Writer Ben Raab
Penciler Dale Eaglesham
Inker Scott Hanna
Colorist Kevin Tinsley
Lettering RS & Comicraft
In honor of my fifth wedding anniversary to the love of my life, I give you the wedding of Captain Britain and Meggan!
This issue also has one of those fold out cast / recap pages that I love.
This comic came out in cover dated October 1998.
Ben Raab had two goals with Excalibur, break up Kitty Pryde and Pete Wisdom, and end Excalibur. This works as a perfect send off to the title. Issue opens with Douglock hung over after the Bachelor Party, which works on a level of his memory being wiped so characters and events have to be explained to him. Which has to happen as wedding issues, as well as final issues, are attractions so new readers will show up. The humanoid version of Widget shows up to announce today is the day. Odd choice as this Widget is the spirit of Kate Pryde from Days of Future Past, haywired into a robot.
Nightcrawler dresses Douglock, who we find out much later – like years, is really Warlock. Wolfsbane shows up and is not happy with him.
The wedding is taking place on Otherworld, which is the nexus of realities of sorts and where the Captain Britain Corps head quarter. The wedding attendants are a who’s who of past Excalibur cast, friends and foes.
Great ad that brings back memories. I adore the 35th Anniversary era of the X-Men so much. Steve Seagle and Chris Bachalo on Uncanny, Joe Kelly and Brandon Peterson on x-Men and Mutant X was premiering by Howard Mackie and Tom Raney. Such a good time to be a fan of the X-Men. Also, Summer Slam 1998, this was my first foray into the WWE. My favorite era would be the Kurt Angle years but it all starts with 1998.
Wolfsbane and Douglock are the first down the aisle. Brain, the groom, is already at the alter.
Kitty with Colossus are next down the aisle. Arab comments to Alstaire that he let Kitty go. She crushed on Alstaire but he only was interested in Rachel. So weird to see Arab here, he doesn’t have one leg and is working for the Hellfire Club, he is slowly leading to becoming the Arab of Days of Future Past, having Rachel become a Hound and kill mutants. It was a very interesting concept, to see him fall from grace.
So great to see Moira MacTaggert again, alive and well – well she has the Legacy Virus so there’s that. She is sitting next to Lockheed.
Colossus is afraid as while Brian was away, stuck in the time stream, Meggan started having feelings for Colossus but Colossus lied to Brian and said it was he who had feeling Kylun, who feel asleep. Cercise comments that Kurt looks good and Amanda Sefton quickly tells her to back off.
Finally, Meggan comes down the aisle and she looks amazingly beautiful in her dress.
We get a flashback to Brian revealing that he knows it was Meggan who had feelings for Colossus but only because she thought Brian was dead or lost forever and will never see him again. Brian promises to never leave her side again, which he does keep his word. It is Meggan that gets lost from him during House of M, that was another whole thing.
In attendance, the Nazi Excalibur shows up. Always sad to see that version of Shadowcat. Also, microMAX and some guy from the original Captain Britain series.
There is an ad for the first Blade movie, that’s how long ago that this issue came out.
Brian and Meggan say their “I Dos” and Kurt has forgotten the rings and teleports away and back with them. Oh that Nightcrawler.
Great splash page of the kiss!
Now the ceremony of the bouquet and garter catching.
Kitty doesn’t want to participate in the ritual. Meggan throws it. Gatecrasher tries for it. Betsy kicks her in the face! Yap keeps calling Gatecrasher “mom” and that annoys her. Amanda reaches for it. Cercise tries her best as well. Moira also tries for it and falls over, Wolfsbane actually grabs it. Then the Red Queen hits her over the head and it lands in the arms of the one person who didn’t want it … Kitty Pryde! All she has to say for it is “figures.”
Now the boys’ turn. Colossus also doesn’t want to participate in it, and Kurt is all for that, one less dude around. Colossus asks him if he is ready for the commitment but Kurt wants it. Angel flies for the garter once Brian tosses it. Kurt covers his eyes, Technet members fall over themselves for it.
Ahab has a hard time as he has the clutches. Lockheed get an idea of his own. Kurt catches it!
But Lockheed snatches it away and lands it into Colossus’ hand. Moira tells him he has to slip it onto the lass who caught the bouquet. Kitty’s response “oh, like none of you saw this coming” and it is so true!
Kitty and Colossus have this great conversation about how this doesn’t mean they have to get back together. They are not fated to get back together, or are destined to be forever linked. Colossus asks if they should pursue this, she responds with a “don’t even go there!” and he says “whew.” Though he would be lucky if she did take him back but she is so much better than that metal idiot.
At the reception, Kurt gives his speech, which is very nice. Lila Cheney is the musical guest, which is awesome.
Ahab, and really, he is going by Rory Campbell but we can never forget the threat he represents. Especially as he throws in Moira’s face that she only is interested in his Legacy Virus cure due to her having the disease.
Amanda is dancing with Kurt. Cercise cuts in, or slices in as she calls it, I really like Cerise. She and him shared many a lip massage. She asks him if he misses her, and when he says yes, of course, she slaps his entire whole stupid face! Throws in his face that she was stranded on that prison planet in Excalibur 70 and if it wasn’t for Empress Lilandra, she would still be there. Oh Kurt, you screwed up.
Alistaire asks Kitty where Pete Wisdom is, and he is drinking in a pub.
It is a rare instance when a comic will give an actual date, and the wedding invite does that. August 19, 1998 is Brian and Meggan’s wedding date. They have been married for 15 years now, pretty impressive!
Douglock is still hung over and making a fool of himself. We get some congratulations from Captain America, Black Knight and Spider-Man. Spider-Man reminds Brian that he still owes Peter a month’s rent from the time they were roommates in college.
microMAX and Kylun catch up a bit. Brian turns down Saturnyne’s advances. Brian kisses Meggan passionately and Betsy tells her brother she didn’t know he could do that. They talk about their dead brother, Jamie. Actually the editor’s note tells us that he is in a coma since Excalibur Annual 2. Also, Betsy almost didn’t make it due to the Psi-War, that happen in X-Men 79. Angel shows up to hang out.
Kurt, Kitty and Colossus show up to announce something. By the time the new Braddocks come back from their honeymoon, those three will be gone. They are rejoining the X-Men. After ten years apart, Kurt and Kitty are coming back to the team proper. The story reason is so they can help in the search for Xavier, who has been missing since Operation : Zero Tolerance. A bunch of hugging happens and Kurt gives Brian permission to keep using the name Excalibur, which it takes some time for Brian’s miniseries titled that happens.
Warren asks if the New X-Men are ready for these three and Betsy is quick to counter with, if these three are ready for the New X-Men. That team consists of Kitty, Kurt, Wolverine, Storm, Marrow and Colossus.
Issue ends with a quarter page drawing of the Original Excalibur. Kurt, Rachel, Kitty (in her blue outfit), Meggan and Captain Britain.
The final letters’ page has comments from Ben Raab, Warren Ellis and Alan Davis.
Thus ends the run that is Excalibur, 125 issues. What a ride, two years ago, I read all 125 issues (mostly I was interested in Kitty’s fighting style or what she does in fights – turns out, she disappears in most fights – which is odd). They mostly hold up rather well. There are some fill ins and a moment when Scott Lobdell was plotting some issues that are rough but we will run the gauntlet one of these days and do more reveals of this title.
. . .
On a personal note, and if you would excuse me for a moment, I really want to say thank you to my wife. Without her support, I wouldn’t be able to even do this blog, each and every day, 154 days in a row without missing a single one, is pretty impressive and I didn’t think I would be able to do it. But I love this lady so much and these last five years have been a real joy and here is too many more!
Shadow and Flame with Magik 