Thanks to Charlie Horse 47 and Killdumpster for their sponsorship of this post, via the magic of Patreon.
***
The crashing of hailstones and lightning outside can only mean one thing.
It's summer!
And that can only mean five things.
Summer specials!
Those who recognise that cover will not be surprised to discover that, inside, the UK's finest sceptre swinger teams up with Spider-Man to foil the far-from-amusing amusement experiences of Arcade.
Also, the hot neighbour Peter Parker dumps Debbie Whitman for turns out to be Llyra in surface-dweller guise.
D'oh.
I know little of the contents, other than that the Phaetonians are involved.
Not that I have the slightest clue who the Phaetonians are.
I do know a giant space monster shows up.
I also know this book has a Dave Cockrum pencilled look at the recent movie's uniforms, for the benefit of any fashion victims who may be reading.
The tales in this one involve Caleb Hammer, Matt Slade and, also, the Pony Express.
Seriously, you don't mess with those ponies.
And he's even allowed to appear on the cover!
And what's even more exciting is that it retells his origin.
Now, at last, after all these years of wondering, we'll find out how he came to be!
It's the Roger Stern/John Byrne retelling, so is, at least, guaranteed to be a good one.
We also get three posters, featuring Winghead and Shellhead.
That's because Cap can't be trusted to have an entire book to himself. So, Iron Man also has a tale. Tragically, the Dazzler is nowhere to be seen.
Posts
38 comments:
I had the Captain Britain Summer Special (even though I'd read the story before!) Great Perez cover! Perez covers & Byrne interiors - a well tried formula.
Phillip
Sadly, it seems David Anthony Kraft has passed away.
Phillip
Let me run this idea by this venerable group!
Cap's origin was retold seemingly sort of often. Was that really a problem though with Marveldom?
I mean, I go back to my LCB and have bought a few dozen Marvel True Believers at $1 each e.g., AMS #101 a few weeks ago, even though I have it in the long box.
I guess what I'm thinking is that maybe comic readers are willing to re-read or re-see "the same old villains" with "the same old outcomes" (the hero wins) every 3 years or so?
This takes us to my hypothesis that comics maybe shot themselves in the foot by becoming more adult oriented in their story and possibly alienating kids or kids' parents and thus their future audiences the past 40 years?
I.e., I would have been happy watching Spidey use the Enforcers as a punching bag every 3 - 4 years and he really didn't need to amp up his spidey powers and fight Galactus? Granted the writers might have been bored but I am not sure us readers really are / would have been?
And Paste Pot Pete, looking very sexy in his new uniform above I might add, could have blasted the Torch every 3 - 4 years only to be defeated 10 pages later?
Thoughts?
You cunning northern devil Steve, separating out the summer specials from the Marvel UK feature to get one of this month's stand alone posts.
Dez Skinn says on his website that Marvel UK would use the specials to try out ideas, which I guess explains why Captain Brexit had one. Presumably it sold reasonably well, as the character would return fairly soon after revamped by Alan Davis in Marvel Superheroes.
But its nul points from me for that Captain Brexit/Spider-man team-up story.
Nothing wrong with John Byrne's artwork of course, but a college exchange scheme just happens to pair Brian Braddock with an American student who's also a superhero? What are the odds?
And then theres Arcade - what kind of top assassin captures two superheroes when they're unconscious and doesn't use the opportunity to just finish them off?
Btw, that is some awful colouring on the cover of that Spidey summer special. I thought at first there must have been an error, and one of the colour plates had been left out of the printing.
-sean
Although I might well regret it later, I'm going to agree with Charlie.
Not that I think comics shouldn't be aimed at adults, but the idea that grown-ups would be into stories about super-powered people in masks is a bit ridiculous.
If you look at Marvel during the early 80s, I think they had the right idea about how to move forward (at least in theory). There were the regular comics, with a few that maybe appealed more to fans, and a slightly older audience - like the Moench/Sienkiewicz Moon Knight - shifted over to the direct market only, while their Epic mag/imprint and Graphic Novel line did different stuff for adults.
You could say the something similar for DC, but once Dark Knight Returns proved much more successful than Ronin, the writing was on the wall for interesting new stuff.
-sean
PS Thinking about it, I would go a bit further than Charlie, and suggest Marvel and DC shot themselves in the foot - or, to be fair to the publishers, maybe the audience did that to them - by limiting their output (largely) to stuff created decades ago.
Just maybe kids in the 2020s would prefer something different to what we read in the 70s...
-sean
Sean - I think Marvel UK may have been aware of the issue.
'Savage Action' # 8, Inside Comics: "They (Marvel UK comics) all possessed glossy covers and seemed to be aimed at one age group...the same age group who read the comics in America. The one missing ingredient was the special type of college mentality..." etc.
Phillip
Phillip, yes, it's sad news about Kraft's demise. I always enjoyed his work.
Sean, Charlie and Phillip. I agree that, ideally, super-hero comics should be aimed at kids. Sadly, it seems the economics of aiming them at kids no longer stack up. It's hard to see what can be done about it.
I mean, don't get me wrong... there was good adult stuff like Dark Knight.
But for nearly a decade we had non-adult stuff, Marvel in the 60s, that is still captivating.
I don't know the answers, and anyhow it's moot given the internet.
But I just challenge the theory that there needed to be some sort of evolution to adult-type comics to retain readership.
But.. your hearing from a guy that still enjoys a good Beano or Dennis the Menace from DCT.
Well, now I don't agree with you Charlie - you seem to be saying comics should stay the same as the were in the early 70s?
Keeping them aimed at kids/all ages isn't at all the same thing as not evolving. I mean, the Marvels of the 60s had obviously moved on from the (then) typical DC superhero comic.
Steve makes a good point about economics. The cost of modern floppies isn't ideal for kids ($1 reprints are only $1 because they're reprints).
And sales declined during the 70s because the corporate chains that started to dominate retail outlets weren't interested in low profit items like comics. And that was decades ago.
-sean
I'm sorry to hear about David Anthony Kraft. I thought his run on the Defenders was fantastic, and his Scorpio arc easily one of the most compelling things I've read, in out of comics.
It still haunts me; maybe more now that I'm the same age as Scorpio when he cashed in his chips.
He could do humor, too. Remember when the Valkyrie tried to sign up for college classes? Or when she tore a wheel off a taxi cab and bounced it off of the Hulk's head just to get his attention?
But I ramble, as usual. M.P. is a long-winded cat at times.
I'm wondering, what did you guys from the U.K. make of Captain Britain? Did you like it or not? Cool or cornball? I like the character myself, but I wonder what somebody from Britain might think. Obviously there could be a variety of opinions.
Just curious.
M.P.
Given the cover of the Captain Britain special states it's 'Your last chance to see Captain Britain in his original form' I suspect the relaunch was already planned and this was just an opportunity to keep him in everyone's mind. Using the self contained Claremont/Byrne story seems one of Marvel UK's better ideas, to me.
M.P.
Captain Britain was generally duff (albeit warmly nostalgic) from inception until Alan Moore took over. The early Alan Davis artwork is only just above amateur quality, but swiftly improved. By the time Moore and David were both onboard it was critically well liked, albeit not strong enough commercially to keep the various anthologies, in which it featured, from disappearing without trace. It really needs to be read in conjunction with Marvelman (Miracleman), obviously by the same creative team, as they are lighter (CB) and darker (MM) approaches to Moore's take on superheroes.
The Moore/Davis stories were to be coloured and reprinted for the US market, in the mid 80's, before the two's falling out over the Eclipse Miracleman editions soured the deal. I suspect being reprinted contemporaneously with Watchmen and Swamp Thing would have gotten the material a sh#t load more attention and the solo stories may have continued. The storyline merged into Excalibur, any way, although I'd outgrown it by then.
The Fury remains my favourite comic book villain, being Moore's take in the monster from Doctor Who's 'The Brain of Morbius', only unstoppable and relentless. Worth hunting down. They were eventually presented in th late 90's 'X-men Archives' and available online.
DW
The Moore CBs were finally collected by Marvel in the '00s DW - I'd be surprised if they're not still in print.
When I tried reading a few superhero comics again after the 90s Image-era, I was struck by how much they seemed influenced by the Moore/Davis CB, and Marvel/Miracleman (which itself had been unavailable for quite a while at that point).
I'm thinking of The Authority, and the Ultimates - that kind of thing - and I suppose it shouldn't be surprising that CB made an impression on people like Warren Ellis and Mark Millar. Not to mention Grant Morrison MBE...
-sean (feeling a bit dumb after not noticing that cover blurb about the last chance to see the original CB)
Sean
The Ultimates is one of the only comics, in decades, that I really liked (being an adult and all), and I definitely picked up the Moore influence. Equally so on Morrison's Zenith, which a recent re-read confirmed has aged really well. Probably more due to Yeowell's increasingly impressionistic inking style (Particularly book 3).
My suggesting these stories can be found online, is possibly nodding towards 'evaluation' should someone wish to read a few issues prior to purchase. Not that I would condone reading for free, or anything...
DW
M.P. - Yes, the android Zodiac, with Sagittarius etc, made a powerful impression. David Kraft's Defenders deserves remembering.
The original Captain Britain was my favourite superhero, at the time. In infancy, I played with toy knights, made by a company called 'Britains'. For some reason, I strongly associated Captain Britain with those knights. He had a rampant lion on his chest, like one of the knights had on his shield - also, Captain Britain's mask reminded me of a knight's bascinet (?) helmet - it's difficult to convey. Also, I liked the fact that Captain Britain's weapon was a staff.
In addition to all that, my first Captain Britain gave me a taste for the Pablo Marcos inking I later loved in Gerry Conway/Jim Shooter's Avengers. Aged 8, my 1978 Captain Britain annual (actually X-mas 1977) was my most prized possession - along with the superheroes playing cards pack. Lots of older readers slagged the annual off, for its 'reprints', but I hadn't read them before, so it was all good, to me (the colours & paper quailty were far superior to the original, too.) As Jim Shooter said, "Every comic is some reader's first comic."
Years later, I read more of the original Captain Britain stories (apart from the Claremont ones, and the well-inked Ron Wilson & Pablo Marcos ones), and some weren't all that good. Nevertheless, I choose to remember the best of the original Captain Britain. This is just my personal opinion, as I know other members of the blog hate Captain Britain, and have a negative view of him (unlike Colin & myself), and prefer the later Captain Britain, with larger Union Jacks on his outfit!
Phillip
Phillip
When I said pre-Moore Captain Britain was a bit duff, it is with the benefit of hindsight and in comparison with the later stories. I bought the first issue on the day of release, collected the entire run, and even sent away for the (misleadingly marketed) costume (actually a plastic bag). I enjoyed the main stories up until the end of the Buscema issues, but recall it lost something when they abandoned the colour. However, my nine year old self adored these, and those first two dozen issues remain warmly nostalgic.
In response to M.P., I suspect most of us (Brits) value those original issues more highly than if they were simply another character reprinted from the US. My nine year old self also liked Captain America but he doesn't hold the same place place in memory as Captain Britain. The later (Moore/Davis) material, however, genuinely seemed better than pretty much anything coming out at the time, either locally or in the US. Posterity seems to agree with this given how much of that relatively short storyline seems to have inspired many others. I also think the Japers/Fury story was far more effective because it did play off some of the earlier cliched elements, now doubt due to the US writers not being overly familiar with English culture.
DW
I also got that Captain Britain annual, for Christmas, and was a bit disappointed that it was simply reprints the first seven issues. I also had the Marvel top trumps which must have been produced locally to have included our boy, plus the Captain Britain v The Hurricane jigsaw. Actually I suspected I may have hallucinated the jigsaw but google confirmed it exactly as I remember. I don't want to look this up on eBay, in case it proves to be another lost treasure ;-)
DW
You sent off for the costume and had a jigsaw? Wow DW - you really were a fan (;
Personally I never cared much for the original CB, but read it regularly because I was into the FF and loved Steranko's SHIELD. I will admit to an interest in the Hulk Comic/Black Knight version, but that was more of a fascination with the different style of the Skinn-era originated material.
Jackdaw got on my tits though, so well done Alan Moore for killing him off.
The best example of how posterity values Moore's CB is the way Earth-616 became widely used for the Marvel Universe.
-sean
Am I the only one round here to have tried Marvel's The Union?
C'mon chaps - its for queen and country!
https://bleedingcool.com/comics/cor-blimey-its-a-preview-of-the-final-issue-of-marvels-the-union/
-sean
I was quite thrilled by the launch of Captain Britain #1 in 1976 but the free mask went straight in the bin. And I'd have preferred the Fantastic Four in colour rather than Nick Fury. But when the colour pages were ditched after #23 the comic lost everything that had made it special and different (I kept reading it till the final issue, #39, though). I always think of Captain Britain as that original version, not the later re-launched one which I've never read.
In Captain Britain #1 Brian Braddock is seen smoking a pipe which definitely looked odd to me at the time - I couldn't imagine Peter Parker smoking a pipe. The pipe never made another appearance after #1 though as I recall.
Marvel's Star Trek was pretty good and I bought a few issues but the comic got cancelled after only a short run.
I have to say... "Jackdaw got on my tits" is the most unusual UK expression I've heard on this site, lol! Sounds like something out of Borat?
Any of my USA bros heard that expression before?
Hey! We're heading into a 3-day weekend in the USA! Break out the un-cola nuts!!!
I'm afraid the original incarnation of Captan Britain never did much for me. Its early days were too derivative of Spider-Man and, for me, the only thing the strip had going for it was that it was in colour. When the colour was removed, the only thing it had going for it was that it was drawn by John Buscema. When John Buscema left, to my mind, it had nothing going for it at all. It was only when the two Alans took over and made radical changes to it that I started to like it.
Sean, The Union looks... ...awesome.
Especially the talking corgi.
Phillip, I don't think I ever encounter the company Britains. Did you have any knights made by Timpo? They were the ones I always encountered.
Steve - I had a few knights that weren't Britains. They could have been Timpo - not sure! I had a toy castle you could put them in, too! I also had some Greeks/Trojans, cowboys/native Americans, and the usual toys soldiers. Also cap guns/space guns/spud guns/water pistols, etc - all terrible by today's values! Plus, Dinky & Corgi Tanks & Gerry Anderson Dinky toys - particularly UFO & SPACE: 1999.
Phillip
Do I detect a note of irony there Steve?
Even though The Union is written by someone from Sheffield!
-sean
I read the first issue of the Union and (imho) I'm afraid it wasn't great. Wish Paul Grist had done the art though.
Sadly Captain Britain never really caught my attention, it was entertaining but for me never great.
Sean: I loved Timpo knights and had loads of the swoppets. versions where you could change parts with other Timpo Knights, Crusaders etc. I think Britain's toys were quite detailed.
I always wanted to like Captain Britain more than I actually did, but he never quite worked for me. I think that some writers (Jamie Delano, for one) tended to write the character as being short- tempered and spiky, which wasn't what I wanted to read. Maybe it was a deliberate contrast with Captain America, but it never quite hit the mark for me (I do enjoy Delano's CB stories, btw, just not the characterisation of the star).
Charlie, the last Monday in May is always a holiday in the UK so we'll be having a 3-day weekend too.
And later today (at 13:25) I'm due to get my first Covid vaccination jab so I'll be glad when that's over!
Charlie, there was a line from the Queen song "Don't Try Suicide" where Freddie Mercury sings, "all you do is get on my tits" or something close to that. I guess it refers to something that is very annoying.
The Brits have no shortage of colorful expressions. Maybe that's why I like Guy Ritchie movies! They oughtta put subtitles on 'em, though. In one scene they did. They had too.
One of my favorites is "lose your rag" which I assume means "lose your cool." You can pick up a lotta these reading Hellblazer.
My brother is a fan of colorful American expressions. One of his favorites is used when something is difficult or impossible: "harder than shoving a warm stick of butter up a bobcat's ass."
Or, something or someone "smells like a monkey's @$$hole." Or, somebody "got his dickle in a pickle."
Lotta animals and vegetables in these phrases, for some reason.
M.P.
You understand "get on my tits" correctly M.P.
I recently heard the expression "wank puffin", which is a new one on me. I thought the user made it up, but apparently it is indeed a thing -
www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=wankpuffin
-sean
Sean, I forgot all about the Urban Dictionary!
Yeah, it's great fun.
It's a lot funnier than Webster, I can tell ya that much.
I just checked it out. Apparently, Bitcoin, after that cryptocurrency's recent precipitous drop in value, is now referred to as "$#!tcoin".
M.P.
MP - I knew I could count on you to explain tits to me!
Sean -I'm bemused to note that per the Urban Dictionary, wankpuffin is most often associated with Trump, lol.
MP - I got a small box of comics I'm waiting to share. That's all. I mean, after you read them once, what you gonna do with 'em?
The Treasure Chest are decent reads for the more erudite collector. That would seem to be you. But, one story each issue is usually about a Catholic Saint. Don't worry, you can always chase it with a Chick Tract if you feel odd.
Other gems include:
Americana by Image. Post apocalyptic. No zombies, but there are cannibals. It's on issue 4 and I have the first three.
Cat Shit One. Set in Vietnam. Animals portray the actors, like Maus. Lots of helicopter action. Better than most war comics and totally plausible.
If you are not interested, that's cool. I may send them to my cousin who first turned me on to comics 53 years ago. A grape nehi and a comic book and he's in heaven. (Or was it orange... well he can buy his own soda pop.)
So what do you chaps do on a 3day weekend in the UK?
Do you guys like head for that big pier on the seaside (I can't remember which city.)
Do you go to the seaside in general, since I am guessing you probably are not more than a few hours away, no matte where you live?
Charlie wants to know!
Steve - If I come over the UK for the World Conkers Championships to compete, would you sponsor me?
Charlie, again I am touched by your generosity, and if you send me comics again I'm gonna insist on covering the postage at least. I will salute the sentiment with a can of grape soda in your honor.
I might mix it with something else.
But, maybe you oughta send this batch to your cousin.
Buddy up to him now, in case at some point you gotta borrow money from him or you need help moving a body.
That's a two-man job.
On a good note, you might be happy to hear I'm sending a couple of the comics you sent me to my great-nephew. I think he'd like that Avengers reprint. The Black Panther reprint too. He's getting into super-heroes.
"Pay it forward" so to speak. He's a good little guy.
M.P.
Charlie, on 3-day weekends, we stand staring out of the window, at the rain, lightning, hail, sleet and gales. On the rare occasions when its sunny, people may go to the seaside, to such exotic towns as Scarborough, Cleethorpes, Blackpool and Brighton.
Charlie, how much would this sponsorship cost?
Colin, good luck with your jab. I've already had mine. It took literally ten minutes.
CH: We tend to go to one or two of the lovely Scottish border towns on a long weekend. Populations of about 5k and full of great shops, hotels, pubs, antique stores coffee shops and occasionally cheap old comics . A favourite is heading to the Lake District in England, a stunning place, lovely folk, great shops, Beatrix Potter land etc.
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