Excalibur #21 Review/Spoilers - Don't Feel Like Dancin'

[JB]

Doing these makes me nervous but it's all good cause some interesting stuff happened, imo.

We start with the preview pages with Excalibur arriving to the Gala and Julio is grumpy over •-[A]-•'s absence.

He is indeed grabbed by Shatterstar who is excited to see Rictor but he's still in his gladiator outfit with blood all over him. Rictor is taken aback (rude even) and dismisses 'Star because of his appearance and the unexpected surprise.

The team congratulates Rogue on her inclusion on the X-Men and Gambit says he'll stay at the lighthouse with the cats because, "Rogue has plans - Gambit has plans too."

Wisdom appears asking Betsy to dance during which he explains that Coven Akkaba basically went on a press tour in and smeared her while she was "away", convincing the people that she's not English, only Krakoan, and she vanished leaving Britain undefended. He said trust in Captain Britain is now at an all-time low. Coven Akkaba arrives at the Gala - they requested attendance because Broussaeu is now Britain's ambassador to the UN.

Broussaeu proceeds to tell Charles and Emma that he is there to inform them of the dissolution of Great Britain's alliance with Krakoa. Emma is livid as Broussaeu tells them that effective immediately they reject Krakoa's deal. Krakoans are welcome as foreign nationals but their gates are not, and all medicine in Britain has been collected and will be returned. He also says the lighthouse is on his land and Krakoans cannot control it anymore. He and the Coven leave and Wisdom goes with them.

We have a quick break where Brian and Meggan are being lovey dovey and when Brian goes off to get her some snacks, an adorably drunk Kurt teleports over and congratulates Meggan on her "delicate condition". Pregnant? It's not confirmed but she doesn't deny it either.

Betsy is sulking on a balcony when Rachel comes over and asks her to dance. It's really sweet and I can't help but feel some kind of connection like when Betsy gave her the pup.

Coven Akkaba has returned to their lair and Wisdom is with them. They start talking as if they're about to start a ritual of some sort so Wisdom excuses himself but they grab him as he tries to leave. They hold him down on an altar and Marianna stakes/kills him. They use the "mutant blood" in a spell and free Morgan from Jamie's basement. A short panel shows that Jamie is away on a red planet building something (Omegas on Mars?).

Rictor leaves the Gala and goes to the Lighthouse. He calls for his druid crew for the first time, saying he needs their help. They are more than happy to answer his call and a magical staff floats up from within the earth and into his hands. They say the staff chose him, the Druid King.



They work together and separate the land the Lighthouse sits on from the mainland. The Lighthouse is now on its own island, Rictor's way of claiming it for Krakoa. Morgan, having just emerged from the basement, approaches a gate and walks through because the Coven bathed it in "their own cursed blood", Wisdom's. She should have appeared in the Lighthouse but it is now across the water. She waves her hand and does something magical to the Lighthouse. Strangely, Shatterstar appears on the Lighthouse shore where Rictor is sitting. They have a very tender moment and 'Star is not covered in blood.



The last page is a data page about the new Braddock Isle, which is now contested territory.



Me: I don't quite know what Morgan did to the Lighthouse but it was odd that Shatterstar appeared at that same moment. Something is afoot.

[ZephyrSurf]

I have no idea why everyone was a dick to Shatterstar for no reason.

[JB]

I have no idea why everyone was a dick to Shatterstar for no reason.

Yeah I mean I know he's covered in blood but sheesh.

[Rnap22]

Sorry, but this was God awful. This whole Coven thing is so dumb. Betsy talking about Cats and magic was eye roll inducing.

At least Betsy, Rogue and Gambit looked great. Jubilee looked good too

[Dante Milton]

Hated this. Free Rictor from Howard, please. Stop trying to make Coven Akkaba happen, they are so, so boring. I do not give a single **** about UK politics. Gambit is staying on the team because "he has plans"? Could have fooled me with his spot on paperweight imitation. After giving this book one too many chances, I think I've finally reached the point where I have to drop it.

[JB]

Hated this. Free Rictor from Howard, please. Stop trying to make Coven Akkaba happen, they are so, so boring. I do not give a single **** about UK politics. Gambit is staying on the team because "he has plans"? Could have fooled me with his spot on paperweight imitation. After giving this book one too many chances, I think I've finally reached the point where I have to drop it.

I'm most interested in the row between the UK and Krakoa now. Let's go to war!

[zinderel]

I have no idea why everyone was a dick to Shatterstar for no reason.

Cause he showed up to a fashun show wearing lycra shorts, clunky boots, a WWE belt, and the blood of those he killed to entertain the Spineless?

Jokes aside, I'm glad he and Ric had a moment to reconnect, and hope to see things continuing to be relatively positive for Julio.

And f--- Coven Akkaba. Worshipping the mythical villain who brought down Camelot and King Arthur, committing murder in her name, being racist d-bags...and they still think they're the 'heroes' of the story...I want Poccy-lips to return and wipe them all out for sullying the name of his cult with their idiocy...but I also wanna see Wisdom get some Hot Knife revenge...

[JB]

Cause he showed up to a fashun show wearing lycra shorts, clunky boots, a WWE belt, and the blood of those he killed to entertain the Spineless?

Jokes aside, I'm glad he and Ric had a moment to reconnect, and hope to see things continuing to be relatively positive for Julio.

And f--- Coven Akkaba. Worshipping a mythical villain, committing murder in her name, being racist d-bags...and they still think they're the 'heroes' of the story...I want Poccy-lips to return and wipe them all out for sullying the name of his cult with their idiocy...

I've come to really love to hate the Coven. Rejecting and returning the medicine was the ultimate slap in the face.

[zinderel]

I've come to really love to hate the Coven. Rejecting and returning the medicine was the ultimate slap in the face.

Word. They are entertainingly awful. And anticipating their comeuppance is golden!

[Krakoa]

I have no idea why everyone was a dick to Shatterstar for no reason.

pov: your boyfriend disappears for months without a word while you're going through a depressive episode and then shows up to a party covered in blood, ignoring everything that's happened, and expecting you to pick up where you left off

[superjosh]

Unfortunately, gonna have to agree with those that are sick of the Coven stuff. It's just going nowhere interesting at all. Also, Great Britain ending their ties with Krakoa is a big deal and there was no political weight to what happened. Just a High Priest declaring it to be so.

Howard's writing was pretty much the problem as usual with this series. She writes everyone as total reactionaries and no one does any critical thinking. They just pop off with no motivation nor reasoning and it's so unnatural. For example (as mentioned above), everyone was so harsh towards Shatterstar. Glad though that he and Rictor reconciled at the end. But was Morgan like... right above them? Rictor like just completely forgot about that flash bang that happened seconds ago before Star appeared...

So that brings us to the disconnect with the art. I couldn't follow what was happening with Morgan and Rictor and the Lighthouse. It was confusing.

[Devaishwarya]

Thanks for this, Sibling. Great job summarising the key moments.
I really enjoyed this issue. It stirred the long-simmering ingredients while adding some new spices to the pot and turned up the heat.

Morgan is awake and scheming revenge. (Loves it! She definitely works as an Excalibur rogue)
Clan Akkaba needs to die...every single one of them. (Wait until Betsy and the others find out what they did to Wisdom.)
Is Gaveedra-7 joining Excalibur? (Please say yes!)
What are you up to, Monsieur le Beau? (I'm intrigued)

[Krakoa]

I'm most interested in the row between the UK and Krakoa now. Let's go to war!

Agreed, this has been one of the more interesting plot lines of this book and I'm happy it's coming to a head. The story of the ostensible defender of your country being basically a foreign national and using that to create xenophobia is realistic and a good way to evolve the mutant metaphor with Krakoa in play.

[Malachi]

So very little of Gambits speech about staying in the lighthouse made sense. He's there because it's important for the members of the team to live there. Why? Well it's magic. I don't envy trying to write that speech with so little to build from. Yet Rouge going off to X-men isn't a suprise that was sprung right before this issue was written. It's been known some time. Time that could have been used to give us a reason why Gambit is staying. Now we get "plans" witch could be something and also end up never being referenced again. Because it's much easier to just write that then actually follow up on it. It just sounds as something cobbled together in the last moment and thrown out hoping we would speculate on the plans part and forget the rest of it.

Why did Wisdom go into that situation with the coven? He's so freaking paranoid yet he walked into that?

[Salemdelight]

Not too keen on the UK turning their back on the Mutants on the say so of a Cult. The Clan robbing the nation of much needed medicine that would be a godsend to the struggling NHS. I predict a riot.

Rictor and Betsy were awful to Shatterstar. At least they made up at the end.