This week saw Chris Claremont return to write a prelude to the iconic original run of Excalibur in X-Men Legends #12. It's a great occasion to revisit the series, easily one of the most distinctive and important among the family of X-titles in the late '80s. The best issues of this seminal comic book series not only broadened the world of the X-Men by going to the United Kingdom, but also the multiverse.
The first few years of the collaboration between Claremont and artist Alan Davis expanded and developed the concept of the multiverse, which has become central to not only modern comics but also now the MCU. The best issues of the series not only explored the fantastic but also the deeply personal, developing characters through subtle and not so subtle means that continue to be studied in depth by academic podcasts like Oh Gosh, Oh Golly, Oh Wow.
The Beginning
Excalibur #1 written by legendary X-Men writer Chris Claremont and drawn by iconic artist Alan Davis isn't exactly the beginning of the team - that comes in The Sword Is Drawn - but this key issue establishes much of the tone, themes, and character dynamics of the series.
Excalibur is in many ways the most idiosyncratic X-title with its British setting and off-kilter tone, and this issue encapsulates much of the funny, complex, and zany story that the series would become in the late '80s and early '90s.
Transitions
Excalibur #71 is part of the early '90s Fatal Attractions crossover, mostly remembered for its impact on Wolverine. Though the team's connection to the story is thin, this issue contains a pair of significant moments in X-Men history for Rachel and Kitty.
Rachel reconciles with Jean Grey, her birth mother in the dark, dystopian future of Days of Futures Past, ending years of enmity between the two. Kitty's deep friendship with Colossus fractures as he chooses to go with the Acolytes, leading to many years of strife between them.
Warlord
Nightcrawler is connected to several of the most iconic X-Men panels ever, and in Excalibur #16, he gets a few more from Alan Davis. This issue goes a long way toward cementing the image of Nightcrawler as the swashbuckling Errol Flynn of the X-Universe, as he duels space pirates in an alternate reality.
Nightcrawler is arguably his most adventurous and dashing in this issue, displaying his incredible acrobatic skill and romantic potential, as he meets and becomes involved with Princess Anjulie, who bears a striking resemblance to Meggan, Nightcrawler's unrequited crush in the series.
The Marriage Of True Minds
Excalibur #13 continues the sprawling Cross Time Caper, a storyline that sends the team through different realities and exploits the concept of the multiverse in ways that would benefit Marvel Comics tremendously in the years that followed and now of course the MCU.
In this issue, Kitty decides to marry a spoiled young royal in a Medieval world, deeply wounding Rachel Summers and giving fans of the prospective couple years of ammunition for shipping them. The story is also another case example of Alan Davis' impeccable character detail, with the backgrounds brimming with character details like Rachel and Meggan experimenting with new costumes.
Winner Loses All
Excalibur #50 is a titanic issue in many ways. An epic battle with Necrom, a powerful creature seeking the Phoenix Force, leads to Rachel Summers unleashing and embodying the full extent of her power for the first time, after years of holding back.
Alan Davis, certainly the greatest artist on Excalibur and one of the best X-Men artists ever, creates a fantastic visual feast in the battle between Rachel and Necrom, exploiting the boundaries of the page by spilling over into the gutters to the very edge, pushing Rachel and the reader to their limits.
A Hatch Is Plotted
Excalibur #42 is a landmark issue in the original run of the series, marking the return of Alan Davis as an artist and now a writer. From the beginning, his nuance and skill with the characters are evident in a scene where the team makes breakfast after an exhausting battle.
Davis hits the ground running, bringing back the Technet and the zany, somewhat goofy tone of the early issues of the book. While he would grow as a writer in leaps and bounds from this point, the issue remains a fantastic moment for fans of the original book.
Here Comes The Judge
The inherent Britishness of Excalibur comes through perhaps most in issue #23 of the series, in which the team arrives in an alternate reality after hopping through time and space in a fashion very reminiscent of the seminal British series Doctor Who.
The team squares off against Justicers in this dystopian reality, who recall Judge Dredd in their behavior and fantastical design. They also encounter an evil Kitty Pryde who commands an evil Magik, one of the most powerful magical beings in the Marvel Universe.
The Sword Is Drawn
It all begins for Excalibur in The Sword Is Drawn, a 1987 one-shot that brings together the disparate members of the team in a powerful and memorable story. Outstanding character work underlines a timeless story about processing grief and trauma.
The X-Men have died, or it so it seems, leaving Kitty Pryde and Nightcrawler alive and struggling to move on. Kitty grows enormously and Rachel Summers returns after a still mostly unexplained absence in the Mojoverse, but the combination of the former X-Men and Marvel UK icons Capian Britain and Meggan creates one of the unlikeliest and rewarding teams.
Fighting Galactus
Excalibur #61 features a classic Marvel Comics battle between two of the most powerful cosmic beings in the Marvel Universe. Rachel is at the height of her power as she encounters Galactus in deep space, feeding on a helpless planet to restore his strength.
It's an iconic issue by writer and artist Alan Davis, who delivers some of his most epic and detailed art for the series in a sequence of stunning splash pages depicting the truly cosmic battle. The fight ends with the Phoenix Force triumphant over Galactus.
Moving Day
Excalibur #3 from 1988 is in many ways the best representation of what the initial concept of the team was. A fantastic battle between the team and Juggernaut allows Alan Davis to showcase each member's powers and abilities in perfect form, ending with Rachel defeating Juggernaut with relative ease.
The outstanding character work by Chris Claremont also builds tension and connections between the characters, many of whom don't fit well together, especially moving into the relatively small lighthouse they call their home base.