In Review: Excalibur (2019-) #16

Synopsis: The Excalibur team is left changed in the aftermath of X OF SWORDS… and some things lost cannot be replaced.

The Story

Having ended the conflict with Arakki in the last issue. The Excalibur team is left to pick up the pieces. Gambit, Rogue, Richtor, and Jubilee set out on a mission to try and get their Betsy Braddock back. When last seen she had shattered into many pieces and was believed dead. But when Captain Britains that were all Betsy’s saved them from Arakki forces. The team dared to hope that magic could somehow bring their Betsy back.

So, the team heads back to the magical realm of Saturnyne with help from Meggan Braddock who is perhaps their one hope of finding their Betsy Braddock. Apparently, Meggan is part Fairy and part Mutant. Which makes her the one person powerful enough to do this job.

The Artwork

Generally speaking, this issue is mostly made up of talking heads. It has a more somber tone to it. So much of the art is focused on the facial expressions of the characters as they convey their feelings of grief and frustration. It’s a but change of pace from previous issues, which have been very action orientated. And these quieter issues can often be a bit more challenging for the artist. A challenge that Marcus To takes on with relative ease.

I loved the breakfast sequence with Gambit and Rogue trying to do their domestic thing. I also enjoyed the sequence in which Jubilee was trying to console Richtor who is somewhat angry at Apocolypse for leaving the team and him on his own.

Overall

While this is a quieter issue than normal. It is a promising beginning to a new story arc in which the team tries to get their Betsy back. And we are already seeing a little bit of conflict with regards to how the team goes about that task.

I look forward to seeing how all of this pans out in the next issue.

You can pick up a digital copy of this book and all back issues over at ComiXology.