Excalibur #6

Mar 1989 · Marvel · 1.50 USD; 2.00 CAD; 0.50 GBP

📊 ~48,364 copies sold its debut month

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“Goblin Night”

★ 1st appearance — Alistaire Stuart★ 1st appearance — Alysande Stuart

About this Issue

Excalibur #6 serves as the series' entry point into the landmark 1989 'Inferno' crossover, weaving Chris Claremont's British super-team into the demonic invasion of Manhattan with a tonal grace that few tie-in issues managed — the book's established strain of surreal comedy translated naturally into the warped, possessed New York of Inferno. The issue delivers the debut of the Weird Happenings Organization (W.H.O.) along with its two key agents, Brigadier Alysande Stuart and Professor Alistaire Stuart, recurring characters who would anchor Excalibur's institutional relationship with the British government for years to come. It also stages the charged first meeting between Rachel Summers and Madelyne Pryor as the Goblin Queen — Rachel approaching her mother's look-alike in hope, only to be blasted away — a moment that crystallizes the emotional core of the Inferno event for this corner of the X-universe. The issue demonstrates Claremont and Davis operating with unusual freedom, allowing the crossover to reshape the team's dynamics rather than simply name-checking the event.

In "Goblin Night," Phoenix races to New York when she senses her baby brother is in danger, pulling Excalibur into a chaos that spills over from the Inferno event. Written by Chris Claremont and illustrated by Alan Davis, with inks by Paul Neary and colors by Oliver, this 1989 issue blends personal stakes with supernatural turmoil—its cover by Alan Davis and Paul Neary captures the storm of tension.

writer Chris Claremont · artist Alan Davis · inker Neary · colorist Oliver · letterer Tom Orzechowski · cover Alan Davis, Paul Neary

ComicBooks.com Value

Our Model is In Beta

Raw (VF) $3

CGC 9.8 · 21 in census $80

CGC 9.6 · 6 in census $37*

CGC 9.4 · 2 in census $26*

CGC 9.2 none in existence

CGC 9.0 none in existence

CGC 8.5 · 1 in census $20*

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CGC 8.0 · 2 in census $20*

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More listings for this title

VF/NM $1.69 FN/VF $1.99 NM $2.05 Newsstand $2.95 VF $3 MINT $3.99 NM $5.19 NM · Variant $5.32

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History

Produced by the title's founding creative team of writer Chris Claremont and penciller Alan Davis (with inker Paul Neary, colorist Glynis Oliver, and letterer Tom Orzechowski), the issue was edited by Terry Kavanagh under editor-in-chief Tom DeFalco. It carried a cover date of March 1989 but went on sale in November 1988, placing it squarely within the multi-title Inferno publishing wave. Claremont and Davis had originally intended Excalibur to remain separate from the other X-Men titles, but issues #6 and #7 were folded into the Inferno crossover; despite that editorial pressure, the creative team filtered the event through the series' distinctive comedic and surreal sensibility rather than abandoning it.

Trivia · 8 facts

Written by Chris Claremont; pencils by Alan Davis; inks by Paul Neary; colors by Glynis Oliver; letters by Tom Orzechowski; edited by Terry Kavanagh.
Cover-dated March 1989 (on-sale November 1988); story title is 'Goblin Night.'
First appearances of the Weird Happenings Organization (W.H.O.), Brigadier Alysande Stuart, and Professor Alistaire Stuart — all of whom become recurring supporting cast members in the series.
First appearance of Meggan in her 'Goblin Princess' form, transformed by the demon N'astirh atop the Empire State Building; also first appearance of Kitty Pryde in her Inferno-induced 'Rambette' persona and Brian Braddock as 'Fast Buck.'
Rachel Summers (Phoenix) flies to New York after psychically sensing her infant brother Nathan Christopher Summers in danger, and directly confronts the Goblin Queen (Madelyne Pryor), whom she initially mistakes for her mother Jean Grey.
The issue also introduces an alternate-Earth train at Euston Station carrying Earth-597 counterparts of Moira MacTaggert and Callisto dressed in Nazi uniforms — seeding the interdimensional threat that Dai Thomas and the W.H.O. are called to investigate.
The Crazy Gang (Executioner, Jester, Knave, Red Queen, Tweedledope) appear on the back cover of this issue as a pin-up, not in the main story; their first American in-story appearance was Excalibur #4.
The issue has been reprinted in Excalibur Classic Vol. 2: Two-Edged Sword (2006), X-Men: Inferno Crossovers (2010), Excalibur Epic Collection Vol. 1: The Sword Is Drawn (2017), and the Excalibur Omnibus Vol. 1 (2020).