The Warwolves can talk. That detail makes them considerably worse once the initial shock of those silver bodies and beaked faces has worn off. They understand the people they're…

The Warwolves can talk. That detail makes them considerably worse once the initial shock of those silver bodies and beaked faces has worn off. They understand the people they're hunting, can argue with them, and can discuss the job among themselves. Nothing about their behavior lets them off as animals that don't know any better. Their first assignment in Excalibur's opening story is to drag Rachel back to Mojo. She's escaped captivity, reached London, and still can't get away from the creatures sent after her. They pursue her into ordinary public places, bringing the violence of Mojoworld into streets and train stations full of people who have no idea what they're looking at. The designs give Alan Davis plenty to work with. They can look like a pack of hunting animals in one panel and like unpleasant little people in another. Their expressions and body language make room for comedy without making them harmless. When these creatures get hold of somebody, the consequences are ugly. Their ability to wear a victim's skin gives the early Excalibur stories a particularly nasty problem. A recognizably monstrous enemy can disappear into a crowd. The heroes have to work out who is underneath a familiar human shape while also protecting the people who haven't been attacked yet. Rachel's pursuit brings several already wounded people together. Kurt and Kitty have lost the team they knew, and Rachel desperately needs people who will stand beside her. The Warwolves give them an immediate reason to act together. Excalibur begins with people trying to keep one another alive, with these things snapping at their heels.