The Sword Is Drawn: Excalibur from the Beginning

[Factor]

Looks like you (kind of) got you wish! Even if the new team is pretty different.

I'm sad as I just finished Davis' stellar run and read the atrocity of Lobdell's first issue.
Talk about killing a book in an instant. The worst part is that I got so attached to the lesser known characters like Kylun and Cerise that I want to know what happened to them at the time, but I don't think it will be worth.
I'll probably jump straight to Ellis' run, but it looks like they'll already be gone from the team by then.

[CRaymond]

I’m a Kylun the Barbarian stan. I try to include him in every Excalibur roster shuffle.

[616MarvelYear is LeapYear]

Excalibur #10 Jul 1989
"Widget!"
In the Tower of London, Captain Britain of Excalibur fights his evil doppelgänger Hauptmann Englande of Lightning Force, Excalibur's Earth-597 counterpart.
Hauptmann Englande knocks him around and defeats him, while Captain Britain is hampered by his suit which is far too small and not very tearproof.
In addition, he is still weak from his visit in America where he temporarily lost most of his superhuman powers.
The other Lightning Force members are watching the battle and cheering in triumph.

In the meantime, Reichsministerin Moira MacTaggert from the Earth-597 dimension
and her bodyguard Callisto take Alysande Stuart hostage and force her to accompany them to an Aircraft.
They plan to leave London, ignoring the fact that they cannot return to their dimension if they do.
During some confusion caused by the fighting Brian Braddocks, Alysande Stuart manages to escape into the dense fog.
Callisto follows her and captures her, using her as a human shield against the W.H.O. soldiers.
Suddenly, the reptilian tourist family enters the Tower courtyard and interrupts the firefight.

Captain Britain and Hauptmann Englande continue their fight. Brian throws Englande into a Tower wall which breaks.

The debris falls down to the ground, threatening Calvin, one of the tourist's children.
In the nick of time, Captain Britain saves the boy but this allows Shadowcat (Earth-597) to phase through him,
thus disrupting his life energy - a special ability she doesn't share with her Earth-616 counterpart.
Nightcrawler (Earth-597) catches the unconscious Captain Britain and teleports him several times, exhausting him even more.
Then Hauptmann Englande picks him up to administer the Coup de Grace.
Suddenly, Brian breaks free and punches Hauptmann Englande.
Nightcrawler (Earth-597) is confused because he thought Brian Braddock was completely helpless and unconscious.
He then realizes that Excalibur outsmarted them - Meggan (Earth-597) changes into Excalibur's Meggan, knocking him out.
She then captures Minister Moira MacTaggert, disarms her and defeats her bodyguard Callisto.
Shadowcat (Earth-597) tries to touch her in order to drain her life energy, but Rachel Summers appears behind her
and catches her in a psi force field while asking herself why there wasn't a Rachel Summers Earth-597 counterpart.

Shadowcat awakes and finds herself lying on the floor. Alistaire Stuart is sitting besides her and she immediately
falls in love with him. He is worried about her state because he can't feel her pulse and she explains that she is phased.

While they are talking, Widget appears and opens a portal besides them.
Alistaire, an enthusiastic scientist, is immediately appealed by the portal and tries to step into the other dimension.

One of the other dimension's inhabitants, a woman talking in a strange tongue, greets him and tries to pull him through.
Kitty touches him, rendering him into a phasing state and freeing him from the grabbing hands.
When the other dimension's woman becomes angry, Kitty phases through the portal, disrupting its energy and closing it.

In the great hall of the Tower, Excalibur, Lightning Force and the police are discussing what to do with the Earth-597 visitors.
Shadowcat is deeply moved by her counterpart's fate because Lightning Force uses the Jewish mutant as a slave and tool for doing their dirty work.
When Moira MacTaggerts gives a racist explanation, Kitty becomes angry and leaves the hall with Rachel who tries to calm her.

When Alistaire Stuart meets Phoenix, he is strongly attracted to her. Nightcrawler joins Kitty and Rachel on the Tower's roof
and tells them that they decided on a consensus about what to do with the Lightning Force members.
They will try to swap the trains back into their respective dimensions, returning the original Moira MacTaggert and Callisto to Earth-616.

While Phoenix and Kitty are flying home, Sat-Yr-9, disguised as Courtney Ross she killed and replaced her in Excalibur #5, watches them from her office window.
She reveals her plans to get hold of Shadowcat and Phoenix and to make use of their power and potential.

Story by Chris Claremont. Art by Marshall Rogers and Terry Austin.

[powerpax]

Am I missing something or is Days of Future Yet to Come and that whole mess with Britannic or whatever not on comixology at all? I wanted to read that crazy stuff.

[616MarvelYear is LeapYear]

Excalibur #11 Aug 1989
"The Price"
As Phoenix and Shadowcat fly home, Nigel Frobisher watches them, strongly attracted to Phoenix.
When Big Ben chimes 9 o'clock, he suddenly remembers that he has an appointment with Courtney Ross.
He owes her one million Pounds - a sum he cannot pay - and so he is anxious to meet her in time.
He hurries to her office, knocking several people down, and eventually reaches her secretary Brigitte with the last strike of Big Ben.
Nevertheless, Courtney Ross accuses him of being late.

Kitty and Rachel reach the Excalibur Lighthouse where Rachel destroyed the roof
when she got the distress signal from her baby brother Nathan Summers.
She is shocked by the extent of destruction she caused. When they land in front of the door, they discover a sword sticking in a rock.
Kitty immediately recognizes the Soulsword. Rachel tries to pull it out but the sword doesn't move.
Shadowcat refuses to draw the sword and enters the lighthouse

where she finds the unconscious Lockheed, who was attacked by Lightning Force.

Meanwhile, Courtney Ross demands that Nigel Frobisher pays his debts.
He refuses, telling her that she doesn't have any legal hold over him.
She reminds him that they were surrounded by witnesses during their card game
and that he will loose his reputation and social status if he refuses to pay his wager.
Nigel then admits that he cannot pay the money and Courtney Ross offers him to pay his debts by serving her.
She even promises him wealth, power and respectability and Nigel agrees.
She marks him with a lightning earring which is meant to remind him of his new status as her pet and servant.
His first assignment is to meet with Technet's Gatecrasher and to make them an offer.

A few days later, Alistaire Stuart visits the Excalibur Lighthouse. He is greeted by Rachel and the two of them immediately start flirting.
Kitty Pryde, wearing a pink bath robe, is ashamed about her outer appearance. She is attracted to Stuart but he only has eyes for Rachel.
Together, they discuss Widget and how to activate him. After they left Widget alone in the living room, he awakes.

In the Tower of London, Alysande Stuart is alone in an office. Suddenly, a brimstone cloud announces the appearance of Nightcrawler.
It is Kurt Wagner's evil counterpart from the Earth-597 dimension. He grabs Stuart and threatens to abuse her.

But Alysandre changes her shape and becomes Meggan who pushes Nightcrawler away.
Before he crashes into a wall, he teleports and is caught when he materializes on the other side of the wall.
Captain Britain, Excalibur's Nightcrawler, some W.H.O. officers, Lightning Force and Reichsminister Moira MacTaggert await him.
Kurt Wagner is shocked about how predictable his counterpart was and is afraid of his own darker sides.

At Excalibur Lighthouse, Alistaire Stuart and Rachel Summers go for a walk while Shadowcat is left behind.
She decides that she will try to become as attractive as Rachel, so she opens Rachel's closet and tries one of her red suits.
Kitty feels unwell in this new outfit and decides that she doesn't dare to wear ist.
Suddenly, she stands naked before a group of aliens in a giant hall.
Some hairy Excalibur counterparts stare at her and she introduces herself to them.
Then, the scene changes and she finds herself naked before Rachel and Alistaire.
She is so ashamed that she phases through the floor and hides in the cellar, crying.

Some time later, Shadowcat begins experimenting with Widget who seems to be asleep.
Her work is interrupted by a telepathic call from Phoenix, informing her that Nightcrawler needs her presence.

In the north of England, the Lightning Force Reichsrail Train is ready for the exchange procedure.
All members of Excalibur and Lightning Force are assembled at the railway station when Kitty and Rachel join them.
Lockheed cries out and then Excalibur discovers that the train is powered by a greater version of Lockheed,
trapped in the train engine and serving as a slave. They begin to argue with Moira MacTaggert, but she defends her methods.

A portal opens and the Earth-616 Moira MacTaggert, Callisto and the train crew step back into their dimension.
The Earth-597 counterparts, on the other hand, break their arrangement - when the portal is closing,
Reichsminister MacTaggart throws a nuclear grenade into the portal.
Phoenix tries to contain the explosion with her psi powers, but the explosion is too strong.
Suddenly, the giant face of Widget appears and then the train - together with all Excalibur members on board - disappears.

Story by Chris Claremont. Art by Marshall Rogers and Terry Austin.

[Digifiend]

Excalibur #10 Jul 1989
"Widget!"
In the Tower of London, Captain Britain of Excalibur fights his evil doppelgänger Hauptmann Englande of Lightning Force, Excalibur's Earth-597 counterpart.
Hauptmann Englande knocks him around and defeats him, while Captain Britain is hampered by his suit which is far too small and not very tearproof.
In addition, he is still weak from his visit in America where he temporarily lost most of his superhuman powers.
The other Lightning Force members are watching the battle and cheering in triumph.

In the meantime, Reichsministerin Moira MacTaggert from the Earth-597 dimension
and her bodyguard Callisto take Alysande Stuart hostage and force her to accompany them to an Aircraft.
They plan to leave London, ignoring the fact that they cannot return to their dimension if they do.
During some confusion caused by the fighting Brian Braddocks, Alysande Stuart manages to escape into the dense fog.
Callisto follows her and captures her, using her as a human shield against the W.H.O. soldiers.
Suddenly, the reptilian tourist family enters the Tower courtyard and interrupts the firefight.

Captain Britain and Hauptmann Englande continue their fight. Brian throws Englande into a Tower wall which breaks.

The debris falls down to the ground, threatening Calvin, one of the tourist's children.
In the nick of time, Captain Britain saves the boy but this allows Shadowcat (Earth-597) to phase through him,
thus disrupting his life energy - a special ability she doesn't share with her Earth-616 counterpart.
Nightcrawler (Earth-597) catches the unconscious Captain Britain and teleports him several times, exhausting him even more.
Then Hauptmann Englande picks him up to administer the Coup de Grace.
Suddenly, Brian breaks free and punches Hauptmann Englande.
Nightcrawler (Earth-597) is confused because he thought Brian Braddock was completely helpless and unconscious.
He then realizes that Excalibur outsmarted them - Meggan (Earth-597) changes into Excalibur's Meggan, knocking him out.
She then captures Minister Moira MacTaggert, disarms her and defeats her bodyguard Callisto.
Shadowcat (Earth-597) tries to touch her in order to drain her life energy, but Rachel Summers appears behind her
and catches her in a psi force field while asking herself why there wasn't a Rachel Summers Earth-597 counterpart.

Shadowcat awakes and finds herself lying on the floor. Alistaire Stuart is sitting besides her and she immediately
falls in love with him. He is worried about her state because he can't feel her pulse and she explains that she is phased.

While they are talking, Widget appears and opens a portal besides them.
Alistaire, an enthusiastic scientist, is immediately appealed by the portal and tries to step into the other dimension.

One of the other dimension's inhabitants, a woman talking in a strange tongue, greets him and tries to pull him through.
Kitty touches him, rendering him into a phasing state and freeing him from the grabbing hands.
When the other dimension's woman becomes angry, Kitty phases through the portal, disrupting its energy and closing it.

In the great hall of the Tower, Excalibur, Lightning Force and the police are discussing what to do with the Earth-597 visitors.
Shadowcat is deeply moved by her counterpart's fate because Lightning Force uses the Jewish mutant as a slave and tool for doing their dirty work.
When Moira MacTaggerts gives a racist explanation, Kitty becomes angry and leaves the hall with Rachel who tries to calm her.

When Alistaire Stuart meets Phoenix, he is strongly attracted to her. Nightcrawler joins Kitty and Rachel on the Tower's roof
and tells them that they decided on a consensus about what to do with the Lightning Force members.
They will try to swap the trains back into their respective dimensions, returning the original Moira MacTaggert and Callisto to Earth-616.

While Phoenix and Kitty are flying home, Sat-Yr-9, disguised as Courtney Ross she killed and replaced her in Excalibur #5, watches them from her office window.
She reveals her plans to get hold of Shadowcat and Phoenix and to make use of their power and potential.

Story by Chris Claremont. Art by Marshall Rogers and Terry Austin.

I take it this Moira's only on her first life (there's no reason to think AU versions of her don't have the same ability) and doesn't know she's a member of that mongrel race herself? That House of X retcon has major implications for stories like that one, lol.

[616MarvelYear is LeapYear]

I am curious to know if AU versions of the comicbook character Moira have the same ability that 616 Moira has.

[616MarvelYear is LeapYear]

Excalibur #12 Sep 1989
The Cross-Time Caper: Part 1 of 12 - "My Friends Call Me Billy the Kid!"
A young prince in knight's armor rides through a forest, listening to music from a portable device - Prince William,
heir to the throne of Britain's Earth-1193 dimension. He is currently searching for adventure and challenges in order to become a true knight.
Suddenly, the Lightning Force Reichrail Train appears out of nowhere and crashes into the dense woods, right before his eyes.
Prince William discovers Shadowcat who was catapulted out of the train. She is lying unconscious below a tree, guarded by Lockheed.
William mistakes Lockheed for a dangerous dragon threatening the unknown girl, and attacks him, but Lockheed defends himself with his fire breath.

In the meantime, the other Excalibur members and Alistaire Stuart who was trapped with them in the train when it was transported into another dimension, leave the train.
They are shaken by the impact of the rough landing. Only Phoenix's PSI-powers prevented them from being shattered all over the landscape.

In Brighton, England of the Earth-616 dimension, Nigel Frobisher is walking through the rain.
He then discovers a mysterious hole in the clouds where the sun hits the ground on a particular spot.
He steps into the sunny area and is attacked by Bodybag. Before Bodybag can swallow him, he defends himself with his umbrella
and runs away,right into Joyboy. Joyboy's ability is to change a person into what he/she most desires.
In Nigel's case, it's to be as strong and powerful as his boss Courtney Ross,

so Joyboy changes him into a muscular and twisted image of Courtney Ross. China Doll then grabs Frobisher
and shrinks him. Finally, Waxworks completes the task by knotting Frobisher's arms and legs.
They then bring the helpless man before Gatecrasher who is currently negotiating with the local town council
about a weather manipulation arrangement in order to attract more tourists.

In the alternate version of Britain, Lockheed knocked Prince William out and Excalibur takes the unconscious Prince into their train.
When he awakes, he finds himself surrounded by foreign people and the dragon who is sitting on his bed.
William demands his sword to "slain the beast", but then he recognizes Captain Britain,
kneels before him and calls him "Captain Marshall, Lord Champion of the realm".
Captain Britain explains that he isn't Captain Marshall and introduces his companions to the prince.
William tells them that he was sent on a quest to prove himself worthy of rank and title.
He then asks Nightcrawler about Kitty and if she is already committed.
Meggan appears, dancing around with the Faery Folk who welcomes her home as their lost princess.

Later, Rachel, Kitty and Alistaire are back in the train, examining Widget.
They already found out that Widget was responsible for the dimensional transport
but they still don't know how to activate him or how to return home.
Kitty still admires Alistaire, while he only has eyes for Rachel Summers.
Suddenly, the train seems to be trapped in a kind of hurricane and a giant Shaitan, an ancient dragon-like beast,
rips the train with its tentacles and grabs Kitty and Alistaire. Phoenix tries to stop him with her powers, but Shaitain is unimpressed.
Kitty discovers that she cannot phase herself out of his grip, but she tries to phase Alistaire free. T
his works and he falls down, caught by Phoenix. The Shaitain disappears with Kitty.

Kitty is taken to a castle owned by an Ogre. He already captured Princess Katherine who is held prisoner in a kind of jar.
Shaitan drops Kitty into a similar glass and closes it. Then, the Ogre appears, telling her that she is now his captive.
Kitty threatens him and tells him that she has very powerful friends, but he only laughs.
The Princess seems to be confused and repeatedly states that she was meant to be rescued by a prince, not a foreign girl.
Suddenly, the castle's walls are breached and Captain Britain challenges the Ogre. The Ogre laughs and punches him out of the castle.

Then Phoenix enters the room, throwing the Ogre into the far woods.
When she tries to rescue the trapped girls, she is caught by some green tentacles
which drag her into a brown sea down in the castle. There Rachel is transformed into a kind of demon.

Meanwhile, Captain Britain and the Ogre continue their fight in the woods.
Back at the castle, Nightcrawler teleports the prince into the main hall where William draws his sword
and rescues the two girls while Kurt suffers from the teleport side effects.
His teleport abilities are still limited since he fell into the coma during the Mutant Massacre.
William frees the girls, but to Princess Catherine's surprise and disappointment, he only seems to be interested in Kitty.
Rachel overcomes her demonic state and returns back to normal while Captain Britain returns, carrying the defeated Ogre.
When he throws the Ogre to the castle hall's floor, the entire castle collapses.

Outside the ruins, Meggan reprimands Nightcrawler for teleporting inside the castle. He answers that he had to
prove that he was still able to carry his own weight. They start flirting while Captain Britain jealously watches them.

When Princess Katherine kisses Prince William to express her gratefulness, he rejects her
and tells her that his heart is already committed. Then, he asks Kitty Pryde to marry him.

Story by Chris Claremont. Art by Alan Davis and Paul Neary.

[616MarvelYear is LeapYear]

OK everybody, that's all I can take. I missed out on WAY too much of this wonderful series. I just or ordered Excalibur Volume One for my Kindle ($10.99). I like Davis' and all of his inkers' story telling, line work, and inks enough that I'm good with black and white. I'll try some samples of Moore's work also. I think I will like it.

I wish Davis' wrap-up of Days of Future Past and his Phoenix mythos would have become canon. He really wrapped everything up nicely, which doesn't happen much these days. It was a bit odd having all of the Brit characters in the DOFP story, but made some sense since USA was first to eliminate all of their super powered folks. I guess it provided a wrap-up of for those characters also. I know nothing about them and am guessing. As far as I know, they were no longer being published by then.

OK everybody, that's all I can take. I missed out on WAY too much of this wonderful series. I just or ordered Excalibur Volume One for my Kindle ($10.99). I like Davis' and all of his inkers' story telling, line work, and inks enough that I'm good with black and white. I'll try some samples of Moore's work also. I think I will like it.

I wish Davis' wrap-up of Days of Future Past and his Phoenix mythos would have become canon. He really wrapped everything up nicely, which doesn't happen much these days. It was a bit odd having all of the Brit characters in the DOFP story, but made some sense since USA was first to eliminate all of their super powered folks. I guess it provided a wrap-up of for those Brit characters also. I know nothing about them and am guessing. As far as I know, they were no longer being published by then.

Pleasant to see your view about Excalibur being a wonderful series, is such that you posted your excitement for it twice!

[K7P5V]

In my estimation, Alan Davis is the most essential member of Excalibur.

To the utmost, I agree. And truer words have never been spoken, IMHO.

[616MarvelYear is LeapYear]

Excalibur #13 Oct 1989
The Cross-Time Caper: Part 2 of 12 - "The Marriage of True Minds"
Still trapped in the alternate Earth-1193 dimension, Excalibur lodges at the royal castle of the ruling Queen of the realm.
Captain Britain presents his new costume to his teammates, while the tailor, who
created it, explains how the suit absorbs and stores the native magic powers of Britain.
Excalibur suddenly understands why Brian Braddock lost his powers in New York
and learns that his superhuman powers are connected to the British Isles.

They also learn that the same is true for Meggan Earth-616. While the others discuss Captain Britain's powers,
Kitty Pryde sneaks to the balcony where she watches Alistaire Stuart taking pictures of the landscape.
She surprises him and then they talk about this dimension's version of London.
They are interrupted by Rachel Summers, who uses her Phoenix powers
to lift the wrecked train and carry it to the castle. Alistaire is highly impressed.

Then the Queen Mother enters the room, accompanied by the Queen Consort.
She thanks Captain Britain for aiding Prince William in his latest quest and asks him about his costume.
Brian realizes that the Queen strongly resembles Saturnyne.
The Queen then welcomes Kitty Pryde. Prince William proposed marriage to her ,
and so the Queen orders that Kitty receives a more decent outfit.
Kitty argues that she didn't take the proposal serious but is shocked to learn that "no" is not an option and will not be accepted.
She then explains that she is American and that Americans fought for their freedom to get rid of queens and kings a long time ago,
but the royal family is not impressed because in this dimension, America is still inhabited by savages.
They abduct Kitty to teach her better manners. The other Excalibur members, together with an enraged Lockheed,
start searching the castle. They bump into some gigantic and quite bizarre palace guards who threaten them with morning stars.

Meanwhile, in Earth-616's version of Great Britain, Nigel Frobisher is still captured by Technet.
Technet just made an agreement with the local town council of Brighton about weather control,
in exchange for using the Brighton Pier as their new headquarters. Once the politicians left,
Technet interrogates Nigel Frobisher, who is still changed into a bizarre image of Courtney Ross.
He argues with the aliens and they eventually change him back into his original shape.
He then explains why he was trying to contact them and that he has a job proposal for Technet's bounty hunters.
Courtney Ross asks them to free Jamie Braddock, Brian Braddock's brother,
who is currently under death sentence in Africa by Doctor Crocodile.
Technet agrees because of the generous terms and conditions of the job proposal.

In the royal castle, Kitty Pryde is trapped in a kind of machine which scans Kitty's powers.
The Queen and her companions decide that she is connected to arcane black magic,
and that her independent spirit has to be tamed before she can be given to Prince William.

They reshape Kitty with cosmetic spells and a more decent behavior. Kitty tries to resist and telepathically calls for help.
Excalibur hurries to her rescue, knocking down the palace guards. When they find Kitty, she is dressed in a royal gown.
Her behavior is very strange; she is obedient, dutiful and devoted and tells her friends that there is no reason to be worried
about her - everything is fine, she is happy and a true princess now. Rachel shouts at the Queen for putting Kitty under a kind of spell.

Outside the castle, Ogres and dwarves repair the wrecked Lighting Force train while Lockheed talks to
his enslaved Lockheed Earth-597 counterpart who is powering the train's engines.
Inside the train, Nightcrawler, Alistaire, Meggan, Rachel and Brian Braddock
discuss how to break Kitty's spell and how to leave this reality.
Kitty and Prince William take a walk in the castle's park where William complains that
Kitty has been changed into an ordinary person without any personality and individuality left.
Suddenly, they are surprised by trolls. William tries to protect Kitty with his sword
but then they are subdued by the trolls who carry the prince away. Excalibur frees Kitty.
This experience releases her from the mind spell.
She follows the prince and frees him from his captors, scaring the trolls away.
Prince William is happy about the fact that Kitty changed back into the person she was when
they first met, but then the spell is reactivated and she becomes the obedient princess again.

Next night, Kitty is lying in her bed in the castle when strange
black demons appear over her bed, grabbing her with their tentacles.
They bear some resemblance with the Shaitan they encountered before. Kitty tries to free herself, calling for help,
but even Rachel cannot help her with her PSI powers. Then, the door opens and the Queen Consort enters the room.
Kitty throws her to the floor in order to protect her from the demons.
The Queen Consort realizes that the spell over Kitty was broken and reactivates it.
Kitty tries to stop her, because she knows that she doesn't stand a chance against the
demons when she is under the spell, but the woman reminds her of her duties and loyalties.

Meanwhile, Nightcrawler and Meggan locate the source of the mysterious demon attack:
Princess Katherine, who was rejected by Prince William, summoned them.

Meggan and Nightcrawler subdue her and take her to the castle.
Kitty protects herself from the spell by phasing and is now covered by Brian and Rachel.
Then, Nightcrawler enters the hall with Princess Katherine and explains that she is responsible for the demonic attack.
The Queen immediately sentences her to death, but Kate starts crying and admits
that she is in love with Prince William and wanted him to rescue her in the first place.
She hopes that the Queen kills her, because her life will be worthless and joyless when he marries Kitty.
Prince William than explains to his mother that he was confused when he made
his proposal to Kitty Pryde and asks her for her blessings to marry Princess Katherine.
The Queen grants her permission, her thoughts revealing that she knew about the princess
all the time and that it was her plan from the beginning to send William to her rescue.
She was fully aware of the fact that the princess is a mighty sorceress.

Story by Chris Claremont. Art by Alan Davis and Paul Neary.

[616MarvelYear is LeapYear]

Excalibur #14 Nov 1989
The Cross-Time Caper: Part 3 of 12 - "Too Many Heroes"
On the presentation balcony of Earth-1193's version of Westminster Castle, the Queen
announces the betrothal of her son Prince William, Prince of Wales, to Princess Katherine.
A crowd is assembled in front of the castle and the announcement is celebrated throughout the entire realm.
Excalibur and Alistaire Stuart join the royal family on the balcony.
All of them are dressed into appropriate clothes while Stuart is taking pictures of the event.
Then the royal family and their guests join the party inside the castle where people are dancing and talking about the recent events.
People are especially interested in Captain Britain who is a national hero of the realm while Meggan Earth-616
announces that she wants to dance. Kitty Pryde realizes that Meggan prefers to dance with Nightcrawler.
Alistaire and Rachel Summers join the dance while Captain Britain is surrounded by his fans.
The Ogre who captured Kitty and Katherine before became a butler in the castle and offers Brian a drink,
together with his apology. Misjudging his own powers, he then pushes Brian into the buffet.

Meggan, who is dancing with Nightcrawler, adjusts her outer appearance to him, jealously watched by Captain Britain.
Nightcrawler, on the other hand, realizes that Kitty is jealous of Rachel Summers who is still dancing with Alistaire Stuart.
Feeling lonely and ugly - compared to Rachel - Kitty leaves the party together with Lockheed,
phases through the castle wall and returns to the Excalibur Train. The train was repaired and equipped with exquisite furniture.
When Kitty enters the train she discovers Widget who is eating the equipment.
She shouts at him and he answers her for the first time, asking them about their names.
Kitty introduces herself and Lockheed and then feeds the garbage to the hungry Widget.
They are disturbed by loud voices and noises outside the train:
Excalibur returns after a clash between Rachel and Sir Nigel, Nigel Frobisher's counterpart in this dimension.
He has some obscene thoughts about Rachel and she takes revenge by taring and feathering him.
Brian tells her to behave because Excalibur is a guest in this realm, but when she telepathically
informs him about Sir Nigel's thoughts, he becomes angry and wants to teach him proper manners.
Nightcrawler tries to calm his teammates down, but is interrupted by Widget who starts to draw energy from Rachel.
She can't stop him and Widget becomes a glowing ball, full of Phoenix energy. Suddenly, the train and all its passengers disappear.

Moments later the train crashes into the ground again, this time in a region at the English coast.
The Excalibur members identify the Excalibur Lighthouse, believing that they finally returned home to their dimension.

However, something seems to be very odd; Kitty discovers that the tide is much lower than it used to be.
In addition the ground starts to shake and then a tsunami threatens the coast.
It's too late to run for cover so Rachel protects her companions by creating cocoons for each of them.
The wave hits their position and the cocoons are swept away.
When the water leaves, all cocoons lay in the grass besides their train.
The trapped heroes free themselves and examine the damage that was done to the train.
The train seems to be intact and even remains dry inside, but one cocoon is missing - Rachel's.
Suddenly, a young man appears, introducing himself as Rick Jones, Avenger.
He explains that Excalibur was considered missing in action for one week now.
He also states that he likes Captain Britain's new costume.
He then offers to take them to the Avengers Headquarters with the Quinjet
because they took the cocoon to New York in order to examine it.
Kitty asks Lockheed to stay with the train and guard it. Then Excalibur and Stuart get on the Quinjet.

After a short while, they hit a yellow wall which seems to extend from the ground up above the atmosphere.
Jones takes the Quinjet out into space and the passengers discover that the wall is in fact a leg - the leg of a titanic version of Hank Pym.
Hank Pym explains that he experimented with supergrowing powers but the experiment got out of control.
Now he is a titan and every move he makes and every breath he takes triggers disasters on Earth.
Suddenly, Namor McKenzie jumps at him and shoots with a super weapon, seeking revenge for the destruction of Atlantis.
The giant falls into the ocean, triggering an enormous flood wave.
Captain Britain rescues the drowning Quinjet and takes them all to New York.
There, various superheroes seem to be fighting each other in the ruins of the city.
A strange demonic version of Captain America explains to them that all superheroes are caught up in
"Acts of Vengeance" and leaves in order to join the fighting after Jones asked him if he needed a sidekick.
Excalibur realizes that this isn't their own dimension but another alternate reality.
They decide to split up, to search for Rachel and to leave the madhouse as soon as possible.
Stuart and Kitty visit the Baxter Building to consult the Fantastic Four.
A secretary asks them to draw a number and Alistaire draws a 10, followed by 23 zeroes -
their place in the queue of super heroes who are demanding an audience with the Fantastic Four.

Uptown, Captain Britain and Rick Jones get caught in epic battles between alternate versions of Iron Man, Thor and Loki.
Suddenly, Brian is attacked by the Hulk, but he knocks him down.

Jones is shocked that Brian beats a person with the mind of a baby and tries to comfort the crying Hulk.
Disgusted about the events, Captain Britain leaves the scene and flies away.

At Damage Coordination Headquarters, Kurt and Meggan meet various alternate superhero versions.
Mysterio advises them to wear their original costumes in order to be recognized
as super heroes - and not the old-fashioned gowns they got in the royal castle.
Nightcrawler and Meggan change into costumes.
They ask Mysterio about the missing cocoon, but he explains that it isn't stored in the Department.
He sends them upstairs to "lost property".
The madness that surrounds them becomes worse every minute and they meet multiple
versions of Wolverine in various costumes who are studying lines for a Wolverine casting.
At "lost properties" they must learn that they are in the middle of a cataclysmic cosmic cross-continuity caper.
Nightcrawler and Meggan decide to leave, not understanding a word of the explanation.
Together with Brian, they join Kitty and Alistaire who are still waiting in the queue at the Baxter Building.

Excalibur doesn't know that the Fantastic Four or their alternate counterparts with switched powers already examined Rachel's cocoon.
Before Reed Richards finds out how to open it, Rachel breaks free by using her Phoenix power, disrupting the upper floors of the Baxter Building.
The F4 promise to help Rachel, but before they can finish their conversation, Galactus appears above them.
He announces that this dimension must be destroyed because it is a danger to all other realities.
He then destroys the world - and in the nick of time, Widget draws Phoenix's powers and transports Excalibur into another reality.

Standing on the moon, Galactus watches the dead, barren rock - formerly called Earth - and worries about the dangers of the Phoenix powers.
He warns the causer of the chaos who is also sitting on the moon not to repeat this chaotic event.
Once Galactus leaves with his spacecraft, the causer snips and revives Earth, where all superheroes continue fighting each other.

Story by Chris Claremont. Art by Alan Davis and Paul Neary.

[616MarvelYear is LeapYear]

Excalibur #15 Nov 1989
The Cross-Time Caper: Part 4 of 12 - "Technet: Impossible Missions!"
In Technet’s Headquarters on Brighton Pier, Nigel Frobisher arrives to give Technet
the mission of rescuing James Braddock, Captain Britain’s Brother, from Doc Croc.

They teleport away on their mission, leaving Frobisher behind.
\In Mbangawi, Africa, Technet arrive at Doc Croc’s fortress.
After Gatecrasher distracts them, the Technet teleport in and fight the guards,
while Scatterbrain, Joyboy and Gatecrasher then enter the fortress itself.
They find Jamie Braddock being tortured by Doc Croc,

who releases a strange gas over Gatecrasher that causes her to pass out.
The effect of the gas causes Gatecrasher to hallucinate, seeing James Braddock for his true nature, a poacher and slaver.
However, she recovers, and taking Doc Croc hostage, Technet return to Brighton, and Jamie Braddock, still in a trance, tries to leave the pier.
As Bodybag tries to stop him, he pulls one of Bodybag’s strings, through which he sees the world, incapacitating Bodybag.
He takes down all of Technet one by one, revealing that the torture that Doc Croc put him under,
to try and convert him to good, has left him perceiving the whole of reality as a dream.
Jamie is then picked up by Nigel Frobisher, having altered the Technet’s memories into believing the whole adventure was a success.

Throughout Technet’s adventure, Excalibur find themselves in a variety of different versions of Earth.
In one, they are riding a stage coach, being pursued across the dusty plains by a group
of British natives on horseback, having rescued Alistaire Stuart, who is tied to a totem pole.
They have entered a world where America is the ancient seat of civilisation, and Europe is the Wild West.
They get back to the train, and pour out of the stagecoach in an array of costumes,
from Nightcrawler as a waitress to Captain Britain as a cowboy, just as the native British arrive.
In the nick of time, Lockheed produces a wall of flame, allowing the Phoenix and Widget to send the train across time once more.
On another Earth, Excalibur find themselves in a world out of a horror film, as they rescue Alistaire
and Phoenix from Alistaire’s counterpart, and get Captain Britain transformed back to normal from being a duck.
Later, Excalibur’s train lands in a field, and they ask questions of police officers until they are certain that they are home.
However, Meggan inadvertently shapeshifts into wearing a copy of Phoenix’s outfit, while Phoenix wears a copy of Meggan’s.
Phoenix’s powers flare in alarm, accidentally triggering Widget, who takes the train back into the time stream,

leaving two confused police officers behind.

Story by Chris Claremont https://happybday.to/Chris-Claremont. Art by Alan Davis and Paul Neary.

[Zelena]

In my estimation, Alan Davis is the most essential member of Excalibur.

It's true but if you talk about the penciller, you must also talk about the inker, Paul Neary who is also a wonderful artist.

[616MarvelYear is LeapYear]

Uncanny X-Men #253 Nov 1989
"Storm Warnings!"
A de-aged Storm is found by FBI Agent Reisz, and she is brought to a hospital where she is put under the care of Dr Lian Shen,

who soon believes that Ororo is a mutant as none of their medical or video equipment registers her.
Dr Shen later rings Agent Reisz, who seems to be possessed by some unknown being,
and Reisz tells Shen that he will come and collect Storm, which Storm overhears.

Moira MacTaggert and Magneto argue it out on Muir Island, over numerous subjects
including the current missing New Mutants and Magneto’s responsibilities.
Magneto warns Moira that there is a war coming, and tells her that as long as people are after him, no one will be after her.
Magneto leaves Muir Island, refusing Banshee’s hand in friendship.
Banshee consoles Moira, who decides that they find the New Mutants, then safeguard Muir Island against any possible attacks.
Moira sends Callisto to the remains of Xavier’s School to seal off the underground complex from any intruders who may want its secrets.

Later, Banshee and Moira pick up a distress call, and Banshee recognizes the voice as Polaris.

Despite the recent Marauder affiliation that Polaris held, Banshee goes to rescue his friend,
who is currently at the mercy of angry sailors aboard a freighter in rocky water.
The sailors attack Polaris, who is without her magnetic powers, but finds herself with increased strength and invulnerability,
before the freighter is snapped in two.Banshee rescues Polaris just in time, his powers recently restored.

Amanda Sefton arrives at Excalibur’s lighthouse, in search of Nightcrawler, but finds only

Brigadier Alysande Stuart, who explains that Excalibur is missing, and offers her assistance.

Elsewhere, Forge enters a meditation, and is confronted by Amahl Farouk, and learns that Storm is alive, and in grave danger.
In Australia, the Reavers go about their business, while Lady Deathstrike claims she cannot find Wolverine,
when in fact she watches the gravely wounded X-Man make his way past her.
She doesn’t want to kill him when he cannot put up a fight.
Bonebreaker’s body is repaired, and Donald Pierce announces that the Reavers’ next mission is to destroy
Muir Island and kill everyone there, as Banshee and Moira MacTaggert represent a major threat to them.

Story by Chris Claremont. Art by Marc Silvestri and Steve Leialoha.