Ahhh!-stin Gorey-ton

New year, new project! In honor of the 40th anniversary of X-Factor, the second X-Men spinoff and arguably the most successful (at least in terms of issues published), each day I'll spotlight a cover from a comic published on that date featuring a member of the team! #XFactor40 #XMenADay #XMen

300 - X-Factor #25 - 10/27/1987 The climax of X-Factor's "Fall of the Mutants" story and Archangel's introductory party. Cover by Walt Simonson. Interiors by Louise Simonson & Simonson. #XmenADay #XMen #XFactor40 #XFactor #Cyclops #JeanGrey #Angel #Beast #Iceman

9 - Doomsday Is it a hot take to say I've never really loved the idea that Superman was killed by a non-verbal rage monster conceived and introduced just to pound him to death? #TradingCardADay #DCMS #Mongul #JohnEstes

X-Factor 40 runners-up from the week of 10/18 to 10/24! Featuring art by Bill Sienkiewicz, Lee Weeks, David Yardin & Ivan Shavrin. Which one is your favorite? #XmenADay #XMen #XFactor40 #BeautyAndTheBeast #Gambit #XFactorVol3 #XFactorVol4

#6 - Treehouse of Horror VI (1995) Segment Ranks: Attack of the 50-Foot Eyesores - 1 Nightmare on Evergreen Terrace - 3 Homer³ - 4 One of the eps w/no clear standout nor a clear loser. I could be convinced any one segment is the best. #31DaysOfTreehouse #TheSimpsons #Halloween

299 - X-Men Legends (vol. 2) #3 - 10/26/2022 Nocenti returns to arguably her most significant character creation. Cover by Giuseppe Camuncoli. Interiors by Ann Nocenti & Javier Pina. #XmenADay #XMen #XFactor40 #XMenLegends #Longshot

8 - Mongul Now featuring the correct card! Still wild that the whole Green Lantern mythos got turned upside down by catching strays from a Superman story. #TradingCardADay #DCMS #Mongul #JohnEstes

8 - Mongul Still wild that the whole Green Lantern mythos got turned upside down by catching strays from a Superman story. #TradingCardADay #DCMS #Mongul #JohnEstes

#7 - Treehouse of Horror XXXII (2022) Segment Ranks: The Pookadook - 3 Death Tome - 1 Simpsons World - 2 "Death Tome" is super fun (anime Simpsons ftw), but while none of these are A+ segments, all three are solid B pluses. #31DaysOfTreehouse #TheSimpsons #Halloween

298 - X-Factor #37 - 10/25/1988 Remy with the wandering hand... Cover by Walt Simonson. Interiors by Louise Simonson & Simonson. #XmenADay #XMen #XFactor40 #XFactor #Cyclops #JeanGrey #Angel #Beast #Iceman

7 - The Eradicator I know he couldn't stay in it forever, but the OG black suit, red S-logo & cape with the giant shades was a WAY better look than this generic bodysuit. #TradingCardADay #DCMS #LexLuthor #JohnEstes

#8 - Treehouse of Horror II (1991) Segment Ranks The Monkey’s Paw - 1 The Bart Zone - 3 If I Only Had a Brain - 2 "Monkey's Paw" is iconic ("the turkey's a little dry!!!"), but I can honestly take or leave the other two. #31DaysOfTreehouse #TheSimpsons #Halloween

Today's 31 Days of Heistoween: the Crestwood House monster books, those old bright orange hardcovers found in elementary school libraries in the 80s! Formative texts, they introducted me to the Universal monsters, classic cinema & film analysis popheist.com/heistoween-c...

297 - X-Men (vol. 2) #204 - 10/24/2007 Remy with the wandering hand... Cover by Mike Choi. Interiors by Mike Carey & Choi. #XmenADay #XMen #XFactor40 #XMenVol2 #Gambit

What's the BEST Halloween TV episode EVER? We're trying to find out and we need your vote! VOTE: buff.ly/WtWK66e

The sheer availability of old comics to be read for moderate prices. Like, I’m not even talking pirating; I remember a time when collected editions were rare, and if you wanted to read anything that was A. Old and B. Not a key first appearance, you needed big money.

Unemployment has run out, and we have yet to get another TV job (though we've come close!). We have savings, but if my work means anything to you, I would really, really, really appreciate you becoming a subscriber. And now you can make me watch your favorite crap!

For "Something Spooky," I look at Uncanny X-Men #159 and how it heralds the beginning of a new type of X-Men story - "X-Men and Vampires" - for better and worse. comicon.com/2026/10/23/s...

6 - Lex Luthor II It cannot be overstated how wild Lex Luthor's early to mid 90s arc is. Shame we missed out on a fully-painted, high-end, full-bleed card of bearded, red-haired, Supergirl-dating, faking being his own son Luthor. #TradingCardADay #DCMS #LexLuthor #JohnEstes

#9 - Treehouse of Horror (1990) Segment Ranks: Bad Dream House - 3 Hungry Are the Damned - 1 The Raven - 2 The one that started it all - and gave the series' its name. Still stands as a pretty solid entry, overall. #31DaysOfTreehouse #TheSimpsons #Halloween

297 - X-Factor #61 - 10/23/1990 While easily the least of the three X-Factor "X-Tinction" covers, no one did crazy-ass spider-cyborg Hodge as good as Bogdanove. Cover by Jon Bogdanove. Interiors by Louise Simonson & Bogdanove #XmenADay #XMen #XFactor40 #XFactor #JeanGrey

Uncanny X-Men #232 is a fun kickoff to one of the signature Outback Era stories, made all the more compelling for the way it subverts the norm and presents the X-Men as the monsters in the monster story. comicon.com/2024/10/24/s...

5 - Cyborg In case you hadn't noticed, the first 9 card "page" of this set is themed ("Superman peeps"). That will continue (loosely, in some cases) for the rest of the set. I'd love to know why the last sentence on the cardback is bracketed. #TradingCardADay #DCMS #JohnEstes

#10 - Treehouse of Horror VIII (1997) Segment Ranks: The HΩmega Man - 2 Fly vs. Fly - 3 Easy-Bake Coven - 1 "Coven" is the kind of story I wish they did more often in TOH, an exploration of Halloween tropes rather than a straight adaptation of a story. #31DaysOfTreehouse #TheSimpsons #Halloween

296 - X-Force #5 - 10/22/1991 The debut of Toad's Brotherhood of Evil Mutants! Featuring the return of Sauron after a nine (!) year absence. Cover by Rob Liefeld. Interiors by Fabian Nicieza & Liefeld. #XmenADay #XMen #XFactor40 #XForce #Pyro

Zombie Black Cat has landed, as Marvel Snap's Halloween-themed aversion to adding new characters to the game continues! comicon.com/2026/10/13/s...

4 - Steel Shaq's favorite character! As DC's answer to Marvel Masterpieces these cards all feature fully-painted art, a step-up from previous DC sets Love that the cardback bio just had to use the word "urban" for a Black character. 🙄 #TradingCardADay #DCMS #Steel #JohnEstes

#11 - Treehouse of Horror X (1998) Segment Ranks: I Know What You Diddily-Iddily-Did - 3 Desperately Xeeking Xena - 1 Life’s a Glitch, Then You Die - 2 The episode which gave us "A wizard did it." #31DaysOfTreehouse #TheSimpsons

DYK: while often thought of as emblematic of the cycle of comic book deaths & resurrections, Jean Grey has only had two extended periods of time in which she was considered dead: 1980-1985 (64 months) and 2003-2017 (168 months, though O5 Jean was around for some of that).

Which 90s X-Men "big bad" is your favorite? From Fleer Ultra X-Men Series 1 1993 Art by David Braun, Glenn Barr, Peter Bollinger, and Chris Moeller. #TradingCardADay #Xmen #FUXM

Have you voted yet? We need to help Stevil win this thing!

In my latest Heistoween post for @popheist.com, I break down the (highly-subjective)(oddball) rules which govern my Halloween playlist. popheist.com/heistoween-d...

295 - Inglorious X-Force #10 - 10/21/2026 Final issue, out today! Boom-Boom & Angel really shouldn't be in a love triangle together. Cover by R.B. Silva. Interiors by Tim Seeley & Michael Sta. Maria. #XmenADay #XMen #XFactor40 #IngloriousXForce #BoomBoom #Angel #Akihiro

Welcome to HEISTOWEEN II. Pop Heist is providing all sorts of treats and goodies all month long: essays, op-eds, reviews, newsletters, discounts, and STICKERS. Subscribe to Pop Heist at a paid tier (as low as $7/month) so you won't miss out on everything we have to offer. buff.ly/GL0KkHv

Who's ready for some Staff Picks?!? This week I've got the Kieron Gillen Age of Krakoa omnibus, a collection featuring some of the best, wildest issues of the Krakoa Era along with some that showcase its back-half, post-Hickman struggles.

3 - Superboy Another "of its time" character, though w/more staying power than most of this vintage (nothing says 90s like the words "he's bad, he's rad!" on the cardback). Also, we now know he IS a (partial) Superman clone #TradingCardADay #DCMS #Superboy #JohnEstes

#12 - Treehouse of Horror XXXII (2021) Segment Ranks: Bong Joon Ho’s “This Side of Parasite” - 2 Nightmare on Elm Tree - 3 Poetic Interlude - 1 Dead Ringer - 4 The rare four story ToH, w/the Gorey-esque animation in the third stealing the show. #31DaysOfTreehouse #TheSimpsons

Watched this on the plane to San Fran weekend before last.

293 - X-Factor (vol. 3) #210 - 10/20/2010 In which Rahne briefly convinces Rictor he is her Baby Daddy, which, not a great move, Rahne. Cover byDavid Yardin. Interiors by Peter David & Valentine De Landro. #XmenADay #XMen #XFactor40 #XFactorV3 #Wolfsbane #Rictor

Pulled this out of the Grand Arena rewards track this morning. Now I’ve got it like seemingly everyone else. #MarvelSnap

The covers that almost made the cut, X-Factor 40 runners-up from last week! Featuring art from Jim Starlin, Mike Zeck, Stephen Segovia & Larry Stroman. #XmenADay #XMen #XFactor40 #XFactor #AmazingAdventures #NewDefenders #Hellions #Beast #Angel #Havok #WildChild #Polaris #StrongGuy #Madrox

2 - Supergirl Like Marvel Masterpieces & other sets of this time, this is meant to capture the state of the universe at release - so "of its time" stuff gets featured, like how this isn't the traditional Supergirl, because John Byrne. #TradingCardADay #DCMS #Superman #JohnEstes

ICYMI here's all my annotations and assorted thoughts on Midnight X-Men #1! comicon.com/2026/10/13/p...

Which Bill Sienkiewicz Fleer Ultra X-Men card is the best? #TradingCardADay #FUXM #BillSienkiewicz #Nightcrawler #Cable #Polaris #Mirage

You know what really grinds my gears? When the elastic in your socks wears out so they're constantly sliding down and bunching around your ankles (yes, I could change them out, but that would involve going upstairs...).

#13 - Treehouse of Horror XXIV (2013) Segment Ranks: Oh the Places You’ll D’oh! - 2 Dead and Shoulders - 3 Freaks No Geeks - 1 "Oh the Places" is clever (if not particularly Halloween-y) & might top some eps, but "Freaks" is a stone-cold classic. #31DaysOfTreehouse #TheSimpsons #Halloween

292 - X-Factor #117 - 10/19/1995 I really wish Epting had stayed on this book longer. This cover goes way harder than it has any right to. Cover by Steve Epting. Interiors by Howard Mackie & Epting. #XmenADay #XMen #XFactor40 #XFactor #Havok #Polaris #Mystique

1 - Superman Post-death, pre-marriage, full mullet. Is Superman DC's Spider-Man? I ask because I'm of the belief that Spider-Man should lead off all sets of Marvel Universe trading card & Superman should do the same for DC cards. #TradingCardADay #DCMS #Superman #JohnEstes

#16 - Treehouse of Horror XVII (2006) Segment Ranks: Married to the Blob - 2 You Gotta Know When to Golem - 3 The Day the Earth Looked Stupid - 1 "The Day the Earth Looked Stupid" has one of my fav Simpsons bits of all time. #31DaysOfTreehouse #TheSimpsons #Halloween

291 - Civil War: X-Men #4 - 10/18/2006 The then-surviving OG X-Factor, from the time when Marvel was silo-ing the X-Men for linewide crossovers. Cover by Juan Doe. Interiors by David Hine & Yanick Paquette. #XmenADay #XMen #XFactor40 #CivilWarXMen #Cyclops #Angel #Beast #Iceman

That's a wrap on Fleer Ultra X-Men Series 1! Next up: DC & Skybox get into the high-end trading card game with their version of Marvel Masterworks, DC Master Series! Scans via Trading Card Db. #TradingCardADay #DCMS