EXCALIBUR #113 - October 1997

Faith

Credits: Ben Raab (writer), Pete Woods (penciler), Scott Koblish (inker), Comicraft (letters), Kevin Tinsley (colors)

Summary: On Wundagore Mountain, Colossus and Meggan are taken in by Bova. Sir Ram challenges Colossus due to his connection to Exodus, but Colossus convinces him that he’s changed. After meeting the High Evolutionary, Colossus and Meggan learn that Exodus is preparing to strike Wundagore and kidnap Magneto’s granddaughter, Luna. He claims that he must face Exodus alone and, despite their protests, teleports them to their original destination. Meanwhile, Wolfsbane and Douglock share an unexpected kiss before she departs for a New Mutants reunion, Peter Wisdom is tortured by a Black Air agent, and Lockheed is confronted by mysterious beings.

Continuity Notes: Luna is living with High Evolutionary because Quicksilver left her in his care while he mourned Crystal (who was believed dead after the Onslaught battle). A footnote says the story of Exodus and High Evolutionary’s battle will be told in the Quicksilver series. Lockheed is shown speaking English again (Warren Ellis had him doing it once) during his confrontation with whoever these mystery characters are supposed to be.

Review: I’ll give Raab credit, he’s picked up the pace this issue. Unfortunately, it looks the Colossus/Meggan storyline has just been an extended promo for the Quicksilver book (and ends with High Evolutionary stupidly rejecting help from two of the most powerful mutants in existence), but the rest of the subplots show promise. Doing a romantic subplot with Douglock is kind of ridiculous, but Raab seems to be aware of that and is actually using it as a plot point. The Peter Wisdom subplot seems like it’s there just to assure readers it hasn’t been forgotten, while Lockheed unexpectedly gets his own arc. Ellis never explained Lockheed’s sudden use of English, and while you could just dismiss the scene as a one-time joke, I think it’s a good starting place for a new story. I’ve had some issues with Raab’s run so far, particularly the previous two issues, but I still haven’t encountered anything that matches the book’s extremely low reputation online. Raab does do a terrible job with Peter Wisdom’s accent, though. Is that why people hated his run so much?