The review will have to be issue by issue for this volume; the art and writing varies widely. Issues 6 & 7 are Inferno tie-ins, with art by Alan Davis (Claremont is the writer throughout). They are average issues but they serve to tie the story in to Inferno while still dealing with the larger Excalibur plots and character dramas, which is smoother than most tie-ins are. Issue 8 is drawn by Ron Lim and is a bit tedious as we watch Meggan and Captain Britain losing control of their powers. Issue 9 finds the series back in full form with Davis back on art duties, and the multi-dimensional aspect of the comic returning to the fore. (This series is at its best when it is dealing with the multiverse, in my opinion.) Issues 10 and 11 continue the multiversal storyline, but suffer from some uneven art by Marshall Rogers. Finally, the Mojo Mayhem trade paperback, with excellent (as always) artwork by Art Adams. Major nerd alert: My one niggling complaint with that story, however, is that while it is supposed to take place sometime around issues 10 and 11, it actually doesn't fit anywhere, unless one accepts the words "Considerably later" in issue 11 to encompass enough time for the events of Mojo Mayhem to take place. Like I said, Nerd Alert. Don't stress over it and it is just another fun Mojoverse story.

So, over all, some good stuff in this issue, with some occasionally uneven non-Alan Davis artwork, and some tedious agonizing by Captain Britain and Meggan, but essential for the larger Excalibur storyline. ( )

Hmmph. One good story, one OK (though mostly because it's a setup for Cross-Time Caper), several icky ones. Goblin Queen is mostly annoying, though there's a few good bits - the gargoyle, and Crotus getting his comeuppance, and the SF fans. The story after that is nearly unbearable - I'd be sorry for Brian if he weren't being such an idiot. And while I like both Meggan's introspection and her confidence, having the two in such quick succession makes both suspect. Is it that Brian wants her to be confident? Bah. And Kitty is awful with the New Mutants, though that does get cleared up a little. Then the Lightning Force - I like that, they're such wonderfully awful villains. And Brian wondering if he sounds as pompous as that (yes, you do, sorry). But mostly I like it because it will lead to Cross-Time Caper. Whatever happened to the dinosaurs, anyway? And then Kitty being _such_ a fifteen-year-old. I forget for ages just how young she is - and then she pulls an idiocy like this dressing-up. And what's wrong with how she looks? Red's not her color but it's not bad either. And then they go out to begin the Cross-Time Caper - and the story stops. Frust! Do I have the CTC somewhere? Hmmm... Oh, and then the X-Babies story. I guess that was the annual or something - it's tucked into the other stories in terms of timeline, but not referred to in any of the other stories. Kitty is a lot more adult in here - partly because she has to be, taking care of the kids. The bits with the comics writers - the car, and before that the weird structure on Mojo's world - are cute. Kitty's solution is neat, though it doesn't work quite as planned - and what happens to Judith? I think she shows up later, too. And I love the ending. Fun - not great, but fun. But overall this book (this year?) is a real downer. Some of the stories I skimmed - Brian in NY - because I couldn't bear to actually read them. ( )