Excalibur #3

“Moving Day”

Writer: Chris Claremont

Penciler: Alan Davis

Inker: Paul Neary

Colourist: Glynis Oliver

Letterer: Lois Buhalis

Editor: Terry Kavanagh 

Publication date: December 1988     

In this episode, Anna, Mav, Andrew, and special guest Brad Mendenhall of the Cosmic Geppetto Podcast discuss Excalibur #3, “Moving Day,” and fight about the Juggernaut (just kidding—everyone loves him). Other topics include the domestic texture of Excalibur, and why this might just be the Best Issue Ever. Also, Anna shuts down Mav’s assertion that Kurt is the Duckie of Excalibur’s central love triangle. 

This episode has an enhanced video version! Watch here:

“We’re told Cyclops is a brilliant leader, but his strategy is often to have everyone run at the bad guys. The fight here is tactical and rational with great visual inventiveness from Davis.”-Andrew 

“Brian is an overpowered, too good-looking putz. Which makes sense. You can’t have someone that tall, that blue-eyed, that powerful, and have him be perfect. In a team book, it won’t work.” -Brad 

“Juggernaut is a really great bad guy, who shows how impressive Excalibur is. In other comics, entire teams can’t take him down. Here, Excalibur does it in a few panels.” -Brad

“Claremont didn’t always like ‘point and shoot’ powers. He liked inventive powers you could use in multiple way. Kitty’s phasing is a good example of that. It can do anything if you let it.”-Brad

“John Byrne was quoted as saying, if Claremont had his way, every comic would just be two people having a conversation while strolling through a village.”-Andrew

“There’s perfect visual character work in the scene where Kurt & Meggan hug. The way she hides her face while burying it in his chest, while he holds her steady with his tail wound down his leg—it says so much about both characters.” -Anna

“Fighting Juggernaut is their job. That’s them going to work. But that’s not the interesting story. The interesting story is the relationships between the characters. Superheroics are just the backdrop.” -Mav 

And the second appearance of the catchphrase that launched 126+ issue podcast! Which we still don’t explain, ‘cause neither does the issue!

You can find Brad Mendenhall at the Cosmic Geppetto Podcast (@CosmicGPod). 

And as usual: 

You can find Anna on Twitter (@peppard_anna) and on her podcast with Andrew and Michael Hancock, Three Panel Contrast (@3PanelContrast). 

You can find Andrew on Twitter (@ClaremontRun).

You can find Mav on Twitter (@chrismaverick) and on his podcast, VoxPopcast (@VoxPopcast). 

Enjoy!

-GGW Team