Excalibur #18: Is Betsy Back?

We have a woman who looks like Captain Britain standing before Excalibur, yet there is a lot of mystery as to her intentions and her true identity. Rogue and Rachel both having the discussion of what is going on with Betsy, Rachel shares that Betsy just feels pain and depression. Before departing Rachel proceeds to give Rogue a little bit of her psychic abilities in the situation she isn’t able to help. Rogue and the team make the unanimous decision to let Betsy be for a little while longer while she continues to process the recent events. 

Throughout the issue we see multiple characters spanning from Emma Frost to Betsy’s brothers all showing their frustration due to Excalibur not immediately alerting them to Betsy’s return. In Excalibur’s defense they state each time that they are unsure about this woman appearing before them and if she is authentically their teammate. 

I love how Tini Howard makes it incredibly clear throughout this issue that absolutely nothing is going to get past Rogue, not today especially. We get glimpses of odd moments catching Rogue’s eye and her immediately wanting to solve it. 

One big highlight for me this issue is while Rogue and Rictor are looking through Apocalypse’s old stuff. This scene brings up the important discussion of mutant magic and the ways this will potentially impact Mutants in the future. I love the seeds that Howard is planting for this concept of mutant magic. 

Marcus To is able to keep me glued to each panel with his art. From the scenes of Rogue and Rachel talking near Betsy to the incredible fight scene of imposter Betsy turning on the team it’s simply beautiful. I love the way different characters are drawn walking through the Krakoan Gates. The final panel of Kwannon standing before Rogue is incredibly thought provoking. 

Erick Arciniega shows incredible skill for color when it comes to the scene that shows The Five. The coloring through the issue itself is breathtaking. I appreciate the red coloring of the Krakoan Gates.