Excalibur #87

Excalibur #87 was published by Marvel Comics in 1995 as part of the series' mid-nineties run. This era of the title is noted for its transition away from the original Chris Claremont-penned team dynamics toward a more streamlined, superhero-focused narrative under the guidance of writer Warren Ellis and artist Ken Lashley. The issue reflects the shifting tone of the X-Men offshoot during this period, focusing on a cast that had evolved significantly from its original inception as a British-based team.

The visual direction for this period relied on the stylized, high-contrast aesthetics popular in nineties comic art. Ken Lashley’s work on the title aimed to modernize the characters' appearances and integrate them into the broader, increasingly interconnected Marvel landscape of the time. While Excalibur was initially conceived to offer a more whimsical or experimental alternative to the core X-Men titles, by the mid-nineties, it had become more grounded in traditional action-oriented storytelling, a stylistic choice that met with varying responses from longtime fans of the series' more eccentric early years.