Excalibur #5: SPOILERS

[Veitha]

I dont think mutants are supposed to murder other mutants especially since one of the core laws is to make them

Apocalypse said that there was no need for laws against killing mutants since now they are immortal and they need to find out who's fit.

[Tycon]

Rogue: *punches •—[A]—•*

•—[A]—•: yeah....harder

Rogue: what?

•—[A]—•: what?

[The Quiet Councilor]

I dont think mutants are supposed to murder other mutants especially since one of the core laws is to make them. He's not just any mutant either; he's a Quiet Council member on the executive board. She should be punished

Two things: he told her to kill him to complete the ritual, and he’s the one who explicitly stated no such law was needed. Done and done.

[R0d]

Another messy and confusing issue, I don't want to be mean but the concept of the book seems to be out of Tini's league, I kinda see what she is trying to do but she simply can't deliver.
As for the characters, Gambit continues to be the butt of all the jokes and the punching bag of the series. Five issues in and I can't remember a single moment when Gambit did something cool, he's been pathetic so far.
Jubilee once again is reduced to her role as a mother, Rictor was meh.
The start with Betsy and Pete was fun but Betsy so far has been a lousy leader, also when Apocalypse beats Gambit and leaves him senseless, Betsy doesn't give a damn and takes the side of the genocidal maniac, really? Unbelievable.
Rogue was better than in the first issue, so at least there's an improvement in that area.
Apocalypse remains being the best written of the bunch.
I'd give this issue a 3.5/10, with each passing issue I'm one step closer to dropping this title, it has 4 of my faves in it but damn it, it is disappointing.

Yes.
I think that everyone should start to prepare themselves for the worst. As the worst I am talking about blue Apocalypse baby with red Gambit eyes that Rogue would give a birth at the end of this book. Issue 12?

God no! I'd rather shove a fork into my eyes than reading something as awful as that.

[FIGHT]

I dont think mutants are supposed to murder other mutants especially since one of the core laws is to make them. He's not just any mutant either; he's a Quiet Council member on the executive board. She should be punished

No she shouldn't. The council already had a talk about this and Apocalypse himself spoke out against a law about killing mutants.

Edit- Beating a dead horse.... Should of read 2nd page.

Well atleast no more dream scenes afrer this issue. It felt off, but I like everything else that happened. I wonder how Apocalypse will come back. Rogue's power upgrade is most likely temp but it should be useful for the battles ahead.

I Like the confirmation that Apocalypse has been behind everything from the start.

I just wonder why the hell would the team stick around this crazy ******* that uses mutants like pawns.

[Proto]

This was really confusing for me and poor Gambit. I'm not a fan but it feels so off to see him bumbling around and not using his enhanced agility and reflexes. I get Tini wanted to show Rictor using the macguffin but come on. Also this whole mutant magic thing is really not clicking. What do crystals and bones have to do with the concept of community creating mutant magic that Tini talked about in the interview and data pages???

[ChronoRogue]

I forgot resurrection was a thing and was like 'but wait, how they gonna bring --A-- back'? I wonder if this counts as suicide? Probably not, since he knew there was no way he was going to stay dead.

Anyway probably the issue I've enjoyed the most but that's not saying much. I want to like this book but it has serious problems; most glaring of which is characterization. I'm pleasantly surprised to see Tini does seem to have a grasp on Rogue's voice; it's not perfect but it's distinct from the other characters.

But I agree with the overall sentiment that her Gambit seriously needs some work. It's been five issues and for a cunning master thief he has not used his head much at all in this series. I'd get it if Rogue felt like she was ever in any real danger but she's super strong and invulnerable and at worst they have a resurrection process so... yeah, it's his wife but this just makes him look like amatuer hour instead of an experienced X-Man. He's been written way more competently before.

More worrying for me is that this entire first arc has showed exactly why I dislike couples being written on the same team; codependency and tunnel vision.

Oh well, I'll stick around here and there to keep up with this book but it's lost a lot of my goodwill. One positive I'll say is I did like Rogue going ham on Apocalypse; even if it was his plan, felt satisfying. Also if Rogue really is pregnant... sigh

[Tycon]

Apocalypse said that there was no need for laws against killing mutants since now they are immortal and they need to find out who's fit.

Funny that this was his thought process behind it but he was the first one to die from mutant v mutant combat.

[Frobisher]

I agree this is messy as hell, but I still really want to like it despite that.

I’m not sure Apocalypse’s bones are technically more than even a year old, he’s been resurrected so many times now.

[FIGHT]

This was really confusing for me and poor Gambit. I'm not a fan but it feels so off to see him bumbling around and not using his enhanced agility and reflexes. I get Tini wanted to show Rictor using the macguffin but come on. Also this whole mutant magic thing is really not clicking. What do crystals and bones have to do with the concept of community creating mutant magic that Tini talked about in the interview and data pages???

I believe he wants to use the Crystals to open the gate into otherworld so he can go their and fight whoever is on the throne.

[LegoLiz]

Not sure why Tini has made Gambit the series punching bag. It’s bizarre that she has three characters with bombastic personalities like Jubilee, Gambit & Rogue and writes two of them so boring & one note. Rogue at least seems so much more fun and like herself unlike issue #1 so we have some improvement. Why her costume was a big secret is strange, it’s a pretty basic outfit.

Rogue’s totally pregnant.

Really bothered by the treatment of Gambit. Sure, throw him a bone that he never trusted -A- and that he was smart enough get Rachel's help, but then have him beaten so savagely by -A-, called names and criticized by his own teammates, and commenting his life isn't worth ritual crystals...Let the madness stop.

And yes I agree that Rogue's totally pregnant, but am I really interested in an -A- hybrid baby? Also, is it just me or does it look like she was impregnated in that dreamscape? My scary prediction is that now that she absorbed -A-, he can be "reborn" as her "baby". But we are treading in disgusting Carol and Marcus territory here. Is it time to drop the book? Because I am not interested in that.

As dry as Jubilee's character is right now, she seems much safer being the character who just cares about her baby and highlights obvious plot points.

And question - If a Telepath could reach Rogue's mind, why didn't Betsy do it? What did I miss there?

[Veitha]

Btw, another week of Strikeforce being better than Excalibur.

The Quiet Council will be notified, Tini Howards.

[Proto]

I believe he wants to use the Crystals to open the gate into otherworld so he can go their and fight whoever is on the throne.

I get why he's after the macguffin but it doesn't really jive with the story we're being told in interviews and data pages. This is supposed to be a book about the formation of mutant magic. We've been told that mutant magic is based around community, mutants coming together and unifying their powers or something, but all we've been shown is magic crystals that are magic for reasons. I said it in the issue 4 thread, but so far we're 5 issues in with no clue what mutant magic is and haven't even seen an inkling of it. Nothing any of the characters have done with their powers has been any different from previous stories. Hell, Rictor probably could've gotten the same boost if Sage was there.

[Ferro]

This was really confusing for me and poor Gambit. I'm not a fan but it feels so off to see him bumbling around and not using his enhanced agility and reflexes. I get Tini wanted to show Rictor using the macguffin but come on. Also this whole mutant magic thing is really not clicking. What do crystals and bones have to do with the concept of community creating mutant magic that Tini talked about in the interview and data pages???

the crystals are made from fossilized mutant bones that are used as a focus for the gate to outworld.
we know mutant magic happens from the clash of normal magic and the surge of krakoan energy generated by the opening of a gate, so without an established gate, no magic.
and the newly formed gate seemed to need a focus since the original one from outworld to krakoa was destroyed by betsy.
we havent seen any magic because the only mutant magic we saw went into rogue, and it aparently created a cosmic change of some sort in that dream realm, wich by apoc's dialogue makes me think is more than the astral plane, but a place betwen krakoa and outworld

[Psycwave]

Apocalypse beating the crap out of Gambit was the best part of this issue. Destroy him!

That said, I really wish mutant magic and the theories behind it were more at the forefront of this series. All the other DoX books are mining out their paths in relation to Krakoa and this one feels lacking. The timing of it is off.