1988 - Excalibur Poster by Alan Davis and Paul Neary

Captain Britain with Mjolnir by Paul Neary

1988 - Anatomy of a cover - Comics Interview #56

By Alan Davis and Paul Neary.

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.

Marvel Comics' Solicitations - September 2013 1980s Goodness

FANTASTIC FOUR BY JOHN BYRNE OMNIBUS VOL. 2 HC
Written by JOHN BYRNE, MARK GRUENWALD & ROGER STERN
Penciled by JOHN BYRNE, MARK BRIGHT, JERRY ORDWAY & RON WILSON
Covers by JOHN BYRNE

Superstar John Byrne’s legendary run concludes with one of the most innovative periods in Fantastic Four history! The sensational She-Hulk replaces the Thing, Sue Richards becomes the Invisible Woman, and Mr. Fantastic is tried for crimes against the universe! Also featuring the return of Dr. Doom, the fate of Reed and Sue’s unborn child, the resurrection of Jean Grey, and more — as the FF confront deadly foes including the Mole Man, Dr. Octopus, Terminus, the Beyonder, Mephisto, Psycho-Man and Annihilus!
Plus: the unfinished “Last Galactus Story,” reprinted for the first time!

Collecting FANTASTIC FOUR (1961) #261-295 and ANNUAL #18-19, ALPHA FLIGHT (1983) #4, THING (1983) #10 and #19, and AVENGERS ANNUAL #14; and material from SECRET WARS II #2, EPIC ILLUSTRATED #26-34, WHAT IF? (1977) #36, WHAT THE-?! #2 and #10, THING (1983) #7, FANTASTIC FOUR ROAST, and FANTASTIC FOUR SPECIAL EDITION #1.
1224 PGS./Rated T …$125

S.H.I.E.L.D.: NICK FURY VS. S.H.I.E.L.D. TPB (NEW PRINTING)
Written by BOB HARRAS
Penciled by PAUL NEARY

SHIELD faces its greatest threat — from within! All that stands in the way of its enigmatic inner agenda is Nick Fury himself…but Fury falls from grace when SHIELD’s ruling council, commanded by the mysterious Deltite, frames him for treason and sends him running for his life. The network Fury built turns against him, and even he can’t fight an army alone. Going underground, Fury gathers allies — but the Deltite’s cult have targeted Fury’s few remaining loyalists, replacing them with Life Model Decoy androids. Which agents are true to Fury? Which ones aren’t even real? And which, if any, will survive? Must Fury destroy the organization to which he’s devoted his life? In a world of lies that he constructed, who can a master spy trust?

Collecting NICK FURY VS. S.H.I.E.L.D. #1-6.
304 PGS./Rated T …$29.99

THOR EPIC COLLECTION: WAR OF THE PANTHEONS TPB
Written by TOM DEFALCO, STAN LEE, JIM SHOOTER, ROGER STERN & RON FRENZ
Penciled by RON FRENZ, ERIK LARSEN, BOB HALL, CHARLES VESS & MORE

It’s the beginning of a new era for the mighty Thor — but it just might be the end of the Norse gods! With Asgard adrift in space, Thor must sacrifice all when he finds himself in a losing battle to protect the planet Pangoria against the unimaginably powerful Celestials! But when Seth the Serpent God unleashes an all-out assault on Asgard, can the Norse gods defeat his ruthless army without their greatest warrior? Plus: Thor takes on the Hulk, clashes with the Celtic Lord of Lightning, battles Quicksand and tackles the maddening Mongoose alongside Spider-Man! Earth Force targets Hogun for death! A watershed moment for Captain America! Surtur makes his demonic return! And introducing Eric Masterson and the Thor of the 24th century!

Collecting THOR (1966) #383-400.
472 PGS./Rated T …$34.99

THOR BY WALTER SIMONSON VOL. 2 TPB
Written by WALTER SIMONSON
Penciled by WALTER SIMONSON & SAL BUSCEMA

Few people have ever left their mark on one character quite the way Walter Simonson has. His work on the Mighty Thor swept the Norse God of Thunder to heights never before seen and rarely achieved in his wake. Spanning epic tales of heroism and treachery, love and war, Simonson’s work is often considered the definitive Thor. From the majesty and mystery of fabled Asgard to the gritty streets of New York City, Thor was never the same. That is the mark of a true visionary. This second volume continues the collection of Simonson’s epic run — completely remastered from the original artwork and newly colored by Steve Oliffe. Collecting THOR (1966) #346-355.
240 PGS./Rated T …$24.99

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

1988 - Excalibur Special Edition Alternate Cover

Here's the published cover:

And here's the alternative version. The only difference I see is the "The Sword Is Drawn" lettering. Also, the credits are in a different colour. And the inking in the alternate version seems darker.

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!"