Note to self: you have all of Camelot 3000. Stop buying it.

I was positive, but this cover didn't look familiar, and it was a buck, so here we are: from 1983, Camelot 3000 #8, "Judas Knight" Written by Mike W. Barr, pencils by Brian Bolland, inks by Terry Austin.

Morgan seems to have a lock on convincing Tristan to betray the Round Table: the knight had been reincarnated in a woman's body, and wasn't thrilled about it, as it was keeping him from his lover, Isolde. There was a lot of betrayal going round, though; as Arthur was currently moping over learning about Lancelot and Gwen. Overdramatically, he intones everyone had betrayed him, except his brother Kay. Yeah, you can see it coming in three, two...

Kay tries to get Merlin to talk to Arthur and break him out of his melancholy: it's out of his element, but Merlin agrees to give it a try. Then, unseen, Morgan's agent sneaks into Merlin's quarters, and smashes a pyramid-shaped charm. That charm had been all that was keeping Nyneve away from Merlin; and with it gone, she was taking him back! (I don't know much about that aspect of the Arthur legends, but without context, it looks like Merlin was being taken home and was about to get rocked.) Furious, Arthur checks Merlin's room, and finds Tristan standing over the smashed charm. It looks bad, but she swears she didn't do it, even if she was tempted.

Arthur circles the wagons, calling in Lancelot and Gwen, to get to the bottom of this; telling Tristan "...the sword Excalibur may cleave truth from falsehood," and would kill anyone who lies while holding it. Tristan swears she did not betray Merlin, while Lancelot and Gwen are able to say the same, but Kay hesitates. He had betrayed Merlin, but with good intentions: he had overheard Morgan and Tristan before, so he approached Morgan, asking for nothing for himself, hoping seeing Merlin betrayed would shake Arthur out of his depression. Of course he also thought Merlin would be able to resist Nyneve...and that Arthur wouldn't kill him for this betrayal.

Kay is sentenced to die at dawn, but is saved by an attack from Morgan's forces. Momentarily: he then sacrifices himself in the battle, to save Arthur. (If Morgan had waited a moment, for Arthur to execute Kay, she probably could've demolished the demoralized Round Table right there.) Thomas, who had first found Arthur, is badly injured; and made a Knight himself; as a new quest begins: to find the Holy Grail, to use it to save him from radiation poisoning. Morgan, watching them through her crystal ball, wants the grail for herself: she was infected with a lichen-looking growth. Tristan swears she'll force Morgan to make a man out of her; while Lancelot asks if Excalibur could offer them more divine guidance. Arthur confesses, while mighty, the sword didn't have any truth powers...but Kay didn't know that. 

I should take this afternoon and re-read the rest of this series; get it back in mind before I end up with another set of it.