239. Excalibur vol 2 #1 ... Marvel ... Chris Claremont n Aaron Lopresti ...

I still recall buying this issue when it came out from one of the comics specialty shops in Malaysia and was shocked at the cover. Shocked not because of what it portrays but the artwork. At that time, the mutants were still popular before Avengers kicked all sorts of @$$ on everyone else. So when it was a #1 ... what the heck? Back then everyone believed in collectibles ... before the current trend of relaunching every year or three

So let's do this in a proper manner, shall we?

Writer Claremont is possibly the best writer on Uncanny X-Men to-date and when they put him on this series, I expected great things. Artist Aaron is not my favorite but his lines aren't bad. They are realistic and just lack that over-the-top style I prefer

So what failed here? Either inking or colouring. Even the interiors were a disappointment which was why I didn't continue with the rest of the series and only occasionally picked it up when I found an issue in the bargain bins and even then ...

As to the content, it is a decent opening issue. We see the world as it is after the madness that went down in Genosha. For those not in the know, Genosha was a nation where the humans used technology to exploit its mutant population to the point that it can even activate latent powers for the good of the state. After a revolution, it became somewhat free ... somewhere along the line, after Magneto pulled one of his threats/ terrorist acts, he was actually given Genosha as his base and sort of become a sovereign head of state! Yeah, yeah, we are shocked too

This issue starts when Genosha was totally destroyed (more or less) by one of the X-Men's foes. And so Charles Xavier feels guilty and decided to leave USA for Genosha on his own in his wheelchair to see if there are survivors especially young mutants who needed help

And upon his arrival encounters a host of other surprises and shocks

As you can see, suspend your disbelief and it's ... interesting ... however, the other thing that gets me is this. Apparently if you wear tights and have your own transport, you can go any country in the world without giving a damn about immigration. I mean, here is Charles travelling to another country hoping to find kids and bring them back on his own. Is that permitted anywhere in the world? And this isn't the first time. How often do we see heroes going from country to country and welcomed with open arms?

Sigh!

Ratings: 5/10