its sequel Demon Wars.The CEREBRO character file on Mariko Yashida begins at 1:23:36.This is Part Two of Two. Go back to Part One if you haven't heard it yet! Patreon subscribers now have exclusive access to the combined 8.5-hour Extended Study in Scarlet Mix.(Content Advisory: Mariko's story includes domestic violence. This episode features general discussion of racism. There's a lot to unpack.)Our Sponsors:* Check out Mood and use my code CEREBRO for a great deal: https://mood.com/CEREBROAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Episode 121: Mariko Yashida (feat. Justin Park) — Part One: Wolverine no Baka

In Episode 121 of CEREBRO, Connor and returning guest Justin Park consult the ancestors with Mariko Yashida, the stoic Scarlet Samurai! Created by Chris Claremont and John Byrne, inspired by the character Mariko Toda from James Clavell's 1975 historical novel Shōgun, Mariko is the daughter of an ancient Japanese noble house who becomes the great love of Logan, aka Wolverine. Over the course of Claremont's time with the character, she becomes the formidable leader of the politically powerful Clan Yashida. After her tragic death in a 1992 story by Larry Hama, Mariko's memory haunted Wolverine for decades until her resurrection in a 2018 arc of Old Man Logan written by Ed Brisson. In the interim, a popular alternate universe version of Mariko — her world's version of Sunfire — was a regular cast member in Judd Winick's Exiles in the early aughts, making a sizable impact as one of Marvel's first prominent lesbian superheroes. Recently, another alternate version of Mariko — this one created by Japanese writer-artist Peach Momoko — was the protagonist of the celebrated series Demon Days and its sequel Demon Wars.The CEREBRO character file on Mariko Yashida begins at 1:23:36.This is Part One of Two. The second half is coming soon! When it drops, Patreon subscribers will also get exclusive access to the combined Extended Study in Scarlet Mix.(Content Advisory: Mariko's story includes domestic violence. This episode features general discussion of racism. There's a lot to unpack.)Our Sponsors:* Check out Mood and use my code CEREBRO for a great deal: https://mood.com/CEREBROAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Bonus Episode: Giant-Size X-Men 2025 (feat. Jackson Lanzing & Collin Kelly)

Hey there, Zalagang!Today I'm joined by returning guests Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing to discuss their new miniseries Giant-Size X-Men, a 50th anniversary celebration of the iconic 1975 Len Wein and Dave Cockrum classic.Spinning out of their recently-concluded title NYX, this series of one-shots follows Kamala Khan on a wild time-bending ride through X-Men history. After some NYX debriefing, we dig deep into today's Giant-Size X-Men #1, exploring what this new twist on an old story means for Ms. Marvel and for the world of X as a whole.This episode contains FULL SPOILERS for Giant-Size X-Men #1 (2025), so please read the issue before listening.You can support CEREBRO on Patreon!Our Sponsors:* Check out Mood and use my code CEREBRO for a great deal: https://mood.com/CEREBROAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Episode 120: Pete Wisdom (feat. Dan Grote)

In Episode 120 of CEREBRO, Connor and ComicsXF publisher Dan Grote light one up with the willful Pete Wisdom! Created by Warren Ellis and Ken Lashley, the cantankerous, chain-smoking Wisdom — a British secret agent and mutant assassin — was introduced as the unlikely new love interest for Kitty Pryde, whose time in Excalibur had seen her grow from the X-Men's teen sidekick into an independent young superheroine.Though the Pryde and Wisdom relationship was popular with many readers, it did not survive to the end of the 90s. Wisdom did, however, becoming a reliable supporting player for Marvel stories set in the UK — and a marketable leading man in stories by writer Paul Cornell. He most recently served as a major recurring character in writer Tini Howard's Betsy Braddock stories during the First Krakoan Age.The CEREBRO character file on Wisdom begins at 39:54.(Content Advisory: Pete's story includes torture and various other war crimes. He's a black ops secret agent. The vibes are not always great.)You can support CEREBRO on Patreon!Our Sponsors:* Check out Mood and use my code CEREBRO for a great deal: https://mood.com/CEREBROAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands