Writer Michael Higgins

Pencilers Tom Morgan and Justin Thyme

Inkers Joe Rubinstein and Tom Morgan

Colorists Brad Vancata and Joe Rosas

Letterer Janice Chiang

Cover Dated December 1990

This is one of those large Treasury sized comics.  It doesn’t even fit on most of my bookshelves.  It spends most of its time on its back.

Poor Excalibur, cannot escape going to alternate Earths!  This story, if you are not that familiar with Lightning Force, the Excalibur from a world where the Nazis won WWII and are still in charge.

I like the back issue description –

The powerful Captain Britain, the shape-changing Meggan, the intangible Shadowcat, the swashbuckling Nightcrawler, the mysterious Phoenix, and Lockheed the Dragon . . .
Forged in the fires of their tragic pasts, they have banded together to fight a modern-day crusade against the forces of evil.
An age-old evil has firmly established itself in another dimension.  But now, realities are crossing and the malevolent power-with the help of some well-known mutants-threats to gain a foothold on Earth.

I just like that Lockheed gets a mention.

The issue opens at a concentration camp.  There are new members joining the camps and an old group going into the chambers.  The ones in the chambers are killed and their energy is transformed into psychic energy.  This causes Rachel to lose her mind.  The rest of the team come to see what is the matter.

When Rachel sees Kitty, she sees the Shadowcat from Lightning Force – from Excalibur 10.

Alistaire shows up and yells at the team.  This is the first indication that the team woke up not on the right Earth.

We see who is Hitler’s second in command, and it is Charles Xavier!  He is in charge of the camps and killing people to make himself stronger.

Excalibur heads over to the Nazi headquarters.

Kitty, naturally, hates having to talk to Nazis.  Captain Britain hates seeing his country being overrun by such filth.

We see that the Red Skull is Hitler’s right hand man.  They are suspicious of what Xavier has been up to.  Xavier is close to making his big move.

The Nazis are mad as Excalibur is showing their proper respect.  Kitty mistakenly refers to the team as Lightning Force, our first hint at something odd is going on.  Something more odd.  Excalibur tries to fight their way out of the room.  Rachel takes out Kitty, as she wants to try to get the team under control.  She wants them to play along, until they can figure out what is happening.

Excalibur is sent to see Moira MacTaggert, who we have seen in earlier issues of Excalibur.

I don’t get why Kitty is so surprised to see Moira, they were told who they were going to see on just the previous page.

Rachel explains, telepathically, what is happening.  The Nazi Earth and the Proper Marvel Earth are merging.  Which may be the first example of an Incursion that I know of.  At least at Marvel, Incurions seem to be just what Crisis of Infinite Earths were all about but two Earths at a time.

Kitty can’t stand all of this Nazi nonsense and punches Moira.

This is the last page that feature Lockheed, for some reason.

Moira’s Reichsmen show up – Nazi versions of the X-Men – Havok / Rogue / Psylocke / Banshee / Storm.  Captain Britain fights Havok.  Meggan pairs off with Rogue.  Nightcrawler takes out Banshee.  Kitty sadly fights a very scarred Storm.  Rachel goes against Psylocke.  Kitty and Brian both regret fighting these last two as they are believed dead, at this point in time.

Once the fighting is over, Moira explains that she is our Moira but in the Nazi body.  She has a plan but Brian, Meggan, Kurt and Kitty have to dress as their Lightning Force counterparts.

Elsewhere.  Xavier is showing Red Skull around. Funny seeing these two together with out in modern comics, Red Skull has Xavier’s brain in his head.

We see what happened to the Original Five X-Men here.  Cyclops is hung upside down, and his optic blasts are being used as an energy force.  Angel was skinned alive and they figured out his wings were real.  Beast seems to just have been killed for killing sake.  Iceman is brainwashed and is opening up Polaris’ head.  I believe that it is Jean who is in a tank, she is there as she turn down Xavier’s advances.

Later, Xavier has a meeting with Hitler.  Seeing him in this issue, even though he is missing his right arm, is bald and in a wheelchair – it starts to turn my stomach.  I was ‘okay’ with the story until Hitler actually showed up.  Xavier mocks him, he’s an old man and it is now time for a younger man to lead the party.  Red Skull is not thrilled with the open defiance.

Shortly.  Lightning Force shows up at one of the camps.  Rachel leads them to an abandon room, where she will be staying as people are only expecting a four person team.  I feel so bad for Kitty, not only does she have to wear that cloak but she had to draw a Star of David on her head, which must have really messed with her head.

Another group of people die in the chamber and this causes Rachel a major migraine.  Kurt slaps her, which is also unsettling to see.  It works and it calms her down but I feel like that is still unnecessary.

Lightning Force finds Xavier.  Kitty is disgusted to see him so fully evil.  He hits them with a mental blast and knocks them out.

At the same time.  Red Skull hooks Hitler up to a machine and it starts turning Hitler younger.  It is an extremely painful process, which makes sense.

The Phoenix Force can’t stand this anymore and gives some of its powers to Excalibur and they take down Xavier.  Fortunately, Red Skull was linked to Xavier and so Red Skull dies.  Also super good timing, Hitler is still strapped to the device and can’t get out of it and it reverted to a teenager.  He is then turn into a baby, then a weird glop of something and finally a piece of sperm.

The two Earths are split.  Excalibur wakes up, trying to shake off this adventure.  Alistaire shows up, and they are confident that they are back on the right planet.

Issue has a special pin-up at the back, so we get to see Lockheed one last time!