Excalibur, Vol. 2

Excalibur (2019) #3-4

by Tini Howard (Writer), Mahmud Asrar (Cover Art), Marcus To (Illustrator)

In the aftermath of X OF SWORDS, Excalibur must uncover the fate of Betsy Braddock! Can they discern the secret of the woman on the shore? And who is…Queen Elizabeth III?! As the Krakoan Council makes moves to protect the mutants remaining in the realm of Otherworld, an invisible threat is unleashed on the island - unseen, unheard and almost undetectable. Can the team hunt it down before the all-important Hellfire Gala kicks off? And how will Excalibur's actions at the Gala change Krakoan diplomacy forever? As an escort mission reveals deep political unrest among Saturnyne's Otherworld court, a brutal sacrifice will bear bitter fruit. And when doom returns to Avalon, Excalibur's sacred duties to Otherworld will be tested to their very limits. Are they heroes to be celebrated? Or witchbreed to be put to the stake? Collecting EXCALIBUR (2019) #16-26.

Genres: Comics, Marvel, X Men, Graphic Novels

296 pages, Hardcover

First published October 11, 2022

Reviews

[Shannon Appelcline · Rating 4 out of 5]

We begin with the fallout from Betsy's "death" in X of Swords (What exactly happened there? We never really find out, and maybe that's OK) and go through Merlyn's assault on Otherworld. It's a pretty strong throughline that continues to focus on the fantasy Otherworld.

What's perhaps most impressive about the volume is Howard's strong attention to continuity. Captain Britain, Excalibur, New Avengers, Secret Wars, Krakoa? It's all here! A great puzzle piece in the continuity that is Marvel.

[Craig · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this in singles. I love what Tini Howard and crew have done with Betsy Braddock, probably my favorite X-Man of all time. This just keeps getting better & better.

[Sean · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was much better than the previous two volumes and if not for the slog of Otherworld in the ending chapters, would have been rated even higher. The main problem with this book is that its not Excalibur. Its Betsy and some random X-Men. The book focuses almost solely on Betsy, which is fine at times (the first half of this book) but then become increasingly repetitive. Tini Howard seems to have a great feel for Betsy and her role as Captain Britain and I enjoyed it. I much less enjoyed the second half of the book which was rehashing the same plot over and over again. Also, this version of Rictor is unlikable. Marcos To did a great job on the art chores. Overall, a good read that got weighed down towards the end.

[Sean McGinity · Rating 5 out of 5]

Somehow Tini is able to raise Betsy up in stature, making her regal, while also paying homage to the history. Lovingly crafted and incredibly empowering .

[Cyril Corbaz · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I liked the art style a lot, I didn't find the Excalibur arc to be very compelling to read, and it turned out to be a bit of a slog for me. There were some slightly more interesting moments, but this ended up being one of my least favourite story arcs from the Krakoa era.