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EXCALIBUR: THE SWORD IS DRAWN (a.k.a. EXCALIBUR SELF-TITLED PRESTIGE FORMAT SPECIAL)
Main Cast: Captain Britain, Meggan, Nightcrawler, Phoenix (Rachel Summers,) Shadowcat
Credits: Chris Claremont, writer -- Alan Davis, penciler -- Paul Neary, inker -- Mark Farmer, additional inks -- Tom Orzechowski, letterer -- Glynis Oliver, colorist -- Ann Nocenti, editor -- Terry Kavanagh, assistant editor
Note 1: Rachel/Phoenix had been missing from our universe since Uncanny X-Men # 209, in which Spiral manipulated her into follwing her to the Mojoverse. A Phoenix mini-series detailing her experiences on Mojoworld was planned but never published, and she was not seen again until this story.
Note 2: Nightcrawler and Shadowcat were severely wounded during the Mutant Massacre in Uncanny X-Men # 211, and were still recovering on Muir Isle during the Fall of the Mutants, during which the X-Men appeared to die in Uncanny X-Men # 227. In reality, they were resurrected by Roma, and decided to let the world believe they were dead, in order to prevent harm from coming to their friends and families.
Plot: Shadowcat has a horrible nightmare of being trapped on Mojoworld, and helping Phoenix escape from brainwashed X-Men who turn out to be monsters. She wakes up on Muir Isle, surrounded by photographs of her deceased teammates. She breaks down and cries.
Not far away, Meggan finishes playing with dolphins and flies to the lighthouse she shares with her lover, Captain Britain. She finds the TV on and the living room torn apart. The newscaster recaps a report about the death of the X-Men, one of whom was Captain Britain's sister, Psylocke. Meggan tries to comfort CB, but he's wallowing in booze and self-pity, and reacts oafishly. Blaming herself, Meggan decides to fly to Muir Isle and see if the surviving X-Men can help.
Meanwhile, Nightcrawler unwisely plays swashbuckler in the Muir Isle version of the Danger Room and nearly gets killed by the robots before Shadowcat rescues him. As they take a walk to clear their heads, he tells her that he had the same nightmare as her.
No sooner are they back indoor than they receive an unwanted visit from a colorful band of extra-dimensional mercenaries known as the Technet. They are in pursuit of Phoenix under orders of Omniversal Majestrix Opal Luna Saturnyne. Meggan, who had arrived at the same time, joins in the battle. She and Shadowcat are captured, but Nightcrawler escapes by teleporting away.
A short distance away, in London, Phoenix enters our dimension and literally crashes a masquerade ball. The monsters from Shadowcat's and Nightcrawler's dream -- warwolves -- are not far behind, but Phoenix outruns them for the moment.
Back at the lighthouse, Nightcrawler confronts Captain Britain and talks some sense into him. They both attempt to rescue Shadowcat and Meggan, only to find themselves caught in the crossfire of the Technet and the warwolves both trying to capture Phoenix. The five superheroes unexpectedly discover that they work very well as a team, and both sets of villains are driven off.
Phoenix uses her powers to evoke imagery of the Arthurian Legends and convinces the others to form a team which can carry on Professor X's dream now that the X-Men are no longer among the living. They name themselves after King Arthur's sword, Excalibur.
The Beginning...
Thoughts: A plot summary cannot adequately describe this wonderful story. When Chris Claremont clicks, as he does here, as he has done on a few other occassions, he fully justifies what I personally consider to be an inflated reputation. This is also where I've always felt Claremont should have stopped writing the X-Men altogether, and perhaps passed the torch to Louise Simonson. Re-reading all of the Fall of the Mutants crossovers in order to get a better sense of X-Continuity at the time this story is takes place, I found it impossible not to note how Weezie's writing on New Mutants and X-Factor was a million times sharper and more energetic than Claremont's on X-Men, and Claremont only got worse from there, much worse. If I sound harsh on Claremont, it's because I think he does have a talent, but an incredibly erratic one. I also feel that his particular talent is better suited for self-contained stories rather than extended serials. My two favorite examples are the X-Men/New Teen Titans Special and New Mutants Annual # 2, the latter being the first time he worked with Alan Davis, speaking of whom...
IMO Alan Davis has never, in a quarter century of drawing comics, drawn a bad panel. And this story was perfect for him for a variety of reasons. One, before he started doing work for American publishers, he had helped re-invent Captain Britain, co-created Meggan, and also co-created the Technet. Two, the story favors the fanciful, which is one of Davis's greatest strengths as an artist.
When Claremont and Davis brought Excalibur back as a monthly series, Claremont's weaknesses as a writer took over, resulting in plots going out of control and loose ends all over the place by the time he left the book. In addition, I feel that Claremont pitched the monthly book too far in the direction of outright comedy, unlike the first story, which was more a delicate fantasy with touches of whimsy.
Which is why, for me, the true follow-up to the first story didn't occur until issue # 42 of the monthly book, when Alan Davis (who had left the book before Claremont did) returned as both penciler and writer. Davis's second run lasted two years, during which he not only addressed and resolved every loose end from previous Excalibur issues, but also a few non-Excalibur loose ends. And as he became more confident as a writer, he eventually recaptured the special flavor of the first Excalibur story.
And so, my next Excalibur review will be of # 42, because I simply can't force myself to re-read the Claremont/Davis issues before getting to the ones I really like. Particularly during this time in my life, when I'm trying to take some long overdue steps towards a new life and I don't have a lot of time for reading comics or going on the Internet in the first place.
Sorry to fans of the Claremont/Davis issues, then. And I hope to be back here sooner rather than later.
[ May 19, 2012, 02:22 PM: Message edited by: Fanfic Lady ]
posted
I remember this book vividly. Damn I loved Kitty as a pimply teenager. It was the first prestige comic that I ever bought, I remember cuz it cost the equivalent of 4 whole comics a whole 5 bucks. I remember being disappointed with the regular series too.
I did like the art throughout Davis' run. I didn't know why i dropped the series at the time but have since discovered that Claremont is really annoying sometimes.
Poor Tom Orzechowski having to hand print all those words for lo those many years. One of the unsung heroes of the comic industry.
From: Canada | Registered: Apr 2005
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posted
I liked this series a lot at first, but all the zany cross-dimensional stuff just bored me after awhile. It was like they had no real life or purpose aside from bouncing around the multiverse. I'm just glad we don't have Widget bopping around anymore.
I actually liked Davis' Captain Britain work a lot more (read the tpb).
From: New York, NY | Registered: Jul 2003
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This is another series that I have complete access to, although have never read a single issue of. I'm a big fan of Claremont and Davis, although I agree with Stealth's assessment of Claremont's writing in the past.
Can't wait to read your reviews Stealth! I know I speak for a few of us when I say we've been jonesing for another Stealth review thread! (Oh, and don't feel even remotely bad about starting with #42--reading your enjoyment of those issue will make it more enjoyable for us!).
From: If you don't want my peaches, honey... | Registered: Sep 2003
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quote:Originally posted by Cobalt Kid: This is another series that I have complete access to, although have never read a single issue of. I'm a big fan of Claremont and Davis, although I agree with Stealth's assessment of Claremont's writing in the past.
I advise you to read through it to the end of Davis' run immediately (but skip the Lobdell fill-in issues except the Alchemy two-parter with Joe Mad art. I like Lobdell elsewhere, but almost all his Excalibur issues are rushed/phoned-in fill-ins with some of the worst art on record)
-------------------- My views are my own and do not reflect those of everyone else... and I wouldn't have it any other way.
posted
I have to say that I LOVED the Claremont issues of Excalibur, especially the Cross-Time Caper. Excalibur was one of the first comics I collected back in 1989. I absolutely fell in love with Kurt and Kitty in particular, mostly due to Claremont's characterization.
I will agree wholeheartedly with your assessment of Davis' work, however. He will always be the ruler with with I measure other artists. No one does it better. Too bad he doesn't get the respect from fans and the people running the business that he deserves.
BTW, Stealth, I love this kind of stuff. Earlier this year, you inspired me to read LEGION...now I'm going to have to go reread Excalibur.
-------------------- The only consistent feature of all of your dissatisfying relationships is you.
Don't judge me!
Registered: Aug 2003
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posted
Thanks for the feedback, everybody. The next review will be up in a little while.
quote:Originally posted by Tamper Lad: I remember this book vividly. Damn I loved Kitty as a pimply teenager. It was the first prestige comic that I ever bought, I remember cuz it cost the equivalent of 4 whole comics a whole 5 bucks. I remember being disappointed with the regular series too.
I did like the art throughout Davis' run. I didn't know why i dropped the series at the time but have since discovered that Claremont is really annoying sometimes.
Poor Tom Orzechowski having to hand print all those words for lo those many years. One of the unsung heroes of the comic industry.
If Orzechowski had been paid at the rate of ten cents per word, he'd be a billionare by now.
quote:Originally posted by DrakeB3004: I liked this series a lot at first, but all the zany cross-dimensional stuff bored me after a while. It was like they had no real life or purpose aside from bouncing around the multiverse. I'm just glad we don't have Widget bopping around anymore.
I actually liked Davis' Captain Britain work a lot more (read the tpb).
When Davis became the writer, he actively went about finding other purposes for the characters. Have you read Excalibur # 61? No cross-dimensional silliness there, just one of the single greatest superhero stories ever published. I'm not going to spoil any of it before I review it, but if I were to recommend one issue to skeptics, it would be # 61.
I have read the Captain Britain tpb (now sadly out of print) and I'd agree that those stories are better than the early issues of Excalibur. I also have the 7-issue reprint mini-series which collects Davis's earliest Captain Britain stories (those reprints were delayed many years because of a feud between Marvel and the writer of many of these stories, Alan Moore -- yes, THE Alan Moore; his Captain Britain stories predated even his Swamp Thing stories, IIRC.)
Main Cast: Captain Britain, Meggan, Nightcrawler, Phoenix, Shadowcat
Credits: Alan Davis, writer and penciler -- Mark Farmer, inker -- Michael Heisler, letterer -- Glynis Oliver, colorist -- Terry Kavanagh, editor -- Mark Powers, assistant editor
Plot: Exiled to Earth since the failure of their previous mission (in EXCALIBUR: THE SWORD IS DRAWN, reviewed at top of page,) Gatecrasher and the Technet plot to destroy Excalibur. The lighthouse sufferes extensive damage but the team survive, and they defeat the Technet with partial thanks to the intervention of Horatio Cringebottom from the Ministry For Cross-Time Transport Regulation Monitor and Control. Cringebottom is accompanied by an oddball mechanic, Bert, who stabilizes Widget's powers. Before they leave, Cringebottom leaves a holographic message from Saturnyne: the Technet's contract has been terminated, and their exile is now permanent. Fearing for their lives, Gatecrasher and her sidekick, Yap, teleport away from the rest of the Technet. All the members of Excalibur -- with the exception of Captain Britain -- take pity on the Technet and invite them to stay, in exchange for helping repair the lighthouse. Meanwhile, on E'erath, an alternate Earth, a leonine barbarian named Kylun begins forming an army in order to overthrow the supernatural tyrant Necrom...and Excalibur is also on his hit list.
Thoughts: It almost goes without saying that, with Mark Farmer doing the full inks, Davis's art always looks its best. And although Davis is one of the most reliably good artists in comics, sometimes he outdoes himself, and this issue is one of those times. He really seems to be enjoying this homecoming.
And for a first-time writer, he doesn't do badly -- yes, Bert's verbose explanation of Widget's powers is tedious, but forgivable. And to his credit, Davis does a nice job of making the book accessible to new readers (all we need to know for the moment is that Excalibur have done a lot of cross-dimesional travelling,) and of bringing the book full circle for old readers by bringing back the team's very first opponents. Over the next few issues to come, Davis will gracefully weave together loose ends from the Claremont years, and set the stage for an exciting new direction.
Main Cast: Captain Britain, Meggan, Nightcrawler, Phoenix, Shadowcat.
Credits: Alan Davis, writer and penciler -- Mark Farmer, inker, -- Michael Heisler, letterer -- Glynis Oliver, colorist -- Terry Kavanagh, editor -- Mark Powers, assistant editor
Plot: Ongoing repairs on the lighthouse result in a series of comical mishaps as Captain Britain keeps searching for a quiet place to read. But things turn tragic when CB explodes in misplaced jealousy against Nightcrawler's friendly gesture to Meggan. When the dust clears, Nightcrawler has a broken leg and Meggan has flown off in tears. Phoenix flies after Meggan. CB apologizes to Nightcrawler, who forgives him, but just then a group of alternate-dimension Captain Britains shows up, and they arrest our CB for breaking one of the Captain Britain morality codes. Meanwhile, on E'erath, Kylun and his forces rescue Princess Sa'tneen from Necrom's captivity.
Thoughts: Only two issues into his run as writer, and Davis is already improving quickly. The misunderstanding between CB and Nightcrawler had been foreshadowed as early as the previous issue, and is foreshadowed again in the opening scene of this issue. So when it does occur, the change in tone from comedy to tragedy is not jarring. And in the aftermath, Davis shows his deep understanding of the characters: Meggan hyper-sensitive and innocent (but NOT dumb, as other writers seem to think) Phoenix resourceful, Shadowcat wary, Captain Britain too high on pride and too low on self-esteem, and Nightcrawler lovably open, with nothing to hide.
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EXCALIBUR # 44: "Witless For the Prosecution"
Main Cast: Captain Britain, Meggan, Nightcrawler, Phoenix, Shadowcat
Credits: Alan Davis, writer and penciler -- Mark Farmer, inker -- Michael Heisler, letterer -- Glynis Oliver, colorist -- Terry Kavanagh, editor -- Mark Powers, assistant editor
Plot: Our Captain Britain is taken to Otherworld, to be placed on trial before the Captain Britain Corps. The charges: too many cross-dimensional intrusions, plus his unprovoked assault on Nightcrawler, a citizen of our CB's assigned Earth. Our CB soon realizes that the CB Corps have already decided that he's guilty and the trial's just for show. He defies the other CBs, and they move in for the kill.
Meanwhile: Meggan has calmed down, and Phoenix is helping her find out who she really is. Their search is interrupted by Phoenix's run-in with Micromax, an incompetent superhuman government stooge. Shadowcat joins Alistaire Stuart, a paranormal expert who has worked alongisde Excalibur in the past, on a voyage to Ireland (though he had been hoping Phoenix would join him -- he's had an unrequited crush on her for ages.) With almost all of Excalibur M.I.A., who should come knocking but Commander Dai Thomas of Scotland Yard (who has a history with Captain Britain which predates Excalibur). They need help catching an elusive criminal which appears to have supernatural powers; Emilia Witherspoon, a clairvoyant who has accompanied Commander Thomas, suggests to Nightcrawler (who still has his leg in a cast) that the Technet could deputize for his absent teammates. And on E'erath, Kylun and Princess Sa'tneen fight side by side as the rebellion against Necrom continues.
Thoughts: Davis continues to impress equally as both artist and writer. Here we have an issue which references countless events from the Claremont/Davis issues and the stories collected in the Captain Britain TPB (I count 10 footnotes in all), yet it's still easy to follow. The secret ingredients are clarity and concision, both such rare qualities in early-90s comic books. And Davis's continuing efforts to humanize both Captain Britain and Meggan are very welcome. There is more to him than a bad temper and a lack of self-confidence, just as there is more to her than a shaky sense of self and a tendency to be out of touch with reality. Who should know such things better than Davis, who at this point in time had probably worked on these characters longer than anyone else?
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It's interesting that even though my misspent youth left my memory resembling swiss cheese, and all of the comics I've read over the years, how clear my memories are of these issues. Keep it coming!
-------------------- The only consistent feature of all of your dissatisfying relationships is you.
Don't judge me!
Registered: Aug 2003
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quote:Originally posted by armsfalloffboy: It's interesting that even though my misspent youth left my memory resembling swiss cheese, and all of the comics I've read over the years, how clear my memories are of these issues. Keep it coming!
Oh yes, Davis's Excalibur really is the stuff memories are made of. Thank you, AFO. The feedback is what really makes all the effort worthwhile.
Main Cast: Captain Britain, Meggan, Nightcrawler, Phoenix, Shadowcat
Credits: Alan Davis, writer and penciler -- Mark Farmer, inker -- Michael Heisler, letterer -- Glynis Oliver, colorist
Plot: Nightcrawler plays Xavier to the Technet, complete with matching uniforms with an "N" symbol; together, they catch the thief, a demon working for Necrom, who needs certain art exhibits with mystical powers as part of his master plan. But Necrom is still not known to this dimension, and the mission is only a qualified success, because one the Technet, Joyboy, is left behind and kidnapped.
Meanwhile...Opal Luna Saturnyne, under orders from Roma, tells the Captain Britain Corps to let our Captain Britain go free; Captain Britain has an inspiring chat with Captain U.K., his only friend in the Corps; Meggan and Phoenix search for Meggan's adoptive gypsy family in Europe; and over on E'erath, Kylun and Sa'tneen storm Necrom's castle, only for Necrom to unleash zombie superheroes at them.
Thoughts: What a great cover, Davis paying tribute to Gil Kane and Dave Cockrum's classic cover to "Giant-Sized X-Men #1", with the Technet bursting through the page, same as the X-Men before them. And what a great take on Nightcrawler Davis had -- the key scene here is when he flinches at the thought of having been seen as a one-note jester by all his past and present teammates. Davis was, IMO, the first creator since Dave Cockrum to truly understand Nightcrawler.
posted
An update for everyone following this thread: the next few issues are very difficult to summarize (even though the actual plot threads come together seamlessly) so it's gonna take me a while. I'm also trying to figure out the best way to get # 51-60 over with as quick as possible, because these issues have a lot of fill-ins and guest artists and even the all-Davis issues are IMO not as good as # 42-50 and # 61-67. I will see this thread to its finish, I'm just not sure how long it's gonna take. Thanks for your patience.
Main Cast: Captain Britain, Kylun, Meggan, Nightcrawler, Phoenix, Shadowcat.
Introducing: Cerise (cameo on last page.)
Credits: Alan Davis, writer and penciler -- Mark Farmer, inker -- Michael Heisler, letterer -- Glynis Oliver, colorist -- Terry Kavanagh, editor -- Mark Powers, assistant editor
Plot: Sa'tneen's powers help her and Kylun overcome the zombies, but when she battles Necrom, she is mortally wounded. Enraged, Kylun chases Necrom to an inter-dimensional doorway. But the doorway deposits villain and hero in separate locations. Kylun ends up in the bathroom of the Excalibur lighthouse, where Nightcrawler is brushing his teeth. Still in a warrior rage, Kylun assumes Nightcrawler to be one of Necrom's demon drones and attacks him. But when Kylun's sword does not hurt Nightcrawler, he realizes Nightcrawler is one of the good guys. And then, Widget enters and he and Kylun recognize each other.
It turns out that Kylun is actually the grown-up version of Colin McKay, the little mutant boy who befriended Widget and escaped pursuit when Widget transported him to E'erath's dimension (all of this way back in Excalibur # 2). Nightcrawler tells Kylun that Necrom arrived in our dimension one month earlier. Kylun replies that if this is the case, then no one is safe.
Meanwhile, in Germany's Black Forest, Meggan and Phoenix are attacked by what appear to be Dracula and Frankenstein's Monster. But Phoenix decks them both, and they are revealed as a pair of old gypsy men abusing the illusion-casting powers of a gentle simian creature they were keeping captive in their caravan.
The creature tells Meggan and Phoenix his story. He is of an ancient hidden race named the Neuri. Decades ago, his act of kindness towards this band of gypsies was repaid with treachery; they captured him and forced him to use his mystical powers for their material gain. Overcome by greed, he gypsies killed each other, one by one, until only the two old men were left.
The Neuri also reveals that Meggan and Rachel were destined to find him, so that he could help Meggan discover her true and uniquely beautiful self and help Rachel put her fragmented memories back together.
The only thing the dying Neuri asks in return is that they take him outside so that he can take his final breath gazing at the open sky.
While Meggan and Phoenix head back home, there is the latest round of commotion at the lighthouse: Widget has built a full body for himself, and yet another inter-dimensional traveller arrives -- this one appears to be a giant-insect monster, but things are not what they seem.
Thoughts: Whew. See what I meant about these next few issues being difficult to summarize? But I wanted to at least get this one done for the moment, because it's one of my favorite issues.
Meggan's quest for her true identity finally arrives at its destination, and it has so many levels of subtext while still being so wonderfully simple. The Neuri sums it all up when he says, "Meggan, draw strength from your new wisdom. Accept your uniquess." No trendy early 90s pseuderies here, just a direct message of self-acceptance. Alan Davis's lack of pretentions is what makes him one of my favorite creators, and it makes me wish he would write more often than he does.
The whole sequence with the Neuri is one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen in comics, and colorist Glynis Oliver, one of the greatest colorists of all time, deserves special mention for keeping the colors delicate and unobstrusive even when the Neuri temporarily changes Meggan and Phoenix's visual perceptions to a bright, sparkling panorama.
The final page introduces us to one of my favorite Excalibur characters, Cerise (although we only see her with her armor on this issue.) I haven't read any Excalibur issues after # 67, but apparently Davis's successors retconned her into being a Shi'ar fugitive or some such nonsense. It's really sad when potentially great characters are demoted.
The next review will hopefully be sooner rather than later. As always, thanks for your patience.
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(Oh, and don't feel even remotely bad about starting with #42--reading your enjoyment of those issue will make it more enjoyable for us!).
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