{"id":6902,"date":"2021-07-14T22:48:36","date_gmt":"2021-07-14T21:48:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.housetoastonish.com\/?p=6902"},"modified":"2021-07-14T22:48:36","modified_gmt":"2021-07-14T21:48:36","slug":"excalibur-22-annotation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.housetoastonish.com\/?p=6902","title":{"rendered":"Excalibur #22 annotation"},"content":{"rendered":"

As always, this post contains spoilers and page numbers go by the digital edition.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>EXCALIBUR vol 4 #22<\/strong>
\n“Treasures of Britain”<\/strong>
\nby Tini Howard, Marcus To & Erick Arciniega<\/strong><\/p>\n

COVER \/ PAGE 1.<\/strong> Excalibur as prisoners of Merlyn.<\/p>\n

PAGES 2-5.<\/strong>\u00a0Excalibur and the Beast visit Blightspoke.<\/em><\/p>\n

Blightspoke.<\/strong> This is one of the various Otherworld realms that we saw during the “X of Swords” crossover. Generally, it’s been depicted as a sort of dumping ground for things from failed realities, with plenty of useful stuff there if you can get at it safely. The suggestion that the land is actively poisonous comes from a data page in\u00a0Cable<\/em> #5, though this is the first time it’s really come up.<\/p>\n

The Beast<\/strong> is taking scientific measurements of samples from Blightspoke, which in itself seems like a perfectly innocuous thing to do. But over in\u00a0X-Force<\/em>, the Beast is mainly being written these days as a dangerously overconfident amoral schemer, so god only knows what he wants with this stuff, but it can’t be good.<\/p>\n

“Logan says this place can be unwelcoming in more ways than one.”<\/strong> Wolverine fought Summoner in Blightspoke in\u00a0Wolverine<\/em> #7.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Gia Whitechapel.<\/strong> The Sheriff of Blightspoke has turned up in a few stories before, but this is the first time that she and her posse have actually\u00a0done<\/em> anything. Since Blightspoke has no settlements, it’s been a little unclear what she actually does. Her main concern here is to stop Excalibur removing anything. But we know from “X of Swords” that there are some sort of mining and recovery operations in Blightspoke, so presumably Whitechapel’s role is to stop unauthorised<\/em> removal of stuff. Captain Britain does try to pull diplomatic rank, but she never claims to be acting with Saturnyne’s authority, and Whitechapel quite rightly doesn’t assume that Saturnyne has signed off on this.<\/p>\n

“And they don’t give warnings.”<\/strong> Whitechapel seems to be saying that, despite appearances, she expected Gambit to deflect her bullet – or maybe she’s bluffing.<\/p>\n

“The whole recent mess.”<\/strong> X of Swords.<\/p>\n

PAGES 6-7.<\/strong>\u00a0Pete Wisdom is resurrected.<\/em><\/p>\n

Pete was sacrificed by Coven Akkaba last issue. Coven Akkaba did indeed claim that this was a ritual to free Morgan le Fey, but it’s not obvious how Meggan knows that.<\/p>\n

Resurrection normally involves the revived mutant’s mind being downloaded into their body\u00a0after<\/em> they hatch from the egg. This version skips over that. Maybe Professor X has got better at doing it before they hatch. Professor X\u00a0does<\/em> participate in the resurrection scene at the end of the issue, and in that case they also seem to emerge with minds intact.<\/p>\n

Meggan twice calls Pete “darling”, which is a bit odd. I’m not sure if Howard just thinks it’s a Britishism, but Meggan’s coming across here more like a partner than a friend.<\/p>\n

“We cannot go there any more.”<\/strong> It’s not clear whether Meggan means simply that they physically can’t go back to the UK, or that it’s not safe to go back to the UK, or that it’s not legal for mutants to go back to the UK (which would presumably imply that they’ve been deprived on British citizenship on the argument that they’re all citizens of Krakoa now).<\/p>\n

As I said last issue, there’s still no particularly good explanation of why any UK government, right or left, would have the slightest interest in indulging the whims of Coven Akkaba.<\/p>\n

PAGE 8.<\/strong>\u00a0Recap and credits.<\/p>\n

PAGES 9-10.<\/strong>\u00a0The meeting at the Starlight Citadel.<\/em><\/p>\n

The aide with the fin standing behind Saturnyne is called Ryl; she’s appeared several times before in this same role.<\/p>\n

Page 9 panel 3 shows the representatives of eight Otherworld realms, from left to right:<\/p>\n