Excalibur #24: The Trials of the Captains Britain

Excalibur opens up with a welcoming horror aesthetic of Betsy drinking wine being questioned by twin vampires. With it being spooky month I really do appreciate this opening scene. Howard naturally is able to always deliver when it comes to moments where we get strong insight from Betsy. This scene and later in the issue certainly hones in on that.

We get a moment of Jubilee reflecting on her son’s freedom to be a dragon. It’s conflicting to her as while she knows her son is happy flying through the skies, she doesn’t want to lose her connection to him. Having your baby turned into a whole dragon isn’t a common issue for mothers so I get her confusion around the situation. I love how Jubilee describes herself as being selfish in this context, because sometimes it’s okay to be a little selfish. I have a soft spot for Jubilee so any moment I see with her certainly makes me happy.

Howard brings us to an important court ruling for the outcome of the three variant Captain Britains Rogue, Gambit and Rictor. Betsy speaks on behalf of them and defends them. Before the conversation can continue we see an alarming moment where Merlin is found inside the court. I enjoy seeing the beautifully drawn panels we see follow this of heroic fight scenes of Excalibur. 

When it comes to the various appearances of the Betsy Captain Corp, I really adore Marcus To’s approach to how fun and different the designs are. To is able to really give the reader a sense of how different each universe is in the multiverse. Arciniega continues to add such a beautiful touch with coloring on each panel.