Excalibur #13: Chutes and Ladders

This issue was considerably better than the entire previous series. This is possibly due to the fact that it was a tie-in story, so the framework for what was to come was laid down by someone other than Tini Howard. It was deeply enjoyable to see the Braddock siblings interacting in a way that felt more natural to them as a family.

Indeed, the dialogue in this issue was far superior to what’s come before in this series. The characters actually sounded like themselves (‘faffing’ was good; ‘gone pear shaped’ was not. The former sounded like something a British person would actually say. The latter was almost like an American’s expectation. Which was odd) and they interacted in a manner consistent with their history.

It was wonderful to see Betsy explicitly dealing with the after effects of inhabiting a body (specifically an appropriated Asian body) and the fact that her propensity for ‘clinging to the shadows’ has led to some internal conflict for her. 

Brian’s ruse with Saturnine was very in character for him. It was refreshing to see a little bit of foxiness. And it’s good to know that Betsy will be maintaining her mantle for at least a little bit longer.

R.B Silva’s art was splendid, this time around. I haven’t been a fan in the past (I don’t like it when every woman looks exactly the same) but there was some real expression on Betsy, here, and his knack for landscape and background was really special. He’s won me over. 

All in all, this was a good story, and unlike other entries in X of Swords, this story served a purpose. 

It’s well worth picking up.