Excalibur

Issues 100 - 110 - 1996

Marvel

Writer - Warren Ellis (100, 101, 102, 103) John Acadi + James Fielde (104), Keith Giffen (105) Ben Raab (106, 107, 108, 109, 110)
Pencils - Casey Jones, Randy Green, Rob Haynes (101) Casey Jones (102), Carlos Pachiero (103) Brian Hitch, Rob Haynes, Scott Kobbish (104), Brian Hitch (105), Andy Green, Casey Jones, Rob Haynes, Aaron Lopatis (106), Salvador Larroca (107, 108, 109, 110)

For this run the team is: Captain Britain, Meggan (his girlfriend), Nightcrawler, Shadowcat, Wolfsbane, Colossus, Douglocke and Pete Wisdom.
(The first four were in the origional line-up)

And straight away you can see that these issues are a book in a state of flux.

Excalibur was created by Chris Claremont and Alan Davies and focused on a mixed team of Mutants with Captain Britain (who's sister was an X-Man) who were based in the UK.

Issue 100 starts with the team defending London from the Red Queen, who is part of the British version of the Hellfire Club. She is using the skull of team member Douglocke to open a hellish portal of demons in the centre of London (Not sure if anyone would notice that?). The team has to work together to keep it trapped while the X-Men themselves appear to take Professor Xaviers secret plans to help them defeat Onslaught (Which is the multiple issue story that's running in other books).

Excalibur return from London - Onslaught has appeared and they want to fly across to America to help but they can't because *reasons*. They watch the carnage on TV and say that they will be needed elsewhere.

Pete Wisdom, the laconic Englishman in the team, has a fry-up and a pint for breakfast. He also smokes constantly. The stereotype is strong in this one. Kitty Pryde looks on and we find out that these two are in a relationship. Maybe she likes the fried egg stains on his white shirt? Excalibur is shipping off super villains in large cages by chinook helicopter. Pryde and Wisdom have their breakfast disturbed by bullies. We end with everyone happy the X-Men survived Onslaught. Only the Avengers died. *phew!*

We open with some classic Excalibur shenanigans with a Universe seemingly full of Colossus's, Nightcrawlers's and Shadowcats. But of course it was only a dream.

Douglocke (who is a techno-organic creature made from Warlocke and Doug Ramsey aka; Cypher) is having nightmares. Pete Wisdom doesn't like him, either because Kitty had a thing with the now dead Doug or maybe he doesn't like bacon? Pete winds Douglocke up so much he chucks himself out of the window. The team discusses what to do. While the rest of the team is attacked by the Mutant liberation Front, Shadowcat checks out Doug Ramsey's grave.

Kitty finds Doug's corpse in his grave and Douglocke insists he is not Doug Ramsey. The MLF are trying to steal the Xavier Protocols (Which give his views on how to kill all of the X-Men). Kitty takes Wolfsbane and Douglocke out for pizza. Moira traps the MLF with a force field and Kitty comes to terms with Doug dying - A number of years after it happened.

Peter (Colossus) is painting and reflecting on life and in a running gag, there are more comments about Nightcrawler's brimstone 'whiff'. There is a message from the Acolytes, a team of villanous mutants who used to be aligned with Magneto, and the team travels to Australia to see them.

Meggan and Captain Britain travel the roads of London in a flying/transforming Ferrari - I don't know why it's not an Aston Martin? The rest of the team is on Muir Island re-building a Cerebro machine. Recent history tells me this will end in pain. Captain Britain broods for a while before proposing to Meggan. before she can answer she is launched through the jewelery shop window. The 'magical cyborg samurai mutant' Spiral appears. Cap is attacked by The Dragons of the Crimson Dawn.

Nightcrawler and Colossus are fencing. The Dragons fight Captain Britain. Kitty tries to woo Pete Wisdom. Wolfsbane and Shadowcat do some bonding at the hair salon. Spiral magics Captain Britain away and tricks Meggan (who was laid out for almost the whole issue) to Muir Island to get the rest of the team.

Nightcrawler is working on Cerebro. Of course, it blows up. (I thought you had to be a telepath to use it?)
Spiral appears and has a swordfight with Nightcrawler. Spiral bests him and is then taken out by Kitty. Meanwhile the Dragons have Captain Britain and are using his magical powers to open a portal of the Crimson Dawn (or something). Spiral convinces Excalibur to rescue.

A wandering monk appears as Spiral ports the team to Hong Kong. Although Cap's powers are linked to the UK, maybe they will work on bits of land that used to 'belong' to the old Empire? There is a heap of exposition from the monk. There is the big stoush, Spiral turns evil. Captain Britain closes the portal but at the cost of his powers.

These issues touch on many of the established Excalibur stuff, the team having issues, the team working out their issues, kooky end of the spectrum villains and tenuous 'British' links. The book always worked best with Claremont and Davies and I suspect is was because both are/were British. The first run of books has the team idly reflecting on Onslaught. Of course they were formed because everyone in the origional team, bar Meggan, lost someone in The Fall of the Mutants storyline. Pete Wisdom shows some promise but is reverted to British stereotypes and generic villany loses it's way. As I said at the start, a book in flux. A Qualified recommendation if you are an Excalibur fan (there is some classic Excalibur bits) - but skip and find the early Claremont/Davis  run if you want the best of this team.