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Excalibur #1. Writer Tini Howard and Artist Marcus To forge a new dawn. The Otherworld is rocked by war! It is a new era for mutantkind as a new Captain Britain holds the amulet, fighting for the Kingdom of Avalon with her Excalibur at her side - Rogue, Gambit, Rictor, Jubilee...and Apocalypse.
This week sees the release of the third Dawn of X title, Excalibur #1. Of all the creators in Dawn of X phase 1, I have the most reservations about writer Tini Howard. Generally speaking I find her stories laid out well but poorly paced with awkward dialogue. By all accounts, new X-Men architect Jonathan Hickman requested Howard by name for the project. Which adds a layer of credibility to her helming the series.
Adding veteran artist Marcus To to the mix is also a good sign. After X-Force writer Joshua Cassara, Marcus To is the second best artist associated with Dawn of X phase 1. Although, it’s very apparent by the expedited release schedule he won’t be illustrating all of Excalibur. The series also has a compelling cast of characters with Apocalypse, Rogue and Gambit.
In a recent Dawn of X roundtable, Tini Howard explained Excalibur isn’t about tossing Brian Braddock aside so Betsy can take his place as Captain Britain. It’s very much a Braddock family story. And that’s exactly what a large portion of this debut comic is devoted to. I can say this is easily the best comic I’ve ever read from Howard.
Marcus To’s line art is very clean. He places a much greater emphasis on the characters rather than background details. To’s characters are very expressive. There are many moments of subtext provided through facial expressions and body language rather than dialogue. Color artist Erik Arciniega is probably the creative hero of the team in this issue. He does a great job providing distinct tone with his varied color pallet.
The final point I want to make about Marcus To’s pencil and inking. It always feels like his cast are in motion. Even when characters are providing exposition they’re always doing something. Nothing about this comic feels static. Marcus To and Erik Arciniega so a great job brining Exalibur to life. There are a few minor issues but overall they make life very easy for Tini Howard in this story.
Writer Tini Howard is very effective at fleshing out the current state of the Braddock family characters and Apacolypse to a slightly lesser degree. But Gambit and Rogue feel like they’re thrown in. It’s not clear why they were in the story, other than Rogue being possessed at the end. The scene with Betsy and Jamie felt off to me. Howard’s Excalibur #1 feels a bit distant from the other Dawn of X titles so far. But she created several mysteries and obstacles that need to be cleared.
I was apprehensive when Tini Howard was announced as the writer for Excalibur. She’s assuaged most of those concerns here. This is a well written comic book that I personally enjoy. There are some issues with pacing and characterization but for the most part this is a fun read. I think I would enjoy it a lot more if I were more familiar with Captain Britain and Excalibur. The Art from Marcus To and color artist Erik Arciniega is the highlight of the story for me. Very well executed on both their parts.
#x-men #dawnofx #excalibur
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