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Captain Britain

New For Patrons: Guide to Captain Britain

November 2, 2019 by krisis

Today I have a solo guide for a character who previously lived in the shadow of a team guide on the site…

Captain Britain – The Definitive Reading Order and Collecting Guide

On Wednesday, a new Excalibur title launched as part of Dawn of X – the new line-up of x-books curated by Jonathan Hickman. In this new series, Betsy Braddock (AKA Psylocke) takes on the role of Captain Britain from her brother who is… indisposed.

Captain Britain is an interesting case because he, his sister Psylocke, and his extended mythology are one of only two major imports from Marvel UK to American Marvel.

(I’d say the other is Death’s Head.)

Not only that, but Captain Britain is one of the characters who has had the biggest impact on Marvel’s Universe. Ever. [Read more…] about New For Patrons: Guide to Captain Britain

Filed Under: comic books Tagged With: Alan Davis, Alan Moore, Captain Britain, Chris Claremont, New Comic Guide, X-Men

Crushing Comics S01E17 – Captain Britain Omnibus (Direct Market Variant)

November 17, 2017 by krisis

Today I unwrap one of my earliest “whale” acquisitions, which involves discussing the origins of the Marvel 616 Universe.

Want to start from the beginning of this season of videos? Here’s the complete Season 1 playlist of Crushing Comics.

Episode 17 features Captain Britain Omnibus (Amazon / eBay), which is covered in the Guide to Captain Britain & Excalibur.

Filed Under: comic books Tagged With: Captain Britain, Collected Editions, Crushing Comics, Excalibur, Marvel Comics

Crushing Comics S01E15 – Captain Britain Vol. 1: Birth of a Legend & Vol. 2: Siege of Camelot

November 15, 2017 by krisis

In this episode I get to show off my (mostly-correct) knowledge about a slightly obscure corner of X-Men lore – Captain Britain’s early, UK-only history. Did you know that it was largely written by Chris Claremont?!

Want to start from the beginning of this season of videos? Here’s the complete Season 1 playlist of Crushing Comics.

Episode 15 features Captain Britain – Volume 1: Birth of a Legend (Amazon / eBay) and Captain Britain – Volume 2: Siege of Camelot (Amazon / eBay), both of which are covered in the Guide to Captain Britain & Excalibur.

 

Filed Under: comic books Tagged With: Captain Britain, Chris Claremont, Collected Editions, Crushing Comics, Excalibur, Marvel Comics, Marvel UK

Marvel’s Most-Wanted Omnibuses of 2016 – #9, 8, and 7

June 15, 2016 by krisis

Omnibus on ShelfWelcome to another edition of Marvel’s most-wanted omnibuses based on the annual secret ballot by Tigereyes. I covered #10-12 in the last installment.

We’ve broken through to the Top 10 books on the survey. That doesn’t immediately make all of it classic – some of it warrants high demand for other reasons, like a specific creator or filling in a highly-desired gap.

However, today I have three classics for you. For two of the books, that designation is an obvious one. For the third, this might be the first time you’ve ever been asked to consider it as a classic, but I’ve felt that way for over 25 years!

Do you own an oversized tome of the comics starring your favorite character or featuring your favorite story? My Marvel Omnibus & Oversized Hardcover Guide is the most comprehensive tool on the web for tracking Marvel’s hugest releases – it features details on every oversize book, including a rundown of contents and if the volume is still readily available for purchase. [Read more…] about Marvel’s Most-Wanted Omnibuses of 2016 – #9, 8, and 7

Filed Under: comic books Tagged With: Alan Davis, Avengers, Black Panther, Captain Britain, Chris Claremont, Collected Editions, Excalibur, Fantastic Four, Hank Pym, Jack Kirby, Kitty Pryde, Man-Ape, Marvel Comics, Nightcrawler, Omnibus, Rachel Grey Summers, Roy Thomas, Stan Lee, Ultron, Vision, X-Men

Excalibur – Definitive Collecting Guide and Reading Order

The definitive, chronological, and up-to-date guide and trade reading order on collecting Excalibur comic books via omnibuses, hardcovers, and trade paperback graphic novels. A part of Crushing Krisis’s Collecting X-Men: A Definitive Guide. Last updated November 2019 with titles scheduled for release through March 2020.


Excalibur is one of the most peculiar of all of the original line-up of X-Men spinoffs, and that’s a large part of why it is so beloved by fans.

A light-hearted departure from the main X-Men series, Chris Claremont packed up three of his favorite X-Men – Nightcrawler, Shadowcat, and Rachel Summers (Phoenix II) – and flew them across the pond to the pencils of former Marvel UK collaborator Alan Davis. They added Marvel UK characters (and non-mutants) Meggan and Captain Britain (Psylocke’s brother) to create an irreverent, firmly British spin on an X-book.

It initially launched in the wake of “Fall of the Mutants” in Uncanny X-Men. Claremont’s flagship book found the mutants besieged from foes on all sides.

The lighthearted Nightcrawler and idealistic Kitty Pryde were both early sacrifices to this status quo as casualties of “Mutant Massacre” a year earlier. By the time they healed the X-Men were no longer a fit for them – and, in continuity, believed to be dead!

Meanwhile, Claremont creation Captain Britain had wrapped up a 10-year run at Marvel UK across a number of different comic titles and anthology. The latter five years of his life were stewarded a by a rising star artist named Alan Davis (as well as, briefly, Alan Moore), but with Davis moving on to work on Batman and the Outsiders it looked like the end of the line for Captain Britain.

Claremont collaborated with Davis on a pair of annuals that imported the character (and his sister, Psylocke) to the states, but he was too unknown in the American market to support his own ongoing there.

(There was also the problem of Rachel Summers, who had been supplanted as team psychic by Psylocke, and who brought her own complications of her extensive future knowledge, connection to Cyclops, and massive powers.)

This was the genesis of Excalibur, which saw Claremont reteaming with Davis and using his extensive knowledge of British culture (he was born there) to return to Captain Britain, to give Nightcrawler room to be the dashing swashbuckler he always hinted at in X-Men, and to write Kitty’s coming of age away from the horrors facing the X-Men.

The challenge of the “Excalibur” brand name is that X-Men fans tend to associate it as much with Kitty and Nightcrawler as they do with Captain Britain, but the former two characters have long since been reabsorbed by the core of the X-franchise.

Claremont relaunched the title in 2004 as focused on Xavier and Magneto living on Genosha, but the name never made any sense. He later introduced a “New” version set in London that paired Captain Britain with Dazzler and Juggernaut, but didn’t capture fan’s hearts like the original did.

In 2019, the Dawn of X relaunch curated by Jonathan Hickman tapped the “Excalibur” name for a new spin on the concept. This book focused not on the Britishness of the brand name, but the magical connections to Otherworld. It also swaps Brian Braddock for his sister Betsy, and duplicates the import of fan favorites Kitty and Nightcrawler by bringing in Rogue and Gambit – along with Jubilee, Rictor, and Apocalypse!

Patreons make this page possible! Every month, Patrons of Crushing Krisis help to fund its hosting, helper applications, video production, and more! Every dollar contributed by Patrons goes directly to helping sustain and grow this site.

[Read more…] about Excalibur – Definitive Collecting Guide and Reading Order

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