Knights Of X #1
As Merlin and Arthur persecute mutants in Otherworld, Captain Britain assembles her knights for a quest in Knights Of X #1, by writer Tini Howard, artist Bob Quinn, colorist Erick Arciniega, and letterer Ariana Maher. The issue’s art is great throughout, but the writing leaves something to be desired.
As Merlin’s Furies hunt Otherworld for mutants, Captain Britain and Saturnyne argue over their next course of action, with Captain Britain wanting to get Krakoan help. She goes to Roma, who offers her a quest and a portal back to Krakoa. Meggan, Rictor, Shatterstar, Bei the Blood Moon, Jubilee and Shogo, Gambit, and Rachel Summers all get the call and meet up with her. They go to Arbor Magna and try to resurrect Mordred, Arthur’s mutant son who holds the key to his downfall, but he disappears upon resurrection. The group decides to go to Otherworld, but Jubilee is left behind when they get there, and everyone is changed. Meggan and Rachel decide to look for an old friend in Otherworld and find Kylun under attack by Arthur and his forces. A black knight appears to help them during the pitched battle, and they drive off Arthur’s forces. Once assembled, their quest is revealed- they must hunt down the Siege Perilous. Meanwhile, Merlin gives Arthur and his men the same quest.
Excalibur was pretty hit or miss for a lot of fans. Howard’s writing is an acquired taste, and that’s fully on display here as well. This is pretty boilerplate fantasy filtered through the Krakoa era of mutant books. There’s nothing wrong with it, but comparing it to writer/artist Alan Davis’s Excalibur, there’s no sense of whimsy. This is just fantasy with mutants, and Howard isn’t some amazing fantasy writing talent. She hits all of the right spots with the writing and sets up the first issue well, but there’s nothing special about any of it.
That doesn’t mean that the book doesn’t have potential. There are a lot of cool little plot lines laid out in this book, and for fans of the old Captain Britain and Excalibur who are giving this book a try without reading the last volume of Howard’s work, there’s some great little callbacks. Seeing the Furies and Kylun again is a treat and getting Rachel and Meggan back together is a little bit of an original Excalibur reunion. The writing in this comic is competent, but that’s pretty much all the praise one can give it.
The art is another story. Quinn and Arciniega do an amazing job throughout the issue. The action scenes are crisp and clean, and Quinn was born to draw fantasy situations like the ones in this book. His character acting is on point, and the design of everything looks great. Even for people that don’t like the writing very much, Quinn’s art is worth the price of admission. Arciniega’s colors are the icing cake, really bringing out the nuance of the pencils. This is a wonderful art team, and they elevate the book on every page.
Knights Of X #1 is a cliche fantasy opening chapter. Howard is a talented enough writer to make it all work, but this book has nothing outstanding. It’s all boilerplate, but there is enough to keep a reader coming back. The art is what really sells the book. Quinn and Arciniega are an incredible team, and they elevate the tepid script and make the book special.