Not Blog Ex?

Alan Davis is back!  That's all you need know!  Well, that, and to check out Not Blog X, where G Kendall will clue you in on all your favorite and not-so-favorite X-Books from the 90s.

Excalibur #61

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

Summary
Deep in space, the Phoenix (and Rachel) stirs from her healing slumber and runs smack dab into Galactus, who has begun to feed on an inhabited world.  Phoenix will have none of it, and the two begin an intense battle, slinging huge amounts of cosmic energy at one another.  Meanwhile, back on Earth, at Braddock Manor Captain Britian and Nightcrawler train (with Cerise creating armor for Nightcrawler so he doesn't get hurt).  Cap is unfocused, angry about Sat-Yr-9's escape and raving about wanting revenge for Courtney, which upsets Meggan so much she storms off.  At the same time, in London, Micromax is kidnapped by a supposed agent from a competing radio station.  

A little later, we catch up with Brian and Meggan in the Caribbean, and after talking about his feelings and how he has been treating her, Brian proposes marriage.  While that is going on, in the caverns below the Manor, Kitty tries to make heads or tails of the changes, which Feron refuses to help with.  Out of nowhere, Widget pops in again, once more disappearing before Kitty can figure out his message.  Out in space, the battle having raged for some time, Galactus shows Phoenix the damage -- the inhabitants of the planet have become collateral damage of their battle, and her supposed desire to save them has been forgotten in Phoenix's lust for power.  Galactus tells her that he serves a purpose -- reclaiming the energy of worlds which have lived their lives, but the Phoenix simply sucks up energy from those who have yet to live -- the unborn.  Back on Earth, Kitty is contacted by Alistaire Stuart, claiming to have found out who blackmailed his sister, before he too is kidnapped.

Continuity Notes
Micromax is working as a DJ even though I am pretty sure he became a British agent in an earlier story.  Brian and Meggan's marriage wouldn't happen until more than fifty issues later, in the series finale at #125.

Review
It's so good to have Alan Davis back!  Immediately, the older plotlines are reintroduced (a welcome return after basically being ignored for four months), and the plots for the remaining stories in his run are planted, with the kidnappings as well as Widget's continued re-appearance.  There's a lot of little stories here, which makes the summary pretty confusing, but it's handled well in the comic, with a full page of Phoenix and Galactus in-between each other subplot to remind us that, yes, they are still fighting.  Also, I was happy to see Brian's rage about Courtney being addressed; obviously, it didn't get much attention at first, but his response here fits the character -- and his proposal to Meggan is a good step in the larger personal arc for Cap.  The art is typical Davis, which suits this series much better than Kollins, and runs the gamut from cutesy (Kitty and Feron) to nearly Ditko-esque (the fight between Phoenix and Galactus).  Overall a substantial improvement from the fill-in issues, even if it doesn't do all that much beyond offer an epilogie of sorts to the Phoenix issue from a few months earlier.

Not Blog Ex?

I just wouldn't be a Marvel Comics fan if I didn't like at least one team at least partially composed of mutants. But first, you should click on through to Not Blog X and let G Kendall's knowledge of all things X work it's sweet, sweet magic.

Excalibur #60

Braddock Of The Jungle
Credits: Scott Lobdell (Script), Scott Kolins (Pencils), Jon Holdredge (Inks), Mike Thomas (Colors), Ul Higgins (Letters).

Summary
In Wakanda, Icon holds Captain America, Iron Man (Jim Rhodes), the Black Panther, a one-piece clad Kitty Pryde, and a disguised Meggan captive with his transmorgified tree-men, demanding their surrender. Kitty triggers Icon's weapon to fire into her phased out person, so that Iron Man can scan the energy signature for a countermeasure. Panther then agrees to the surrender in order to prevent any unnecessary bloodshed. At the same time, Brian, along with Lockheed, manage to escape the portable prison through the mud. Wearing just his ruined pants, Brian does his best Hulk impression and is immediately dubbed "Jungle Man" by Meggan to protect his identity. Trying at a rescue, Brian is surprised to find himself fall flat on his face, his powers not working. After much arguing and threats, Icon's time suddenly runs out -- his power to change flesh to wood is temporary, and time is up. Icon changes back into Dr. A'Kurru U’mbaya, a Wakandan scientist who's daughter was poisoned by commercial waste while in the "outside world," the very thing the coalition is in Wakanda to try to solve.

Meanwhile, back in England, Nightcrawler and Cerise continue to track down the Knight Errant, who appears to be an elderly man with delusions of granduer, and the technology to back it up. Following him to a pub, a blast from the Knight's lance reveals a small nuclear bomb hidden inside. Nightcrawler lets him go, which gets Kurt a scolding from Dai Thomas. The Knight Errant is revealed to be William Matson, a retired industrialist who seems to like playing a hero.

Continuity Notes
Captain America recognizes Kitty as Shadowcat, and deduces that the other woman must be "the shapeshifter" Meggan from the outfit she is wearing. Jim Rhodes has never heard of the supergroup Excalibur, evidently.

Review
A lackluster conclusion to an underwhelming story. The main plot, with the heroes in Wakanda, is derailed of any suspense by the strange way in which Lobdell handles Icon -- true, he's not really evil, and new to being a villian, but what kind of danger can the heroes be in when the villian doesn't even seem to believe in his own cause? The fact that Brian, Kitty, and Meggan are given so little to do doesn't help either. The secondary story with Nightcrawler and Cerise is actually much more interesting, but since the Knight Errant would never appear again, it's really pretty pointless as well. Kollins art remains inconsistant, and the colors make it look really flat. Overall a big disappointment; good thing Davis is back with the next issue.

Not Blog Ex?

Wondering just what the heck this is? Head on over to Not Blog X and G Kendall will explain all. At least "all" in the context of 90s X-Men comics.

Excalibur #59

Enter... The Panther
Credits: Scott Lobdell (Script), Scott Kolins (Pencils), Jon Holdredge; Ray Kryssing (Inks), Mike Thomas; Dana Moreshead (Colors), Ul Higgins (Letters).

Summary
Kitty Pryde, along with Lockheed, is busy soaking up the sun in Wakanda, having stowed away on Brian's private jet. Brian, along with his "administrative assistant" Meggan, are representing Braddock Industries (formerly run by Jamie Braddock before he went nutzoid) in an internation coalition, which is meeting in Wakanda. Meggan is introduced to T'Challa, the Black Panther, and the technologically advanced people of Wakanda. Going deep inside the strange geological oddity known as the "cold mountain", the Panther introduces the other members of the group: Iron Man, representing Stark International, and Captain America, representing the United States government. As they sit down to a feast (pizza, bizarrely enough), the group is suddenly surrounded by bizarre full sized wooden creatures, with large heads resembling an African tribal carving. The leader of this group is Icon, who has transformed T'Challa's staff into his soldiers. Icon claims to represent the true nature of Wakanda, and the wishes of the Wakandan people to cast off technology and the West. Panther, Iron Man, and Cap spring to action, sealing Brian and Meggan inside a vibranium protection cylinder. Kitty, who had found one of Icon's victims earlier, phases in to get her teammates out. Facing down this "new" Excalibur, Icon bemoans that normally Africa has one superhero, but the day he makes his move, there's whole gaggle of them.

Meanwhile, Nightcrawler and Cerise are planning an evening at the opera, although Cerise still thinks lipstick tastes terrible. Their night out is interrupted when the Knight Errant, who rides on a mechanical flying steed, invades the opera house and shoots an energy blast at a known arms smuggler, and Nightcrawler has to save the man's date before the two heroes give chase.

Continuity Notes
A footnote tells us that Cerise arrived from "somewhere else" in issue #47.

Iron Man is James Rhodes, and is wearing the black and white "War Machine" style armor. Meggan greets him, thinking he is the Iron Man that they previously had adventured with; she takes his ignorance for playing "secret identity." Similarly, Cap notices him drinking a toast, and immediately knows it's not Tony Stark.

"Huh?” Moment
The last page has Black Panther, Captain America, Iron Man, Kitty, and some random, muscular Black woman in a white outfit. I guess it's Meggan or a disguised Brian, maybe? But as it stands the page makes no sense in the context of the issue.

Review
Another Lobdell story, this continues into the next issue as well. It's not bad -- the subplot with Nightcrawler and Cerise is great fun, but I am biased -- and there is some funny bits here and there, but overall, this is a lesser issue. I'm not a real big fan of the Black Panther, so that hurts it, but even beyond that this is not really an Excalibur story. This really is something which would have been better played in Marvel Comics Presents or a Black Panther one-shot. Brian and Meggan are basically there to be reader identification (Lobdell makes a point about how even though they are Europe's premier superheroes, the sight of Cap and Iron Man fill them with awe), which is not really something I am looking for in an Excalibur book. Kollins' art is all over the place; his style has cleaned up significantly since this period. A significant step-down from the previous two parter with the Trolls.

As an aside, I remember seeing this cover for the first time and thinking that Marvel was actually changing the team to this roster, and being insanely angry about it (even as an Iron Fan). Looking back, I have to say: man, I was stupid.

Not Blog Ex?

I'm going to jump backwards a bit and pick up these three done-in-one issues for this installment of Not Blog Ex? Wonder just what the heck this is all about? Go check out G Kendall's exceptionally cool Not Blog X, and all will become clear.

Excalibur #52

All You Ever Wanted To Know About Phoenix... But Were Afraid To Ask

Credits: Alan Davis (Script), Will Simpson (breakdowns) (Pencils), Jimmy Palmiotti (finishes); Dave Hoover (finishes) (Inks), Kelly Corvese (Colors), Michael Heisler (Letters).

Summary
With Rachel still recovering from the battle with Necrom back in issue #50, Professor Xavier tries to communicate with the Phoenix Force. Excalibur and the Prof get to experience the Force's origin, and how it came to inhabit Ray's body. Afterwards, it retreats into the cosmos to fully heal.

Review
This is one of the era's typical "quiet stories" which happen after the big events. But this issue is a little different insofar as it does explain some of the Phoenix backstory and in a not too complicated manner (at least, to someone with a passing knowledge of the X-Men). Alan Davis always liked the Excali-gals, so seeing this story from him is not surprising. The Simpson and Palmiotti pencils are nothing special, but a disappointment underneath the Davis cover. Speaking of which, the cover has a nice joke on it, with Jean claiming that this should help sales. I guess it didn't work that well! Fans of Rachel Summers, Jean Grey, or the Phoenix would like this comic, and Excal fans will probably appreciate the insight.



Excalibur #53

The Litter

Credits: Scott Lobdell (Script), James Fry (Pencils), Chris Ivy (Inks), Glynis Oliver (Colors), Michael Heisler (Letters).

Summary
While looking through an old photo album at Braddock Mannor, Brian tells a story to Meggan of his early days as Captain Britian, when he was roommates with Peter Parker and working with Spider-Man at night. Spidey tries to teach Cap the ropes, but Cap doesn't know his own strength, and has a serious problem when it comes to his drinking. A battle with The Litter, a group of canine-themed shapeshifting baddies, leaves one of them near-death after Cap uses his super strength without thinking. And things aren't much better socially, as Peter gets fed up with Brian constantly leaving their apartment a mess and just throwing his money around. Peter asks Brian to move out. In the present, Brian wonders if he can live up to the high standards set by someone like Spidey.

Review
Despite not being a Davis issue, I really liked this comic. Brian's self-doubt and attempts to grow were some of my favorite parts of this series, and tying into his brief stint back in the States is a novel way to do it, since there isn't much material there in the first place. (And I don't think the two of them have had much contact since then, which is a shame, as I would like to see their relationship explored some more.) Lobdell writes a pretty good Spider-Man, and his flashback Brian sounds pretty good as well, so it's too jarring of a transition from the norm. Overall, a good issue.

The Litter, made up of a group of snobbish Eurotrash who transform into doggie-humanoids, are an amusing bunch who look like they could have stepped out of an issue of Marvel Team-Up. It's surprising that they have never been heard from since, as I would have thought Kurt Busiek or Dan Slott would have found a use for them by now. Also odd is the cover, which uses a pretty similar take as the previous issue, this time with Spidey claiming that he is taking over this title as his own.



Excalibur #54

Curioser And Curioser

Credits: Alan Davis (Script), Alan Davis (Pencils), Mark Farmer (Inks), Glynis Oliver (Colors), Michael Heisler (Letters).

Summary
Nightcrawler finally gets the cast off his broken leg, and is more than happy just to be able to scratch his skin again. Meanwhile, Excalibur investigates a mass dissappeance in the countryside, as a whole town has just up and vanished without a trace. Meggan's tracking senses lead to a rabbit hole, and down she goes, followed by Cerise, Kylun, and finally Cap. Cap finds himself in one peril after another, eventually having to fight from drowning in a giant teapot. He manages to escape, and discovers that he is a bizarre version of Wonderland, with Meggan as Alice, and his other teammates seemingly under the spell as well. He rightfully thinks it is the work of the Crazy Gang, but he is surprised to find Joyboy of the Technet there as well. Seems that Joyboy's illusion power is working in concert with Red Queen's already twisted brain to produce an idyllic Wonderland. All of the residents of the town are present, but they are not held against their will -- they were invited for a tea party, and are having great fun. The only reason that Cap was met with violence is because he expected trouble. Cap decides to let the Gang be, as they are not hurting anyone and staying out of trouble. While the adventure is taking place, Kitty Pryde and Alistair Stewart are examining the new form of Widget, but he vanishes in a brilliant flash, with Kitty's quick thinking the only thing saving them from being vaporized.

Review
Davis is back and even though this is a fun stand-alone story, already the seeds of the rest of his run are begun planted, specifically with Widget. Anyways, this is a fun, bouncy issue, with lots of great Alice in Wonderland visuals. This definitely is a comic that any Marvel fan could pick up and read, even if the continuity is a bit dicey with regards to the Gang and Joyboy (when exactly they managed to obtain Joyboy from them, I am not sure). Still, a very good issue, as is typical for the Davis run.

Not Blog Ex? -- Excalibur #58

(Confused? Check out the inspiration for these posts at G. Kendall's awesome Not Blog X, and check out the previous NBE posts here.)

Excalibur #58

Troll Call

Credits: Alan Davis (plot); Scott Lobdell (script) (Script), Joe Madureira (Pencils), Joe Rubinstein (p. 1-19); Hector Collazo (p. 20-22) (Inks), Kevin Tinsley (Colors), Ken Lopez (Letters).

Summary
While Cerise and Feron try to reverse the transmutation of Captain Britain and Meggan, the other members of Excalibur and the X-Men aren't as dead as they looked last time, instead being held captive by the Troll Associates. Nightcrawler seemingly betrays his friends and sides with the rebelous Fairie Folk, who want to kill the human race and take control of the planet. It's a ruse, of course, and it pays off once Nightcrawler fetches Feron to break the magical chains holding the two teams, and battling the Trolls. With some help from Tom Jones , the mutant who caused this problem in the first place, the teams are able to take it to their captors. In the end, Tom and his mother are freed, the Trolls are defeated, and the remaining Fairie Folk are transported to the Crazy Gang's Wonderland to live in peace (revealing the narrator of the story to be the Jester).

I Love The 90s
Jubilee says she couldn't have more fun if she was watching "90210."

Review
A nice conclusion to the previous issue, even if it does cheat a little bit with the explosive cliffhanger, with Jester simply explaining that superheroes -- mutants in particular -- are notorious difficult to kill. Nightcrawler's turn is pretty blatantly a ruse, to the point where Kitty and Cyclops discuss the fact that he has to up to something. The "betrayl" leads to some funny moments, including Nightcrawler teleporting Feron in front of some bewildered Trolls, who assume that the mystic "has slain the elf," and then Nightcrawler and Cerise's reconciliation, where the Shi'ar once more partakes of her favorite Earth custom, the "lip massage."

Madureira's pencils are slightly better this time out, although there is one panel of Gambit "raging" which is so bad, I'd almost think it was intentional. The action flows nicely and never gets too confusing. Still not my cup of tea, and a huge change of pace from the usual smooth Davis art, but acceptable enough, especially considering the use of the X-Men. In the end, a fun little two-parter, hampered most by the excessive use of continuity footnotes (I, for one, like footnotes, but this is a bit ridiculous) and the unusual-for-the-title-but-not-for-the-era artwork. A novice Excalibur fan could read these two and not be too lost, but might wonder what the heck all the footnotes are for.

Not Blog Ex? -- Excalibur #57

For Whom The Bell Trolls!

Credits: Alan Davis (plot); Scott Lobdell (script) (Script), Joe Madureira (Pencils), Joe Rubinstein (Inks), Kevin Tinsley (Colors), Ken Lopez (Letters).

Summary
Excalibur (Nightcrawler, Shadowcat, Meggan, Captain Britain, and Cerise) are in the sewers of London, searching for Sat-Yr-9, and getting nowhere, when they come upon two men who have been transmuted into gold. Turns out that this is the work of one Mr. Tom Jones, an old associate of the original X-Factor, who tries to contact them before being captured by an unseen force. Excalibur agrees to help the police investigate the golden men, with Meggan using her feral senses to track who they think are the perpetrators, leading the team to a face to face encounter with the Troll Associates. The heroes outclass the trolls in combat, who retreat when Captain Britain is turned to gold, and Meggan gets a golden handprint on her arm as Tom rushes past her. Meanwhile, on the Blackbird, Beast briefs the other X-Men (Cyclops, Wolverine, Gambit, Rogue, Jubilee, and Psylocke) on Tom's alchemy powers while enroute to London. Back under the sewers, Nightcrawler has sent Cerise to fetch Feron, and Meggan is leading the hunt when she too succumbs to the transmutation, enfuriating Nightcrawler enough to lash out -- right into Beast and the other X-Men. Joining forces, Psylocke leads the team to Tom, imprisoned with his mother in the Troll's lair. Cyclops orders Gambit to blast the door, only for Wolverine to realize too late that the door is wired with plastique. KA-KOOM.

Continuity Notes
The first three pages have 3 seperate footnotes on them, but Beast's flashback doesn't have any. Plus, when Nightcrawler runs into his old friends, we get more footnotes. Just to be on the safe side, I suppose. Nightcrawler makes reference to Phoenix being taken to the stars, and Kylun leaving to see his family, both recent events in the title.

I Love The 90s
Jubilee says "Word" at one point.

Review
I liked this issue better than the previous two I reviewed (available here). The plot moves along nicely, and Lobdell's dialogue is fine. There's an interesting narrative structure, as the story is being narrated by an unknown and unseens storyteller to a group of other creatures, which leads to some humorous caption boxes as he guesses at what our heroes would say in certain situations. The presence of the X-Men is tolerable, although the fact that Psylocke seems to be there specifically to use her powers and doesn't even seem to react to or notice that her brother has been trasmuted to gold is a little weird. Notice that the team is (with the exception of Psylocke) made up of characters featured prominently on the cartoon series, which was airing at the this time. The Troll Associates are amusingly bizarre, but other than Phay (the shapeshifter who speaks in quotes), none of them have much time to shine.

Joe Madureira's linework is a mixed bag. His Cerise is powerful and elegant and his Nightcrawler a bit quirky, but his Cap is oddly stiff and unnatural. Even more strange is his depiction of the X-Men, who look awkward and a little flat the entire time. Still, I like his work in these pages better than his later, more manga-esque stuff, so it's not too bad. All in all, a much better introduction to the adventures of Excalibur than the previous storyline (Lobdell even does a roll-call of sorts to introduce the heroes), plus the X-Men crossover is handled pretty well. Worth reading.

(I need to re-examine how I am going to handle these entries. At this point I am kind of in the middle of Davis' run, and I'm not thrilled with that, but I wanted to read this issue. What do you guys think? Should I go back to the start of Davis' return run at #42, or back to the launch of the series, or keep going, or... ? Any feedback would be appreciated.)

Not Blog Ex?

In honor of my fellow blogger G Kendall of Not Blog X, I present to you Not Blog Ex?, where we take a look at that oft-ignored X-spinoff title, Excalibur. Owing to the fact that my favorite X-Man, Nightcrawler, was a member of the team, Excal was the first "serious" (so to speak) comic book series I ever collected. So let's take a look back, shall we, and see how the group from across the pond holds up 15-plus years after the fact. Presented here is the first issue of Excalibur I ever purchased, along with the second part -- which I finally found years later!

EXCALIBUR #55

The Ghost of Braddock Manner
Credits: Alan Davis (Script), Alan Davis (Pencils), Mark Farmer (Inks), Glynis Oliver (Colors), Michael Heisler (Letters).

Summary
We begin by catching up with all of Excalibur's members, each dealing with their personal issues in the hours before a housewarming party welcoming them to their new home of Braddock Manor. Captain Britian spars with his sister Psylocke while lamenting how he always resorts to violence, and reminiscing about their family life. Nightcrawler practices his martial arts in a very aggressive manner, surprising Kitty and Meggan, who have been out shopping for the big shindig. Kylun mourns at his life-mate's grave while Cerise tries to figure out why humans form emotional bonds. Kylun then leaves for Scotland before the party. The party gets underway and there are lots of guests, all dressed to the nines -- including Inspector Dai Thomas, Emelia Witherspoon, Alysande and Alistaire Stuart, Courtney Ross and her right hand man Nigel. Alysdane, it seems, is being court-martialed for supposedly selling secrets to SHIELD. The festive mood is soon dashed when Alysande is attacked and found dead, and soon it is clear that the Manor is under siege. Once the entire team (save Kitty) is incapacitated, Courtney is revealed to be Sat-Yr-9, and her weapon of choice is none other than Jamie Braddock.

Gimmicks
The cover is actually the first page of the story (labeled "0" at the bottom, as you can see). Editor Terry Kavanagh apologizing about that always made me smile. Note also that Terry's name is trademarked!

Continuity Note
There's a looot of past adventures and events alluded to within this pages which make no sense unless you have been reading this title regularly. Very obscure for the first time reader -- a common complaint for Excalibur. Widget pops in for literally one panel. This issue also begins the romantic angle between Nightcrawler and Cerise.

Approved By The Comics Code Authority
Right after Alysdane is found dead, Psylocke gets shot at point blank range -- turns out that they are just tranqs, but that is not spelled out here.

Review
This is a transitional type of issue. Starting with Davis' return in #42 through the big blowoff in #50, the team was moving in new directions, moving away from the lighthouse and picking up new members. The first half of this comic is sort of a "game reset" for readers, to re-establish who these people are and what their general personalities entail. There's a ton of great character moments in here. The sparring match between Brian and Betsy is sweet without feeling forced. One of my favorite comedic moments in the entire run of the title happens in this issue as well. When Courtney arrives, she immediately lays a giant kiss on Brian. Meggan sees this, and in a fit of jealous rage, also grabs Brian and kisses him. This leads Cerise to ponder if "lip massage" is an important part of human ritual, then grab Nightcrawler and kiss him for 10 solid minutes. When she looks up to see everyone staring, she meekly asks "Did I not do it right?" Alan Davis also shines in showing off everyone's fancy duds -- all the gals look gorgeous and glamorous, not slutty or provacative. The second half picks up the pace, as everything goes wrong in very quick manner. There's no fighting, per se, but Davis does create a lot of mood and suspense before the reveals on the villians.

Still, for someone who is not already familiar with this team and its history, this is a hard story to follow and care about. Maybe because it was originally created with Chris Claremont at the helm, but Excalibur was always continuity-heavy, with a lot of callbacks and references in the narrative. Sat-Yr-9, for example, gives a little exposition as to who she is be referencing the conept of the Omniverse, saying she is a counterpart to Saturnyne, but then she doesn't say who Saturnyne is. Similarly, none of the guests are introduced -- we learn that Emelia is psychic because she has a psychic flash, and that Alysdane runs WHO, but that's about it. As a young reader these were very frustrating stumbling blocks, and they still remain that way today. If you want to get into Excal, don't start with this issue. It's a good story if you know what is going on already, but not if you're new to the series.



EXCALIBUR #56

Things That Go Shriek In the Night
Credits: Alan Davis (Script), Alan Davis (Pencils), Mark Farmer (Inks), Glynis Oliver (Colors), Michael Heisler (Letters).

Summary
Trapped inside Braddock Manor in the thrall of Jamie Braddock, Excalibur is helpless as Sat-Yr-9 begins to plots her siezing control of Earth-616. First, though, she sends her troops to capture the still-missing Kitty Pryde. Nigel is jealous of Sat-Yr-9 using Captain Britian as her personal toy, thinking him a musclebound moron. In his mind, Cap is reached out to by Betsy, and he tells his sister all about Sat-Yr-9 and her plans before Sat puts an end to that. Kitty manages to avoid capture and grabs the gear of one of Sat-Yr-9's guards. Nigel, planning on killing Cap and taking his place, is repayed for his treachery by Sat-Yr-9. Meggan is able to free herself from Jamie's "living dream" by using her shapeshifting powers, and pounds on Jamie until he is forced to release his grip on Excalibur and the guests. Before Sat-Yr-9 can attack them, Psylocke uses her psychic blade on Jamie, and Kitty shoots her with a poison dart, forcing Sat and her crew to retreat. At the funeral for Alysdane Stuart, Nick Fury shows up and says that she was setup from the inside.

Continuity Note
Brian winds up giving a lot of the backstory to the reader by explaining to Betsy how Sat-Yr-9 bragged about her accomplishments, including how she came to Earth-616, replaced Courtney Ross, and planted Nigel as The Vixen -- events which happened behind the scenes years ago, real time. We also see flashbacks to Jamie's run in with Doc Croc, which helped turn him into the nutjob he is today. Brigadier Alysdane Stuart is really, truly dead. As far as I know, Sat-Yr-9 has yet to reappear after this issue.

Approved By The Comics Code Authority
Sat-Yr-9 impales Nigel on his own knife, leaving a bloody residue on the blade.

Review
This one, thanks to the large chuck of exposition provided by Brian, reads much easier and faster than the previous issue. There's also a bit of action as Kitty goes as all "Metal Gear" on us and sneaks around the Manor avoiding capture and taking out guards. It's also very nice to see Meggan and Psylocke (who I always thought was handled much better in these pages than she was in the regular X-Books) shine -- the women were usually portrayed very well on this team and this issue is no exception. Brian being paraded around in a sort of "love slave" variation on his uniform was a nice comedic touch.

All in all, these two issues make a pretty decent little Excal story, but only if you know some of the background. This issue is far superior in that respect. Neither of these comics are standouts or classics, but when it comes to your regular dose of Excalibur antics, they are pretty good. Worth grabbing if you are alreayd fan, but otherwise, go back a bit earlier. Like, to the beginning of the series.