Rachel Superhero Squad Figure Coming Soon!

At the San Diego Comic Con, Hasbro announced that a Marvel Girl figure will be part of an upcoming wave of Superhero Squad. These are the mini figures made for little kids. The figure features Rachel in her green Marvel Girl costume. Rachel will be paired with Cyclops. No word yet on when the figure will be released.

You can view the figure and Hasbro's Superhero Squad display here and here.

Dan Abnett, Andy Lanning & Bill Rosemann Talk War of Kings

All of the major comic news sites have interviews with writers Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning (AKA DnA, who write Nova and Guardians of the Galaxy, along with the Annihilation series), and Marvel editor Bill Rosemann. Here are the Starjammers related highlights:

From IGN:

IGN Comics: Can you break down the basic structure of the story? What titles will it encompass and when can fans expect to see it in stores?

Rosemann: Seeds are being planted now and throughout 2008 in titles such as Secret Invasion: Inhumans, then the opening shots will be fired in early '09. And never fear, as the armies march closer to the battlefield, Marvel will be releasing the official list of War of Kings titles.

DnA: Battlelines are being drawn up right now, all will be revealed as we move from the end of '08 into '09.

From Newsarama:

While Marvel's previous "cosmic" events -- Annihilation and Annihilation: Conquest -- have mostly been relegated to cosmic characters that don't touch the rest of the Marvel universe, this event will involve much of what is going on now throughout the 616, particularly in Secret Invasion. For example, Marvel editor Nick Lowe said at Marvel's Secret Invasion panel that Chris Yost will be writing something with Vulcan that will lead up to the event and will include Havok, Polaris and Marvel Girl.

NRAMA: It looks like the Shi-Ar will also play into this. You haven't worked with them before as part of your cosmic stories, have you? What's that going to be like to get your hands on those characters?

AL: No. When we were doing the Annihilation stuff, [Ed] Brubaker was doing the Rise and Fall of the Shi'Ar Empire stuff. So at that stage, the Shi'Ar were kind of off the table for us, because they obviously had their own involved storyline that Ed was working on with the X-Men books. Obviously, now, things have lined up quite nicely so that we are able to involve them in the War of Kings story. It's yet another great cosmic classic that we're getting to work with. Basically, we've done the Kree, we've had Skrulls, so it's been a nice progression to work our way up to the Shi'Ar.

DA: The nice thing for us is that sometimes the characters out of the X-office do remain sort of separated because they have a continuity all their own. And the Shi'Ar are so important, cosmically speaking, I'm glad we get to use them now, because otherwise there would have to be an increasing question in Marvel readers' minds that we've had these Annihilation events, so why haven't we seen the Shi'Ar in them? You'd think it would be affecting them in some sort of way. So it will be great to show there's that we're sort of linking up different parts of the Marvel Universe, and it's really exciting.

AL: It's almost like the Shi'Ar Empire has been sitting there like they've had very noisy neighbors. This is them starting to bang on the walls and yelling to shut up. [laughs]


NRAMA: An advantage of the timing of doing a story with the Shi'Ar Empire is it now has a character like Vulcan, who has been explored quite a bit lately and has ties to the Summers characters in other parts of the Marvel Universe. Can you talk about Vulcan's role in this at all?

AL: Not too much. Not beyond the point that everyone will know going into this book that Vulcan is taking the Shi'Ar into an overly expansive time at the moment. They're kind of expanding their empire. So that, more than anything, at some point, is going to make him butt heads with some of his cosmic neighbors. And that -- and seeing what their reaction to that state of mind is -- leads to what's going to happen in the War of Kings event.

NRAMA: We've see the Starjammers in the teasers as well. So are they going to be playing a part in this?

DA: All the people you've seen in the teasers will play a part, greater or lesser, in this story. We're drawing together strands from different parts of continuity, and it would be remiss of us not to make sure that anybody who would be affected doesn't get touched upon. So we get to connect up characters that wouldn't otherwise have met, necessarily. And I think that's great. It has that sense of cosmic scope where everyone really is in the same universe. And also, if we've done this correctly, all of those characters will have some role to play in the greater story as well.

From CBR:

When the “War of Kings” finally does erupt, it won’t be a simple Good vs. Evil type of conflict. “This isn't a traditional heroes versus villains story, but it is going to have a true epic scale with clearly defined sides,” DnA remarked.”

“Each side of this battle thinks they are right " which makes it awfully deadly for those caught in the crossfire!” Rosemann added.

The titles and tie-ins which will make up “War of Kings” have yet to be revealed, but readers can expect a prologue and a core mini-series which will be written by DnA.

Marvel War of Kings - Secret Invasion Tie-In

At San Diego Comic Con, Marvel has announced War of Kings - which the "Who Will Rule" teasers were alluding to.

Here is CBR's report from the SDCC Secret Invasion Panel:

Regarding the cosmic characters and the "who will rule" teasers -- it's called War of Kings, a Secret Invasion tie-in. It begins in August with Joe Pokaski's Secret Invasion: Inhumans. Vulcan will play a big role, as does Havok, Polaris, Marvel Girl and more. A slide then appeared depicting Black Bolt. "That guy is going to be pretty pissed off," Pokaski said.

Is War of Kings next summer's huge event? Will there be more cosmic stuff? Lowe: "It won't be a summer event, but a winter/spring event."

McCann: "It involves a great deal of cosmic characters and threads. All of that comes crashing together."

From Newsarama:

(Nick) Lowe talked about Vulcan's role in "War of Kings," saying "We've got something coming up at the end of this year with Vulcan that Chris Yost has a very big hand in," saying you'll also see Havok, Polaris and Marvel Girl.

Polask discussed Black Bolt's role in "War of Kings," saying that "we're going to see a different side of the Inhumans," and that Black Bolt will be "pretty pissed off."

IGN has a small report about War of Kings and will have an interview with Nova and Guardians of the Galaxy writers Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning and editor Bill Rosemann tomorrow morning.

Marvel now has an interview with Dan, Andy and Bill:

At the heart of War of Kings will be Vulcan, the current emperor of the Shi'ar and the spark set to potentially ignite universal chaos. Introduced by Brubaker as the third Summers brother, sibling to the X-Men's Cyclops and Havok, when last we left Vulcan he had solidified claim to his thrown in the X-MEN: EMPEROR VULCAN limited series written by Chris Yost and seemed set to pursue bigger and bloodier conquests.

"Vulcan's a complicated guy with a seriously screwed up personal history," notes Abnett. "[He's] not the most stable of leaders and [now the Shi'ar] are aggressively expanding their empire. This will put them at loggerheads with the universe around them and will certainly color their response to any potential [obstacles] that might come their way."

Those obstacles will include Havok and his team of Starjammers, including fellow X-Men alumni Polaris and Marvel Girl, though both editor and writing team declined comment on how the middle Summers brother would pose a threat from within the prison he found himself confided to following EMPEROR VULCAN.

More updates to follow.

Comic Con X-Panel - No News about the Starjammers Yet

Unfortunately today at the San Diego Comic Con's X-Men Panel and the Marvel Mondo Panel there wasn't any announcement about the "Who Will Rule" teaser that will reveal what's next for Rachel and the Starjammers. Several questions were asked about it, but the only news is that the announcement will be made on Saturday afternoon at the Secret Invasion panel.

So, it looks like "Who Will Rule" will be spinning directly out of Secret Invasion.

Who Will Rule - Starjammers & Guardians of the Galaxy

Yesterday and today, Marvel continues to hype the upcoming announcement at the San Diego Comic-Con with more Who Will Rule images with the Guardians of the Galaxy and the Starjammers.

This essentially confirms that this will be some sort of Cosmic Marvel event, perhaps a third Annihilation.

Updated 7/23: Marvel has now released a Nova Who Will Rule teaser image.

Updated 7/24: Now the Inhumans are joining the fray.

Who Will Rule??? - Vulcan Announcement Coming Next Week

Marvel put up a cryptic teaser today, along with the cover of Emperor Vulcan #2 with "Who Will Rule" on it.

Who will rule?

Stay tuned to Marvel.com and get ready for the blockbuster answer at San Diego Comic-Con!

Hopefully, this means at San Diego Comic Con, finally Marvel will be announcing what's next for Rachel and the Starjammers. SDCC starts next Thursday, which will have an X-Men Panel and a Mondo Marvel Panel. On Friday, there will be a Cup o' Joe Panel with Joe Quesada. It's likely that one of those three panels will have the big announcement.

"Who Will Rule?" seems a strange teaser, since Vulcan solidified this claim on the Shi'ar throne by the end of Emperor Vulcan, and Vulcan was looking to expand his empire...

Who Is the Messiah Complex Baby?

The identity of the baby at the center of Messiah Complex is one of the biggest mysteries in X-books today. Of course, this has been spurred on by various hints and clues (or red herrings?) that have lead many to guess that she has to be related to the Summers/Grey Clan due to her red hair, green eyes and connection to Cable, Cyclops and possibly the Phoenix Force.

Since the baby has for all intents and purposes been adopted by Cable, Rachel’s half-brother, she is essentially Rachel’s niece, which makes her relevant to this site. She’s even more relevant since there has been so much speculation that the baby is Jean Grey reborn or possibly another Rachel Summers (Grey). I address this in a previous blog post, Is the Messiah Complex Baby Rachel Summers? - Probably Not, but a lot has happened since then, so I figured it was time for a follow-up.

Prior to the release of Messiah Complex, writers insisted that the baby was a new character not related to any known characters. And that really does make the most sense.

But I want to address all of the theories, and what information has been said by writers and editors about the Messiah Complex baby’s identity.

Theories about who the Messiah baby is include:

1) The baby is a reborn Jean Grey.

2) The baby is the 616 version of Rachel Summers (Grey).

3) The baby is a reborn Madelyne Pryor.

4) The baby is somehow connected with the Askani, especially the Askani Warrior who took baby Nathan Christopher to the future in X-Factor #67, or Mother Askani (Rachel Summers).

5) The baby is Layla Miller.

6) The baby is Siryn and Jamie Maddox’ unborn child.

7) The baby is connected to the Phoenix Force.

8) Various odd-ball theories like the baby is Nate Grey & Threnody’s child, or the Scarlet Witch (Wanda Maximoff), or is connected to any other red-haired character like Firestar or Banshee.


Origins of The Messiah Complex Baby

There are indications that the baby originally was going to be Jean, but that changed between the X-Summit in January 2007 and when Messiah Complex was released.

The writers and editors involved in Messiah Complex gathered in New York in early 2007 and plotted out the entire crossover. Their notes were printed in the Messiah Complex Hard Cover Edition.

Excerpt X-Men Summit Notes:

Scott looks down at the baby nestled in his arms. Pulls back the covers to see its face. The baby looks up at him, then reaches out with one little hand and pulls out the necklace we saw earlier. Fondles it. Scott’s eyes widen. Could it be? He looks at Professor X. “It’s your choice, Scott,” Xavier says again.

In that moment, some part of Scott -- one not ruled by science and fact and empirical evidence-- realizes who this baby really is, realizes why Cable has to go. Scott handles the baby back to Cable.

The question is whether Marvel would ever release something in a trade like that that is a gigantic spoiler. It could have been blacked out. Also, it could have been added to further the speculation, since it doesn't really reveal anything other than that Scott thinks he knows who the baby is.

When the press for Messiah Complex began in the fall of 2007, writers were adamant that the baby was a new character, not a reborn mutant or child of an existing mutant.

From Newsarama:

NRAMA: So does this baby have famous parents or is it from unknown origins?

Mike Carey: There is no particular mystery about this baby from that perspective; this baby is from out of left field. In other words, this baby does not belong to a famous bloodline.

However, as time went on, writers and editors became far more coy about answering questions about who the baby is. As the speculation and hype about who the baby was build, the more coy the writers and editors became, and the more the Messiah Complex baby began to look like Jean.


The Baby and Her Ever Changing Hair and Eye Color.

The biggest evidence that most people cite as to why the baby must be Jean, Rachel, Madelyne or any other redhead, is the red hair and green eyes.

However, the baby didn’t start out like that. Initially, the speculation surrounded the ideas that the baby was Nate Grey or Layla Miller. In fact, as the speculation grew that the baby was Jean, her hair went from blonde to red.

When we first see the baby, (like in Messiah Complex Chapter 6, Uncanny X-Men 493) she is quite bald:



Next in X-Factor 26 (Chapter 7) , she has light brown/blonde hair and green eyes:



In New X-Men #45 (Chapter 8), the baby starts to have reddish hair:



In Uncanny X-Men 494 (Chapter 10), she has sandy blonde hair and green eyes:



In X-Position 33, Nick Lowe was asked if the baby is Layla Miller, since the baby has blonde hair and green eyes. His response was, “wouldn't call that hair blond. At least strawberry blond. Trust me. I know hair.”

In Chapter 11 (X-Factor 27) and Chapter 12 (New X-Men 46) the baby’s hair has become clearly red:





And then ultimately in Chapter 13 (X-Men 207), the baby looks like Jean Grey in miniature:




In Cable, the baby starts out with light red curly hair and blue eyes:



But by the second issue, her hair is redder and her eyes are green:



However, if the baby is “insert-the-name-of-your-favorite-redhead” from the beginning, wouldn’t the editors have caught the blonde error?

Babies hair does change after they are born, but I doubt that kind of little detail is going to be used here.


Jean Grey and Rachel Summers

Most of the speculation centers on the baby being Jean, and the second most popular guess seems to be Rachel. The hair and eye color is the most apparent connection that the baby has to Rachel and Jean, but there has been also a few other hints, especially in Messiah Complex.

Evidence connecting the Messiah baby to Jean, Rachel and the Phoenix Force:

1) Scott’s Flashbacks

Several times during Messiah Complex, flashbacks are shown when Scott is deciding what to do about the baby, like in X-Men 207:



This was an incredibly touching scene, that unfortunately some people don’t understand. Rather than having a thought-bubble where Scott went through the tragedies that have befallen him, Mike Carey used several flashbacks to symbolize what Scott was thinking about.

Top-Left Corner - The Askani telling Scott that the only way to cure his dying son (Nathan) is to take him to the future, but that he will be lost to him forever. (From X-Factor 67)

Middle - Scott losing Jean in New X-Men 150.

Lower Left - Scott being force to leave Nathan behind in the future, telling him he will never be alone. (The Adventures of Cyclops & Phoenix #4)

These memories are what caused Scott to decide to tell Nathan to take the baby to the future. They aren’t clues to who the baby is (although originally that might have been involved). Scott is reflecting on how he failed as a father and what his son had to go through. He tells Nathan to take the baby to the future so she choose herself and not be pawn.


2) The baby playing with Scott’s locket.



Although the Summit Notes point to more significance here, Mike Carey uses flashbacks and symbolism in lieu of thought bubbles.

There are other reasons to allude to Jean in this situation (other than her being the baby). Jean was (and in a way still very much is) the heart & soul of the X-Men. Had she been there, the events of Messiah Complex likely would have happened very differently. Jean would never have wanted the baby to be used as a pawn.



The Phoenix Connection

The Phoenix symbol in the baby’s eye in Cable #5:




When Cerebro is destroyed in Cable #5, there is a reflection resembling the Phoenix in the baby's eyes. Is this a clue that the baby is Jean or was born to the Phoenix Force? One thing to note is how this panel was revealed. It was one of the images released at Wizard World Philadelphia in May, three months before Cable #5 came out, and it immediately stirred up huge amount of talk about the baby and Cable.

Was this a stunt to stir up interest in Cable? Or foreshadowing?

If the Phoenix Force is involved, it is likely only as a catalyst for the birth of the baby, not because the baby is Jean or Rachel.


Madelyne Pryor/The Alaska Connection

The baby being a reborn Madelyne Pryor is another popular theory. Of course, Madelyne is Nathan’s mother, and a clone of Jean Grey created by Mr. Sinister. But the ”clue” most cited in tying the Messiah Complex baby to Maddie is that the baby was born in Alaska, which is where Scott first met Madelyne (she was working for his grandparents in Alaska as a pilot), and where Scott and Madelyne settled down to raise a family for a short period of time.

While I suppose it could be possible that the baby is Maddie, it seems like a strange way to bring back her character.


Askani

Another common theory about the identity of the Messiah Baby is that she is connected to the Askani, especially due to all of the flashbacks to the Askani in Messiah Complex. After all, how ironic would it be for Cable to raise the person who is responsible for saving him?

However, there isn't much evidence other than the flashbacks (which have a much deeper, personal meaning to Scott).

In X-Factor #67, a women known only as Askani comes to take little Nathan to the future, saying she can cure him from the techo-organic virus, but Nathan can never return. The Askani clanswomen is never identified, but it is later revealed she died in the attempt to bring Nathan to the future.

She was sent by Mother Askani (Rachel Summers), who had masterminded the whole plan to bring Nathan to the future. After being trapped in the time stream, Rachel had found herself 2000 years in the future, in a world ruled by Apocalypse. With none of the X-Men left to stop him, Rachel formed her own group (called the Askani)

The baby being an Askani doesn’t fit with several things that have been said by writers.

Chris Yost told X-Position that, "That baby’s role in his future is ancient history (to Cable)." So, whatever the baby does, it's in the near-future, and is ancient history to the Askani.

While the baby later traveling through time and helping with the Askani would be important to Cable, it doesn't exactly fit with continuity.

However, that does match with something that Rachel told Scott and Jean in The Adventures of Cyclops & Phoenix #1:




In the Adventures of Cyclops & Phoenix , Mother Askani tells Jean and Scott, that "for almost a century before this, the world enjoyed an almost unprecedented racial harmony. The Age of Xavier was a time when all races lived in peace. A peace Apocalypse used against an unsuspecting, trusting planet."

If the baby has any ties to the Askani, causing the Age of Xavier could be it. It fits with the theory that following whatever the baby grows up to do that would cause mutants to be locked in camps, there is something that causes the Age of Xavier. Essentially, no pain, no gain.



Evidence that the Baby Is Not a Reborn Character:


1) Mike Carey: There has been a certain amount of misdirection involved.

Mike Carey's (X-Men: Legacy) comments to Newsarama on this topic are incredibly insightful:

In terms of the baby’s identity—I think at various points in this story some readers, to a certain extent, are starting to ask a bunch of questions—which is cool. There has been a certain amount of misdirection involved. Lots of people want to know who her parents are—if the union that produced her was significant—there has been fan speculation that she might be an old character brought back from the dead—reborn in some way.

Clearly, the baby is special. She’s definitely unique; otherwise, how could she be born with powers in spite of the Scarlet Witch’s edict? But it’s far from clear that her powers arise from her lineage – from her being, or being born from, somebody who was already significant in X-Men continuity. It remains a possibility, but I’m not sure that that’s the best way to look at it. I can’t say anything more than that at this point though.

Although this doesn't preclude the baby from being Jean or Ray, Mike admits that there is false information that's been include. Perhaps that means all interviews can't be trusted, but it also means that anything in the books could easily be a red herring.

I'm not sure what to make of Mike's comment that "I’m not sure that that’s the best way to look at it". This could indication something along the lines of the Phoenix Force (through Jean) being involved in breaking Wanda's spell.


3) Duane Swierczynski: “(Cable & the baby’s) bond is little more than a mission objective”

Perhaps the strongest evidence that the baby is not Jean or a blood relative of Nathan’s is the way Duane describes Nathan and the baby’s relationship.

Duane told X-Position:

Oh, yeah, there's definitely a "Lone Wolf and Cub" vibe going on, but with one big difference. In "Lone Wolf," there's an obvious father-child bond. It's there in that first moment you hold your child, and you realize you'd take a bullet for him/her – no questions asked. Cable, though, isn't the baby's biological father. Right now, their bond is little more than a mission objective. It's a job to do. That will change over time though, and that was the real appeal of writing this series.”

If the baby was Jean or Rachel, then Nathan’s bond with the baby would be far more than just a mission objective. He would already have a familiar bond with the baby. His objectives would be coming far more from the heart and desire to save the baby because of who she is and how he feels about her, rather than his mission.

That’s exactly what happened when Rachel first saw baby Nathan in Uncanny X-Men #201. She swore that she would protect him, no matter what. And she did exactly that.

"Nate, we're a family. We share more than a name - we share a bond that transcends time and space. Life and death." - Rachel Summers, Cable 71


“Rachel and I have a bond that goes beyond brother and sister. She gave up everything for the sake of others.” - Nathan Summers, Cable 85

As illustrated by the quotes above, Rachel and Nathan have a strong bond, that motives the other beyond “mission objectives”. Both of them have gone out of their way to risk their lives for the other due to their bond and what each other have done for them.


Jean and Nathan also were especially close. Jean spent 12 years raising Nathan in the Askani future. Although Nate and Scott have never been all that close, Jean on the other hand, had a much closer relationship with Nate. This is especially evident during the period when it was believed Scott was dead.


3) A mutant being reborn due doesn’t help mutants avoid extinction in the long run.

With less than 198 mutants left, every mutant counts. However, a new mutant birth is distinctly different than a mutant believed dead returning.

A new mutant birth gives mutants hope that the species can survive and that more mutants will be born in the future. That becomes irrelevant if it’s simply the Phoenix Force resurrecting Jean Grey or another mutant.

On the other hand, if the baby was born due to a random mutation to two human parents, the baby represents hope for the species to survive and that more mutants will be born.


4) If the baby is Jean or Rachel, why didn't Cable tell the X-Men?

Cable went rogue to steal the baby and hide from the X-Men in Messiah Complex- likely out of fear that Bishop would have convinced them that the baby should die. Nathan seemed to believe that only he would want to keep the baby safe.

But if he knew the baby is Jean or Rachel (or any reborn character), then why not tell the X-Men? No matter what the baby may do when she is grown wouldn't take away from the fact that she is someone the X-Men care about.

Bishop could announce that baby Jean will destroy another planet full of Asparagus and still a majority of the X-Men would fight to save her. So what would Nathan's motivation be to keep something like that a secret?


In Conclusion....

My best guess is that the baby isn't Jean or Rachel. But Marvel wants you to think she is - just like Marvel wanted everyone to guess who was a Skrull. Discussion and speculation is seen as a way of building hype and interest.

There are several additional arguments that can be made for the baby not being Jean or Rachel:

- Neither of them were shown as children having powers that manifested at birth, or having been so powerful as an infant. The Phoenix Force could
be responsible, but then other elements of the plot doesn't make sense.

- Being reborn like this overly complicates a character - especially Rachel. Having two versions of Ray in the 616, with more time travel, and an even stranger back story makes her origins even more complicated and complex of a character for new readers to understand. And Cable is being written in a very minimalist, continuity-lite way.

- If Bishop knew that Jean or Rachel were responsible for the camps, why wouldn't he have done something earlier?


The simple explanation of the baby being not related to any known mutants makes a lot of sense. It fits with what the writers initially said, and the way the baby was initially drawn.

However, I also suspect that the X-Office might not even know who the baby will turn out to be. It's likely years before the baby's identity will be revealed, and the X-Office may be toying with several possibilities. It's also likely are looking for ways to bring back Jean, and gaging reader reaction to the idea of Jean returning.

I'm sure the licensing department wants Jean back in X-books, but the way the writers and editor lament Jean's return in the first place shows that they would be leery to write her next return.

Pure and simple, even the slightest indication Jean may return in an issue sells comics, and they're going to keep milking that.

No More Classic Excalibur Trades???

Marvel Senior VP of Sales David Gabriel posted on the MarvelMasterWorks.com forum about what trades will be released in the future by Marvel. Unfortunately, it doesn't look good for Excalibur:

New Mutants and Alpha Flight Classic trades will forge ahead, but Excalibur Classic looks to be on the backburner. "I think we've done all we can for now", says Gabriel.

This means that Alan Davis' amazing run will not be collected in the near future. Alan's solo run on Excalibur has never received the accolades it deserves from Marvel, and this is a future insult.

The last Classic Excalibur trade is Volume 5, covers Excalibur 29-34, including Claremont's final three issue arc, Girls' School From Heck. While Girls' School is fun, as a whole, this is mainly a bunch of poor fill-in issues and a special, Weird War III, so no wonder sales have been low.

The period of Excalibur between when Claremont left and when Davis' run began (Excalibur 35-41) wasn't a great time for Excalibur, with Scott Lobdell cutting his teeth as a writer and a variety of low quality fill-in artists. Although, there are a number of Excalibur Specials that could be included such as X-Men: True Friends, Excalibur Air Apparent, or Excalibur: The Possession, I can understand why those issues would not be collected.

However, there is no reason not to collect Davis' run, which began with Excalibur 42 and concluded with Excalibur 67, and was one of the best periods for Excalibur.


What You Can Do

- Contact Marvel and request that they release Alan Davis' Excalibur run as an Excalibur Trade or perhaps an Alan Davis Visionaries Collection or Alan Davis Excalibur Omnibus.

- Post on the MarvelMasterWorks.com Forum in support of more Excalibur trades, since David Gabriel posts there. There is already a thread discussing this here.

- If you haven't already, buy the existing five volumes of Classic Excalibur. Amazon offers some good discounts. The better sales are, the more likely Marvel is to release more.