TITLE: Excalibur Vol. 1, Issue 55
YEAR: October 1992
COMPANY: Marvel Comics
Writer/Artist: Alan Davis
Inker: Mark Farmer
Colorist: Glynis Oliver
Letterer: Michael Heisler
Editor: Terry Kavanagh
Co-Creators: Chris Claremont & Alan Davis
While there are people who would come to see Marvel Comics “Excalibur” series as another X-title, I saw it not only as an X-title but more of a Alan Davis comic book.
Back in the ’80s, Alan Moore and Alan Davis’ “Captain Britain” comics were quite popular and the two were a wonderful duo. But Davis, who is a writer and an artist would bring a few of the characters to “Excalibur” which was a team featuring Captain Britain, Meggan, former X-Men Kitty Pryde, Nightcrawler and Rachel Summers.
Davis would leave “Excalibur” after working on the series for two years (issue #24) but would return for issue #42 as the writer and artist for the series and would introduce characters Feron, Cerise, Micromax and Kylun.
With issue #55, we have a party at the Braddock Manor as Brian and his twin sister Betsy Braddock a.k.a. Psylocke (Note: Betsy’s mind was placed in the body of a Japanese female ninja knwon as Kwannon, thus her Japanese appearance) are reunited and fight/train against each other earlier in the day.
Meanwhile, Nightcrawler is focused on his leadership for Excalibur while Kitty Pryde worries about him, as he’s grown distant.
At the party, Brigadier Alysdane arrives and also Courtney Ross (Brian’s former girlfriend), which causes Meggan to become jealous. Especially considering as Courtney just comes and kisses Brian in the lips in front of her. Cerise seeing this, she and Nightcrawler start kissing as well.
But things go crazy as a mysterious assailant(s) have infiltrated the Braddock Manor and leaving possibly a few of the people at the party dead.
This issue was entertaining. For one, you couldn’t go wrong by featuring Psylocke on the cover. She was one of the most popular characters and if a comic book character could be a sex symbol, she was Marvel Comics go to character for their annual swimsuit issues but also being a character who literally kicks butt.
The party and all the flirty-ness was fun to read but the biggest surprise was the reveal at the end as we find out who the assailants are at the party. And the primary antagonist is no doubt one of the wildest and freakiest villain (and also a character who has appeared several times before) and more.
But if there is one thing that I absolutely love about Alan Davis’ work is his ability to create character-driven stories while also taking the mantle as artist for the series as well. He really made me a fan of the “Excalibur” comic book series!