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Excalibur #63

Denial
Credits: Alan Davis (Script), Alan Davis (Pencils), Mark Farmer (Inks), Glynis Oliver (Colors), Chris Eliopoulos (Letters).

Summary
Kylun, about to meet up with his family in Scotland, is attacked by Warpies and brought to Cloud Nine on Peter's orders.  Back at that facility, Peter explains to Excalibur that he knows that they do good work, and harbors no ill will towards them, but by British law they are criminals and thus are under arrest for their own protection.  He goes on to explain that the RCX is studying a bizarre phenomena where "parahumans" like mutants or the Warpies destabilize -- meaning that they lose their powers, revert to a human-like form, and then die.  Peter knows that Excalibur will help, and thus has Nightcrawler (with a new costume created by the Warpie Silkworm) take a spin in a simulator not unlike the Danger Room to calibrate their sensors with an adult mutant to study the Warpies with.  When he finishes, Nightcrawler is informed that he too is suffering from the destabilization, and has less than a month to live.

In deep space, Phoenix runs into Death, and is forced to confront what it means to siphon the life-force of the unborn, and how to reconcile that with having a human host.  And then we look in on Brian and Meggan, still enjoying their holiday in the British countryside.  Brian's strength begins to return, as Meggan comments that the "light" in his aura has also returned.  Brian demands to know what she means, but before he can get answers, the Seraphim show up to take them into custody.

Continuity Notes
Nightcrawler receives his new costume, which is more of a grey than blue-black, and does not feature the "V" on his chest of his original look.  He also shows off some of his lesser-known powers, including sticking to surfaces and blending into shadows; it is batted around by the RCX's lead scientist that this means Kurt might be the offspring of two mutants.  Kurt, would later be revealed to be the son of Mystique and Azazel, both mutants (of a sort).

Review
A much simpler issue than the previous one, with the majority of the action taking place in the present as Peter elaborates on the RCX as well as the genetic destabilization plague.  The letters page is already talking up "Days Of Futures Yet To Come," so I am guessing that Davis was content to simply tie up loose ends and tell the remaining stories he had on his plate for the team by this point.  Not vital, but fun for Nightcrawler fans, and the sequence with Phoenix and Death (which features Death taking on a new form in every panel) is interesting reading.