-
[CENTER][SIZE=5][COLOR="#B22222"][I]Excalibur #21[/I] Apr 1990[/COLOR][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3]The Cross-Time Caper: Part 9 of 12 - "Crusader X!"[/SIZE]
[B][SIZE=1]Story continued from [I][COLOR="#0000FF"]Excalibur #19[/COLOR][/I]...[/SIZE][/B]
Flying over London, Crusader X [B][SIZE=1]a version of Captain Britain on another earth[/SIZE][/B]
spies military helicopters converging on Euston station.
W.H.O. is already on the scene, with Alistaire Stuart as the Brigadier
in this reality, and his sister Alysande the scientific advisor.
A mysterious train has arrived on the platform, with no passengers and a wrecked interior.
On board however, Dai Thomas finds a picture of Nightcrawler, who he knows as one of Prussia’s spies.
To protect the Queen’s summit of the World’s powers, Crusader X sets off on the trail.
Meanwhile, back on her Earth, Kitty awakes in Brian Braddock’s London house,
in Merlin Mews, to find Courtney Ross serving her breakfast in bed.
Courtney Ross comforts her as she weeps over the loss of both the X-men and Excalibur.
Back in the world of Crusader X, in a mansion outside of London,
Jean Grey arrives at this reality’s Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters.
However, as she arrives, she finds Jason Wyndgarde, who has haunted her dreams, with a horse and cart.
He has come to take her as the Shadow Queen of the Hellfire Club.
She resists, and the Phoenix flares, before reality is restored.
She is still confused over which is real and which is a dream.
Excalibur, hiding in a warehouse, tend to Rachel, who has being overwhelmed by the psychic cry of her mother.
[IMG]https://2.bp.blogspot.com/g_1iSx7UFmiI-ygtPuezHzbTEPp2Jb9Z-ju255RQSDMoQXtLN5jq3lrYxT_bw2jFzJ8AM7QESIzb=s1600[/IMG]
She realises instantly that only Mastermind could be behind Jean’s distress, and the Hellfire Club with him.
At the Hellfire Club, the White Queen, Emma Frost, has
just died, burnt out through trying to conquer Jean’s mind.
The Shadow King orders Mastermind to torture himself for a minute, not only
for losing him his White Queen, but for failing to convert Jean to their cause.
As he turns his own powers on himself, Tony Stark enters to discuss their plot.
In return for using their combined resources to enlist Jean Grey in the Hellfire Club,
Tony Stark will gain access to the World Powers summit and kill the world leaders,
as the America of this World is still part of the British Empire.
On Excalibur’s Earth, Vixen, London’s crime boss, meets with Nigel Frobisher in Hyde Park.
Jamie Braddock arrives, and sensing a trap, Vixen orders her henchmen to open fire on Nigel.
However, Jamie bends reality once again, so Nigel is unharmed by the bullets.
He freezes Vixen’s henchmen, and turns her into her namesake, to be his pet.
Nigel shouts at him, as they need Vixen alive to take over her gang.
In response, Jamie turns Nigel into Vixen, and once he has the gang under their control, he changes him back.
Back in the other dimension, Jean watches the X-men of this reality in the grounds of the Mansion.
As she walks inside, she feels a pressure on her mind.
As she enters to meet Xavier and MacTaggert, she sees them dead, apparently slain by her own hand.
Mastermind’s work is done, and she is converted into the Shadow Queen.
On a rooftop in central London, Nightcrawler tries to comfort Rachel, who can sense what is being done to Jean.
Suddenly, Crusader X bursts onto the scene.
Before he can grab Nightcrawler, Rachel holds him in place with her powers.
Outside London, Jean Grey flees on horseback, pursued by a monstrous image of the Shadow King.
She still can’t accept the role of the Shadow Queen, but as she tries to escape,
the Shadow King catches her, causing Rachel on the roof top to lose concentration.
As she flies off to help her mother, Crusader X swings into action.
[IMG]https://2.bp.blogspot.com/srj6FPrwAlIvGP5AbBIzXYBlFK9qDNLKY5Q8TgS04bfUU0ysui9yAeT7AdVaeQmfO4VSAV5zAu_c=s1600[/IMG]
They duel on the rooftop until Crusader X finally captures him.
He puts Nightcrawler under arrest for spying against the Empire, and flies off into the night.
On the rooftop, Meggan, Alistaire and Captain Britain arrive to find the
aftermath of the fight, and the disappearance of Nightcrawler and Rachel.
Meggan senses Nightcrawler’s scent, and Excalibur set off in pursuit.
In a lane outside London, Rachel finds a mortally wounded Jean Grey. She tries to use the Phoenix to save her,
[IMG]https://2.bp.blogspot.com/12wqlK6ssyrheUstFVMoTd3lhZy1zWDrjl9NyTX3e_C76FA81G0M4POLyoxMkVx26keTFCVhY6vo=s1600[/IMG]
but as the Shadow Queen starts to emerge, she stops supporting her,
and with Jean dead, she swears a reckoning on the Hellfire Club.
[B]Story[/B] by Chris Claremont. [B]Art[/B] by Chris Wozniak and Al Milgrom.[/CENTER]
-
[QUOTE=616MarvelYear is LeapYear;4954682]
W.H.O. is already on the scene, with Alistaire Stuart as the Brigadier
in this reality, and his sister Alysande the scientific advisor. [/QUOTE]That's a blatant Doctor Who reference - I wonder how the BBC reacted to that?
-
1 Attachment(s)
[QUOTE=Digifiend;4954846]That's a blatant Doctor Who reference - I wonder how the BBC reacted to that?[/QUOTE]
Claremont liked putting in Doctor Who in-jokes like that, W.H.O (Weird Happenings Organisation) were recurring characters in Excalibur and very much a Marvel universe version of UNIT. And look at this even more blatant moment from the same series:
[ATTACH=CONFIG]96261[/ATTACH]
-
The future of Captain Britain(Brian Braddock) might a be contested issue. I would like to know what everyone would like to see from Brian going forward. Should he give up the mantle and move onto something else? Should he explore more of his mythos, maybe a Fantastic Four style book about magic, technology, otherworld, multiverse etc would be cool. Any and all suggestions are welcome!
-
3 Attachment(s)
[QUOTE=The Man With The Stick;4955450]Claremont liked putting in Doctor Who in-jokes like that, W.H.O (Weird Happenings Organisation) were recurring characters in Excalibur and very much a Marvel universe version of UNIT. And look at this even more blatant moment from the same series:
[ATTACH=CONFIG]96261[/ATTACH][/QUOTE]
Here's a few more. Excalibur #25
[ATTACH=CONFIG]96670[/ATTACH]
X-Men 218 they have U.N.I.T. troops fighting the Juggernaut.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]96671[/ATTACH]
And Fantastic Four (2) #9
[ATTACH=CONFIG]96672[/ATTACH]
-
[QUOTE=Knightmare;4969299]The future of Captain Britain(Brian Braddock) might a be contested issue. I would like to know what everyone would like to see from Brian going forward. Should he give up the mantle and move onto something else? Should he explore more of his mythos, maybe a Fantastic Four style book about magic, technology, otherworld, multiverse etc would be cool. Any and all suggestions are welcome![/QUOTE]
As always, what I'd really like is pretty much the old Davis/Moore/Delano strip back - Brian constantly thrust into the middle of threats, some action, humour, good writing, and him actually getting to be a super-[I]hero[/I]: a good guy who fights bad guys and actually wins. Because something that is essential to a super-hero fulfilling the criteria is that the hero is a wish-fulfilment fantasy to a degree, and they need to do cool stuff, have great moments, and have great victories. And if you look at most appearances where Brian is written by American writers, he does not fulfil those criteria. When we have pestered Marvel for an appearance, they have tended to give us Brian losing fights or being an arse. Which is basically a way of not giving us a super-hero. They're happy to have Betsy be a positive figure, but not Brian. And that's going to be a serious issue going ahead no matter what the concept is, or whether he calls himself 'Captain Britain' or not.
It's been years since we've had a decent showing from Brian, and I don't see that changing unless we get a strip written by a British creative team that actually likes the character.
I'm sorry to be so negative, but Marvel is a real let-down these days. Even Thor continues to get screwed over, and he's one of the pillars of Marvel. I'm just angry at the architects and Marvel in general. I don't see the point in picking up any books at the moment. Rant over.
-
[QUOTE=Panic;4971000]As always, what I'd really like is pretty much the old Davis/Moore/Delano strip back - Brian constantly thrust into the middle of threats, some action, humour, good writing, and him actually getting to be a super-[I]hero[/I]: a good guy who fights bad guys and actually wins. Because something that is essential to a super-hero fulfilling the criteria is that the hero is a wish-fulfilment fantasy to a degree, and they need to do cool stuff, have great moments, and have great victories. And if you look at most appearances where Brian is written by American writers, he does not fulfil those criteria. When we have pestered Marvel for an appearance, they have tended to give us Brian losing fights or being an arse. Which is basically a way of not giving us a super-hero. They're happy to have Betsy be a positive figure, but not Brian. And that's going to be a serious issue going ahead no matter what the concept is, or whether he calls himself 'Captain Britain' or not.
It's been years since we've had a decent showing from Brian, and I don't see that changing unless we get a strip written by a British creative team that actually likes the character.
I'm sorry to be so negative, but Marvel is a real let-down these days. Even Thor continues to get screwed over, and he's one of the pillars of Marvel. I'm just angry at the architects and Marvel in general. I don't see the point in picking up any books at the moment. Rant over.[/QUOTE]
You may not like this then. Excalibur writer Tini Howard going over her rationale for how the ideas in the book came about. (Sound cuts out a few times)
Start at 53:59
[video=youtube_share;cS3_hJk1SZY]https://youtu.be/cS3_hJk1SZY?t=3239[/video]
-
[QUOTE=Knightmare;4973289]You may not like this then. Excalibur writer Tini Howard going over her rationale for how the ideas in the book came about. (Sound cuts out a few times)
Start at 53:59
[video=youtube_share;cS3_hJk1SZY]https://youtu.be/cS3_hJk1SZY?t=3239[/video][/QUOTE]
Please don't make me sit through hours of this stuff to get to bad news. Just summarise what she said so I know the worst.
-
[QUOTE=milton75;4969855]Here's a few more. Excalibur #25
[ATTACH=CONFIG]96670[/ATTACH]
X-Men 218 they have U.N.I.T. troops fighting the Juggernaut.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]96671[/ATTACH]
And Fantastic Four (2) #9
[ATTACH=CONFIG]96672[/ATTACH][/QUOTE]
Yep, I remember all of those. There was also an issue of Power Man And Iron Fist in the early 80s by Jo Duffy that featured pretty blatant homages to The Doctor ("Professor Gamble") and the Daleks ("the Dreadlox").
-
[QUOTE=Panic;4973326]Please don't make me sit through hours of this stuff to get to bad news. Just summarise what she said so I know the worst.[/QUOTE]
I don't currently have the heart to tell you about it.
-
[B]EXCALIBUR #11[/B]
TINI HOWARD (W) • MARCUS TO (A)
Cover by MAHMUD ASRAR
BLOOD OF THE CHANGELING!
The Citadel has committed an act of war and Excalibur must respond. While they lick their wounds deep in Otherworld, Apocalypse takes steps toward his ultimate goal.
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99
[IMG]https://img.purch.com/h/1400/aHR0cDovL3d3dy5uZXdzYXJhbWEuY29tL2ltYWdlcy9pLzAwMC8yODEvMTcxL29yaWdpbmFsL0VYQ0FMMjAxOTAxMV9jb3YuanBnPzE1OTAwNzM4ODc=[/IMG]
-
[B]Black Knight appears on the cover of a couple of Avengers issues:[/B]
[B]EMPYRE: AVENGERS #2 (OF 3)[/B]
Jim Zub (W) • Carlos Magno (A)
COVER BY PAUL RENAUD
VARIANT COVER BY DAN MORA MAR200857
Earth’s Mightiest Heroes fight an intergalactic foe on three fronts! In New York, a villain from the past has been super charged with alien energy. In Mexico, old hatreds turn allies into enemies. And in the Savage Land, the soul of the jungle has been stolen and Shanna the She-Devil’s life hangs in the balance. It’s mystery, magic and mayhem, in the Mighty Marvel Manner!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99
[IMG]https://img.purch.com/h/1400/aHR0cDovL3d3dy5uZXdzYXJhbWEuY29tL2ltYWdlcy9pLzAwMC8yODEvMTQ2L29yaWdpbmFsL0VNUFlSRUFWRU4yMDIwMDAyX0Nvdi5qcGc/MTU5MDA3MzQwOQ==[/IMG]
[B]EMPYRE: AVENGERS #3 (OF 3)[/B]
Jim Zub (W) • Carlos Magno (A)
COVER BY Paul Renaud
Variant cover by Paco Medina APR200872
Earth’s Mightiest Heroes are caught in a conflict against nature itself as the soul of the Savage Land hangs in the balance.
Guest-starring Ka-Zar, Shanna the She-Devil and the macabre Man-Thing!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99
[IMG]https://img.purch.com/h/1400/aHR0cDovL3d3dy5uZXdzYXJhbWEuY29tL2ltYWdlcy9pLzAwMC8yODEvMTQ3L29yaWdpbmFsL0VNUFlSRUFWRU4yMDIwMDAzX0Nvdi5qcGc/MTU5MDA3MzQxMQ==[/IMG]
-
Old news, aren't those books delayed from May and June, and thus announced in Feb/March?
-
[QUOTE=Digifiend;4979189]Old news, aren't those books delayed from May and June, and thus announced in Feb/March?[/QUOTE]
Excalibur was solicited earlier but IINM, the Empyre: Avengers are new.
-
No, E: A #3 was in the June solicits. Here's the wiki page before the release date was edited out.
[url]https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Empyre:_Avengers_Vol_1_3?oldid=5378283[/url]