Excalibur General Discussion

xpawn · Post by **xpawn** » Fri Apr 02, 2004 2:07 am

From the looks of things, the new Excalibur by Chris Claremont and Aaron Lopresti will be a mix of old and new characters.

Instead of setting this in England, the new series is now focused on the Genoshan ruins following the massacre that left 16 million dead.

Now, who's looking forward to the new Excalibur series?

For more info on the series as well as a sneak peek at Lopresti's pencils, check out this article: http://www.newsarama.com/forums/showthr ... adid=11229

Marvel Comics and Excalibur artist Aaron Lopresti have provided Newsarama with a preview of the new series written by veteran X-writer and upcoming Uncanny X-Men scribe Chris Claremont. Also provided are two character sketches.

In an earlier interview with Claremont, the writer revealed that the new Excalibur kicks off with Professor Xavier in the ruins of the island of Genosha to deal with ramifications of the massacre that happened during former New X-Men writer Grant Morrison’s “E is for Extinction” arc.

“I suspect he has a far more graphic and literal sense of the consequences of failure, which in turn leaves him that much more committed to the ideals of his dream,” Claremont said. “To my eye, this is Xavier very much as an active, action hero, regardless of the fact that he’s a functional paraplegic. This is - I hope - where we get to see the reason why teenagers were willing to commit to him, and his dream, so wholeheartedly that he became, and remains, the defining thrust of their lives. What is there about him that makes him so irresistibly charismatic and admirable? But at the same time what aspect of him allows him to place children in positions of such ongoing peril? To me, these are questions that have never been addressed much less answered. This is where I’d like to start.

“Basically, it deals with Charley’s first days on the island, introducing the setting, certain characters, certain adversaries, stuff like that. There’s a moment with Unus the Untouchable that I really can’t wait to see.”

More @ INSIDE THE PAGES OF EXCALIBUR WITH AARON LOPRESTI

Panz · Post by **Panz** » Fri Apr 02, 2004 4:26 am

I'm really excited about the new Excalibur! I know that Chris will tell a really cool story and the chance to use such a powerful setting coupled with the addition of new characters makes me really eager to see where Chris is going with it.

Paty · Post by **Paty** » Thu Apr 29, 2004 5:50 am

:mags:
Yeah, me too... when is this thing supposed to debut? I am waiting with baited breath...and other fishing gear...LOL
seriouslly I am waiting for both Excalibur and Uncanny.
There's supposed to be some other X titles ...new ones... coming out, too, aren't there? in this reload thingie.
does anyone know who is getting what characters to write? Has any info been released on this stuff yet?
If Marvel is doing this big reload push, why aren't there any posters and displays in the shops? I have a really big shop near me and they haven't gotten any promo material on the reload thing...what are they trying to do? kill the thing before it has a chance to take off?
Nothing would surprise me!
paty
:mags:

Panz · Post by **Panz** » Thu Apr 29, 2004 6:14 am

Excalibur is due on the 23 of May( unless they've changed it again) and Uncanny next wednesday the 5th

Yeah, I haven't seen much hype at all, which is weird considering some of the huge talent they've got coming up...come on Marvel, get with the show...we wanna see some fireworks

CurlyyHairGirl · Post by **CurlyyHairGirl** » Sun May 02, 2004 11:12 pm

I just subscribed to the New Excaliber through an ad in "The Uncanny X-men" I think it was 423 or something. In the backof the comic, it said that Xavier was going to be in it, and I'm pretty sure that they won't leave out our favorite blue guy.

I can't wait for it to come out.

Paty · Post by **Paty** » Mon May 03, 2004 12:54 am

:mags
I dunno if Kurt will be in Excalibur...which will bear no relation to the first run of this title. this one is set on Genosha, not the British Isles and I am not sure the title has anything to do with the mythical sword of Arthur,either...LOL.
but don't let that stop you from reading it...LOL.Nighty would probably appear in Uncanny...Claremont's other title done with Alan Davis who is a mondo Nightcrawler fan!
Dave likes his Nightcrawler even more than his own, I believe... If not, he is a damn close second!!!LOLOL
Paty
:mags

Dark Rose Siren · Post by **Dark Rose Siren** » Mon May 03, 2004 1:17 pm

i am really looking forward to the new Excaliur title, i hope its as good as the 1st (i know it wont have the orininal characters)
I was a huge fan of the oringial title- i would also like to see some of the orinigal team at least make an apperance

Paty · Post by **Paty** » Mon May 03, 2004 3:28 pm

:mags
LOL...Oh, they probably will...after all, Claremont is famed for weaving his characters in one book into the storylines in another book and offshooting storylines that whip around and affect everybody.
It's called good storytelling...LOL. Chris hasn't forgotten how to do it and if they let him alone, he will give us a good ride...I am sure.
I, too, wait for the new stuff to begin. I am sick to death of hating what I have spent good money to read. I can hardly wait for Uncanny and Excalibur to hit the stands!!!
LOL
Paty
:mags

Panz · Post by **Panz** » Mon May 03, 2004 4:08 pm

I think we'll all be in for a wild ride with this one. Claremont is a master story weaver and I fancy we're are in for a treat. I know, I'm biased, I've loved Claremont's stories for nearly 30 years *plucks another grey hair*. I know that at one point when Kordey was doing the art, there were quite a few new characters created for the title, but I think you
ll all be surprised at the "guests" that show up...I wouldn't rule anyone out at this point. Chris is a fantastic story weaver. Just when I think I've had it with being jerked around by the creative chaos of Marvel and thier constant changes of writer/artist/inkers...I ask some foolish question of Chris like, "So...what is your new book about Chris?"...The fellow is ACTUALLY the Pied Piper in disguise...I'm hooked already...I'll be there.

And if I'm SERIOUSLY disappointed, Claremont knows that I'm a monsterously talented whiner of the first water

...but that won't happen. Give it a shot Roze...we have a whole thread to fill up over here with talk and I'll be bringing any snippet of news that I can find about it over for everyone.

CurlyyHairGirl · Post by **CurlyyHairGirl** » Sat May 08, 2004 4:51 pm

I just really want to see the old team, I haven't really been able to read many of the older comics.

Yeah, I hope it's good to. It is my moms money and right now I am subscribed to three comics. Heh heh.:oopsbetter keep my grades up.

I have faith in Marvel, I'm sure it will y=turn out great, no matter who is or isn't in it.

Paty · Post by **Paty** » Fri May 14, 2004 4:28 am

:mags
Well... I guess if any of you are on any of the other forums, youknow what has happened. Preview copies of Excalibur 1 came out today and [spoiler] Mags is back! Last page..blammo.. there he is.. big and beautiful as life! Yehaaaaa! Sane... and apparently in cahoots with Xavier. But through what misadventures? Is the possibility that Xavier KNEW that the NYC Mags wasn't the real one going to be the reason Claremont offers up for Xavier's passivity during that idiotic storyline? If Xavier knew it wasn't Mags, it could be why he let wolvie "kill" him. Take out a potential problem. Wolvie is good at that...or FOR that...
Anyway... heeee's back and he'e the rational, sympathetic Mags of old...of Claremont's heyday. And if Chris doesn't cement this characterization so firmly inplace it can never be shaken again, I willmiss my guess! Claremont is no one's fool and he knows the factions at Marvel stillexist totry to make Mags nothing but an eeeeevilratbastard. Now is the time for him to set the character in rock hard stone! He's stupid if he doesn't...and Chris ain't stupid! I expect brilliance here! Ha! [/spoiler]

Damn... I hope I did that right. If not can someone fix it so it won't spoil anyone's perusal of Excalibur 1???
I mean... I couldn't care less...I will shout it to the heavens! At last!!!
HEHEHEHEHEHEHEEEEE

PATY
:mags

Paty · Post by **Paty** » Fri May 14, 2004 4:32 am

:mags
OK... I did it wrong... how the hell do you do that sopoler thing? I did it once...but I can't remember! Probably some stupid little thing like a colon or something I am forgetting...sigh...heheheheheee... as if my signature didn't give it away!

Paty
:mags

Bamfette · Post by **Bamfette** » Fri May 14, 2004 5:31 am

we do it with square brackets and no 's' at the end. like [spoiler] there be spoilers here. [/spoiler]

Paty · Post by **Paty** » Fri May 14, 2004 4:16 pm

:mags
thanks, dear... someone told me once and I forgot how it was done and even which thread the instructions were in...LOL
I have now written it down and taped it to my computer, Magnus...heheheheheeee...

this is news I want to shout to the very heavens! but I understand that some folk get fussy about having their reading pleasure spoiled...so let them wait another week to read it for themselves...the advance copies are out and reaction has already hit the main discussion forums

I know there are gonna be some unhappy people out there... especially the followers of Morrison...but it's about time sanity returned to the pages of the X books The readers who were touting "change is good for whatever reason..." are now whining and cavilling about how marvel mustn't "Change" anything..especially if their fave writer wrote it! Hey, kiddies... what goes around , comes around...no one's work is sacrosanct.

Word has gotten out and the boards are apparently going nuts with old timers going YAY!!! and the Morrisonites going Boo...Hiss!

At east it makes for interesting discussions...
IF everyone is allowed to have their say...

Paty
:mags

Diablo · Post by **Diablo** » Sat May 15, 2004 5:29 pm

Noooooo !!!
[spoiler]The REAL Magnus is back ??? The one who vanished a zillion years ago ??[/spoiler] Oh man !

:bamf
I can't wait to read Claremont's explanation. Great news.

Paty · Post by **Paty** » Sat May 15, 2004 5:56 pm

:mags
yep! Claremont is back and so is the REAL man!
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA!!!
And according to Rivka, who monitors such things, the lists and forums and boards are going nutsy fagan with rabid Morrisonites screeching about Claremont CHANGING things! Read: changing their little tin god's drek back to sane storytelling. There were so many plot holes that all Chris had to do was flip coins to choose one to use to retcon or explain away most if not all the drek.
Loyal Claremoont fans now have work to do.
We need to write to Marvel and it's bigwigs in support of this direction. In support of the Claremont Magneto!
The departing fanboys are taking potshots at Claremont already. Not content to follow Morrison over to DC and leave us alone, they are gonna whine about changes to his drek forever...or at least until it is all retconned away. And here they said...in unison... "change is GOOD" ...except when it happens to YOU, you mean...right kiddies?

Sorry...I am trying to type while doing the happy nekkid pagan dance around my bedroom! LOL Write on, Chris! Write ON!
YeeeeeeeeeHAAAAAA!!!

Paty
:mags

Diablo · Post by **Diablo** » Sat May 15, 2004 6:22 pm

Well, artistically, change is a good thing. BUT if a character dies, he has to go out with a bang ! Colossus's death was awfully sad, but it was meaningfull. He eradicated the virus legacy and avenged his sister. [spoiler]Magneto's death was so lame. So he had to return. And honestly, you gain nothing in killing Magneto. He's like Doctor Doom. He just can't die. He's too good a character to disappear like he did. [/spoiler]
Another pointless death ? The Beast in Ultimate X-men. Poor Henry. It was so silly !

As for your pagan dance, Paty...
Go and dance !

Paty · Post by **Paty** » Sun May 16, 2004 12:29 am

:mags
Colossus's death was crap. the Legacy Virus was crap. It could have been good but it wasn't. And while colossus would nobly sacrifice himself...especially if he thought he could save millions of people, It doesn't figure that this is the way to take out a VIRUS ! I don't remember much about it... cuz that was during my REALLY blind period when i couldn't read comics at all...but I remember someone telling me about it and I remember thinking it was the dumbest thing I had ever heard...saying that and having the correspondent say...yeah...well, they just wanted to kill someone for the shock value...so he got it.
sigh...when no one wants to write a character, it behooves the editor to say OK... let's send this character off on a mission or something and he gets lost for a while...or we can have him go missing and have the crew search for him for a while... or he can simply go home for a vacation. Only an editor who is stupid or in extremis will allow a character...especially a popular character... to be killed. Some writer down the pike may want desperately to write the character..and you have to jump through hoops to bring him back and strain everyone's suspension of disbelief...and after a while it loses it's shock value to have characters we saw die come back.
Now, some characters ... like the Phoenix...or Wolvie... or even Mags... have powers that tend to keep them ticking. their powers make them virtually immortal. Although i do think that sooner or later this will get tiresome unless you make each return harder in some way. whether it takes more and more energy to come back and sooner or later the energy will give out... or the energy expended to come back ages you each time, leeching away power to effect the return... or SOMETHING. Dying, coming back...dying coming back over and over loses it's punch. It is already ho hum with jean. You know she will be back.... it is in the nature of her power.
Perhaps Morrison was trying to go there with Jean's cryptic "they won't let me do this..."speech...as if there were Phoenix entities who won't let her use the power like that often...but, as usual, he botched it...being ambiguous when he should have been definative. Bad writing...worse editing. No excuse for it in supposed professionals.

With Mags...if we alow that the yoyo in NYC was not him...and I have manifestly postulated that because of his total lack of power either in control or quality of that used...then Mags isn't dead and bringing him back stretches no real bounds of credulity. It is, in fact, logical.
I still think it is a big mistake not to retcon the whole thing into a fever dream of Xavier's or a bad pizza dream of Hank McCoy's...but that's just me...heheheheheee...The whole mess doesn't really exist in the other books...except for occasional passing mention...hello?!? the destruction of the infrastructure, the Statue of Liberty and the whole poser grid of NYC deserves only passing mention! Right!... Nothing to it, we'll bounce back...rebuild overningt! The freakin mansion is rebuilt in the new Uncanny! fer Gawd's sake! yeah...overnight. I am sorry... it is just toooooo much. My suspension of disbelief in the realness of the whole mess is non existant!!!
I can believe mutant powers healing mutants faster than humans. Yep...totally ogical. Wolvie's power...healing factor works even faster than others..but to some degree mutation confers a faster healing on all. Totally logical. NYC rising like a Phoenix from it's own ashes overnight...sorry...My mind would have to have more stretch than Reed Richards to accept that. Nope.
Death and destruction seem to be on a one way escalator at Marvel these days past. Let us hope Claremont can replace that stupidity with good storytelling and balance. It's the only way Marvel is gonna survive.

Paty
:mags

Diablo · Post by **Diablo** » Sun May 16, 2004 11:14 am

Well Paty, I can understand how you feel concerning Piotr's death, but I like it when important characters disappear. Don't get me wrong : it has happened too much these days... Colossus, Psylocke, Skin, Jean Grey, Magnus, Ultimate Beast,... Okay, STOP ! It's quite enough for some time. And it's true killing off characters is really easy ! It's more difficult to let him/her evolve into something interesting.

Besides, everyone has got some characters he doesn't want to disappear at all.
For me : don't touch Nightcrawler, Doctor Doom or Magneto ! RRRRRRRRRR !

Nightcrawler ZERO · Post by **Nightcrawler ZERO** » Sun May 16, 2004 3:03 pm

Originally posted by Paty
:mags
Colossus's death was crap. the Legacy Virus was crap. It could have been good but it wasn't. And while colossus would nobly sacrifice himself...especially if he thought he could save millions of people, It doesn't figure that this is the way to take out a VIRUS !

And did it never occur to them to sacrifice a Maddrox clone?

Boy- It's gonna be tough for them to bring Piotr back- Not only is he dead, but also cremated. They'd have to dip into that nasty "M" word that Marvel doesn't seem to like these days.... (Magic)

Some writer down the pike may want desperately to write the character.
Paty
:mags

Actually, both Grant Morrison AND Chuck Austen wanted him for their teams. Though, Chuck not having access to him may have been a good thing- If he already had his team's muscle, we wouldn't have gotten his excellent Juggernaut.

Crawler · Post by **Crawler** » Sun May 16, 2004 5:53 pm

[spoiler] Here's what I have to say about this. Well, combining the last page revelation from Excalibur, as well as the return of Xorn...this is all a big ham-handed slap in the face to the creators.

Why would ANYONE work for a company at which it's clear that NOTHING you create matters?

Basically, they're completely undoing everything Grant did, and before all of you that hated his work get to cheering, think about this:

This new undoing of his work, his Magneto specifically, actually paints Magneto WORSE than Grant EVER did. Grant had him posessed by a primordial life form that basically brought out the worst in him. He never showed Maggie fighting it, or the "noble" Magneto coming out...but that's the point. Magneto wasn't himself. He was all the worst that he was.

But now...Xavier knew Magneto was alive and that it wasn't him thrashing NYC. If either of them were half as noble as you seem to think, they'd have been fighting the false Magneto...or at least trying to prevent the wholesale destruction of one of the most densely populated areas on Earth...

But they didn't. They quite literally sat idly by and let it happen...and Magneto even let it go on IN HIS OWN NAME!

I'm sorry, but that's worse than going nucking futs.

And just what the hell was Magneto doing when the entire populace of Genosha was wiped out!?

As a BIG Magneto fan, I'm more pissed at these revelations than at Grant's portrayal of him. Now he's not nuts. He's not posessed.

It's just him and his buddy Xavier being cold and brutal by sitting on the sidelines as people get massacred.

That's not noble, no matter WHO writes it.

So Marvel has 1. Made two important "noble" characters completely immoral, effectively destroying those characters more than death ever could and 2. Proven that no story matters at all and that EVERYTHING can be undone, effectively eliminating any interest from any creator that realizes that.

And that SAVES Marvel? [/spoiler]

Bamfette · Post by **Bamfette** » Sun May 16, 2004 5:55 pm

well said, C.

I wanted to say pretty much exactly the same thing, but couldn't find just the right words. not happy with this at all. [spoiler] Magneto's INACTION when he could have saved the lives of thousands and clearing his name at the same time in hindsight makes him immoral. period. nevermind that Excalibur makes this big deal about him being a fugative. uh, hello? if he had stepped up to stop the destruction happening in his name, he wouldn't be. I know Grant had nothing of the sort in mind, so none of that would have ever happened, obviously. and that Chris is just trying to bring back a characterhe loves. but if he's going to do it atleast look at it from all angles.[/spoiler]

Paty · Post by **Paty** » Sun May 16, 2004 8:33 pm

:mags
Oh you can be sure that Chris will look at it from all angles. He does that...he always has. and he will tell us exactly what kept Mags and Xavier from acting to stop the thing that pretended to be Mags...if they could. remember this all took place very rapidly...could be that Mags didn't even know about it till it was all over the news!
For the past ten years, since Hardass and company took over NO ONE'S work has ben sacrosanct. Not Claremonts, surely, who spent eighteen years building what dodos and dipshits tore down while he watched and probably gnashed his teeth. then along comes Morrison and takes out anything that was left. If Morrison wanted that to be the real magneto, then he'd be dead! Gone! and where does that fit in with respect for anyone's character that has come before?
Morrison's carnage was the final stroke for the upper management. It was so destructive and abominable that the bigwigs...who don't usually pay attention...HAD no choice but to step in and tell the originator of the X empire to FIX! It's not Chris's fault that Morrison left such an ungodly mess that Chris is gonna have to become Mr Fantastic and tie himself in knots explaining it all.
where in the ten years of Harras and, later, Morrison depiction was there any respect for the work done for so long by Claremont? There was NONE! What came through very clearly ... especially in Planet X... was a sneering pointed attack on Claremont. the hammering again and again at magneto, Chris's favorite character...that "You're old...you no longer matter...you 're outdated...give it up..go away..." wasn't aimed at Magneto as much as at the man who defined the characterization that wouldn't be smothered, killed or perverted. Yeah...right... this is respect...NOT!

Morrison may have been a pawn in some of the political games that went on at Marvel...but not entirely. I would have granted him dispensation up to Planet X. but that arc was a spewing of the most vile vitriol at both Marvel and Claremont that I have ever witnessed. Maybe you can't read between the lines here, kids, but I can. I know politics at marvel. they haven't changed in twenty five years...except for the worst. But this last year has been over the top with polarized venom. Morrison "killed" Magneto in issue 115. why then did he bring him back to, first, degrade the character in a bid to so destroy it that no one would want to use it again...and, two, kill him off in such a horrendous way that he couldn't be brought back! It was a vitriolic stab at Claremont. The problem is that it was so blatant that it got everyone...the general public, the companies Marvel was courting for merchandising, and finally the movie and executive arm of Marvel, themselves... up in arms. Morison, as per usual, not understanding where to stop to be the most effective, went clearly so far over the top that his stuff has to be explained away or retconned. He set himself up for it with Planet X. If he had left Mags dead on Genosha, sure...someone would have found a way to bring him back...YOU DO NOT KILL OFF YOUR REALLY IMPORTANT VILLAINS!!! Kill heroes if you must...but the villains are sacrosanct.. they are worth their weight in gold!
Morrison made public statements about destroying the xavier/magneto dialectic. But this dialectic is the heart of the X series! It is the struggle around which a lot of the action has flowed since the series began. You cannot destroy one aspect of this dialectic without destroying the underlying reason for the whole series. Light versus dark... cold action vs emotionalresponse...good mutants vs bad ones...at least from humanity's perspective. Whether they are active participants in the action or not, Xavier and Magneto are there in essence in every action...every adventure. All Morrison did was to try to tear down the structure...He didn't build anything to replace it...he left chaos. If he had stayed around for the next promised two years and built on what he had done, he would have had a leg to stand on. But he skipped out. Ran for his life! Why? Because, no matter what he babbled to his fan followers... who would believe anything he said and make excuses for him even if he didn't grace them with an explanation... he knew he had gone too far...had gone over the top... had burned his bridges behind himself.
Now... why would he do that? Unless he did as much destruction as possible ON PURPOSE! Morrison's own actions condemn him.
And now his fans are whining about the changes made to his stuff! Where were they when he was making changes...wholesale changes... to the stuff of others who had come before? They were whooping and hollering "Change is good!: But not when done to your stuff, Grant ol' boy? Oh, my...too bad! Must not have been that good that it has to be retconned right away, huh?

Any more, "cutting edge" seems to mean more violence, more sex, more character destruction, more chaos...bigger explosions and more death. Y'know, after a while, you can't do MORE... there's no where else to go but back to basics and try to rebuild actual storylines that are coherent and everybody can understand...not just a chosen, cherished... or not so cherished... few. Morrison dissed his fans as much as he dissed Marvel and Claremont. And his fans won't see it, I am sure.
There are none so blind as those who WILL not see...
Paty
:mags

LoneWolf21 · Post by **LoneWolf21** » Sun May 16, 2004 9:22 pm

I culd be wrong, but didn't Morrison say the one thing he requested was that the Scott/Emma thing be kept?

Speaking of Jean, aren't there rumors that the new rebooted Avengers will have her as a member?

Gambit~Iceman · Post by **Gambit~Iceman** » Sun May 16, 2004 10:35 pm

Jean Grey will return. However she won't be with the Avengers. She'll most likely be in Whedon's book Astonishing X-Men.