Excalibuddies: Excalibur #1

Excalibur #1, by Tini Howard, Marcus To, and Erick Arciniega is a book about magic and mutants. In Otherworld, the Queen Regent Morgan Le Fay is enraged that Krakoa has began to invade and decrees her agents to stop it. One such agent, Brian Braddock is corrupted by the dark witch. In a moment of clarity, Brian transfers the Amulet of Right to his sister, Betsy, who becomes the new Captain Britain. Meanwhile the mutant sorcerer •┤Ȧ├• enlists the X-Men to help solve the mysteries of Otherworld, leading Rogue to enter a wake less sleep.

Charlie Davis: Nola! It’s almost Halloween! And our fiendishly delightful gift on this, the day before All Hallows’ Eve is the very first issue of a new volume of Excalibur. So, submitted for the approval of the Xavier Files Society … I bring you a tale of witches, sorcerers, old magic, and the artist formerly known as Apocalypse!

Nola Pfau: I’m imagining •┤Ȧ├• with his giant body hunched over a campfire as he tells scary stories now, and there’s nothing more I want in this world. [Ed. note: This is off to a fruitful, and productive start.]

I think to start off with I was very curious about what the idea of ‘Excalibur’ meant, coming into this book. We haven’t really had a long-running Excalibur book since the original, and so for me, to use that name means something, you know? It’s a book that had X-Men in it, but it wasn’t really an X-book, back then, so much as it was a mainline Marvel continuation of Marvel UK exploits ⁠— Captain Britain, W.H.O, reality-warping nonsense, Merlin, that sort of thing. Later volumes were much more X-focused, but never really leaned into the weird stuff in the way that they could. But lord, do I feel blessed here today.

CD: This isn’t just weird or even tied to Excalibur of old, it feels like it’s creating a whole new mythology. It feels like opening Lord of the Rings for the first time and experiencing the background of a whole other world you didn’t know existed. I’m so impressed with Tini here. She goes hard for the magic, but it’s so all encompassing. Just like magic, there is meaning in the names and places here. Speaking them is powerful and it should be. High fantasy and X-Men shouldn’t mix, but it does. Peanut butter and jelly! [Ed. note: I’d say more of a fries and Frosty situation, but I digress…]

NP: Well, it’s tied in that it’s got that classic Captain Britain goodness, protector of Otherworld, all that fun stuff.

But we’ll get to that…first let’s talk about one Elizabeth Braddock.

Braddock Manors

CD: I don’t think I’ve ever seen Betsy so aware of herself and the places she’s been before. Tini puts so much background in character moments. A reunion with Brian, talk of Jamie and an unease that permeates her without overtaking the genuine warmth I feel from the gathering on the island. Betsy has been to hell and back and you just feel it. Not overwhelming, just there. I’ve always talked about how I live for characters that take the reigns of their own stories and push forward. I’m impressed.

Also let’s just get this out of the way before it festers any longer. Rictor is not on the cast page but I did see him chillin’ on the island. [Ed. note: Tini once cosplayed as Rictor so it is safe to assume that he will be well used in this book.]

NP: Rictor: For when you need an alarmingly literal vibe check. Jokes aside, my thoughts are with you in this difficult time, Charlie. May he get the starring role he deserves posthaste.

There’s a specific line Betsy says — about the mistakes she’s made — that I really appreciated. The Braddocks are kind of the prototypical colonizer family. I say this as a white person but: they’re white, they’re rich, and Betsy, whether by her design or not, spent 20 years appropriating the actual body of an Asian woman. It’s sort of a mess, and I’m glad that they’re acknowledging that, even if I think they could do more in that arena. [Ed. note: There was never going to be a clean way to fix the Psylocke body stuff, but between this and FALLEN ANGELS, it seems like they are trying to find the best possible solution.]

I’m fascinated by how her arc in this issue is presented; for a single issue it’s very dense. The entire thing is centered around the question of identity: Who is or isn’t a mutant, who gets to be called what (Betsy shies from “Psylocke” but doesn’t appear to have the same problem with the title of “Captain Britain”). The self-determination of identity is as much a matter of personal choice as is the assumption of the role of hero, and I like the way Tini Howard plays with that here. In the original Captain Britain books, Brian’s taking on the mantle is a matter of choice — he has to decide between the Sword of Might or the Amulet of Right. He chooses the Amulet, wishing to be a protector rather than a warrior, and though Merlin isn’t present here to offer Betsy the choice in such explicit terms, she gets it anyway: Either she raises her psionic sword against Morgan LeFay, or she takes the Amulet when Brian offers it to her. She chooses the latter, and by that very choice is made worthy. It’s a very clever bit of work.

CD: Betsy wears Captain Britain well and that’s even without the wonderful Marcus To design. [Ed. note: Which is rad and I love it] One more thing before we move on. I see Betsy isn’t subscribing to the “mutants wear mutant clothes” deal and neither are Gambit and Rogue. Check and Mate Mr. Hickman. Oh and I love a braid. Betsy has a great hairstyle!

Actually, I lied…last thing I promise. Jamie Braddock hanging out in a bunch of goo and the now aptly named Egg trying to shoo him out. That’s it. That’s the whole thought. [Ed. note: For those of you who don’t know, Jamie is Betsy & Brian’s older brother who has been an evil jerk for most of his existence.]

NP: Oh god Egg! For those of you following along, that would be the new mutant moniker of the boy formerly known as Goldballs, and the panel where he gives this new name is the most trans thing I’ve ever seen:

Betsy’s response is so pitch perfect. For the cis, “egg” is a term for trans people who haven’t come out or begun their transition yet, they haven’t yet cracked their shell. It’s a naturally transitory thing, so Fabio calling himself that and Betsy saying “that’s not going to stick,” is, well. That’s probably not necessarily the way the joke is meant to be read in a general context, but it’s really, really hard to ignore here.

Betsy not subscribing to the whole “mutant clothes only” thing makes sense! She was a supermodel, once, before she was a spy, and before she was Captain Britain (the first time). What did you think about all that messy family drama with her and Jamie?

CD: Loved it. Betsy is such an advocate for second chances at this point. She doesn’t trust Jamie even if she wants to and, yikes, his line about them all being a happy family. I get we’re bringing all the mutants back, but a reality warper is a doozy. There is great potential for something terribly catastrophic to happen here. I can’t wait. Also the picture of them all on the wall in Braddock Manor seems nice until you think about what Jamie said. I’d say the weight of the issue is Betsy’s burden to bare, but man oh man do we have to talk about •┤Ȧ├•.

•┤Ȧ├•

CD: Very much the other half of this coin. I’m digging his look, his sagly attitude and I hate myself for it. Why did we have to go and make •┤Ȧ├• good and hot and interesting? I’ve only got so much dedicated brain space for things like this and the “No Vacancy” sign is up. I didn’t need this. [Ed. note: Who would have thought that sexy Apocalypse would be the biggest thing to stick from Age Of X-Man?]

NP: Aren’t you glad now that there’s no Rictor? Your poor brain couldn’t have handled the both of them.

You’re so right about the flip side of the coin though–the former “Apocalypse” quietly insisting that others refer to him as •┤Ȧ├• throughout the issue is in direct opposition to Betsy’s rejection of her heroic identity while on the island. I really appreciate this kind of framework; this establishment of equal opposites in balance. It’s a bit like casting a spell, which feels very fitting given what goes on in this issue.

There’s another aspect to •┤Ȧ├• and his chosen identity, the way that it’s presented could have very, very easily read as a tasteless joke. In fact, it very nearly does, in the beginning of the issue when Trinary responds to the request with a flippant comment about how to pronounce it. As I worked my way through the rest of the book, that response nagged at me, but again the equal balance was provided, as Rogue later accepts the request without comment and immediately uses the name •┤Ȧ├• when referring to him. It grants that request dignity, and it shows how easy it is to just respect a person’s desires when it comes to how to address them, something that I think the both of us can appreciate, given our relationships with our names. [Ed. note: As the editor of this piece, I hate it because I have to copy/paste his name instead of just typing it. Won’t someone think about the poor comic book journalists?]

CD: I think the more we read the more it’s going to become a lot more obvious the kind of care that a queer woman writing a book like this can put in. It’s a book about magic sure, but it’s also a book about identity lead by someone who was living in a body that wasn’t hers for years. It’s so much and the more we explicate it the more I realize exactly what kind of buttons it’s hitting for me.

The name Apocalypse seems to represent a past that’s being left behind in favor of a bright future. It’s poignant and I’m really, really looking forward to exploring everything •┤Ȧ├• seems to know about magic from his time spent on earth and seemingly other places as well. Everyone seems to trust in the Krakoan dream well enough of the surface—to let bygones be bygones with heroes and villains alike but…Jubilee and Gambit seem very much not about this whole thing. Great character beats for them especially when we remember that Remy has been a horseman previously.

NP: Great character beats, and honestly same. I’m with them, I don’t trust •┤Ȧ├• in the slightest, between the way he talks about Otherworld toward the beginning of the issue and the Clan Akkaba stuff toward the end. We’re still in the first issue and he reads as restless, like he doesn’t know what to do with himself. He talks about Otherworld as a place to be conquered, and for someone like •┤Ȧ├• that is significant.

And wow, Otherworld itself. Morgan Le Fay!!!

The Once And Future Queen

CD: Before we talk about the HBIC [Ed. note: Head B—- In Charge] , I spotted Ric again! This time on the beach! Talking to Feral I think!? He’s also got an ominous text box by him. I’ve never had a comic edge me before. I don’t know if I like it. I hope they are being mean in Spanish.

[Ed. note: Anyways…]

Man I don’t know much about Otherworld, but dammit if this didn’t try and fill me in as much as possible. I’m familiar with Morgan Le Fay, but I don’t think she’s ever had as much BDE [Ed. note: Big D— Energy] as she has here. She drown a man in her scrying pool. Who doesn’t love that? I love how she talks about the flowers as if they were trash and a literal offense to her.

NP: Every scene she had in this book was incredible. She reminds me of Emma at her haughtiest and that’s a high bar to reach. I want to see the two of them face off now. Make it happen, Marvel, if you do we all win.

There’s a specific energy to the way she speaks too, beyond the oversized Richard kind. She speaks with a kind of formalism that’s indicative of the world she’s part of. Fey stories–that’s F-E-Y, like fairy tales, not F-A-Y, like the character in question, carry a lot of warnings about making deals with the fey, because those bargains have power, and they’re not easily broken. Le Fay claims ownership here, of Brian and his loyalty, as Queen Regent of Otherworld. Standing in for the actual rulers, she wields the power of a ruler with impunity, and she calls Brian to his oath in ritualistic manner–he says at one point to Betsy that he is hers, and he means it. Pacts have power in the world of magic, and Le Fay uses it to trap him. What I’m curious about is if, now that she’s Captain Britain, Betsy is automatically susceptible to the same oath. I suppose we’ll find out when she goes back!

CD: I think that’s where a lot of the mystery is going to be derived from. What does taking this mantel mean for Betsy and what exactly is her pledge and responsibility to Otherworld. Seems like Le Fay may have just executed a successful coup. I guess only time will tell if she has purer intentions at heart [Ed. note: She doesn’t]. I’m just a really big sucker for the whole “bound by an oath or other form of pact” mind control trope when it’s a dude. It harkens back to Brian at the mercy of Sat-Yr-9 in the original Excalibur run. Honestly I think this book at his got something for everyone to love. Tini and Marcus knocked it out of the park.

NP: Look, there is no more accurate character beat than himbo Brian Braddock being a damsel in distress. Speaking of knocked out, Rogue as a Sleeping Beauty is quite the statement given what might happen to anyone who attempts to wake her with a kiss…but I suppose we’ll find out more about that next issue!

CD: We will! And I suppose we will find out WHY RICTOR WASN’T IN THIS ONE. I guess I will have to continue to indulge in large quantities of wrestling in order to fill the large Ricstar filled hole in my heart. Please help me Tini Howard, you’re my only hope.

NP: Remember your breathing, Charlie. You’ll make it through this.

X-Traneous Thoughts

I do think if Ric has a door into this book, it’s those flowers.
People that were afraid that this new status quo would somehow wipe out Rogue and Gambit’s marriage have nothing to fear here. In fact, Rogue seemed to be thinking on that Make More Mutants law before the coma got in the way. Hmmm.
Brian kneeling to Betsy was my jam.
Trinary was a great cameo! I loved her in X-Men Red and I’m glad she’s got a pivotal place on the island.
Rictor’s scarf is cute AF. [Ed. note: As f—]
The data pages here are rad. They read more like a spell book or an ancient text. Loving that they all have their own flavor.
Next week is a doozy with NEW MUTANTS, X-FORCE, and ABSOLUTE CARNAGE: WEAPONS PLUS. We’ll see you then!

Charlie Davis is the world’s premier Shatterstarologist, writer and co-host of The Young Ones.

Nola Pfau is Editor-in-Chief of WWAC and generally a bad influence.