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Excalibur Omnibus
Excalibur Omnibus, Vol. 1
Chris Claremont and Alan Davis' 1980s classic EXCALIBUR gets the Omnibus treatment! The sword is drawn as Captain Britain and his metamorphic paramour Meggan band together with former X-Men Nightcrawler, Shadowcat and Rachel "Phoenix" Summers - plus Lockheed the dragon and the mysterious Widget! From their lighthouse base, Excalibur fi ghts to uphold Xavier's dream, UK style -tackling the ruthless Technet, the ferocious Warwolves, the bizarre Crazy Gang and more! But when the Cross-Time Caper sweeps Excalibur across the Marvel Multiverse, it will take a miracle to fi nd their way home! It's cosmic adventure with a comedic twist in a beloved X-book like no other!
COLLECTING: EXCALIBUR SPECIAL EDITION (1988) 1, EXCALIBUR (1988) 1-34, EXCALIBUR: MOJO MAYHEM (1989) 1, QUASAR (1989) 11, THOR (1966) 427-429, MATERIAL FROM MARVEL COMICS PRESENTS (1988) 31-38
COLLECTING: EXCALIBUR SPECIAL EDITION (1988) 1, EXCALIBUR (1988) 1-34, EXCALIBUR: MOJO MAYHEM (1989) 1, QUASAR (1989) 11, THOR (1966) 427-429, MATERIAL FROM MARVEL COMICS PRESENTS (1988) 31-38
1136 pages, Hardcover
First published December 18, 1990
15 people are currently reading
86 people want to read
About the author
Chris Claremont
3,273 books891 followersChris Claremont is a writer of American comic books, best known for his 16-year (1975-1991) stint on Uncanny X-Men, during which the series became one of the comic book industry's most successful properties.
Claremont has written many stories for other publishers including the Star Trek Debt of Honor graphic novel, his creator-owned Sovereign Seven for DC Comics and Aliens vs Predator for Dark Horse Comics. He also wrote a few issues of the series WildC.A.T.s (volume 1, issues #10-13) at Image Comics, which introduced his creator-owned character, Huntsman.
Outside of comics, Claremont co-wrote the Chronicles of the Shadow War trilogy, Shadow Moon (1995), Shadow Dawn (1996), and Shadow Star (1999), with George Lucas. This trilogy continues the story of Elora Danan from the movie Willow. In the 1980s, he also wrote a science fiction trilogy about female starship pilot Nicole Shea, consisting of First Flight (1987), Grounded! (1991), and Sundowner (1994). Claremont was also a contributor to the Wild Cards anthology series.
Claremont has written many stories for other publishers including the Star Trek Debt of Honor graphic novel, his creator-owned Sovereign Seven for DC Comics and Aliens vs Predator for Dark Horse Comics. He also wrote a few issues of the series WildC.A.T.s (volume 1, issues #10-13) at Image Comics, which introduced his creator-owned character, Huntsman.
Outside of comics, Claremont co-wrote the Chronicles of the Shadow War trilogy, Shadow Moon (1995), Shadow Dawn (1996), and Shadow Star (1999), with George Lucas. This trilogy continues the story of Elora Danan from the movie Willow. In the 1980s, he also wrote a science fiction trilogy about female starship pilot Nicole Shea, consisting of First Flight (1987), Grounded! (1991), and Sundowner (1994). Claremont was also a contributor to the Wild Cards anthology series.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
April 29, 2021
Having now finished this door-stopping monster, I feel compelled to create a t-shirt that says, “I read 1,100+ pages of Excalibur and all I got was this lousy hernia.”
Because, on balance, it’s…fine. I understand why Claremont needed a lighter, wackier outlet away from X-Men. But weirdness too often trumps fun here, though the Alan Davis artwork is always a treat.
Because, on balance, it’s…fine. I understand why Claremont needed a lighter, wackier outlet away from X-Men. But weirdness too often trumps fun here, though the Alan Davis artwork is always a treat.
December 5, 2020
If this was purely the Claremont/Davis issues, this behemoth of an omnibus would be a 5-star offering. Those stories are perfect nostalgia fodder, sweet and heartfelt and full of wild adventure. The other stories that make up the page count vary wildly in quality though, so a star is docked for that. Still very much worth the price of admission for someone whose began his foray into Marvel comics with some of these very issues.
January 7, 2021
4 stars, assuming you skip every issue written by a man who isn't Chris Claremont.
First, the good parts. The wacky Captain Britain mythos fits great with the fun-loving members of the X-Men, and this team is so dynamite that current writers keep trying to put the band back together. Artist Alan Davis is at his best here, giving each of the several dozen characters a unique silhouette and leaning into the exaggerated body language of a book whose best plots are love triangles. Writer Chris Claremont forgets to have an overarching plot line, but crams jokes into practically every page, and really leans into his opportunity to upend superhero convention. Square-jawed, muscle-bound Captain Britain taking pratfalls and driving his girlfriend into Nightcrawler's arms is a more effective stab at the patriarchy than any impassioned speeches. The filler issues by Terry Austin and Dana Moreshead are also tons of fun, because they got the memo that this is a soap opera comedy book where the more innuendo, the better.
The downside is that the filler issues written by Michael Higgins and the MCP arc are truly execrable. All the careful romance subtext becomes clunky text, all the visual jokes are also text, and even the super hero action is a snooze fest. Leaden lines like "The power of the Phoenix will guide us!" or "However, my power has been growing increasingly stronger and I am well-rested!" are on every single page. (Which one of them was said by Nightcrawler?)
First, the good parts. The wacky Captain Britain mythos fits great with the fun-loving members of the X-Men, and this team is so dynamite that current writers keep trying to put the band back together. Artist Alan Davis is at his best here, giving each of the several dozen characters a unique silhouette and leaning into the exaggerated body language of a book whose best plots are love triangles. Writer Chris Claremont forgets to have an overarching plot line, but crams jokes into practically every page, and really leans into his opportunity to upend superhero convention. Square-jawed, muscle-bound Captain Britain taking pratfalls and driving his girlfriend into Nightcrawler's arms is a more effective stab at the patriarchy than any impassioned speeches. The filler issues by Terry Austin and Dana Moreshead are also tons of fun, because they got the memo that this is a soap opera comedy book where the more innuendo, the better.
The downside is that the filler issues written by Michael Higgins and the MCP arc are truly execrable. All the careful romance subtext becomes clunky text, all the visual jokes are also text, and even the super hero action is a snooze fest. Leaden lines like "The power of the Phoenix will guide us!" or "However, my power has been growing increasingly stronger and I am well-rested!" are on every single page. (Which one of them was said by Nightcrawler?)
January 16, 2021
Excalibur was a pretty unnecessary X book that turned out to be the surreal comic relief we didn't know we wanted. Claremont really lets himself off the chain here, a wide berth of weird, playing up Mojoworld, Arcade, Saturnyne, Widget, Roma, etc that would lay the groundwork for successful runs like Milligan/Allred on X-Statix. It's been a minute since I've read an 80s Claremont book and boy, this dude loves exposition, and panels full to the brim with as much dialogue can fit. It's verbose, for sure, but fun enough. The art chores are better filled out by Art Adams than Alan Davis, in my opinion, although Davis is perfectly fine when it comes down to it. If you're a fan of the more campy or comical side of comics, a little cornier than normal, then give it a try. It brings a hell of a lot to the table that got overlooked for a long time. Seems like Hickman dig a lot of it out for the current X sleight, though.
Grade: A
Grade: A
February 9, 2024
(Zero spoiler review) 2.75/5
The Excalibur omnibus reading experience is very much a tale of two halves. The first of those halves, being the exclusive domain of Chris Claremont and Alan Davis. The second half of which features a veritable laundry list of creators, none of which manage to reach the heights of Claremont and Davis. And whilst the quirky and corny nature of this book (even the good half) is definitely a detractor of sorts. I couldn't count how many times I wanted them to lay off the excessively ridiculous aspects of these tales and just tell something a little more keeping with traditional X-Men fare. of course, then it would simply be Claremont's Uncanny X-Men in Britain, and to that I say, yes bloody please. As solid as Claremont is (even when being a little too silly), Alan Davis is the absolute star of this book. He is without a doubt one of my favourite artists of all time. Especially when inked by the outstanding Paul Neary. To get 500 or so pages of prime Alan Davis art was something truly special indeed, even if it did ruin the book for some of the decent artists that came afterwards. Once you see Kitty Pryde, Meggan and Phoenix drawn by Davis, you don't want to see them drawn by anyone else, ever again.
The first half of this run is the series proper. The second half, or final third more like, is the usual add ons they throw into an omnibus for the sake of completion, although once you start hitting the one shots, mini's and tie in's you can certainly stop reading. I certainly did.
Cut this book in half, and you've got yourself a banger of an X book. Read the whole thing, and your mileage is absolutely going to vary. 2.75/5
OmniBen.
The Excalibur omnibus reading experience is very much a tale of two halves. The first of those halves, being the exclusive domain of Chris Claremont and Alan Davis. The second half of which features a veritable laundry list of creators, none of which manage to reach the heights of Claremont and Davis. And whilst the quirky and corny nature of this book (even the good half) is definitely a detractor of sorts. I couldn't count how many times I wanted them to lay off the excessively ridiculous aspects of these tales and just tell something a little more keeping with traditional X-Men fare. of course, then it would simply be Claremont's Uncanny X-Men in Britain, and to that I say, yes bloody please. As solid as Claremont is (even when being a little too silly), Alan Davis is the absolute star of this book. He is without a doubt one of my favourite artists of all time. Especially when inked by the outstanding Paul Neary. To get 500 or so pages of prime Alan Davis art was something truly special indeed, even if it did ruin the book for some of the decent artists that came afterwards. Once you see Kitty Pryde, Meggan and Phoenix drawn by Davis, you don't want to see them drawn by anyone else, ever again.
The first half of this run is the series proper. The second half, or final third more like, is the usual add ons they throw into an omnibus for the sake of completion, although once you start hitting the one shots, mini's and tie in's you can certainly stop reading. I certainly did.
Cut this book in half, and you've got yourself a banger of an X book. Read the whole thing, and your mileage is absolutely going to vary. 2.75/5
OmniBen.
February 22, 2022
Great art for the most part but the story in here starts out messy with a lot of potential and then spirals into incoherent nonsense after the first dozen issues. It’s a shame. On the face of it I should’ve loved this book. I grew up enjoying Captain Britain and Nightcrawler and Shadowcat are two of my favourite comic book characters thanks to Claremont’s X-Men work. Then you have Alan Davis, one of my favourite artists on the book? This should’ve been a joy to read. Sadly the series fails to deliver as an adventure or as a comedy and the emotional issues introduced in the early issues are quickly forgotten. A massive disappointment.
December 8, 2022
Que los años 80 fueron un momento de explosión creativa para los mutantes es algo que no hace falta ni siquiera discutir. Los Nuevos Mutantes, Factor-X, colección propia para Lobezno, y los sucesivos crossovers que fueron mezclando las colecciones y cuyo camino comenzó precisamente también en estos años, como La Masacre Mutante o La Caída de los Mutantes. En La Masacre, de forma separada, la Patrulla, Factor-X y los Nuevos Mutantes tuvieron que hacer frente a los Merodeadores y la masacre de los Morlock, y en ese lance, Coloso, Gatasombra y Rondador Nocturno resultaron heridos. Coloso se recuperaría a tiempo de participar en el enfrentamiento con el Adversario, por lo que "murió" junto a la Patrulla-X, pero Gatasombra y Rondador se quedaron en la Isla Muir, cargados con la culpa del superviviente.
Y es de esta situación de la que arranca Excalibur, una serie muy especial obra de Chris Claremont y Alan Davis, en la que Claremont recupera algunos de los personajes y tramas que había trabajado años atrás en su serie sobre el Capitán Britania. Rondador, Gatasombra, el Capitán Britania y Meggan se las verán con la Tecno-Red enviada por Ópalo Luna Saturnina para capturar a Fénix (en estos años, Fénix era Rachel Summers, la hija del futuro de Cíclope y Jean Grey). En este primer tomo, además de la reunión del grupo, vamos a vivir sus primeras andanzas como equipo, enfrentándose a los Lobos de Guerra de Mojo, a Arcade y la Banda Loca (una aventura divertidísima), a los demonios de Inferno (creo que era lo único que me faltaba por leer de Inferno), y la versión nazi del propio equipo, con la que arrancaría una larga etapa de viajes por las dimensiones alternativas. Y además, dos miniseries, una en la que vemos a Kitty ayudar a los Bebés-X a escapar de Mojo, y otra en la que el equipo se enfrenta a unos absurdos personajes derivados de los dibujos clásicos de la Warner, con las versiones heroicas de Bugs Bunny, el Pato Lucas, el Gallo Claudio...
Y si todo esto os suena raro... es que lo es. Excalibur fue una serie muy especial, marcada por el absurdo y el sentido del humor. Me lo he pasado muy bien!
Y es de esta situación de la que arranca Excalibur, una serie muy especial obra de Chris Claremont y Alan Davis, en la que Claremont recupera algunos de los personajes y tramas que había trabajado años atrás en su serie sobre el Capitán Britania. Rondador, Gatasombra, el Capitán Britania y Meggan se las verán con la Tecno-Red enviada por Ópalo Luna Saturnina para capturar a Fénix (en estos años, Fénix era Rachel Summers, la hija del futuro de Cíclope y Jean Grey). En este primer tomo, además de la reunión del grupo, vamos a vivir sus primeras andanzas como equipo, enfrentándose a los Lobos de Guerra de Mojo, a Arcade y la Banda Loca (una aventura divertidísima), a los demonios de Inferno (creo que era lo único que me faltaba por leer de Inferno), y la versión nazi del propio equipo, con la que arrancaría una larga etapa de viajes por las dimensiones alternativas. Y además, dos miniseries, una en la que vemos a Kitty ayudar a los Bebés-X a escapar de Mojo, y otra en la que el equipo se enfrenta a unos absurdos personajes derivados de los dibujos clásicos de la Warner, con las versiones heroicas de Bugs Bunny, el Pato Lucas, el Gallo Claudio...
Y si todo esto os suena raro... es que lo es. Excalibur fue una serie muy especial, marcada por el absurdo y el sentido del humor. Me lo he pasado muy bien!
April 12, 2024
The Claremont-Davis stuff is great. Other than that, early Excalibur is a frustrating book. May as well call it “X-Filler: The Omnibus.”
I don’t know why but Claremont basically ran Excalibur right into the ground with the Cross Time Caper. Just when the book was forming an identity he sent the team off on meaningless jaunts across time and space. And they go on forever, art and story diminishing with each chapter. Worst of all, these jaunts say nothing about the characters and have zero meaning. They’re the kind of side stories that are fun in tiny doses between the meatier stuff, except here they are the meat.
So the majority of this book is legit filler. Most of it makes no sense in relation to where it comes in regard to the previous and following stories. It’s all just marking time to avoid Kitty and Kurt and Rachel meeting up with the X-Men. Oh, and don’t forget the guest appearances. They’re even worse than the filler!
The only reason to get this volume is to read the dozen or so good issues that lay the groundwork for Davis’ later run in the next volume.
I don’t know why but Claremont basically ran Excalibur right into the ground with the Cross Time Caper. Just when the book was forming an identity he sent the team off on meaningless jaunts across time and space. And they go on forever, art and story diminishing with each chapter. Worst of all, these jaunts say nothing about the characters and have zero meaning. They’re the kind of side stories that are fun in tiny doses between the meatier stuff, except here they are the meat.
So the majority of this book is legit filler. Most of it makes no sense in relation to where it comes in regard to the previous and following stories. It’s all just marking time to avoid Kitty and Kurt and Rachel meeting up with the X-Men. Oh, and don’t forget the guest appearances. They’re even worse than the filler!
The only reason to get this volume is to read the dozen or so good issues that lay the groundwork for Davis’ later run in the next volume.
June 22, 2021
Ho recuperato questo omnibus perché queste storie, che uscirono originariamente in appendice a Wolverine della Play Press, non le seguii per nulla all'epoca, primi anni '90.
Ma ne parlavano molto bene in tanti, e mi era rimasta la curiosità. Ora me la sono tolta e devo dire che la serie inizia bene, e finché la scrisse Claremont per i disegni di Alan Davis era una gran bella serie. Peccato che Davis abbandonò dopo nemmeno un anno e mezzo, e per un sacco di numeri questa sembra una serie di fill-in scritti da un sacco di persone e disegnati abbastanza male da vari disegnatori, troppo impregnati di quello stile che detesto e che ha dato vita alla Image, e penso specialmente a Liefeld e McPupazzo. Deludente.
Quindi mi spiace, ma visto l'alto numero di albi raccolto nell'omnibus, compresi un paio di speciali, uno buono e uno pessimo, direi che la parte bella e divertente è durata poco, troppo poco per dare 3 stelle all'omnibus.
2 stelle bastano.
Ma ne parlavano molto bene in tanti, e mi era rimasta la curiosità. Ora me la sono tolta e devo dire che la serie inizia bene, e finché la scrisse Claremont per i disegni di Alan Davis era una gran bella serie. Peccato che Davis abbandonò dopo nemmeno un anno e mezzo, e per un sacco di numeri questa sembra una serie di fill-in scritti da un sacco di persone e disegnati abbastanza male da vari disegnatori, troppo impregnati di quello stile che detesto e che ha dato vita alla Image, e penso specialmente a Liefeld e McPupazzo. Deludente.
Quindi mi spiace, ma visto l'alto numero di albi raccolto nell'omnibus, compresi un paio di speciali, uno buono e uno pessimo, direi che la parte bella e divertente è durata poco, troppo poco per dare 3 stelle all'omnibus.
2 stelle bastano.
June 28, 2023
Only partially read. This is fun, especially the Cross-Time Caper issues, and if you are familiar with major Marvel events and characters. Lots of parallel universe stuff here, allowing them to show different versions of familiar characters.
This is a silly series. It's like they wrote plot specifically to get characters in the most ridiculous costumes possible (I recall Kitty Pryde as a cheerleader, a baby, Phoenix, a princess, etc.).
I read the first half or so, including Excalibur #1-#27, Mojo Mayhem, and the Quasar issue. I had also read the Thor issues another time. Thor #428 was one of the first comics I remember reading.
This is a silly series. It's like they wrote plot specifically to get characters in the most ridiculous costumes possible (I recall Kitty Pryde as a cheerleader, a baby, Phoenix, a princess, etc.).
I read the first half or so, including Excalibur #1-#27, Mojo Mayhem, and the Quasar issue. I had also read the Thor issues another time. Thor #428 was one of the first comics I remember reading.
July 13, 2024
So great to get the first part of the excellent Excalibur in one beautiful Omnibus edition. Chris Claremont is a giant of a writer, but paired with Alan Davis, Excalibur achieves it's own place in Marvel X-Men lore. Ex-X-Men paired with Captain Britain and Meggan is perfection.
The downside of the book is the non Alan Davis stuff. No one seems able to capture the magic of the team, or to properly understand the nuances of the characters. Everything gets turned into tropes and the issues end up as place holders waiting for the return of Alan Davis.
The downside of the book is the non Alan Davis stuff. No one seems able to capture the magic of the team, or to properly understand the nuances of the characters. Everything gets turned into tropes and the issues end up as place holders waiting for the return of Alan Davis.
September 5, 2022
Very mixed bag. It starts out really strong. Love the characters and the team dynamics. The Cross Time Caper is a bit silly, but fun. Alan Davis his art is great. But anything that doesn’t involve Claremont and/or Davis ranges from ‘meh’ tot ‘VERY bad’. If you skip all of that, you get some great stuff. I will probably continue reading this digitally, because I don’t need another omnibus half filled with stuff I don’t like. I am curious about Alan Davis’ return though.
December 20, 2022
This collection starts off pretty great with the “The Sword is Drawn” graphic novel, seems to stumble a few issues in and then hits its stride and never looks back. I had only read some of the mid early to mid 90’s Excalibur and even then only an issue here and there so this was all new to me. It’s such a different style than X-Men and it’s so great to see Claremont and Co. get to cut loose and do something different.
May 14, 2024
Preparant el terreny per a unes histories transdimensionals que tenen bona pinta, pero entre crossovers forçats, histories que no van a cap lloc, i un humor que no m'acaba d'arribar, el comic es fa un poc pessat (i més considerant el tamany de l'omnigold). El millor de tot: el dibuix d'Alan Davis, que està millor que mai.
January 11, 2021
DNF. I tried, I tried so hard. I might try again, but I couldn’t even finish the time caper story. It was like Doom Patrol meets Age of Apocalypse only super boring.
October 10, 2021
The Claremont/Davis issues are why I bought this, and they still hold up. Most of the rest of the book is fairly forgettable.
October 10, 2024
Would have given it 4 stars, but the time caper series was so bad and seemingly endless that I almost discarded this Omni. Thankfully I read on, and the rest of the issues were pretty good
June 12, 2022
A favorite comic that never gets old. This was a series that found its place in a marvel world of many titles. It has the greatest cast of characters and just enough humor to make the book light yet entertaining. The evolution of Phoenix and Shadow Cat as characters is a good watch. Well worth its price and a re-read for sure.
January 9, 2025
I bought this book because I love Nightcrawler. I didn't really know what to expect with the story, so was a bit taken aback by the goofy nature of the stories and new characters. However, in the end I grew attached to the team (though their cohesion is still a little strange) and I enjoyed quite a lot of the stories.
There were still some low points, especially with the art which occasionally had panels which, without exagerration, looked drawn by a toddler; most of the art was good and occasionally great, just some real low points.
The Book itself was well bound and ordered. The bonuses were also quite nice and extensive. The cover and dust jacket were really nice too (DM variant).
Okay - 6/10
There were still some low points, especially with the art which occasionally had panels which, without exagerration, looked drawn by a toddler; most of the art was good and occasionally great, just some real low points.
The Book itself was well bound and ordered. The bonuses were also quite nice and extensive. The cover and dust jacket were really nice too (DM variant).
Okay - 6/10
May 9, 2024
Excalibur is my favorite of the X-Men spin-offs from the Claremont era of X-titles (though it’s far more connected to the Captain Britain mythos). Everything by Chris Claremont and Alan Davis is great. However, the material not written by Claremont is pretty bad and the art quality when Davis isn’t drawing takes a noticeable dip. As much as it pains me to do so, I can’t justify a five star rating for the complete package. Don’t let that dissuade you though. Claremont and Davis’s work take up the majority of the book, making it well worth the price.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews