Excalibur #69
“Blight & Fog”
Writer: Evan Skolnik
Pencils and colours: Steve Buccellato
Inks: Don Hudson
Letters: Chris Eliopoulos
Editors: Bob Harras and Suzanne Gaffney
Original publication date: September 1993
[/et_pb_text][et_pb_code _builder_version=”4.18.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”] [/et_pb_code][et_pb_button button_url=”https://www.marvel.com/comics/issue/8653/excalibur_1988_69″ url_new_window=”on” button_text=”marvel unlimited link” _builder_version=”4.18.0″ custom_button=”on” button_text_size=”14px” button_text_color=”#FFFFFF” button_bg_color=”#ef00db” button_border_width=”8px” button_border_color=”RGBA(255,255,255,0)” button_letter_spacing=”2px” button_font=”Nunito|700||on|||||” button_use_icon=”off” custom_margin=”30px|||” animation_style=”slide” animation_direction=”right” animation_intensity_slide=”5%” animation_starting_opacity=”100%” box_shadow_style=”preset2″ box_shadow_horizontal=”0px” box_shadow_vertical=”25px” box_shadow_blur=”45px” box_shadow_color=”rgba(148,166,191,0.25)” global_colors_info=”{}” button_text_size__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_text_size__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_text_size__hover_enabled=”off” button_text_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_text_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_text_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_border_width__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_border_width__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_border_width__hover_enabled=”off” button_border_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_border_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_border_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_border_radius__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_border_radius__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_border_radius__hover_enabled=”off” button_letter_spacing__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_letter_spacing__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_letter_spacing__hover_enabled=”off” button_bg_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_bg_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_bg_color__hover_enabled=”off”][/et_pb_button][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ admin_label=”My Books Section” _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_margin=”23px|||||” custom_padding=”100px||100px|” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_margin=”-78px|auto||auto||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.18.0″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”||7px|||” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″]A sexy little number can’t save Excalibur #69, “Blight and Fog,” from living up to its title. But that doesn’t mean we can’t have fun writing better (and queerer!) stories about everyone’s favourite Warrior of the Ghrand Jhar Shi’ar war criminal with the stalwart support of a writer who’s also Cerise’s Biggest Fan, Hunter Felt! We talk might-have-been’s and could-still-be’s and wonder what a good Cerise/Kurt relationship might look like in a different world where they were allowed to love their difference instead of surrendering to 90s tropes. We also toast the presumably bright future of the character find of 1993—gender-swapped Fang!
[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version="4.16" _module_preset="default" global_colors_info="{}"][et_pb_column type="4_4" _builder_version="4.16" _module_preset="default" global_colors_info="{}"][et_pb_blurb title="On affiliations with Cerise:" image="https://voxpopcast.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/69_good-cerise.jpg" _builder_version="4.18.0" _module_preset="default" global_colors_info="{}"]“When I encountered Cerise as a kid, it felt like she merged my masculine and feminine interests. Cerise is a superhero, but she’s also straight out of the Barbie aisle—that forbidden pink aisle I wasn’t allowed shop in because I was a boy.” -Hunter
[/et_pb_blurb][et_pb_blurb title="On missed opportunities:" image="https://voxpopcast.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/69_opening-splash.jpg" _builder_version="4.18.0" _module_preset="default" global_colors_info="{}"]“This is Cerise’s first big spotlight and her last big spotlight. They give her an origin story just to write her out of the comic.” -Hunter
[/et_pb_blurb][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version="4.16" _module_preset="default" global_colors_info="{}"][et_pb_column type="4_4" _builder_version="4.16" _module_preset="default" global_colors_info="{}"][et_pb_blurb title="On relational homogenization: " image="https://voxpopcast.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/69_Kurt-and-cerise.jpg" _builder_version="4.18.0" _module_preset="default" global_colors_info="{}"]“We’ve talked before about the queer potential of Cerise, but this origin story homogenizes her—and her relationship to Kurt.” -Andrew
[/et_pb_blurb][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version="4.16" _module_preset="default" custom_margin="-16px|auto||auto||" global_colors_info="{}"][et_pb_column type="4_4" _builder_version="4.16" _module_preset="default" global_colors_info="{}"][et_pb_blurb title="On the potential of Cerise:" image="https://voxpopcast.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/69_cerise-fish-out-of-water.jpg" _builder_version="4.18.0" _module_preset="default" custom_padding="0px|||||" global_colors_info="{}"]“I identified with Cerise as a fish-out-of-water character, viewing the world through fresh eyes… There’s nothing resembling that in this story arc… I call this story arc ‘The Character Assassination of Cerise by the Coward Scott Lobdell.” -Hunter
[/et_pb_blurb][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version="4.16" _module_preset="default" global_colors_info="{}"][et_pb_column type="4_4" _builder_version="4.16" _module_preset="default" global_colors_info="{}"][et_pb_blurb title="On Bag Girl-ification:" image="https://voxpopcast.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/69_Cerise-kick.jpg" _builder_version="4.18.0" _module_preset="default" global_colors_info="{}"]“Cerise is assimilated into the ‘Bad Girl’ archetype of the 90s and there’s no ability to step outside of that and imagine a different way of being female or feminine and strong.” -Anna
[/et_pb_blurb][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version="4.16" _module_preset="default" global_colors_info="{}"][et_pb_column type="4_4" _builder_version="4.16" _module_preset="default" global_colors_info="{}"][et_pb_blurb title="On new status quos:" image="https://voxpopcast.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/69_not-different-or-special.jpg" _builder_version="4.18.0" _module_preset="default" global_colors_info="{}"]“This new Excalibur doesn’t want to be different, doesn’t want to be special. It wants to be the fourth best-selling X-Men book in the line.” -Andrew
[/et_pb_blurb][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version="4.16" _module_preset="default" global_colors_info="{}"][et_pb_column type="4_4" _builder_version="4.16" _module_preset="default" global_colors_info="{}"][et_pb_blurb title="On continuity questions:" image="https://voxpopcast.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/69_children.jpg" _builder_version="4.18.0" _module_preset="default" global_colors_info="{}"]“One of the few things we know about Cerise is that she doesn’t know what babies are…” -Mav
[/et_pb_blurb][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version="4.16" _module_preset="default" global_colors_info="{}"][et_pb_column type="4_4" _builder_version="4.16" _module_preset="default" global_colors_info="{}"][et_pb_blurb title="On better stories:" image="https://voxpopcast.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/69_better-excalibur.jpg" _builder_version="4.18.0" _module_preset="default" global_colors_info="{}"]“Compared to other comics in the 90s, which were a lot grimmer and more violent… in Excalibur, the fight scenes are secondary to everything else that’s going on. I loved that.” -Hunter
[/et_pb_blurb][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version="4.16" _module_preset="default" custom_margin="20px|auto||auto||" global_colors_info="{}"][et_pb_column type="4_4" _builder_version="4.16" _module_preset="default" global_colors_info="{}"][et_pb_team_member name="Want more Hunter Felt?" image_url="https://voxpopcast.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/69_hunter.jpeg" _builder_version="4.18.0" _module_preset="default" global_colors_info="{}"]You can find him on Twitter (@HunterFelt) and you can find his sports writing at The Guardian and at Forbes.com.
You can also support his creative writing, television musings, and other goodies on Patreon.
[/et_pb_team_member][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”-107px|||||” custom_padding=”80px|||||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.18.0″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”-63px|||||” global_colors_info=”{}”]And as usual:
You can find Anna on Twitter (@peppard_anna) and at Sequential Scholars (@seqscholars).
You can find Andrew on Twitter (@ClaremontRun) and at Sequential Scholars.
You can find Mav on Twitter (@chrismaverick) and on his podcast, VoxPopcast (@VoxPopcast).
Enjoy!
-GGW Team
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