Excalibur [02]: A Tower of Flowers SPOILERS

[Shortpack!]

I read #1 and #2 back to back. Gotta give Jubilee a break.

In issue #1, her first line to Apocalypse was "First of all, you're crazy if you think I'm bringing my son to see you." Why would she say that out of the gate... unless Apocalypse specifically asked to see Shogo? We don't really know what Apocalypse said to her when he called her. All we know is that he called her before Gambit even mentioned her.

She assumed he was safe in #2 until she had that dream. Maybe too soon to know for sure, but given Psylocke's own dream, it stands to reason there is a bit more to it. Her instinct was to get him away from Apocalypse.

Of course, then Betsy up and drags him through to Otherworld and now we got Shogo the Dragon. spoilers:

Take THAT, Kate.

end of spoilers

I'm willing to wait and see how it all unfolds.

[Handsome men don't lose fights]

Not gonna lie. I want Doctor Strange to kick Apocalypse in his stupid racist face. Dude can't even keep his nasty race politics out of magic, so Voldamorty.

[Handsome men don't lose fights]

I didn't realize this was by the same person who writes Strikeforce. That has the same problem of 'let's throw a group of characters who don't have anything to do with one another' and having to spend so much time trying to justify its existence. That series has a slightly better grasp on its character voices, but is just as rife with poorly thought out plotholes.

What do you mean they have nothing to do with one another? With the exception of Ricter and V-A-ldemort, this comic is a classic blue team reunion.

[pkingdom]

What do you mean they have nothing to do with one another? With the exception of Ricter and V-A-ldemort, this comic is a classic blue team reunion.

Are you joking or being serious? Serious question, because I'm not as caught up on my X-history as others. I didn't think this particular group had much to do with one another, especially in magic and Otherworld related matters.

And I'm with you on Apocalypse. That nickname is apt.

[Kisinith]

Are you joking or being serious? Serious question, because I'm not as caught up on my X-history as others. I didn't think this particular group had much to do with one another, especially in magic and Otherworld related matters.

And I'm with you on Apocalypse. That nickname is apt.

Screenshot 2019-11-21 00.02.27.jpg

90's blue team

[CrystaliaArmadia]

Sometimes less is more. Too much was going on in this issue and I think it has to do with jubilee and gambit being in the book just to draw sells. I think this book would have worked better starting as a Betsy solo with a PoC male character supporting her alongside Apocalypse, and then the other characters join the team along the way. At the moment it just looks like too much is going on in the first arc of the series which is usually the one that should draw the readers.

[pkingdom]

Screenshot 2019-11-21 00.02.27.jpg

90's blue team

Gotcha. Stand by on the Otherworld point for now.

[Dementia5]

I really don’t understand the negativity in this thread. I really liked this issue. Gambit isn’t being whiny and angsty, he’s beside himself with worry. The love of his life is in some weird flowery coma like nothing any of them have seen before and he doesn’t know what to do. Betsy is still trying to fit into her new armour as Captain Britain and is a bit unsure of herself. Jubilee still isn’t sure who on Krakoa she can trust with Shogo, and is experiencing that gut-churning new-mother uncertainty that leads her to question her every decision. (I’m all too familiar with that one myself.) And Kitty was just trying to keep everyone upbeat.

In fact, if I see one common theme in this series so far, it’s uncertainty and trying to figure things out as you go.

But this panel definitely made the whole issue for me:

[CGAR]

Did anyone do the translations?

FOCUS I: PINNACLE

FOCUS II: NADIR?

Lighthouse: GATE

I also just realizedt that Shogo was the one that turned into the dragon?? Or am i wrong about that speech bubble.

[Shortpack!]

Yep. Shogo is the Dragon. The other characters haven't figured it out, yet.

[Handsome men don't lose fights]

I really like that one of the potential translations of Shogo's name is "suspicious/scheming potato."

[Frobisher]

It's a but jarring having Betsy use US idioms like “quit dodging my questions” while wearing a fricking Union Jack. She’s lived in the states for for a few years, sure, but previous writers always played up her Englishness.

Definitely feel like there needs to be a reason why they took Rogue to the lighthouse, otherwise why is Remy allowing all this and griping?

[Londo Bellian]

I really like that one of the potential translations of Shogo's name is "suspicious/scheming potato."

Japanese is weird sometimes.

But what are the chances that this can be taken as an opportunity to kill off Shogo and free Jubes from the "aging" burden of being a mother (and worse, to fellow Krakoans, being the adoptive mother of a flatscan)?

[powerpax]

But what are the chances that this can be taken as an opportunity to kill off Shogo and free Jubes from the "aging" burden of being a mother (and worse, to fellow Krakoans, being the adoptive mother of a flatscan)?

Unlikely. 101010

[JKtheMac]

I'm as critical of writings as the next guy, but I don't need to be spoon fed every minutiae of details to enjoy a book. It's a fucking comicbook at the end of the day, it's meant to be lighthearted, fun and escapism for the most part.

Funny how some of us have to keep saying this, but still nobody seems to listen. If everyone wants ‘Breaking Bad’ the comic they have obviously chosen the wrong publisher to follow. This is a fun and perfectly serviceable issue but from this thread anyone would think it was terrible.

Then we get critiques trying to claim this is ‘compressed’! I mean in the space of two issues the pacing has been pretty standard modern fare. Almost as if Marvel give newer writers a formula. Funny that. Let’s look at the first four art pages: prologue/splash/story/fight. Yep that’s a modern mainstream comic.