Cover: Alan Davis & Mark Farmer

Excalibur #44

Nov 1991 · Marvel · 1.75 USD; 2.15 CAD; 0.95 GBP

☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join free

“Witless for the Prosecution”

★ 1st appearance — Micromax

About this Issue

Excalibur #44 — titled 'Witless for the Prosecution' — is the issue that introduced Micromax (Scott Wright), a size-shifting British mutant government operative created by Alan Davis, making it the character's sole first-appearance record across the entire series. Beyond the debut, the issue is narratively significant for running two rich parallel threads simultaneously: Captain Britain's trial before a multiverse-spanning Captain Britain Corps tribunal (with Hauptmann Englande returning as prosecutor and Captain UK as defense counsel), and Meggan's earliest attempt to excavate her forgotten origins through Rachel Summers — a story engine that Davis would sustain for many subsequent issues. It also arrives just two issues into Davis's celebrated return as writer-artist, cementing the creative tone he was deliberately establishing for this new chapter of the book.

In "Witless for the Prosecution," Excalibur faces a storm of mystery and authority as Rachel seeks answers for Meggan’s past with help from a fortune teller’s cryptic warning about a creature in a gypsy caravan. Meanwhile, Alistaire’s unexpected visit to the lighthouse shifts from archaeology to an uneasy alliance with Kitty, while Brian’s trial before the Captain Britain Corps spirals into danger when he refuses to acknowledge their power—leading to a deadly confrontation. Written and illustrated by Alan Davis, with inks by Mark Farmer, colors by Glynis Oliver, and letters by Mike Heisler, this 1991 issue features a cover by Alan Davis and Mark Farmer.

writer, artist Alan Davis · inker Mark Farmer · colorist Glynis Oliver · letterer Mike Heisler · cover Alan Davis, Mark Farmer

ComicBooks.com Value

Our Model is In Beta

Raw (VF) $0

Flagged key issue — estimate limited by sparse sales.

Our model’s value — refined as new sales data arrives · CGC census counts shown where available

More listings for this title

FN $2.9 VG $2.9 MINT $2.99 MINT $3 VF/NM $3.24 VF $3.4 Direct $3.95 VF/NM $3.98

Related listings we couldn't confirm as this exact issue · 30 total · seen 27 days ago

Sell my copy

Have this issue — or a whole collection? Get a fair offer from us, skip the marketplace fees and the hassle.

We Buy Collections ▸

Fast, fair offers · we handle grading & shipping

History

Alan Davis retook the Excalibur title with issue #42 after Chris Claremont departed at #34, this time serving as both writer and penciller — a dual role he had not held since his early Captain Britain work. Mark Farmer, Davis's longtime inker collaborator (the pair had worked together on the final Captain Britain issue), provided inks throughout this run, and the creative partnership that defined issues #42 onward was very much in its early, formative stage when #44 shipped. The issue was edited by Terry Kavanaugh under editor-in-chief Tom DeFalco, and was the second of two issues to ship in September 1991 (with a 'Late November' cover date), giving the series an unusual bi-weekly window that month. Colorist Glynis Oliver and letterer Michael Heisler rounded out the production team.

Trivia · 8 facts

First appearance of Micromax (real name Scott Wright), a British mutant with the ability to dramatically increase or decrease his body mass and size — ranging from roughly half an inch to 65 feet tall — created entirely by Alan Davis.
Story title: 'Witless for the Prosecution.' Release date: September 17, 1991; cover date: Late November 1991.
Full creative team: Writer/Penciller — Alan Davis; Inker — Mark Farmer; Colorist — Glynis Oliver; Letterer — Michael Heisler; Editor — Terry Kavanaugh; Editor-in-Chief — Tom DeFalco.
Captain Britain is hauled before a tribunal of the Captain Britain Corps on Otherworld, with the alternate Nazi-reality villain Hauptmann Englande serving as prosecutor and Captain UK (Linda McQuillan of Earth-238) as his defense attorney — both callbacks to established Excalibur and pre-series Captain Britain continuity.
The issue launches Meggan's multi-issue arc to uncover her origins, with Rachel Summers performing a psychic probe of Meggan's fragmented childhood memories and following leads to a fortune-teller named Madame Zelda.
Micromax, introduced here as an agent of the UK intelligence outfit F.I.6, initially mistakes Phoenix (Rachel Summers) for a thief during a stakeout — beginning a subplot that runs into the following issues as Necrom's threat escalates.
The issue was collected in Excalibur Classic Vol. 5 (trade paperback), Excalibur Omnibus Vol. 2 (2022 oversize hardcover, ISBN 978-1302932282), and Epic Collection: Excalibur Vol. 4 (covering 1991–1992).
Micromax went on to accumulate roughly 38 total comic appearances across decades, including Civil War-era tie-ins and a 2022 Hellfire Gala digital companion comic connected to a reader-voting contest for X-Men membership.