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Excalibur (1988-1998) #12-20
Excalibur Classic, Vol. 3: Cross-Time Caper, Book 1
England's premier super-team takes their show on the road as their interdimensional odyssey begins, leaving their earthly enemies to the tenacious Technet Plus: From the pages of Captain Britain's original series, see Jamie Braddock at the beginning of his reality-wrecking career Guest-starring nearly every hero and villain in the Marvel Universe - or very unreasonable facsimiles thereof Magic, manga and more await within Collects Excalibur #12-20.
216 pages, Paperback
First published February 28, 2007
6 people are currently reading
64 people want to read
About the author
Chris Claremont
3,282 books890 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 - 22 of 22 reviews
December 19, 2020
The interdimensional odyssey begins, loathed by some, but quite enjoyed by me. Chris Claremont ratchets up the magical realist / humorous content and it just gets better and better. Some of the humour in the 'superhero dimension' is priceless and the ending of this volume is exquisite! The first part of this saga ends with Kitty Pryde separated from her team who have just scraped through their first few epic battles with Jamie Braddock, thanks to her. 6 out of 12
Collects Excalibur #12 to #20.
Collects Excalibur #12 to #20.
October 17, 2012
I'd really like to give this four stars, because Kurt, but I just can't justify it. Don't get me wrong, I still adore him, and I'm having more fun than not... But I'm painfully aware that if I didn't love Nightcrawler so much, I'd get much less enjoyment out of this volume. The whole Cross Time Caper is overly long. But I will admit that I got more than a little amusement out of seeing an alternate version of Prince William getting engaged to a brown haired girl named Kate. If Claremont even remembered writing that scene twenty years later, I'm sure he felt a certain amount of pride.
April 23, 2015
There are a few missteps (issue #13 and #18, which simply fall flat), but overall I enjoyed this volume quite a bit. At Excalibur's onset, I felt Claremont was struggling in his efforts to write wacky stories. The drama between characters was great, but the stories themselves were too serious in tone to properly jive with the utter nonsense. Once Widget starts randomly teleporting the team through random dimensions, Claremont finally finds his stride and simply embraces the zaniness wholesale. If you're a Nighcrawler fan, I'd especially recommend this volume, as the swashbuckling rogue aspect of his personality is given a lot of attention.
August 23, 2011
So far, aside from the first volume which had that "introductory magic" this has been the best in the series! The cross time wackiness is amazing, and Kitty Pryde (who is my favorite X-men Character) really gets to take center stage through most of this book. I'm also really enjoying the manner in which their A story of time stream jumping is in a way just the background of the B story line involving Technet and Courtney.
March 27, 2018
Eu realmente preciso confessar: eu amo o Excalibur. Talvez, dentro das equipes mutantes da Marvel fique apenas em segundo lugar, atrás dos Novos Mutantes. Claro, eu também amo quadrinhos de super-heróis que não se levam a sério e esse é o caso desse gibi que transita entre várias realidades e várias terras alternativas do Universo Marvel. Nunca vou me esquecer da história - uma das primeiras da equipe que eu e meu irmão Bernardo lemos - em que o Excalibur vai parar em um Universo Marvel completamente desmiolado, e isso me abriu um pouco os olhos para as possibilidades sem freios da criatividade em quadrinhos, podendo bagunçar com todo um universo estabelecido de personagens - até então - confiáveis. Impossível não dar uma gargalhada ou esboçar um sorriso nessas mais duzentas páginas que recompilam a fase inicial de Claremont e Davis no Excalibur, uma equipe em que tudo que você espera que seja não é e que ainda resgata as raízes plantadas por Alan Moore durante sua -breve- passagem pela Marvel na revista do Capitão Bretanha. Essa é uma das decisões da Panini que me fazem feliz, em comparação às inúmeras outras que me fazem triste. Ainda bem que existem coisas como Excalibur. Longa vinda à Rainha!
August 29, 2022
It's funny; this is the second Excalibur volume that I've read that I've enjoyed the last story in the book most of all, primarily because of the artwork used this time provided by Ron Lim.
It's not that I don't like Chris Claremonts' writing or the artists who provide the pencils and inks for the previous issues enclosed, it's just the story itself is more a one-shot and seemingly is misplaced within the timeline of the issues as "The Cross-time Caper" scenario is still ongoing at that time.
Either way a solid volume and yes my eyes did enjoy Miss Anjulie (maybe a little too much lol) who featured in #16
It's not that I don't like Chris Claremonts' writing or the artists who provide the pencils and inks for the previous issues enclosed, it's just the story itself is more a one-shot and seemingly is misplaced within the timeline of the issues as "The Cross-time Caper" scenario is still ongoing at that time.
Either way a solid volume and yes my eyes did enjoy Miss Anjulie (maybe a little too much lol) who featured in #16
July 21, 2025
Inter dimensional hijinx ensue as Britain’s super hero team begins to cut a path through multiple realities. Some of the dangers are real and some of what they encounter is just plain silly, but Excalibur continues to grow as a team throughout their adventures. Issue 20 was jarringly strange as it through in different adventure, right in the middle of the story that appeared to tell an earlier tale of the team, with no preamble or warning. The teaser at the end of #19 clearly was for the next chapter of the Cross-Time Caper and not this story. Claremont and Davis continue telling the tale of their team and building the dynamic.
March 7, 2019
Some classic Claremont/Adams romps as the Excalibur team ranges through the multiverse via an enchanted train. We get fantasy tropes, swashbuckling action and fun character moments for the team.
Most of the volume offers a pretty light-hearted feel, moving from setting to setting in almost an anthology format. Things deepen, though, when Captain Britain's brother re-emerges with world-shaping powers (another favorite Claremont trope).
There is a fill-in issue (#20) that seems completely at odds with existing continuity and characterization--might be best to skip that one.
Most of the volume offers a pretty light-hearted feel, moving from setting to setting in almost an anthology format. Things deepen, though, when Captain Britain's brother re-emerges with world-shaping powers (another favorite Claremont trope).
There is a fill-in issue (#20) that seems completely at odds with existing continuity and characterization--might be best to skip that one.
March 4, 2021
Fast paced adventures and we meet crazy brother Jamie in his little white g-string. Complete camp and not sure why Meggan is having such issues, Kitty's having some moments and Kurt. Beyond belief with side notes and dialogue; that Claremont can't shut up. Still fun.
Reminds me of Exiles decades before their series.
Reminds me of Exiles decades before their series.
October 19, 2019
It’s a fine romp, particularly 16-17, but I find it odd that this volume would leave out the end of the cross-time caper (21) for an unrelated issue (20). Weird.
February 10, 2017
The Cross-Time Caper is legendary, often referred to as one of the most Pure Fun storylines of the Dark Age. And that reputation is well-deserved, though it's a very specific kind of fun - fun in the same way a late-80s fantasy movie is, the kind of weird stuff that you caught on TV once as a kid and still aren't quite sure if it was real or just something you dreamed.
In terms of plot, it's rather chaotic, which sometimes leads to the individual parts feeling a bit loose and disconnected. But this disconnect allows for experimentation - with genre, with format, and especially, with what happens to the characters.
There's an ongoing A-plot of Excalibur leaping uncontrollably from alternate universe to alternate universe, trying to get back home but getting caught in genre-specific shenanigans. Two of these are primarily fantasy stories, one is a parody of Marvel itself, and one is an anime homage (primarily Speed Racer and Dirty Pair - US anime fandom was pretty new at the time). This last ends up linking up to the ongoing B-plot - the crossdimensional mercenaries known as Technet being hired to rescue Jamie Braddock, Captain Britain's brother, who turns out to be not only an awful person, but an enormously powerful and immature reality warper. Yeesh.
The really deep engagement here is not just trying out different genres, but throwing known characters into these genres. Kitty Pryde, AKA Shadowcat, gets her personality manipulated to fit society's demands; Rachel Summers, Phoenix, gets to experience life without the blessing-slash-curse of her powers; Kurt Wagner, Nightcrawler, becomes a swashbuckling adventurer; Meggan, AKA Just Meggan, finds worlds that she fits in better than "home"; and Brian Braddock, Captain Britain, deals with the limitations of masculinity, nationality, and the superhero role. This is the meat of the story, this intersection of character and wildly-changing setting, and if that's the kind of thing you enjoy, these comics come highly recommended.
In terms of plot, it's rather chaotic, which sometimes leads to the individual parts feeling a bit loose and disconnected. But this disconnect allows for experimentation - with genre, with format, and especially, with what happens to the characters.
There's an ongoing A-plot of Excalibur leaping uncontrollably from alternate universe to alternate universe, trying to get back home but getting caught in genre-specific shenanigans. Two of these are primarily fantasy stories, one is a parody of Marvel itself, and one is an anime homage (primarily Speed Racer and Dirty Pair - US anime fandom was pretty new at the time). This last ends up linking up to the ongoing B-plot - the crossdimensional mercenaries known as Technet being hired to rescue Jamie Braddock, Captain Britain's brother, who turns out to be not only an awful person, but an enormously powerful and immature reality warper. Yeesh.
The really deep engagement here is not just trying out different genres, but throwing known characters into these genres. Kitty Pryde, AKA Shadowcat, gets her personality manipulated to fit society's demands; Rachel Summers, Phoenix, gets to experience life without the blessing-slash-curse of her powers; Kurt Wagner, Nightcrawler, becomes a swashbuckling adventurer; Meggan, AKA Just Meggan, finds worlds that she fits in better than "home"; and Brian Braddock, Captain Britain, deals with the limitations of masculinity, nationality, and the superhero role. This is the meat of the story, this intersection of character and wildly-changing setting, and if that's the kind of thing you enjoy, these comics come highly recommended.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 24, 2016
The third volume of Excalibur Classic collects issues #12–20, which primarily feature the writing of Chris Claremont (the exception being #20) and the pencilling power of Alan Davis (the exceptions being #18–20), i.e. the team's creators.
While the stories told are interesting, and Davis' art (as per usual) is very easy on the eye, the volume on the whole falters somewhat in that it goes in too many direction. Sending our heroes on a dimensional journey "Crosstime -- where you go when you cut sideways across the sidereal string, instead of following each dimension up or down its individual temporal stream" (#19), it is obvious that Claremont and Davis wanted to play a bit further with their British heroes. The rhythm of the stories here suggests an influence of BBC's classic TV series Doctor Who strongly mingled with British SF comics and then played with in a Marvel Comics setting... sort of. And that's the problem.
Whereas Claremont and Davis came up with a strong team in Excalibur and made the characters sing in their earlier issues, the characters seem less characteristic than previously here. Far from every issue showcases their powers and more often than not even their basic characteristics seem lost underneath plot and support characters.
Don't get me wrong. The trip is enjoyable, and I do like it... but it doesn't captivate me fully. It doesn't draw me in completely, simply because the stories seem to forget the main characters and while there is a lot of fun ideas in play most of the time, there is simply too much surface in some sense. It's a land of wild ideas, beautifully illustrated but in many senses untied to the team which in effect is supposedly our guide through the madness.
While the stories told are interesting, and Davis' art (as per usual) is very easy on the eye, the volume on the whole falters somewhat in that it goes in too many direction. Sending our heroes on a dimensional journey "Crosstime -- where you go when you cut sideways across the sidereal string, instead of following each dimension up or down its individual temporal stream" (#19), it is obvious that Claremont and Davis wanted to play a bit further with their British heroes. The rhythm of the stories here suggests an influence of BBC's classic TV series Doctor Who strongly mingled with British SF comics and then played with in a Marvel Comics setting... sort of. And that's the problem.
Whereas Claremont and Davis came up with a strong team in Excalibur and made the characters sing in their earlier issues, the characters seem less characteristic than previously here. Far from every issue showcases their powers and more often than not even their basic characteristics seem lost underneath plot and support characters.
Don't get me wrong. The trip is enjoyable, and I do like it... but it doesn't captivate me fully. It doesn't draw me in completely, simply because the stories seem to forget the main characters and while there is a lot of fun ideas in play most of the time, there is simply too much surface in some sense. It's a land of wild ideas, beautifully illustrated but in many senses untied to the team which in effect is supposedly our guide through the madness.
November 26, 2010
Wow, when Excalibur hit its downturn, it was even faster than I remembered it being. This volume points out the difference pretty highly when you look at #12-17, by Claremont, Davis, Neary and the rest, and #18-20, which do not feature Davis collaborating.
Not that the Cross-Time Caper is Excalibur at its best anyway. It's altogether too cute, with all the annoying tics that both Davis and Claremont bring to their work, but at least it still features most of their strengths as well. Not so when it's Claremont solo (on #18-19) or neither of them (on #20). Dennis Jensen (#18) is wildly variable in quality, from mediocre to much, much worse, and while Rick Leonardi is usually pretty solid, he is not helped along by Claremont's increasingly stupid plot (and lame pop-culture riffs) or by Brad Vancata's colors.
A special word for Vancata's colors... no one in the '90s was really doing their best, as everyone was figuring out the transition from hand coloring to computer coloring, but Vancata's colors are, at times, a crime against art. Really, really terrible.
Here's the worst part: Volume 4, which completes the Cross Time Caper, is even worse, and about Volume 5, the less said, the better. Fortunately, a return by Alan Davis and an interesting, if flawed, run by Warren Ellis lay ahead.
Not that the Cross-Time Caper is Excalibur at its best anyway. It's altogether too cute, with all the annoying tics that both Davis and Claremont bring to their work, but at least it still features most of their strengths as well. Not so when it's Claremont solo (on #18-19) or neither of them (on #20). Dennis Jensen (#18) is wildly variable in quality, from mediocre to much, much worse, and while Rick Leonardi is usually pretty solid, he is not helped along by Claremont's increasingly stupid plot (and lame pop-culture riffs) or by Brad Vancata's colors.
A special word for Vancata's colors... no one in the '90s was really doing their best, as everyone was figuring out the transition from hand coloring to computer coloring, but Vancata's colors are, at times, a crime against art. Really, really terrible.
Here's the worst part: Volume 4, which completes the Cross Time Caper, is even worse, and about Volume 5, the less said, the better. Fortunately, a return by Alan Davis and an interesting, if flawed, run by Warren Ellis lay ahead.
September 27, 2014
Again, the quality of this stretch of the comic depends mainly on who's running the show: the first half, with Claremont and Davis, is a lot of fun--breaking the fourth wall, seeing what kinds of loony variations of Earth they can stick Excalibur in, and the nicely creepy subplot of Jamie Braddock. But the second half really flounders, with guest artists and writers; it just feels like a bunch of random one-offs without a coherent story threading it together.
Not to mention, pretty much every comic here seems to rely on none of the characters being able to use their powers: Kitty is made solid by almost every villain or thug, Phoenix's telepathy and telekinesis stop working repeatedly, etc. At that point, without the personalities and powers that make the characters who they are, this stretch of the comic is harder for me to fall in love with.
Not to mention, pretty much every comic here seems to rely on none of the characters being able to use their powers: Kitty is made solid by almost every villain or thug, Phoenix's telepathy and telekinesis stop working repeatedly, etc. At that point, without the personalities and powers that make the characters who they are, this stretch of the comic is harder for me to fall in love with.
December 23, 2012
The initial fantasy interlude is a fun romp and a nice character piece for Kitty [7]. The Technet one-off is a great story because the Technet is tons of fun (though Claremont never uses them as well as Delano did), the Excalibur Elsewheres are hilarious, and the introduction of the powerful Jamie Braddock is scary [8+]. Unfortunately the Barsoom two-parter that follows is pretty bleh [6]. After that the Jamie two-parter starts returning to some of the book’s strengths, with its focus on Brian’s brother [7]. The fill-in that ends the story would be OK, with interesting character development, if it actually fit in the storyline [5]. Overall, a fun variation for Excalibur, though it’s getting old by the end.
September 4, 2016
At this point, I've fairly fallen in love with this Excalibur series so I'm glad I've given it a second chance. I've always been a huge Alan Davis fan so I suppose it was just a matter of reading it when in the right mind-set like I've been with reading through so much of this historical X-men and related material.
Got the full set of the paperbacks now as well as a complete set of the comic books. All in top condition. Need to go back and read all those early Captain Britain books, the two hardcovers and the Omnibus. Up next though is more Excalibur!
Got the full set of the paperbacks now as well as a complete set of the comic books. All in top condition. Need to go back and read all those early Captain Britain books, the two hardcovers and the Omnibus. Up next though is more Excalibur!
August 28, 2015
The peak of Claremont's Excalibur run, sending our heroes bouncing between a wacky array of alternate worlds. The "silly" Earth is the height of this set, though the "Japanimation" Earth is historically interesting (just because the references were likely lost on a good chunk of the readers in 1990). Only outlier is the last story, a filler issue by another author, which is kinda terrible. (B+)
January 29, 2015
The ending became rather confusing as they seemed to skip the whole "cross-time" aspect, Brian is being a jerk and it just felt like a throw away issue that they tacked on the end of a interesting series that had no connection to the rest of the book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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August 23, 2008isbn,original
October 27, 2009
While the Cross Time Caper dragged on too long and played musical artists, some of the alternate worlds were a lot of fun. Especially the one that was a take on Burroughs Mars stories.
August 17, 2011
A bit of an odd one, the team rattle around different dimensions trying to get home. Think Exiles but only the world is different. Could have been a lot better than it was.
March 23, 2015
"Sadly, more of what I'd originally expected when I got into Excalibur."
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