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Excalibur (2019)
Excalibur, Vol. 2
THE HUNTSMEN AND THE WARWOLVES! Excalibur faces an old foe - this time as the hunters rather than the game.
COLLECTING: EXCALIBUR (2019) 7-12
COLLECTING: EXCALIBUR (2019) 7-12
157 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 25, 2020
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124 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 95 reviews
November 13, 2020
This story (if you can even call it a story) is all over the place. I have no idea what was going on in the last couple of issues. Now that Fallen Angels is no more this book wins for shittiest X-book. If it wasn't for X of Swords, I would have already dropped this book.
May 6, 2021
One of the poorest books in the Hickman X-verse era continues to hold it's title. Despite the likes of Betsy Braddock (one time Psylocke), Rogue, Gambit, Riktor, Apocalypse and one of my faves Jubilee, this crash site of a series continues to surprise with just how bad it can be. Zero character development, weak continuity with the other books, turgid plotting... I could go on? 4 out of 12, mostly for the nods to Captain Britain lore, and Otherworld and Excalibur continuity.
December 21, 2020
Pros: Captain Britain Corps stuff is like crack to me. I’m really liking Betsy back in the Captain Britain role again.
Cons: Krakoa-Stink (sorry to keep beating this drum but it just isn’t winning me over) and some lazy art. As much as I like his figure work and action scenes, the artist clearly can’t be bothered to draw detailed backgrounds; look at the scene where the team has dinner with Cullen Bloodstone in issue eight - absolutely no attempt to draw any kind of background, he just fobs us off with some meaningless crosshatching. Lazy.
Mixed feelings about the American Captains Britain. It doesn’t really bother me until I think about how much most Americans would HATE a British Captain America. Crap, most of them couldn’t even handle him being black!
The stuff I loved mixed with the stuff I hated leaves us with a 3 star rating. Badabing badaboom.
Cons: Krakoa-Stink (sorry to keep beating this drum but it just isn’t winning me over) and some lazy art. As much as I like his figure work and action scenes, the artist clearly can’t be bothered to draw detailed backgrounds; look at the scene where the team has dinner with Cullen Bloodstone in issue eight - absolutely no attempt to draw any kind of background, he just fobs us off with some meaningless crosshatching. Lazy.
Mixed feelings about the American Captains Britain. It doesn’t really bother me until I think about how much most Americans would HATE a British Captain America. Crap, most of them couldn’t even handle him being black!
The stuff I loved mixed with the stuff I hated leaves us with a 3 star rating. Badabing badaboom.
January 19, 2021
Para mí el problema con esta serie y en particular con este volumen es la confusión que reina, muchas historias, complicadas, que se contradicen a veces entre sí y no se explica bien la organización de la trama.
Con Jamie Braddock como nuevo rey de Otro Mundo las cosas van para peor para el equipo de Excalibur. Al inicio tienen que caza a los Lobos de Guerra, especie mitad humano y mitad monstruo, pero durante la aventura tendrán un encuentro posterior con Saturnyne y sus sacerdotisas.
La verdad que con trama tan complicada poco es lo que pude disfrutar
Con Jamie Braddock como nuevo rey de Otro Mundo las cosas van para peor para el equipo de Excalibur. Al inicio tienen que caza a los Lobos de Guerra, especie mitad humano y mitad monstruo, pero durante la aventura tendrán un encuentro posterior con Saturnyne y sus sacerdotisas.
La verdad que con trama tan complicada poco es lo que pude disfrutar
August 19, 2020
Just not feeling this volume of Excalibur. None of the core group of the original Excalibur are playing a significant role, other than Saturnyne and the role of Captain Britain in general. And most of these characters have no reason to be traveling or working together, other than simple chance. We could understand them being thrown together for one adventure, or maybe even two. But at a certain point it's unrealistic for the characters not to say, "I'm going to head home now, Betsy, and why don't I send you some X-Men you're actually closer friends with? Or at least some British/Scottish/Irish X-Men, for whom it would make more sense to hang out in the UK?"
The writing is choppy. Events aren't taking place in a linear, easily understood fashion. The pacing is a huge problem.
Rictor's powers are wrong; he has vibratory powers, not powers over earth. Some characters described Jubilee's powers wrong; she releases plasmoids of explosive energy, not "light." Rogue hasn't really used her powers much at all, and the one time she did was just strange and placed her in role of damsel-in-distress.
Not a fan.
The writing is choppy. Events aren't taking place in a linear, easily understood fashion. The pacing is a huge problem.
Rictor's powers are wrong; he has vibratory powers, not powers over earth. Some characters described Jubilee's powers wrong; she releases plasmoids of explosive energy, not "light." Rogue hasn't really used her powers much at all, and the one time she did was just strange and placed her in role of damsel-in-distress.
Not a fan.
January 29, 2021
This started off ok, I guess? I really liked the 1st volume and this one was hoping to be at least at the same level of fun to read, but sadly it wasn't.
Story is bad. You won't care for it, there's no reason for it, it's not fun to read and up until the war-wolves could talk it was ok, the minute they started saying shit I was done with it, mainly cuz you see where it's going from the start and you don't care about anyone in it. Pretty much nothing happens.
Art is good but it's not enough to save the script from being a chore middle way through the end.
#Sadness
Story is bad. You won't care for it, there's no reason for it, it's not fun to read and up until the war-wolves could talk it was ok, the minute they started saying shit I was done with it, mainly cuz you see where it's going from the start and you don't care about anyone in it. Pretty much nothing happens.
Art is good but it's not enough to save the script from being a chore middle way through the end.
#Sadness
July 30, 2023
To be honest, I was not expecting much from this book, as I did not like the first volume, yet this book still managed to disappoint me.
I do not see the point of this story. I just found this boring and confusing. A couple of things, Betsy Braddock is Captain Britan, not Psylock. My favourite X-MAN Gambit was also pointless in this story. Parts of my disappointment are that these two were my only reason for buying this book.
The only thing that seemed to make sense to me is Apocalypse's agenda. I don't know it this has ramifications in the other books, I just do not see the point of it all.
I think I will have to hear great things about volume 3 before I even consider reading it.
I do not see the point of this story. I just found this boring and confusing. A couple of things, Betsy Braddock is Captain Britan, not Psylock. My favourite X-MAN Gambit was also pointless in this story. Parts of my disappointment are that these two were my only reason for buying this book.
The only thing that seemed to make sense to me is Apocalypse's agenda. I don't know it this has ramifications in the other books, I just do not see the point of it all.
I think I will have to hear great things about volume 3 before I even consider reading it.
September 15, 2020
Not enough Apocalypse turning people into lighthouses.
November 20, 2020
The march to X Of Swords is on, but first, a Wild Hunt! And then, a visit to the Starlight Citadel doesn't end the way Captain Britain envisions it when her psycho brother Jamie ruins reality around them, as he does.
Excalibur's a weird book. Sometimes it can tell a fairly straight forward story, like the first two issues here which have the characters trying to recover some War Wolves for Apocalypse and running afoul of Cullen Bloodstone (much changed from his Avengers Arena times). There are some discussions about mortality here, but it's pretty much just a normal superhero book for now.
Then the following three issues get mental. Jamie Braddock's reality bending powers make things complicated quickly, with one plot twist literally making you have to re-read half an issue to see where something happened. But...I kinda love it? It's an X-book through and through, but it's not afraid to do some weird shit (and the X-Men are used to weird shit, so it has to be very weird to be noticeable). Plus, Shogo's a dragon again. Who doesn't love a baby that shapeshifts into a dragon?
Wilton Santos steps in for the first two issues here; he's not an artist I'm much familiar with, but it's...fine? I don't honestly remember much about it. Series artist Marcus To returns for the latter three; To's still one of my favourite artists, and I'm always pleased to see his name on books.
Excalibur's bonkers. You'll either like it or love it, which is a running theme with the Dawn Of X books. But I like it...I think?
Excalibur's a weird book. Sometimes it can tell a fairly straight forward story, like the first two issues here which have the characters trying to recover some War Wolves for Apocalypse and running afoul of Cullen Bloodstone (much changed from his Avengers Arena times). There are some discussions about mortality here, but it's pretty much just a normal superhero book for now.
Then the following three issues get mental. Jamie Braddock's reality bending powers make things complicated quickly, with one plot twist literally making you have to re-read half an issue to see where something happened. But...I kinda love it? It's an X-book through and through, but it's not afraid to do some weird shit (and the X-Men are used to weird shit, so it has to be very weird to be noticeable). Plus, Shogo's a dragon again. Who doesn't love a baby that shapeshifts into a dragon?
Wilton Santos steps in for the first two issues here; he's not an artist I'm much familiar with, but it's...fine? I don't honestly remember much about it. Series artist Marcus To returns for the latter three; To's still one of my favourite artists, and I'm always pleased to see his name on books.
Excalibur's bonkers. You'll either like it or love it, which is a running theme with the Dawn Of X books. But I like it...I think?
October 5, 2020
No engancho con esta serie, puede que requiera conocer más hacia atrás de la historia. Llego hasta este tpb.
October 29, 2021
The second Excalibur volume is a slight improvement on the first in that I at least know who all the characters are and have a grasp of the Otherworld setting. That said, this volume continues to tradition of being overstuffed and undercooked. It's fun in spurts and interesting things seem to be going on, but the dots don't quite connect.
First up, Captain Britain and crew collect some War Wolf skulls for Apocalypse. Naturally, this means they need to join Cullen Bloodstone in a grand hunt. Diverting, but with an unclear purpose. Once the skulls are acquired, Apocalypse does...something, which in turn requires Captain Britain and crew to go to a floating castle in Otherworld to do...something. The plot moves so fast that the connecting elements are completely lost.
Ultimately, Apocalypse reveals a grand plan that involves the High Lords, a band of fellow immortal mutants. The final issue is titled "The Beginning," which makes it seem like Apocalypse's manueverings are going to be a BIG DEAL somehow, but as far as this volume is concerned, his only focus seems to be planting a Krakoan gate in the Otherworld floating castle. What's to come? Who knows. X of Swords, I guess, but that's not clear from this volume.
First up, Captain Britain and crew collect some War Wolf skulls for Apocalypse. Naturally, this means they need to join Cullen Bloodstone in a grand hunt. Diverting, but with an unclear purpose. Once the skulls are acquired, Apocalypse does...something, which in turn requires Captain Britain and crew to go to a floating castle in Otherworld to do...something. The plot moves so fast that the connecting elements are completely lost.
Ultimately, Apocalypse reveals a grand plan that involves the High Lords, a band of fellow immortal mutants. The final issue is titled "The Beginning," which makes it seem like Apocalypse's manueverings are going to be a BIG DEAL somehow, but as far as this volume is concerned, his only focus seems to be planting a Krakoan gate in the Otherworld floating castle. What's to come? Who knows. X of Swords, I guess, but that's not clear from this volume.
February 1, 2021
The art is pretty, that’s about the only nice thing I can say about this. Aside from the art Excalibur is a mess, the pacing is awful and the plot is everywhere. This is so convoluted I didn’t even know what was going on most of them time it feels like one giant mess. I’ve only kept up with this book because it leads up to X of Swords but I’m most likely going to drop this series afterwards. It’s a shame because Marcus To’s art is absolutely stunning.
March 18, 2022
Vol. 1 sucked big time. Don’t sweat, Vol. 2 is worse.
No character development- from a poorly conceived team to start with, plotting all shot to hell and gone with nebulous stakes and 0 interest whatsoever. And I simply hate this Shogo - Dragon dumb idea adding grief to the fact I’ve never liked Jubilee anyway.
It seems that Mutant related titles are revealing what duds they are one after another.
At least Marcus To’s art is good.
O, Alan Davis, where art thou?
No character development- from a poorly conceived team to start with, plotting all shot to hell and gone with nebulous stakes and 0 interest whatsoever. And I simply hate this Shogo - Dragon dumb idea adding grief to the fact I’ve never liked Jubilee anyway.
It seems that Mutant related titles are revealing what duds they are one after another.
At least Marcus To’s art is good.
O, Alan Davis, where art thou?
April 26, 2023
I found this one really tough to read. I didn’t really follow what was going on and I think that’s because this book doesn’t quite know what’s going on either. There are too many beginnings to stories that I’m not sure are super relevant to what I care about within the Krakoan era of X-Men.
December 13, 2020
I have a feeling that to fully understand and enjoy this book I'd need to have been a longtime reader of Excalibur. So much of this story is mired in the Otherworld, the Starlight Citadel and its ruler Opal Luna Saturnyne, and their historical relationship to Captain Britain, all of which as a new Excalibur reader I know precisely nothing about. Despite the infographics that routinely appear in these Dawn of X titles, I still know very little about these matters after having read the first two volumes.
Excalibur is trying to set up a Krakoan gate that permanently links to Otherworld, and to do so they have to hunt creatures called Warwolves (that look more like ducks than wolves) because Apocalypse needs their skulls for some kind of ritual. Meanwhile, newly installed ruler of Avalon Jamie Braddock creates alternate versions of Captain Britain out of Psylocke's teammates in an alternate reality, but I have no idea how this relates to any other part of the story because so far it's had no effect or connection to anything else. I'm sure it will eventually, but right now I'm just confused. One issue ends with our heroes in Avalon traveling to the Starlight Citadel, and the next picks up with them being attacked in modern day London. I was so confused that I had to check two times to make sure I hadn't skipped an issue. Eventually it was explained that this was a separate reality created by Jamie, but then the story goes back to our other plotline and doesn't return to this in this volume, so it's a pretty jarring interruption in the midst of this other story.
I still enjoy the composition of the new Excalibur team--I just wish that the story was going to places that I found more interesting. At the end of the day this is a very drawn out six-issue story arc about a group of mutants trying to plant a flower. The art by Wilton Santos and Marcus To was delightful and very consistent, which I appreciated. Now that Fallen Angels has ended, this is the only Dawn of X title remaining that I could take or leave at this point. If I had to drop one from my monthly pull list for financial reasons, it wouldn't be a difficult choice.
2.5 STARS
Excalibur is trying to set up a Krakoan gate that permanently links to Otherworld, and to do so they have to hunt creatures called Warwolves (that look more like ducks than wolves) because Apocalypse needs their skulls for some kind of ritual. Meanwhile, newly installed ruler of Avalon Jamie Braddock creates alternate versions of Captain Britain out of Psylocke's teammates in an alternate reality, but I have no idea how this relates to any other part of the story because so far it's had no effect or connection to anything else. I'm sure it will eventually, but right now I'm just confused. One issue ends with our heroes in Avalon traveling to the Starlight Citadel, and the next picks up with them being attacked in modern day London. I was so confused that I had to check two times to make sure I hadn't skipped an issue. Eventually it was explained that this was a separate reality created by Jamie, but then the story goes back to our other plotline and doesn't return to this in this volume, so it's a pretty jarring interruption in the midst of this other story.
I still enjoy the composition of the new Excalibur team--I just wish that the story was going to places that I found more interesting. At the end of the day this is a very drawn out six-issue story arc about a group of mutants trying to plant a flower. The art by Wilton Santos and Marcus To was delightful and very consistent, which I appreciated. Now that Fallen Angels has ended, this is the only Dawn of X title remaining that I could take or leave at this point. If I had to drop one from my monthly pull list for financial reasons, it wouldn't be a difficult choice.
2.5 STARS
July 1, 2021
I read this issue by issue when they were released but now I'm giving the Dawn of X books between House of X and X of Swords a reread (except Fallen Angels. Sorry).
Like volume 1, I think this has potential but isn't fully realized yet. The first arc here is uneven, but the second starts to pull it together a bit more in its approach to X of Swords. I like To on art, but I like the guest artist on issues 7-8 less. A mixed bag, but worthwhile if you're following the Dawn of X books even if mostly for the ramifications on the rest of the line.
Like volume 1, I think this has potential but isn't fully realized yet. The first arc here is uneven, but the second starts to pull it together a bit more in its approach to X of Swords. I like To on art, but I like the guest artist on issues 7-8 less. A mixed bag, but worthwhile if you're following the Dawn of X books even if mostly for the ramifications on the rest of the line.
September 5, 2023
OMG I just don’t fucking care about who is the true Captain Britain?!? Is this truly the most interesting story they could come up with?
Is this like what every Captain Britain comic is like? Everyone hand-wringing over whether they’re worthy, all this courtly politics, Morgan LeFay, people riding around in unicorns and trying to break into or out of castles?
Is that all anyone thinks of when they go to write a story about merry old…Britain?
Yeesh. Boring. Yawn-o-Rama. Not even worth skimming in the run up to X of Swords.
Is this like what every Captain Britain comic is like? Everyone hand-wringing over whether they’re worthy, all this courtly politics, Morgan LeFay, people riding around in unicorns and trying to break into or out of castles?
Is that all anyone thinks of when they go to write a story about merry old…Britain?
Yeesh. Boring. Yawn-o-Rama. Not even worth skimming in the run up to X of Swords.
June 5, 2021
Druhý book nespojuje jedno ucelené dobrodružství ale dvě. Naše banda se nejdřív vydá lovit lebky Warwolfů, mojoverse příšer, co u nás nemají co dělat a trochu si u toho zařádit s britskou smetánkou. Druhá část nás vrací zpět do Otherworldu a vrací do hry Majestix z Captain Britain Loru... Vyjádřím se proto k oboum arcům odděleně.
Čísla 7-8 byl příjemný odklon od hlavní linky.
Čísla 9-12 docela ušla, ale nějak mě to nenakoplo tolik, jako předchozí volumko. Trochu to tu ztrácí dech místo aby to gradovalo a spíš je to nesamostatná rozehrávka pro X of swords, do kterého se pustím za chvíli.
Čísla 7-8 byl příjemný odklon od hlavní linky.
Čísla 9-12 docela ušla, ale nějak mě to nenakoplo tolik, jako předchozí volumko. Trochu to tu ztrácí dech místo aby to gradovalo a spíš je to nesamostatná rozehrávka pro X of swords, do kterého se pustím za chvíli.
June 7, 2021
What the heck is this garbage? This volume is marginally better than the first, but it is still stuck so far into deep Marvel continuity as to make almost no sense to the casual reader. You really have to be a student of Marvel's X-continuity to appreciate this and I have to say, it's not for me. From the get-go, this title has assumed you know every in and out of the most obscure aspects of the old X-Caliber and its story about Otherworld and Captain Britain. And that has been a big flaw from the start. Although this volume is marginally easier to follow--who gives a damn about this crap? Not me and not 99% of readers, I'd wager...
March 14, 2021
I’m intrigued by this series, but some of the grim Okee pages are almost indecipherable. It’s actually a fairly hard comic to follow. Well, all caught up on this one for X of Swords.
January 30, 2022
Ratings and links to previous reviews under the spoiler:
I honestly have no clue what Tini Howard is trying to do here, or what the whole point of this team and this series is.
At best, it tries to do some interesting things in the space where magic and mutants intersect. There was one, just ONE bit in all these issues that I think could have made for a much better storyline, if it was expanded upon in better hands: how will it play out with a Captain Britain that is a mutant in a world that has historically been scared of and hated mutants? And in a world where there is growing anger/pushback against Krakoa?
At worst, it's a colonialist narrative where Apocalypse & Co. are doing everything in their power to open a gate into the Otherworld, despite the "natives" of the Starlight Citadel in the Otherworld fighting against them to prevent them from doing so. This entire volume is literally about them wanting to plant a Krakoa gate in the Otherworld to expand their reach there and come and go as they please. In volume 1, they defeated Morgan LeFay and Apocalypse put Betsy's crazy brother Jamie on the throne, giving them control of the Otherworld. In this volume, they're trying to expand their foothold and meet resistance. HELLO??? This series is so poorly written that I honestly don't believe the author intended this storyline to come across like that.
I can't even talk about the first few issues of the volume that involved the hunting of the Warwolves. It was ridiculous and did nothing except remind us that Rictor is gay and give Apocalypse some material for his spell.
So much of this was all over the place, introducing new ideas and concepts and new mutant "history" for Apocalypse and it's just. Too much. Too much, and with no sense.
January 26, 2025
I’m not sure if this book would make more sense to big fans of Excalibur or suffers from crossover disjointedness, as many of these new X-books do. Either way, this book was just not good. Despite the new Hickman format of giving explanation pages, I wasn’t sure who I should be rooting for or which reality I should care about. There were two levels of “reality incursions” and they still aren’t payed off or fully explained by the end of this volume. There is an issue in the middle where Britain is getting bombed and at war, and we never get an explanation as to what is going on or when this is happening. All of these new x-books feel like they are trying to do too much in too short of time. I don’t care about any of the characters in this book and not really even sure why I’m supposed to like Betsy here as she seems to just be going around declaring she captain Britain and no one wants her to be. Very strange book and it takes a lot for me not to like a super hero comic book with sword fights and a fantasy theme.
September 17, 2021
3.5/5 This really feels like a non X-Men related title starring the X-Men. But maybe all Excalibur books are like this I don't know this is my first experience with the series now in it's fourth volume.
The first couple books involve a weird monster hunt. Apocalypse sends Excalibur out to hunt and wipe out a species of creature from the mojoverse. It was a weird story but I thought it was fun enough.
The remainder involves Excalibur trying to infiltrate the White Castle in Otherworld in order to plant a Krakoan gate there. All the while there is some weird crap going on with King Jamie making bizarre alternate versions of Captain Britain (confusing) and you still have Jubilee's baby Shogo transforming into a dragon.
Honestly I think I would lower my rating but I really like this cast of characters.
Read 9/17/21
The first couple books involve a weird monster hunt. Apocalypse sends Excalibur out to hunt and wipe out a species of creature from the mojoverse. It was a weird story but I thought it was fun enough.
The remainder involves Excalibur trying to infiltrate the White Castle in Otherworld in order to plant a Krakoan gate there. All the while there is some weird crap going on with King Jamie making bizarre alternate versions of Captain Britain (confusing) and you still have Jubilee's baby Shogo transforming into a dragon.
Honestly I think I would lower my rating but I really like this cast of characters.
Read 9/17/21
July 27, 2021
When I was a kid I had a paper subscription to all of the X-comics. Excalibur was my favorite because of the magic and the wackiness and the weirdly high stakes, high drama of Otherworld. This book definitely feels part of that lineage, but at least so far it's still a little hard to follow. If I had a dollar for every time Apocalypse says "coven"....
February 1, 2024
Beautiful art and colours can’t save a garbled and confused narrative that bores more than excites. For all the many goings on, there’s just no reason to care at all. This is right up there with Fallen Angels for the worst X-book of the Dawn of X era.
April 15, 2024
Yup, I’m definitely enjoying this title. I found the story pretty clear and engaging. I like the characters, I like the art. It’s also nice that it’s kind of its own thing in the Krakoa era. Looking forward to reading more in Reign, but first there are an other Dawn titles to catch up on.
May 8, 2021
Not sure if confused because never read much Excalibur...or if it was just paced weird. I was especially confused going from Shogo getting hurt into London being bombed the next issue?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 21, 2021
the art is great. the story is... idk. i have no idea what the story is.
November 15, 2021
I didn't love the first volume of this series and Excalibur has always left me a little flat but the series really finds its legs in this volume.
July 29, 2023
Nonsensical garbage from a writer who doesn’t appear to be getting any better despite being given plenty work to hone her craft and try to learn basic sequential storytelling
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