A Legend Reborn: Excalibur #1 Reviewed
by Josh Davison
[*Mild Spoilers Ahead!]
There is something amiss in the Otherworld. Camelot is under attack by the White Witch, and the Waters of Avalon are tainted. Morgan le Fay intends to find the source of the corruption and destroy it. On Earth, Betsy Braddock, aka Psylocke, is making the move to Krakoa and is saying her goodbyes to Brian, her brother and Captain Britain, and Meggan. On Krakoa, Apocalypse has taken an interest in sorcery and is particularly fascinated with a particular portal that will not open. He and Trinary are investigating that. In North Yorkshire, Coven Solar Blackwood, a follower of the School of Avalon, is contacted by Morgan le Fay and tasked with destroying the force corrupting the Waters of Avalon: a Krakoan portal. Captain Britain senses the disturbance in the Otherworld and goes to investigate, and Betsy insists on going with him.
Excalibur #1 finds the team reforming on Krakoa with a whole new lineup. It’s still being built on the foundation of the prior team, with Brian Braddock playing a large part in the formation, but it’s his sister, Betsy Braddock who will be leading the Excalibur charge.
Despite the seeming scattershot nature of the plot, Excalibur #1 flows well. Betsy and Apocalypse are the centerpieces of the plot. Each have their own interests and motivations pushing them forward in the tale, but their endpoint turns out to be the same: Otherworld.
Gambit, Rogue, Jubilee, and Trinary have more minor roles in the tale, but they still get some decent moments on the panel. There’s also a big, surprise resurrection that shakes things up for everyone.
Marcus To does an excellent job with the visuals, giving the world a smooth, textured, and appealing look. Apocalypse in particular gets a good treatment throughout the book, and Betsy’s Captain Britain costume looks great. Erick Arciniega’s color art shines throughout too; he really balances the palette well.
Excalibur #1 is another strong opening issue for a Dawn of X title. We get to see how the mystical world has been disrupted by the recent ambitious moves of the mutant world as well as how Psylocke is dealing with the recent major changes in her life. It’s a good read and is easily worth a recommendation. Check it out.
Excalibur #1 comes to us from writer Tini Howard, artist Marcus To, color artist Erick Arciniega, letterer VC’s Cory Petit, cover artist Mahmud Asrar with Marcus To, and variant cover artists Kris Anka; Mark Bagley with John Dell and Israel Silva; and Tom Muller.
Final Score: 8/10
