Source: pinterest.com
9. The Two-Edged Sword!
Writer: Chris Claremont
Artist: Alan Davis
Is it bad that I forgot Lockheed existed until just now?
Anyway, this new arc kicks off as a new team raids the Excalibur lighthouse. The team? It appears to be a Nazi version of Excalibur known as Lightning Force, and includes Nazi Nightcrawler, Nazi Meggan, Tortured Slave Shadowcat, and leader Hauptmann Englande. Meanwhile, back at what's left of Xavier Mansion, Captain Britain is testing his abilities only to find he and Meggan are both slowly losing their powers.
The team gets word of Lightning Force's appearance, and heads back to England to fight them. On the way, Captain Britain grabs his old Marvel Team-Up Era costume, and we end as he squares off with Comrade Englande. This issue really displays some of the imagination that Excalibur would relish in during The Cross-Time Caper.
Shadowcat's mirror duplicate on display as a victim of Nazi rule is quietly haunting, and the mystery of why Lightning Force doesn't have their own Phoenix is an interesting one.
Source: pinterest.com
10. Widget
Writer: Chris Claremont
Artist: Marshall Rogers
And here we are, the final issue we'll be discussing today. We started with Issue One, then tracked it all the way here.
Sadly, we're going out on what I'd call an art downgrade. I like Marshall Rogers as an artist, and there's nothing wrong with his work here. But his rougher style doesn't match up with Davis' the way Lim’s did. It just feels a bit jarring when presented in context.
As for the story, Excalibur takes a beating from Lightning Force for a while, before they can turn the tables through strategic use of Meggan. Unfortunately, it’s decided that Lightning Force and the evil Moira MacTaggert will go back to their universe, because"¦um"¦not sure? They’re Nazis? Literal Nazis? I'm gonna take an extremely controversial stance here, and say that all Nazis should be imprisoned or killed, especially all Nazis with superpowers, who are from a Nazi universe, where the Nazis win. Ugh. Whatever, hell of a note to end on.
And there you have it. The first ten issues of Excalibur, all read and discussed. Overall, it’s a fun time. Nice two-issue arcs with one-shots sprinkled throughout. When viewed in its entirety, it provides a picture of one of the more fun X-Books of the time. By the end of these ten, I certainly re-affirmed my love for Kitty and Cap, and gained a new appreciation for Rachel Grey, aka Phoenix. Meggan is still taking some warming up to, but I'm getting there. And hey, I'd love to do a feature like this again. Aaaand…coming up soon in my to-read stack is the first year of that post-Annihilation Nova series.
