Excalibur is a UK-based superhero team founded by core members Shadowcat/Kitty Pryde, Nightcrawler/Kurt Wagner, Phoenix/Rachel Summers, Captain Britain/Brian Braddock, Meggan, and Lockheed. The team is bonded by trauma, including Kitty and Kurtâs grave injuries in the âMutant Massacreâ and the seeming death of the X-Men in âThe Fall of the Mutants.â
But out of trauma springs hope, and many new worlds to explore. Overseen by the Omniversal Majestrix Opal Luna Saturnyne and caretakers of the magical realm Otherworld, Excalibur protects Britain, the world, and the multiverse, often getting swept up in reality-hopping adventures.
The team is eventually expanded to include, at various times, Alistaire Stuart, Colossus/Piotr Rasputin, Wolfsbane/Rahne Sinclair, Douglock, Daytripper/Amanda Sefton, Kylun/Colin McKay, Moira McTaggert, Pete Wisdom, and the Shiâar warrior Cerise.
Excalibur was created in 1988 by X-Men franchise luminary Chris Claremont and superstar British artist/writer Alan Davis. It extends from the âMarvel UKâ imprint, for which the British-born Claremont co-created Captain Britain in 1976.
Marvel UK comics weren’t originally available in North America, and the most critically acclaimed run of Captain Britain stories, penciled by Davis and written by Alan Moore, remains hard to find (partly because Davis and Moore retain certain publishing rights). As such, Excalibur built on continuity most Marvel readers had no way of knowing.
Yet by attaching itself to the X-Men lineâand including some of the best work of Claremont and Davisâs careersâthe series was a hit, lasting ten years and inspiring several revivals and reboots, including New Excalibur (2005-2007) and the current Excalibur series (2019).
Even amid a franchise awash in quirky spinoffs and loveable misfits, Excalibur feels special. Mobilizing self-reflexive genre-bending that combines action, romance, and heavy helpings of humor inspired by British-style social satire and absurdism, Excalibur sends up superheroes without ever losing its heart, which is anchored in deftly developed interpersonal relationships.
In some ways, this is as much a superhero story as a sitcom about the madcap hijinks of âfive freaks in a lighthouse.â The series takes on different tones in the post-Claremont and Davis era, but the core appeal of this cult-favorite series remains: Excalibur is the story of a group of outsiders who find themselves by getting lost together.
The podcast “Oh Gosh, Oh Golly, Oh Wow!” is dedicated to covering every issue of Excalibur on a weekly basis. Better yet, it is hosted by ComicsXF contributor and co-author of the Excalibur Primer: Anna!
Gold
The Sword is Drawn
April 1988
- Excalibur Special Edition Vol 1 #1
- Chris Claremont
- Alan Davis
- Paul Neary
- Glynis Oliver
- Tom Orzechowski
The Plot
In the wake of the X-Menâs seeming death in Dallas, Shadowcat and Nightcrawler are at Moira McTaggertâs research base in Scotland, nursing their wounds and pondering the future. Before long, they find their lives entwined with another mysterious mutant named Meggan, and a national superhero, Captain Britain, whoâd rather drink himself into a stupor than throw another punch. Together, they must rediscover a sense of purpose, and fastâbefore one or more of them joins the X-Men in oblivion, courtesy of two groups of inter-dimensional bounty hunters, the Technet and the Warwolves, who are hunting Phoenix, and whoever gets in their way.
Why We Love It
This comic begins with Kitty dreaming sheâs on a movie set with the presumed-dead X-Men playing darkly distorted versions of themselves. This nightmare reflects Kittyâs survivorâs guilt and offers a meta-commentary on the splashy glamor and increasingly gritty tone of the franchise flagship, things that Kittyâand Excaliburâwill consciously choose to avoid.
Each character gets an equally resonant introduction that frames their journey in this comic and beyond. Kurt, disabled and borderline suicidal, must learn to be a leader. Brian, trapped in a nihilistic spiral after the death of his sister Betsy and his own resurrection, must re-learn how to be a hero. Rachel must fight for freedom and a new identity not mired in past traumas. And Meggan must discover who she is, and what she wants, physically and emotionally.
Featuring Claremont and Davis at the height of their powers, this impressively mature story reckons with the intertwined tragedy and joy of superheroism as well as any comic ever has, and lays the groundwork for brighter stories that remain underpinned by trauma and the healing power of found family. Fittingly, after opening with a solitary nightmare, the story ends with a group hug.
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Silver
Still Crazy After All These Years
Send in the Clowns
January – February 1989
- Excalibur #4-5
- Chris Claremont
- Alan Davis
- Paul Neary
- Glynis Oliver
- Tom Orzechowski
The Plot
Excalibur must rescue Captain Britainâs ex-flame Courtney Ross from Arcadeâs Murderworld and a group of Alice in Wonderland-themed villains known as the Crazy Gang. Along the way, Meggan and Nightcrawler flirt and so-nearly kiss, and the Crazy Gang switch bodies with Excalibur.
While all this is happening, a mysterious robot head creates an inter-dimensional gateway for a villain whoâll menace Excalibur for years to come.
Why We Love It
This story is a masterclass in world-building, setting up a deeply complex love triangle between Brian, Meggan, and Kurt, and teasing the threat and promise of the âMarvel multiverseâ developed by Alan Moore. It also thoroughly deconstructs the âdamsel in distressâ trope through a stunning rehabilitation of Courtney, from a jilted girlfriend into a cunning and complex protagonist.
While Excalibur does plenty of fighting, no one actually saves Courtney; she effectively saves herself, using little more than her wits and feminine charms to elude all manner of outrageous death traps while wearing a Playboy bunny costume and Aliceâs powder blue dress. The story reaches an absurdly literal climax in a melee involving sentient cream pies and a gooey explosion that begs the question, âwhen is queer subtext just text?â
All this sticky fun is rendered poignant by a heart-wrenching surprise ending, the ramifications of which echo throughout the series. This is Excalibur at its best: a self-indulgent sex farce that somehow manages to kick you right in the feels.
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Warlord
From the Crucible – a Captain?
December 1989 – January 1990
- Excalibur #16-17
- Chris Claremont
- Alan Davis
- Paul Neary
- Glynis Oliver, Mark Rockwitz, & Nelson Yomtov
- Tom Orzechowski & Jade Modae
The Plot
Midway through their âCross-Time Caper,â Excalibur find themselves on a sword a sorcery world that isnât quite John Carterâs Barsoom. Nightcrawler is dropped onto a pirate ship, and then into a warm bath and the boudoir of the worldâs ruling princess, whose beautiful veneer masks a dark secret.
Meanwhile, Shadowcat, Phoenix, and Alistaire Stuart find themselves scrambling to save their skin, which is harder than it should be, since no oneâs superpowers are working.
Later, Excalibur are guests of honor at a debauched celebration, and supervise a contest to elect a new planetary champion, which is hijacked by an assassin and a mysterious masked woman who may not be so mysterious after all.
Why We Love It
The âCross-Time Caper,â which runs across Excalibur #12-24, is often cited as the seriesâ definitive story arc. Yet itâs a bit of a mixed bag, in part because of massive tonal shifts each time Davis isnât penciling the teamâs adventures.
But when it sticks the landing, itâs a perfect 10, and thatâs the case here, in perhaps the best-remembered story from the arc; many later comics call back to these daring costumes, and in X-Men: The End, Kurt marries Kymri, the blue-skinned princess-turned-pirate he meets on this world. Itâs an all-time great Kurt story, encapsulating his niche as a romantic yet self-deprecating swashbuckler whose adventures both joyfully indulge in genre tropes and poke fun at them, aided by a framing device in which Kitty narrates his exploits, with gentle jabs along the way.
Issue #17 particularly showcases Excaliburâs skill with genre-bending and keeping goofiness grounded in genuine emotional stakes. While the rest of the team parties, Rachel has a healing and heartbreaking encounter with an alternate Jean Grey, and faces difficult questions about her identity and purpose.
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Home Comforts
November 1991
- Excalibur #43
- Alan Davis
- Alan Davis
- Mark Farmer
- Glynis Oliver
- Michael Heisler
The Plot
Long-simmering tensions reach a boiling point when Captain Britain catches Nightcrawler mumbling about Meggan in his sleep. But it takes the Technet, now allies of Excalibur, accidentally blowing up the Braddock Lighthouseâs only bathroom for things to finally come to blows, which they do, quite literally, in a massive fight between Brian and Kurt, from which neither emerges unscathed.
Why We Love It
Beat-for-beat, blow-for-blow, this is Davisâs best issue of Excalibur. At once intricate and breezy, fantastical and thoroughly real, and altogether expertly paced, this issue has it all.
It has romance, in a three-page wordless sequence of Kurt and Meggan sharing an acrobaticâand transformativeâaerial dance, physical comedy, in all sorts of alien hijinks (including Brian walking in on an unexpected inter-species hookup), and note-perfect character dynamics, with Davis making use of his double duty as writer and artist to do lots of showing instead of telling.
It also has one of Davisâs most perfectly crafted fight sequences, which once again finds realism in fantasy; Kurt will rock a cast for the next dozen issues. And it does all this in a single locationâa few rooms of the Lighthouse and a small section of the beach outside. This issue showcases a generational talent at the top of his game.
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Bronze
Goblin Night / Goblin Morn
March – April 1989
- Excalibur #6-7
- Chris Claremont
- Alan Davis
- Paul Neary
- Glynis Oliver
- Tom Orzechowski & Augustin Mas
The Plot
The line-wide crossover event âInfernoâ ensnares Excalibur, as the team rushes to New York to face off against the demon incursion. Rachelâs desperate to save her baby brother Nathan, as the rest of the team confronts a host of reality-warping adversaries, including demonic versions of each other. Meanwhile, back home, tension brews as alternate universe versions of Moira McTaggert and Callisto show up, foreshadowing the reality-jumping âCross-Time Caper.â
Why We Love It
This arc gives us a look at what was happening off the main stage of the âInfernoâ crossover, while never straying from the combo of wackiness and heart that makes Excalibur great. The team faces down mannequin armies, anthropomorphic buses, Hollywood genre tropes, and starts a fight at a wedding, all at a madcap pace. Every page has a new physical gag or snappy one-liner to keep the story moving; itâs a visual treat and comedic gem that manages to wring pathos out of the âdeathâ of an animate gargoyle. While itâs mostly punch-em-up heroics, we also get a few windows into the charactersâ relationships, including the Brian/Meggan/Kurt triangle, which is a cornerstone of the series. Also, Brian wears a getup that makes Havokâs Goblin Prince togs look tame.
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Girls School From Heck
December 1990 – February 1991
- Excalibur #32-34
- Chris Claremont
- Ron Wagner
- Ron Wagner
- Glynis Oliver & John Wilcox
- Tim Harkens & Michael Heisler
The Plot
Shadowcat, on her own after being separated from the team, is enrolled at an all-girls British boarding school by Courtney Ross (whoâs really the evil Sat-Yr-9 in disguise). There, she faces the greatest threat of all: mean girls. Will she be able to win them over and convince everyone to work together in time to save the school from financial ruin?
In the B-plot, Mesmero manipulates both the Prime Minister and the rest of Excalibur. This arc culminates in a battle between heroes, villains, and a bunch of children wielding sports equipment.
Why We Love It
This arc is a fun one for fans of Kitty Pryde. Itâs a reminder that for all her heroics, sheâs still a kidâand Excaliburâs lighthouse is very different from Xavierâs school. Boarding school hijinks abound, as does queer subtext. And who doesnât want to watch a bunch of cheerleaders save the day? It also proves that in any settling, with her powers or without them, Kitty remains a heroâsheâs too determined to have it any other way. Her triumph in goal during a brutally violent game of field hockey is downright inspiring.
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Reel People
August 1990
- Excalibur #27
- Chris Claremont
- Barry Windsor-Smith
- Bill Sienkiewicz
- Glynis Oliver
- Tom Orzechowski
The Plot
The team deals with reality-warpers in this standalone issue with standout art. Facing off against a variety of foesâJamie Braddock as well as another powerful manipulator from another dimensionâthe team needs to figure out whatâs real before they can save themselves.
Why We Love It
With Claremont joined by pencils from Barry Windsor-Smith and inks by Bill Seinkiewicz, this issue takes a turn for the bizarre and runs with it. This issue is very different from a lot of the books from this era, and itâs interesting to see a different take on Excalibur that still retains the core zany elements (it wouldnât be Excalibur without Kurt trying to save the day while struggling to keep his pants on).
We also get a good look at Jamie Braddockâs powers and personality as he manipulates the world (all of which he views as a fantasy), along with some sweet moments between teammates, including a rare spotlight of Kurt and Rachelâs friendship.
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For Whom the Bell Trolls / Troll Call
November – December 1992
- Excalibur #57-58
- Alan Davis & Scott Lobdell
- Joe Madureira
- Josef Rubinstein & Hector Collazo
- Kevin Tinsley
- Kevin Tinsley
The Plot
In the midst of another mission, Excalibur stumbles onto the case of a mutant kidnapped and forced into employment by trolls. The mutant, Alchemy, has the ability to transmute matterâand also has the phone number of the X-Men, who heâs called for help. The two teams work together (and through some of their own issues) to save the day.
Why We Love It
For starters, Nightcrawler challenges a troll to a duel! Aside from that, these issues take on something thatâs been hanging over the team since the first issue: their relationship with the X-Men. Excalibur was founded under the assumption that the X-Men were dead, and theyâve had to grow as heroes on their own to fill that gap. Theyâve all changed since they were last on the same team, and we get to see how those changes affect old relationships and lay the groundwork for new ones, while appreciating inherent differences between Excalibur and the franchise flagship.
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Mojo Mayhem
December 1989
- Excalibur Mojo Mayhem
- Chris Claremont
- Arthur Adams
- Terry Austin & Bob Wiacek
- Glynis Oliver
- Tom Orzechowski & Jade Modae
The Plot
Kitty likes Alistaire, who only has eyes for Rachel. She also misses Illyana, and doesnât like trying to figure out what makes Widget tick; sheâs getting nowhere, and needs a break. Nightcrawler, assuring Captain Britain that Kittyâs the responsible type, encourages her to take the weekend off to see her favorite band, Cats Laughing, in Edinburgh. But in the great tradition of superhero vacations never going as planned, things get very weird, very fast. That tends to happen when Mojo and the X-Babies turn up.
Why We Love It
Mojoworld helped make Art Adams a star, and itâs always fun to see him go back there. This is more of a Kitty Pryde story than a proper Excalibur story, the rest of the team being sidelined for much of the action. But the action is very Excalibur, as Kitty and the chaotically precocious X-Babies pinball from crisis to crisis, trying to elude Mojo, local law enforcement, and predatory contracts in an effort to rescue Ricochet Rita, who doesnât want to be rescued, anyway.
Full of callbacks and cameos and climaxing in Excalibur ruining the same royal wedding they were enlisted to protect, this is a story about stories that also happens to include aggressively adorable chibi X-Men. Whatâs not to love?
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Anna Peppard
Anna is a PhD-haver who writes and talks a lot about representations of race, gender, and sexuality in pop culture, for academic books and journals and places like Shelfdust, The Middle Spaces, and Comfort Food Comics. Sheâs the editor of the anthology Supersex: Sexuality, Fantasy, and the Superhero and co-hosts the podcasts Three Panel Contrast and Oh Gosh, Oh Golly, Oh Wow!
Liz Large
Liz Large is a copywriter with a lot of opinions on mutants.
