Excalibur #8 spoilers & discussion

[spirit2011]

This book started out as an essay on mutant magic. Hickman loved it enough that he wanted Tini to write a book about it. Editorial then handed her Betsy and she worked from there. So she had an idea that got buried under different arcs, added characters, publishing scheduele and different artists. We can't judge her on her idea since so far she has only teased it. Something that might have to do with Hickman's timetable. She might be under instructions to keep certain plots for moments later on. For instance X of swords. Normally I would have thought it suicide since these days you are not afforded the luxury of a certain amount of issues. You have to start swinging or go home. Now with DoX this has given her an environment that affords her this protection.

So we can only comment on what has been given us. I personally would like if Tini got a mandate to only use the characters she wants. Because when I am reading this I feel she is moving some peices along with care and intent. Others are just thrown in there. It's a mess.

Holding stories for a crossover is not good, anyway Tini is writing the crossover with Hickman, I don't think this is a burden for the book.

The problem of this book is that there is some characters that the writer seems to not like to write. She seems to have alot more of fan with villains like Apocalypse and jaime

[CRaymond]

Gonna second all of CGAR’s suggestions, and add that the first issue of Excalibur should’ve been the Betsy/Kwannon blowout their fans deserve.

[Malachi]

Holding stories for a crossover is not good, anyway Tini is writing the crossover with Hickman, I don't think this is a burden for the book.

The problem of this book is that there is some characters that the writer seems to not like to write. She seems to have alot more of fan with villains like Apocalypse and jaime

I'm just theorizing why the book is such a mess. It's impossible for us to know why Tini makes the choices she does. I can understand if mutant magic is a goal to works towards. If she built a long run on the search and construction of it. What I don't understand is all the other choices. The intentionally vague approach on every subject. Leaving us with nothing to get excited about. Not showing us a glimpse of what it is or could become.
With that in regard I would even preffered if it started with Betsy getting a vision and that leading the team. The vision could even have come from Apocalypse if that's how Tini wants it to unfold. Then we would have some sort of drive for the team and some tangible goal. Maybe even their being some sort of role for everyone to play. Some hint that Jubilee and Gambit would have parts to play. Instead of Shogo for Jubilee and jester for Gambit.

[Woozie]

There's an interesting Apocalypse solo buried in all the miscellaneous fluff that is Excalibur, but most of the book is Excalibur and not Apocalypse and Tini has done nothing to properly square those things away

[CRaymond]

Well ****, they could’ve titled the book Horsemen or Dark Riders, with Capn Betsy as the new War and we’d all be a very different forum.

[Woozie]

That'd only work if they change the team dynamic dramatically.

Cause everybody is so wishy-washy when it comes to how they perceive and act towards Apocalypse.

[spirit2011]

I'm just theorizing why the book is such a mess. It's impossible for us to know why Tini makes the choices she does. I can understand if mutant magic is a goal to works towards. If she built a long run on the search and construction of it. What I don't understand is all the other choices. The intentionally vague approach on every subject. Leaving us with nothing to get excited about. Not showing us a glimpse of what it is or could become.
With that in regard I would even preffered if it started with Betsy getting a vision and that leading the team. The vision could even have come from Apocalypse if that's how Tini wants it to unfold. Then we would have some sort of drive for the team and some tangible goal. Maybe even their being some sort of role for everyone to play. Some hint that Jubilee and Gambit would have parts to play. Instead of Shogo for Jubilee and jester for Gambit.

The choices aren't good, she has a killer cast but mostly waste it.
We are 8 issues in, so we aren't being unfair.

There's an interesting Apocalypse solo buried in all the miscellaneous fluff that is Excalibur, but most of the book is Excalibur and not Apocalypse and Tini has done nothing to properly square those things away

Yep a Apocalypse solo with some side chaarcters would had worked better

[houndsofluv]

Well ****, they could’ve titled the book Horsemen or Dark Riders, with Capn Betsy as the new War and we’d all be a very different forum.

hold up why do I love this idea. that would be so sick if excalibur somehow catches the "horsemen" angle seeing as they basically report to Apoc...even if just for an arc. betsy as war wow im completely obsessed . no idea who the others would be though (gambit as death would be iconic)

[CRaymond]

hold up why do I love this idea. that would be so sick if excalibur somehow catches the "horsemen" angle seeing as they basically report to Apoc...even if just for an arc. betsy as war wow im completely obsessed . no idea who the others would be though (gambit as death would be iconic)

Apocalypse builds his coven with Maggot/Pestilence and Emplate/Famine. Death remains a mystery but I’m leaning toward Kwannon.

[Ravyn]

I just want to scrub Rictor's face. His Druid drag is not cute. The buff gay dude on the team doesn't need to be wearing flowers in his hair. It came out of nowhere and is practically a hate-crime.

[BroHomo]

I just want to scrub Rictor's face. His Druid drag is not cute. The buff gay dude on the team doesn't need to be wearing flowers in his hair. It came out of nowhere and is practically a hate-crime.

why not?
I think it's kinda cute
+
it's waaaay above what he looked like in the 90s

[King_Thor13]

I honestly don't think Tini wants to write Betsy. She wants to write Apocalypse, and magic, and got stuck with the psychic Magic fairy lady...

I'm not so sure that's the case. Every indication about Dawn of X is that the writers met with Hickman & the Editors and picked out which characters they wanted. I think Tini really likes Betsy, but I'm not sure she has the right voice for her. I like her Apocalypse best. She wrote a pretty good Rachel too.

This series would've been better served as more of an unconventional fairy tale like Die comic. Now that I think that, Kieron Gillen would've been amazing at creating mutant magic.

A Kieron Gillen Excalibur with Apocalypse, Psylocke, Dazzler, Chamber, Siryn, Rictor & Pixie. Jame McKelvie and Marcus To alternating on art duties between arcs.

She seems peripheral in her own book because she's Captain Britain. Does any of us really want or consider Betsy to be Captain Britain, over Brian? I don't remember seeing anyone preferring this. It's like she's wearing the outfit or something (literally here) I think everyone wants her to be Psylocke again.

I personally don't mind her being Captain Britain. Because we've got both the Sword of Might and Amulet of Right, there's room for them to both carry that mantle. I think the only letdown at the moment is that it isn't advancing Betsy's character (yet). It's a role that has shifted her priorities and duties, and yet we're not seeing much of that impact yet. We've also got Kwannon taking what was Betsy's iconography, the butterfly motif, the telekinetic katana and her old costumes. Because Kwannon hasn't been separated from those visuals, and has her own story going on, I think it feels like one character was split in half, rather than two characters with their own path.

She could have revitalized that Captain Brit Corps.

I hope that's yet to come. I wish Spider UK hadn't been killed off.

I would have loved some spotlight on Meggan. Because she is low key a power house.

She's a gem. I hope that her and Brian both get more exposure as the series progresses.

[MAR420X]

picked up this issue... got the rest of the series also.. but this is where im jumping off anything Tini is writing

i gave her 8 chances SMH

[Su_Whisterfield]

picked up this issue... got the rest of the series also.. but this is where im jumping off anything Tini is writing

i gave her 8 chances SMH

I stopped last issue, hunting sentient beings for sport was enough for me, which is a shame, I’ve been a Cap Britain fan since the 80s.

[CGAR]

Kind of sucks that we aren't excited about this title. But things that happened in Excalibur will be important to XofSwords and that Tini has a huge part to play in it.

Hickman needs to give more dialogue and pacing feedback.

If he can be blunt and direct towards everything else he should be blunt, direct and constructive towards Tini Howard. Because this series aint it.