1988 - Excalibur Poster by Alan Davis and Paul Neary

Captain Britain with Mjolnir by Paul Neary

What If Hayley Atwell as Agent Carter became Captain Britain

 by Timm Shinn

Captain Britain by Art Adams

1983 - Anatomy of a cover - The Daredevils #11

1987 - Uncanny X-Men Annual #11

Uncanny X-Men Annual #11

1987

“ Lost in the Funhouse”

Writer - Chris Claremont

Artists - Alan Davis and Paul Neary



This classic X-Men tale kicks off with a drunk and rowdy Wolverine making a scene at Professor Xavier’s School. Although with his healing factor, he’s having difficulties remaining as drunk as he’d like.

His best efforts still don’t dull the pain of the anniversary of the wedding he never had with Mariko. It’s a heart-wrenching scene with Wolverine struggling with his honour and desire to be with Mariko and his respect for Mariko who feels she can only be with him once she’s proved herself worthy of him.

Wolverine isn’t able to wallow in self-pity for long as a being known as the Horde attacks the mansion and easily defeats the X-Men.

Horde “recruits” the X-Men to break into a place called the Citadel of Light and Shadow to steal the Crystal of Ultimate Vision. The team enters the Citadel and the building itself taps into their fears and insecurities, putting each of them to the ultimate test.

Wolverine and Storm are the only two to make it to the Citadel’s inner-most chamber where they decide to try and grab the Crystal before Horde shows up. However, Horde anticipated their betrayal and kills Wolverine before he can reach the Crystal. But, a single drop of his blood splashes onto the Crystal and Wolverine rebuilds himself thanks to the Crystal which exponentially enhanced his healing factor.

The Crystal reveals Horde’s weakness and Wolverine defeats him. Wolverine resists the urge of the Crystal’s ultimate power and destroys the Crystal.

The X-Men find themselves back at the mansion while the Citadel rebuilds itself and we learn that it was simply a test. If a species passes this test, their race is permitted to evolve to their full potential. Interestingly, we see eternal guardians in the shape of the Skrulls and the Kree and can infer that these races have reached the end of their evolution.

This annual’s events occur between Uncanny X-Men #219 and 220 (Jul.-Aug 1987).

Alan Davis’ smooth and clean artwork captured one of my favourite versions of Wolverine. His art worked well for both Logan and his costumed alter ego.

Uncanny X-Men Annual #11 is a wonderful self-contained story with a lot of emotional energy and fun. Sadly, this was near the point I started to pull away from the X-Men as the Mutant Massacre event had disbanded my favourite X-Men team, one which would never be put back again. It just didn’t feel the same with Dazzler, Longshot, Psylocke, and Havok. One fun angle though that set the stage for the Excalibur series was the guest appearance by Captain Britain and Meggan.

If you can’t find the floppy, this story was reprinted in Essential X-Men Vol. 7, X-Men: Old Soldiers Trade Paperback, and the Captain Britain Omnibus.

1983 - The Daredevils (Marvel UK)

1987 - Anatomy of a cover - Uncanny X-Men Annual #11

http://stormantic.com/3102/comics/storm-sunday-alan-davis-part-iv

1985 - Captain Britain house ad for Marvel Super-Heroes Role Playing Game

1988 - Excalibur promo art and ads

Love this poster, the image of the ghostly King Arthur and Stonehenge is amazing! The Sword Is Drawn!

Looks like they changed the "The Sword Is Drawn!" for "A New Legend Is Forged!"

1989 - Excalibur #14

Here's the full cover (front and back) from Excalibur #14. While I enjoyed Excalibur's initial year or so, I felt the series really lost its steam with the Cross-Time Caper storyline as it ran for far too long and really didn't seem that clear of a direction. I actually stop picking up the title, but did pick it up when Davis returned as writer and artist with issue #42.

Marvel Comics May 2011 Solicitations - 1980s goodness

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN BY DAVID MICHELINIE & TODD MCFARLANE OMNIBUS HC
Written by DAVID MICHELINIE
Penciled by TODD MCFARLANE, ALEX SAVIUK, ERIK LARSEN & COLLEEN DORAN
Whether clad in blue and red or black, or possessing spider-powers or cosmic ones, Spider-Man stands ready to face any threat! And the threats have never been greater! From his own foes — Venom, Mysterio, the Scorpion and more — to newcomers to his friendly neighborhood like Sabretooth, the Taskmaster, Magneto and the Sentinels, Spidey sure has his hands full! Good thing he’s got Mary Jane, Captain America, the Black Cat and the Hulk around to lend a hand! Featuring the pulse-pounding prose of longtime IRON MAN scribe David Michelinie and the groundbreaking artistry of the legendary Todd McFarlane! Collecting AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (1963) #296-329 and material from SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN ANNUAL #10.
848 PGS. $99.99

 
X-MEN: X-TINCTION AGENDA HC
Written by CHRIS CLAREMONT & LOUISE SIMONSON
Penciled by JIM LEE, ROB LIEFELD, JON BOGDANOVE & GUANG YAP
The war in Genosha has boiled over, and the X-Men, X-Factor and the New Mutants will never be the same! With the never-deadlier Cameron Hodge pulling the strings, the heroes are kidnapped, killed, stripped of their powers and forced into combat! And when the dust settles, the teams change lineups, sending the X-Men into a new era! Collecting UNCANNY X-MEN #235-238 and #270-272, NEW MUTANTS (1983) #95-97, and X-FACTOR (1986) #60-62.
328 PGS. $49.99

 
CAPTAIN BRITAIN VOL. 1: BIRTH OF A LEGEND HC
Written by CHRIS CLAREMONT, GARY GRIEDRICH, LARRY LIEBER, BOB BUDIANSKY, LEN WEIN & JIM LAWRENCE
Penciled by HERB TRIMPE, JOHN BUSCEMA, RON WILSON & BOB BUDIANSKYMarvel U.K.’s first original super hero made his explosive debut in 1976. Now, on his 35th anniversary, Captain Britain’s earliest adventures are collected in the United States for the first time! Witness the legend’s beginning as British student Brian Braddock makes a fateful choice between might and right, and becomes Merlin’s champion! Experience Captain Britain’s first battles as he faces fearsome foes like the Reaver, Hurricane, Dr. Synne, the Mastermind computer, Lord Hawk, Nykonn and the Manipulator. And thrill to his dynamic team-up with U.S. counterpart Captain America as they join forces to battle the Red Skull! Plus: the debut of Brian’s sister, Betsy Braddock — better known today as the X-Men’s Psylocke! Never before seen on our shores, these early tales of Marvel U.K.’s original hero are classic British action, presented in the Mighty Marvel Manner! Collecting CAPTAIN BRITAIN (1976) #1-39 and SUPER SPIDER-MAN AND CAPTAIN BRITAIN #231-232.
376 PGS./Rated A ...$39.99

 
X-MEN: FALLEN ANGELS PREMIERE HC
Written by JO DUFFY
Penciled by KERRY GAMMILL, MARIE SEVERIN & JOE STATONFrom the pages of X-FACTOR: Madrox and Siryn! From the pages of NEW MUTANTS: Sunspot and Warlock! From the pages of X-FORCE: the Vanisher and Boom-Boom! Mix these six unlikely allies with Devil Dinosaur, super-strong lobsters and some teenage runaways, and you’ve got the Fallen Angels! What wonders await these strange heroes of Beat Street in the paradise of Coconut Grove? Witness one of the strangest X-Men adventures of all time! Collecting FALLEN ANGELS #1-8.
200 PGS. $29.99

 
ROCKET RACCOON: GUARDIAN OF THE KEYSTONE QUADRANT PREMIERE HC
Written by BILL MANTLO
Penciled by KEITH GIFFEN, MIKE MIGNOLA & SAL BUSCEMAIt’s Rocket Raccoon, the deadliest weapons expert in the galaxy! Before he lent his expertise to the war effort during Annihilation, before he saved the universe as one of the Guardians of the Galaxy, Rocket Raccoon was the Guardian of the Keystone Quadrant! Experience his original adventures with the Incredible Hulk, and his anthropomorphic allies and enemies on his home planet of Halfworld! Collecting INCREDIBLE HULK (1968) #271, ROCKET RACCOON #1-4 and material from MARVEL PREVIEW #7.
144 PGS. $24.99