Examine if you will, this battle between C-level Xbook superteam Excalibur (oh just accept it) and D-level scrubs the Outlaws. This is from Excalibur Volume 1, and obviously Chris Claremont and Alan Davis took the month off so they went with Scott Lobdell and Some Guy.

The team of Lobdell and Some Guy obviously weren't reading much of Excalibur, as this issue is a rather odd departure from the series' usual antics of dimension-hopping and Claremontisms. Instead, the bust out the stock "Good Guys fight Good Guys Until They Team Up To Fight the Real villain" plot that's been used for generations upon generations of fill-in comics. Observe if you will, the Essence of Generic Dialogue.

1) "Well, We tried it the easy way."

The hell you say, Silver Sable! The only thing you tried was blowing a hole through the wall on the previous page. Well, for comic books I suppose that is the easy way. Who'd want to read two panels of

2) "You keep signing the checks, I'll keep doing what it is I do so well."

What the hell kind of sentence is that, Sandman?

3) "To think that we get to trash these dudes and get paid for it!"

Rocket Racer: you're not getting paid today. Come on Rocket Racer, when have you ever actually trashed anybody? Hmm? Never? That's right.

4) "Professor, head for an exit-schnell! We'll cover you!"

Nightcrawler is German! German! This is what fill-in writers back in the day called 'characterization.' or maybe it's "If we have Nightcrawler shout out random German phrases, maybe people won't notice this ISN'T written by Claremont! Unglaubich!" And hell, the professor's response: "Capital idea, lad!" Guess where HE'S from!

Oh Chris Claremont, what hath thou wrought.

Take out the one 'schnell,' and any one of the above lines could be attributed to any other character anywhere in comic books. Well, in bad comic books. It's that generic, it's that bland. Love it. Breathe it in.