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Thanks and Cap Four
Thanks to everyone who expressed condolences on my second place in the Hugo Awards, but hey, Doctor Who won! Now we're the second most successful Hugo-winning show, with three wins to Twilight Zone's four, and I fully expect we'll equal that next year. I had a wonderful time at Worldcon (if you were there for the Shakespeare panel, yes, I'll be blogging my rant) and will report on it when I get home.
Today, issue four of Captain Britain and MI-13 is out here in the States, tomorrow in the UK, so, as always, this blog will serve as letters page. Now I'm off to do some whitewater rafting. Cheerio!
Today, issue four of Captain Britain and MI-13 is out here in the States, tomorrow in the UK, so, as always, this blog will serve as letters page. Now I'm off to do some whitewater rafting. Cheerio!
Labels:
Captain Britain,
Doctor Who,
Hugos
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It was indeed a Doctor Who win, Paul. In fact, when I pulled up the total votes, if you combine Blink and Human Nature, Doctor Who owned Battlestar Galactica. Throw in Captain Jack Harkness' votes, and Upper Boat trounced the competition.
I do hope you post about your travels around Colorado. I'd like to hear how you and Carolyn enjoyed your time in our fair state.
-Patrick
"if you were there for the Shakespeare panel, yes, I'll be blogging my rant"
Ooh! [WAITS WITH BAITED BREATH, HOOKED TONGUE AND FULLY LOADED 12-BORE NOSTRILS]
[REALISES ERROR, REMOVES OFFENDING "I", WAITS WITH BATED BREATH]
Congrats on second place!
You know I was pulling out my ole "marvel trading cards" and came upon Union Jack. Is he going to show up in MI3
And if so, which one?
I was wondering if you could expland on your reasoning for the "not using a sword to kill".
It would seem like that's what a sword is best suited to do....
Well, wait till Series 5! Great to meet you finally, and I'm quite pleased at how the Who panel went. Enjoy the rest of your stay in the US, do keep in touch, and if you're ever down Singapore way, drop me a line and I'll take you for a seafood dinner.
Hey Paul,
As a young comic book reader (17), I just wanted you to know how much your work on Captain Britain inspires my own. You seem to always be able to hit the right mix of whimsy and fucked-upedness that I appreciate so much-and try to emulate-in the comic that I'm writing myself. As a matter of fact, in one of my scripts I write "Look at the splash at the beginning of Captain Britain #1 for an idea of how I want this to look".
Enough flattery; I just wanted to say keep of the good work, and thanks for getting my creative juices flowing in times of need.
-CJ
This'll probably read as Nationalistic and not translate well for the Brits, but the feel we've all got right now for Michael Phelps is something like what I get from Captain Britain in this. He's the hero we didn't realize how badly we needed.
Thanks, all, and hello from Aspen. Yes, Union Jack, Joe Chapman, is going to show up, in issue five. Consider, Mario, how many Marvel superheroes armed with swords use them to kill: none of them. Including two on this team (if you include Blade not using his to kill *people*). And Excalibur does a lot more than cut through stuff. Have you read the issue? Thanks very much, Terrance, great to meet you. Good to hear, Chris. And Rocko: he's built like a superhero too!
I was seriously disappointed that HN/FoB didn't win - I really, really wanted it to. Blink was good, don't get me wrong (both that and your two-parter are amongst my fave stories of S3), but I wanted your eps to win more than I wanted Blink to win...
Captain Britain has been great so far and is shaping up to the best thing to come out of this whole Secret Invasion business. I think I ended up grinning like an idiot on just about every page of the latest issue.
Faiza is great, she going to get her own code name at some point? For just a minute I got excited when I thought Black Knight was about to pass the mantle onto her.
Right, enough with the aimless raving: Good work. Keep it up. Thanks.
The way I looked at the Hugo situation: it's just a another great reason for you to write another great Doctor Who episode! :-)
Hello!
As a Scot, it's unusual to read something that actually makes me feel British, but I've really enjoyed the series so far. Kind of sad about that guy, but it was an elephant in the room.
Loved, loved, loved Issue Number four. Loved the understated kick-assedness of all the characters (the "General eccentric" line and the "bad jokes" = "Brian" line had me laughing out loud. I woke up my wife with a few fist pumps. I was somewhat saddened by.... wait, can we actually talk about spoilers here?
I have a few questions, so please let us know what the spoiler policy is.
PS Also really enjoying FF:TS. "Reader, I clobbered him" indeed.
John. (The quiet American from that Who dinner).
Gah! What have you done to Skrull John?! Nooooo!
Still loving the book, though.
Paul! Just read the latest issue there...that was really really fun! I love the teasers for Blade showing up too.
But I love the set up for the supernatural things loosed upon the isle, well done, excited to see what happens next.
Really enjoyed issue #4. Some letter page comments/questions:
I know you don't want to spoil things but will you be addressing Dane's comments to Faiza about the blade and the "woman" anytime soon?
Did Faiza heal his heart when she healed the rest of him (even his t-shirt)?
Will Cap and Pete clash about the no killing comment anytime soon?
Hope you are enjoying your stay in the USA!
Paul,
I just wanted to let you know how much I loved the first Captain Britain and MI 13 story. It's got real tough competition with Incredible Herc out there, but I think it's edging up quickly to become my favorite Marvel book. In this age of spoilers and solicits and what not, I was totally blown away and surprised by finding out for what the premise of the team staying together is and as a big fan of characters like Dream Queen and Satannish from when I was a kid, I think it's just great.
Keep it up. I really hope that Marvel sticks behind the book and the market keeps it going for a long time, because this is a comic I want to read for a long time.
-Matt
Just got MI-13 #4 today. I think "Mate, you're with the NHS now" is line of the week for me. It's not often you get so many great moments packed into one issue anymore. Faiza is awesome.
No one has mentioned "the loss" yet?
I will miss the character.
Great issue all around.
Um... John The Skrull. He *will* be back, right? I'm feeling right sad now, like. Tell me he'll be back!
Um... John The Skrull... He *will* be back, won't he? You didn't really, did you? I'm feeling right sad, la. Please tell me you didn't!
Thanks for another enjoyable issue. I especially admire the way in which the first story has set up the stakes for the rest of the stories going forward. You've managed a tricky balancing act in making CB&MI13 feel both part of the Marvel Universe and something distinct in itself. Looking forward to more exploration of the Marvel UK side of things in the future.
Hullo Paul,
Thanks for another thoroughly enjoyable issue. But the death? It made logical sense, but I honestly did not see that coming!;D
Interesting to see that Dane has a stone heart. I was wondering, is that a lasting effect from the Enchantress' kiss that one time?
It's interesting that Brian would return Excalibur on the grounds that he would not use the blade to kill. I bet a fair few people who've only really come in contact with Brian through Excalibur don't really see Brian as the killing type. Sure, he's no Wolverine in that respect, but the Brian who existed before Excalibur was certainly not adverse to taking a villain down permanently if it was necessary.
Let's not forget what he did to Slaymaster. That was pretty brutal. Not that he hadn't been given a reason, of course.
On the subject of Brian's long term foes, I was actually just thinking it's such a shame that so many of the larger players are no longer around. Slaymaster, The Fury, Mad Jim Jaspers. Sat-yr-9 is still around, although that was a plot that was kind of left hanging in new Excalibur. Chris Claremont never got to finish that one.
Is there any chance that we might see some members of Cap's former Rogues Gallery in upcoming issues, or any other members of the Braddock clan? I'm sure Jamie's hanging around in some plane of reality - although i;m not so sure Alistaire Stuart would be quite so pleased to see him...
I’ve just picked up #4 from the local Comic shop and, as is my habit, read it on the walk back to my office. Another thoroughly great comic. Kudos to all.
I won’t spoil anything but I was saddened by the death of a character that I thought we would see more of. I realise the dramatic necessity and importance of his death, and as was referred to by another character he went in a manner he would have wanted. It still bites though – which is a good measure of the quality of the writing and characterisation.
Another favourite moment for me was Pete’s decision and its reference to his past and the reflections of Spider-Man and the Scarlet Witch. Classic.
While I’ve enjoyed the Skrull storyline I’m really looking forward to where the book is going to go now. It’d be great to see some more of the existing UK Marvels; Union Jack, Captain Midlands, Dark Angel, Albion & the Knights of Pendragon, Motormouth, Micromax (although he’s currently a part of “The Initiative”) hey, even Captain Kerosene. And what about the home grown villains? Knight & Fogg, Jackdaw (not Cap’s elven friend), the Bane, Baroness Blood etc. How about an alliance between Mys-Tech and Sataanish? I’m really looking forward to how this will all pan out.
Paul - it was wonderful to see you!
Paul,
Captain Britain and MI:13 is my surprise book of the year so far. I used to buy nearly everything published, and now my budget allows for about two books a week, and I wasn't expecting at all to invest in a Captain Britain series. I started reading #1 in the store and I was absolutely hooked.
Three months later and I'm still totally pumped. I love the voices you've given to these characters. I love Faiza. I love the mythic sense of glory I can feel when your heroes speak. I'm amazed to find that I even enjoy the patriotic stuff (as a lifelong UNpatriotic American). And I'm so glad that magic has a place in the Marvel Universe again.
I have to ask... are you familliar with David Sexton's Mystic Arcana stories, published last year? Some very very cool Marvel magic stuff that nobody seems to be following up on... yet (hint, hint)!
Incidentally... I felt a chill run up my spine when Brian declared they wouldn't kill. Such a simple statement but it seems like such a powerful one now, when every other Marvel comic seems to be abandoning that code.
Anyway, sorry this post is so long, and thanks again Paul!
I've come to the conclusion that I don't like Batman because he will not kill the Joker, or see to it that the Joker receives the death penalty. How many times will the Joker break out of Arkham and kill truckloads of people? How many people close to Batman will he kill or torment?
Of course, it's against Batman's code. but his inability or refusal to pragmatically access the blood on his hands makes him a character I do not care for. The arguement that "the only difference between us and them is that we don't kill" is insulting to my intelligence.
The real reason Batman -or someone- won't kill the Joker is that they don't have a villain better than the Joker. But they've let the guy go crazy with the graphic murder. They've got an R rated Joker and a PG Batman.
Captain Britain killed his version of the Joker. Slaymaster was his archnemesis, and after he did something particularly horrible to Brian's sister, Brian lowered the Boom on him. But he didn't do it purely out of anger or for revenge, and on a beautifully rendered Alan Davis page you saw him make the tough decision to eliminate Slaymaster from the planet. He gave Slaymaster a moment in which he clarified that he would kill again if allowed to live, so Brian did what was necessary to see to it that wouldn't happen again, and then somberly took the measure of what he had just done.
My favorite single moment in any comic ever.
This was made all the moreso by the fact that this was never brought up again. Cap didn't agonize ovver it and wring his hands. In true British fashion, it was never spoken of again.
He didn't saviour crossing that line. He didn't become the dark avenger of the night or go all gritty. It didn't keep him up at night off panel, I'd imagine. But it's not something he'd do again if he could help it.
Unless I missed something, he didn't kill again until in this series, where he offed some Skrulls in very dramatic fashion. Because he more or less had to. But then he died himself -again. He went to the abyss and returned, as he has before.
It hasn't been stated yet, but I'd like to think that storyline wise, CB has been to the mountaintop on this subject. He doesn't want to die again anytime soon or have to kill anyone.
I imagine if he would encounter another do or die situation (or kill or die, or kill or let innocents die, as it were) he would have the foritude do get it done. But you don't get that direction from "...and we don't kill unless we absolutely have to." Because then there's not really a rule.
At least, I hope that's why.
I rather enjoyed number four, and I agree that the NHS line was the bee's knees.
I didn't notice the 'fucked-upedness' poster Chris mentions - that's a US phrase I can never get my head around, it just sounds so bally vulgar! What exactly does it mean?
Anyway, I hope John returns - he's a Skrull, who knows where he moved his major organs to before he taunted the bad fella. Brian's reaction made me do a bit of a double take, due to the placement of the 'Good' word balloon, but I take it he's glad that John went out in a bout of impertinence, rather than happy John comic-died.
Can we have more Jackie. And some Meggan?
Why did Brian have a flame-head on the cover?
I know you covered this last month Paul, but please, please can Brian have his helmet back? He's never been published without a mask and he just looks wrong. In every panel, he looks like a guy who's half-dressed. Regarding the question of why a symbol of the nation would wear a mask, ask Captain America, next time he's alive.
Was the artwork a tad rushed this month? It didn't look as rich as previously?
Another page turner of an issue, Paul. CB & MI is top of the reading pile every month. With this and the spot on characterisation in FF - way to hit the ground running with comic writing.
One question - as Brian didn't seem adverse to killing the bunch of Skrulls in the cave - I take it that his 'heroes don't kill' stance is more 'heroes don't set out to kill, but sometimes difficult choices have to be made"
Oh and the person who posting asking about Dane's 'woman' - Paul will correct me if I'm wrong but I was presuming this was a reference to his unresolved love for Crystal of the Inhumans (from Bob Harris' Avengers run)
Hah, good story and continuity!
matt h
"no more skrulls" HAHA! i love it! i can't wait to find out what happens next! never read any captain britain/ excalibur till secret invasion and am so excited now to read new issues! paul cornell, you're awesome!
Matt H.
It could be Crystal but I was thinking it might be Sersi or Victoria Bentley.
Thanks.
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Oh and the person who posting asking about Dane's 'woman' - Paul will correct me if I'm wrong but I was presuming this was a reference to his unresolved love for Crystal of the Inhumans (from Bob Harris' Avengers run)
Hah, good story and continuity!
matt h
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Hey Paul, I just read on marvel.com that your favorite marvel non-American character is Captain Britain. I was wondering who your favorite marvel American character is?
Thanks, all. Yes, we can do spoilers now: RIP John the Skrull. He passed the audition. Told you I'd hurt you. Jack: love your nom de net! I'll be addressing everything I put in play. No, she didn't heal the stone heart. Thanks, Sword, sums up a bit of it. Thanks, Lou. Stefan: yes, I loved Mystic Arcana, and will take it onboard. Rocko: if I could hand out No Prizes, you'd have one not sitting on your mantlepiece as we speak: that's exactly how I feel. Brian *never will* choose the sword. Any sword. He'll use it as a soldier when he has to be a soldier, and then he'll put it down. He said in issue one what his aim was, and he got there. Excalibur is much more than a sword, anyway: and MI-13 will be taking on enemies who'd laugh at an everyday sword. It's in the hands of someone who will use it with the care it deserves, not to commit murder, but maybe to send a demon or two back to where they came from. Wait and see. No mask on my watch, but some of what else you ask for, Mart. And hmm, favourite American Marvel character... I think me and Pete are in agreement about that one. Next issue: we see MI-13 in action for the first time, military back-up, Captain Midlands, RAF transport craft just getting back to Britain with important superhero cargo having been attacked by Skrulls over the Atlantic... and a date with Union Jack. Thanks again, everyone, and hello from Colorado Springs.
Thank you, Paul. Thank you thank you. I'm very glad we're simpatico on this, and having a Marvel Writer tell me I'm No Prize worthy is a dream come true. You have earned my trust. You write it, I buy it. Let's kick some ass.
Loved the issue, and was particularly intrigued to see Excalibur given to Faiza given that the whole Arthurian mythos with the Grail and whatnot is so Christian.
Incidentally, have you read the first arc in the current BLACK PANTHER series? Someone who was supposed to be the Black Knight appeared in it speaking in Stan Lee cod-Shakespearean and was clearly supposed to be English. Then again, the writer had the Radioactive Man - hithertofore a Chinese scientist named Lu Chen - depicted as a Russian named Ivan, and had Klaw - who's been made of sound since 1965 - now mysteriously flesh and blood again. I guess some writers don't bother with even the most basic research and that everyone who comes after will pretend that arc never happened.
Great fourth issue. Great series overall. I (an American in North Carolina) have been a fan of Captain Britain since the mid-80s magazine-size run with Alan Davis. I've hated every redesign of Cap since then til now. The new costume is very nicely done. I like the lack of a mask even. He's my favorite marvel character who's not a buxom green Amazon, but he's been the victim of so much character assassination over the years that it's a tremendous relief to see him in such good hands. Sad to see what you did to John the Skrull, but in context you handled it remarkably well. and the "No More Skrulls" solution, brilliant. Really looking forward to what comes next.
This is in response to Mart: When I say a mix of whimsy and fucked-upedness, I mean as, say, for example, Jackie tearing the throat out of a Thor/Wasp Super-Skrull, or the Lady of The Lake getting blown to bits(that was just LOW, by the way, Paul:P), or the character of Oberon being a gigantic monster. Or, as a better example, the entire character of Tink.
But, more concisely, they way it can be Alice in Wonderland one second and Saving Private Ryan the next, or both at the same time. I admire the amount of skill it takes to have that contrast and not have it be completely jarring.
Thanks, Rocko. Anon: no criticising other creators on this blog, please. We will be getting to the matter of the Ebony Blade. I think you could sum up the format of the book from now on as saying: espionage missions against the supernatural carried out by superheroes.
CB #4 - NHS gag! Sweet!
I'm really glad this isn't being 'written for Americans' with a load of dodgy accents etc.
And I'm looking forward to seeing what happens once all this Skrull-ness is done with.
Any chance of an appearance from the British Hellfire Club circa Warren Ellis' Excalibur run?
Curious since you're using the Black Knight - are you familiar with the Proctor stuff from his main Avengers stint?
Dear Paul;
I loved this issue. It had awesome writing that resonated with me, just like the others. Faiza with Excalibur in her hand was a very nice touch.
It's very sad that John died so soon. I wish he met Dr. Hussain to show us the idea of an extra-terrestrial "alien" compared to the idea of an immigrant "alien". Many of John's CB & MI:13 problems seemed to reflect many real-life issues regarding Muslim immigrants.
But IMO with Skrulls, the death of a character doesn't seem so much to me since Skrulls always imitate other beings. Who's to say John's not really alive somewhere else??
My major question is: what did Brian exactly mean by "not killing", since (for instance) he and his team had killed in the past and may very well feel the need to kill enemies again, especially in this storyline? Spitfire ripped out a Skrull's throat with her teeth!! I can't wait to see how this will all work out.
Thank you for such wonderful and well thought out comics, and I hope you continue to enjoy beautiful Colorado.
-- DN
Reading between the lines then: Mr Cornell and Petey Wisdom both favour a certain Jewish Phasing Mutant then?
Matt H(stil wants to know who Dane's woman is!)
Hey Paul,
Just wondering if you got the okay to start on issue 13 and beyond yet?
Thanks!
Matt H's comment just reminded me...
About Kitty Pryde? Does Wisdom know that the X-Men have left her for dead? How exactly would he respond to finding that out?
Finally got my hands on CB #4 and what a cracking wrap-up it was.
I can honestly say this title already has a feel about it that I've not felt since, ooh, the Giffen/DeMatteis Justice League run; that is, a sense of anything-can-happen.
So many highlights in #4: Sattanish showing who the daddy really is; Pete's Wish; Cap's return; an NHS gag (last seen flying over the heads of most of it's U.S. readers) and a hero's end for poor John.
Sad to see John get it - but, as you've said, no-one is safe (at last, I think that was you!) and I can't help but think that maybe he'll be back...?
Roll on #5 - and a welcome return for Blade - which begs the question, Paul; just how much of the Marvel U toybox are you allowed to play with? UK-centric only or the full shebang?
Last time I looked, Dane's "lady" was Crystal from the Inhumans.
Might be interesting to see Avenger or Inhuman guest stars in say, six months or so? Having been spawned out of a crossover event, I think the book needs to stand on its own two feet for a while first...
Heroes that don't kill.. I like the return of that idea. (If memory serves, the original Excalibur series was using the sword as symbol for a scalpel, used in healing). With just about everybody doing grim and gritty and even - good grief - Cyclops racking up the body count it would be nice to see someone playing the "we're better that that" card.
It's also a very British thing, like our policemen being unarmed, without being heavy handed with it.
Loved the "No more Skrulls" resolution idea and the use of that line. "With the NHS" line, not so much... Dane better get checked for c. diff and MRSA pretty soon... :P
Tying in MI13 to magic and magical threats... Hmmm... No offense, but most Marvel titles relating to the supernatural have been fairly dire. Still, I do have a LOT of respect for your work as a writer, so, go on then, convince me!
And finally... Am I the only one who thinks Brian's new cossie is one that screams "Hey! Look at me! I have a penis!!"?
Cheers!
Thanks, all. If you see what Brian most wanted in issue one, to stop fighting a war, then you see he gets exactly what he was after. Now that the war's over, he wants to go back to being a hero that doesn't kill. I'm familiar with the whole BK run, but that doesn't mean we'll be referencing all of it. We'll be focussing on UK characters, like Blade, but that doesn't mean we won't be meeting some US characters. We won't know about whether we get to do issue 13 until way near the time. And yes, Pete knows that Kitty's lost, hence what his wish might otherwise be. Cheers.
Sorry for such a late comment Paul. My computer broke. Something I rolled my eyes over many a time.
I absolutely adored the latest issue of Captain Britain & MI-13 and I honestly found it heartbreaking to see John The Skrull go. I genuinely never saw it coming and all along I thought "he'll heal himself" or "there'll be a magical way of bringing him back". When Satannish offered Pete a deal, I thought that was it but then came the line "sorry John" that tugged on my heartstrings so, so much.
Honestly, I'll miss him. The part of me that hates "comic book death" wants John to stay dead but the part of me that loves John and wants to see more of him wants to see him again. I heard people argue against the killing of Captain America because there were more stories to tell (and, on the flipside, people arguing that he was killed because they'd ran out of stories). Of course there were more stories to tell but what's the point in killing off a character if the only reason is because everything else has been done? It's the mark of a good writer, killing off a beloved character while there are still stories to be told. Still, John The Skrull was someone I was expecting to stick around for a long, long time and be the much-underrated glue holding MI:13 together, its heart and soul. Now he may be reduced to cult status. It's heartbreaking.
Now that John's gone, I think I need a Captain Midlands fix now more than ever. I'm oddly looking forward to seeing Sid drawn by Leonard Kirk. There's something very appealing about that ...
Now for the big question: what happened to the Pendragon Force created at the beginning of #3? I'll admit I'm not the most observant reader but did they die along with the rest of the British-and-Avalon-invading Skrulls?
On a side note, Paul, how would you feel about a different writer using your characters? I've always wondered about this but, hypothetically, if a great writer (particularly a non-British writer, such as Ed Brubaker) was to write a Captain Midlands mini-series, would it feel odd to hand your character(s) over to someone else? More to the point, someone else writing continuity or backstory for Captain Midlands or Tink or bringing John back?
Hi Paul, I've enjoyed Captain Britain and MI13 so far. But I'm a tad concerned. There are countless (well I'm sure you could count them but I wasn't bothered) references to Britain in the series so far, yet most of the cast are English. Then there's an alien and an American. What happened to the other parts of Britain?
Second, Captain Britain's costume is made from Union Jack's flags. Except the Union Jack isn't actually a British flag. It's a UK flag. There are references to Avalon as being the dreaming unconsciousness of Britain, or something of that nature, any notion whether this includes Northern Ireland, or God forbid, the Republic.
I'm interested because in the past Captain Britain has been a problematic character. American writers have, as you might expect from Americans, tended to confuse Britain and England. Just as an example, I remember Jim Kreuger making the error many times in the Earth X trilogy.
In the past, Captain Britain's power has been restricted to the 'British' Isles. Apparently he was supposed to be the champion of those Isles. (If that was the case, he probably should have considered a costume and name change.)Since British identity seems to have been a central theme of the series so far, I'd be interested to see if you've any plans to address the more complicated aspects of that identity. Are there any plans to clarify the "Irish question" or will it be ignored as it is when the subject of Britishness is usually discussed in Great Britain? While the inclusion of Faiza is commendable if your intention is to represent a modern multicultural Britain and/or UK, are there any plans to make the team a little bit more representative of the UK or Great Britain?
Loved Issue #4. One question though, (I myself hadn't noticed this, a friend pointed it out) How come John doesn't revert to Skrull form when he's been killed?
I never thought I'd be asking a question that geeky. But there we go.
Keep up the good work!
"How come John doesn't revert to Skrull form when he's been killed?"
Now that IS a good question. Maybe it's a sign that John truly did have more human in him than Skrull. Only in his case, being a Skrull and having had the same form since the 60s, it was biological as well as psychological.
Really enjoyed the whole of the first arc, a nice way of reintroducing the key parts of the Captain Britain mythos in the Secret Invasion context. Given what you'd done in the mini, I was expecting slightly more of a Wisdom-focused story to start with (I spent quite a while expecting him to become the new Captain), but now I've adjusted I'm really enjoying it.
But, yeah, it was great stuff. "No more Skrulls" was fantastic, and between the ending with Faiza and what Pete had to do, a very promising setup for the ongoing series. (And I spent at least five pages waiting for the reveal that John's death was a fake-out.)
And now for my continuity-obsessive question, which reveals me as a sad sad X-fan: are we going to get to see Pete's reaction to what happened in Giant Size Astonishing?
Which I now see you've already answered! I fail at reading today, clearly.
Man, thanks for not making Pete the new Captain Britain. I would've been incensed.
Thanks, all. Steve: The Pendragon force went back to the Green Chapel with the ressurection of the Green Knight (and who saw that coming?) I'd be very flattered to have the characters used by someone else, that's the joy of a shared universe. Ed's Sid series would be something to behold. Niall: well, I represented Ulster and Wales in Wisdom, and that's part of my gameplan. How do you think I could usefully sort out the problems you describe without causing offence? And Lurker, ah, you saw it. He did react, you see! Cheers, all.
Apologies for the length of the comment Paul. I'm a bit of a verbose bastard at times.
To be honest, I'd advise that you go ahead and offend people. It's impossible not to offend somebody when talking about British identity especially when it comes to Northern Ireland. Take for instance the term 'Ulster'. You seem using it as a Unionist would - as a name for Northern Ireland. However, that is offensive to many Irish people as one third of Ulster is part of the Republic.
I guess that's part of the reason that most writers tend to ignore Northern Ireland when writing about themes of Britishness. It's far to easy to offend. But that's a cop out. No people in the United Kingdom take greater pride in their British identity than the unionists of Northern Ireland, even if they don't tend to meet the stereotype (Not liking to make a big deal of things - not so much). Ignoring them when tackling issues of British identity offends not just their sensibilities, but the intelligence of any reader.
On the other hand, I, as an Irishman, found it pretty irritating when Captain Britain was magically appointed the guardian of the British Isles - the only location in which his powers would work. Now I found that about as acceptable as a Polish person would having a Captain Russia magically appointed the guardian of Eastern Europe. One might have thought that if Brian found himself appointed the protector of the island of Ireland, he might have considered a costume or name change, especially given the politics of the time in which his appointment occurred! Otherwise, he would have done well to protect himself, let alone Ireland. Of course, most American writers don't even notice the problem and most English writers have no interest in tackling it.
The resolution to 'The guns of Avalon' immediately raised a couple of issues in my mind. Satannish removed all of the Skrulls from Britain as that was as far as his powers went. Did that mean that Northern Ireland was not cleared of Skrulls? If that were the case, then surely the celebrations were a little premature? If it cleared Northern Ireland of Skrulls, then at what point does the power of the likes of Satannish stop? Why would the power of creatures as old as time stop at a border that was only decades old? Perhaps the easy answer to these questions is that there were no Skrulls in Northern Ireland, so it's not an issue ;)
It's the same issues that one finds with the notion that things in Avalon are determined by the way the British unconscious is working. Does that unconscious include the thoughts of the people of Northern Ireland? Just those who think of themselves as British? How about the people of the Falkland Islands? Members of the SNP? Ex-pats? Are there separate islands in Otherworld that are determined by the thoughts of those who think of themselves as Irish? What's interesting is that large parts of Otherworld have already been shown to be based on Irish mythology (and mythology that is pretty much exclusively Irish for that matter), for example Balor's evil eye, the Tuath de Dannan and the Formorians, so why these things would turn up in a place based on the British unconscious is something of a mystery. And for that matter, if Avalon is based on the British unconscious, shouldn't Hindu dieties start popping up at some point?
I look forward to your take on British identity, but I don't envy you the task you've set yourself. There's a reason that many languages don't differentiate between British and English. It's sometimes easier to just separate English, Scottish, Welsh and Irish identities, especially given that many of these identities are defined against each other. The very concept of Britishness seems to me to be an artifical imperial creation that was imperfectly adopted and interpreted in different ways in different places. There is no British identity, there are only British identities, and while I can see how one could get mileage out of that in creating a story, I can't see a satisfactory resolution to any tale where British identity is a key theme. But then again, I'm not paid to do that! Who knows Paul, maybe you'll get lucky and the series will be cancelled before you have to try address such issues!
In the meantime, keep up the good work!
I'm not going to decide upon that question. Which is not the same as ignoring it. Any such decision would alienate a group of people who might be enjoying the comic and identifying it. Why not just leave it open, and thus include everyone? This is a fiction, after all. Nobody can go and see what the answer is. Nobody is hurt by the gap in geography. I note when I asked you for an answer, you just restated the question at greater length. So I ask you once again: how should Britain, as defined by the magical powers of the Marvel Universe, be defined? If you can't bring yourself to answer, I don't think I should be asked to do so. I'm seeking some heart to your question, you see. That is, some way in which it's not just either 'ha ha, you've got a problem which I'm mocking and have noticed because I'm intelligent and politically sensitive, certainly more than you are' or alternatively 'I'm from one side of this debate, and want you to make the answer suit me'. So go on, tell me what your solution would be.
Okay fellas, break it up . . .
Although to throw my oar in? The British Isles. I just happened to think of this the other day, whilst thinking about Cap's powers not working away from "Britain". Think about it; if the British Empire grew to include, just for argument's sake, France and Germany, I think it'd be cheating a bit to have Cap's powers still work over there (presuming he still has that handicap). It seems to make more sense to me for "Britain" in the Marvel Universe's magical context to mean "the British Isles". And Avalon too. Maybe the day Ireland is no longer part of those British Isles, things can be different. But it won't make me roll my eyes any less at such a nationalist argument.
As for "British identity" and "British unconscious", I took this as anyone who sees themselves as British or their home as Britain. Otherwise the British unconscious would change every time a British family went to Benidorm for two weeks in August.
I also don't understand this part: "if Avalon is based on the British unconscious, shouldn't Hindu dieties start popping up at some point?" What do you mean? Britain is predominately a Christian nation but does that mean we'll see the twelve apostles in Avalon? Of course not. For one thing, take note of some of the beings and items seen in Avalon; Excalibur, The Lady Of The Lake, Fairies, The Green Knight and the Holy Grail. Not just things from British mythology but things ASSOCIATED with Britain, being the important thing. If a certain Briton doesn't associate Excalibur with Britain, does that mean it won't be there? Not at all. I don't exactly see why the thoughts of "the Irish Unconsciousness" should make more or less of an impact or why their thoughts should count more or less.
But this is all a moot point, if indeed there is a point to be moot; the boundries and definition of "Britain" don't need to be explained or defined. Why you think Ireland is, for whatever reason, underrepresented or are being assumed not to count, is a mystery to me. Why are things made so difficult by a technicality?
And I finally figured out what Paul meant by "not deciding on that question". Which means I was somewhat foolish to write all of this. However, this is my opinion, of course, and nobody else's.
So what is the answer? Is there one? What should the ideal definition of "Britain" and "British" be?
Second place is nothing to sneeze at! Congrats! (Sorry it's late. Been out of the loop.)
You know having read this political bit about the exclusion of ireland and being part irish/german/english/scouser/mancunion.
I think the best way to deal with it is. Have Brian beam into Captain Picards side of the Star Trek Universe and have them all go into the ready room and discuss it and hope that the nebula they happen to be hiding in protects them from the combined forces of the skrull and borg fleet.
Truth be told. Best to steer clear of politics in a comics universe - just keep it about the characters is what I'd think I'd do.
I think if you go down the road of getting political - it will only alienate readers who have less understanding of politics which after all lets face it is all about other peoples agendas anyway. I think a former US President summed it up best when he said, "You can please some of the people some of the time, all of the people most of the time, but not all of the people all of the time."
And no I didn't look that up in a book. Which is probably why I've misquoted it.
BTW have not read issue 4 yet - its on its way to me in the post and should get it sometime next week with my usual monthly bundle of comics. Overall though I'm really enjoying the story.
Its very much thanks to yourself and John Freeman that I am reading comics on a regular bases again - and I hope to meet a few of the UK comic creators in Manchester this october if I can get myself a ticket for that.
"I note when I asked you for an answer, you just restated the question at greater length. So I ask you once again: how should Britain, as defined by the magical powers of the Marvel Universe, be defined?"
Hi again Paul. Any restatements were made with the intent of highlighting the fact that any attempt or lack of attempt will most likely offend somebody. I suspect that would include leaving open the question, though that would probably offend the least. You've suggested leaving the question open without ignoring it, and that sounds ideal, though I'm not sure how you'd pull it off. Perhaps I just need to keep reading!
I have no idea how Britain as defined by the magical powers of the MU should be defined. As you know, in strictly geographic terms, Britain does not include any part of the Irish island. So if Avalon were based on geography, it wouldn't include the unconscious of anybody outside of the Great Britain. (Hope that doesn't sound like lecturing) However, in times past, it's been made clear that Avalon and the position of Captain Britain are not exclusively related to Britain. The Tuath de Dannan, the Formorians and such are figures from Irish mythology. Captain Britain has been made the protector of both Ireland and Great Britain. That makes things complicated.
If I were forced into a situation where I had to write about Avalon and Captain Britain, I'd probably highlight the fluid nature of Avalon. It's all well and good to say that Avalon represents the unconscious of Britain, but who/what determines what Britain is? The obvious answer would be self-identification, but that raises questions about why national identity would be more important than the other concepts and values we identify with. I'd probably extend Otherland, keep Avalon as the collective unconscious of British-ness, but all the while having other islands based on the other concepts that people self-identify with. To explain the historical importance of Avalon and British identity within the MU, I'd probably claim that geographical proximity to the creatures that create the lands of Otherland (these creatures - creatures who've undergone a third tier celestial mutation along the lines seen in Earth X - hang around the Siege Perilous) results in stronger manifestations of concepts that make up humanity's unconscious. I'd make it a much more unstable place so as to better represent the fact that we tend to have multiple, ever-changing identities. To an extent, this has already been done by yourself and by others, but I'd probably turn it up a notch. As for the Captain Britain identity, given a long enough run with enough time, I'd probably reveal that Merlin created the title/identity with the purpose of helping Brian be a better hero as it was something Brian could relate to in an odd sort of way, rather than as the embodiment of some sort of ancient national force. In this way, you could explain away the odd costume design and title choices made by the ever-wise Merlin.
Now, once again, apologies for a long reply, but you did ask. No doubt anyone who reads what I just read could probably find fault - both logical and aesthetic - with what I've just said I'd do, but nobody has to worry since I can't see Marvel handing me the reigns to any property anytime soon. Also, my apologies if what I've typed appears to have a Nelson Muntz tone to it. That is entirely unintentional and an unfortunate consequence of a condition I suffer from known as my personality.
Steve, I'll try and keep this short because I don't think out host really intends this space as a place for discussing the issue at length, the problem with the British Isles answer is that the notion that the Isles are British isn't really acceptable to Irish people. Have a look at the wikipedia article's talk pages! And that would still raise questions about the wisdom of having a character designed to protect Ireland and Great Britain wearing a Union Jack - a symbol of oppression in the unconscious of most Irish people.
As for figures from non-native mythologies, well I figure if creatures like the Green Knight and artifacts like the Grail exist in Avalon because of their place in the collective unconsciousness of the people who live in Britain, then given that many British people are relatively recent immigrants who no doubt have other mythological symbols, artifacts and symbols in their unconsciousnesses , it might be interesting to have such things appear in Avalon. Now if a qualification for a manifestation in Avalon is that you are associated with Britain, then that's another story.
Not to take this lightly but how about we google 'map of Britain' and agree that what displays will be the boundaries?
To be honest, I am more concerned with:
1) How can Dane live with a "stone" heart?
2) Who is the woman he mentioned? and
3) Where did all of these Ebony Blades come from?
Peace!
The last writer who got political with Captain Britain was Dave Thorpe in 1983, and it got him canned. It also led to a storyline I couldn't quite follow as an American in 1994.
Dears, I think I was just rather feeling the pressure, yesterday. Just getting the book out is tough enough. At any rate, I am hoping to blog again, shortly, if I ever find the time, so at some point there'll be another post to comment on! (Do you think I should get a forum?) Cheers.
Hmmm... I'd suggest that the British collective unconsciousness is defined by those who those who think of themselves as British.
(I'm a midlands born Englishman, married to a Scot and living near Edinburgh for the last 18 years... When filling in forms, I look for the box marked British).
I'd also suggest that because it is a collective unconsciousness then it's not necessarily static or consistant, it is literally Otherworldly and the perception is filtered by the perceiver (Ahh, the sound of Heisenberg starting to spin up again!)
So if ten Scots, or ten Welshmen enter the realm they might see something dofferent to what ten Englishmen see... And if you enter in Cardiff you might see something different to what you'd see if you enter in Glasgow, due to strong local psychic influences. It'll be interesting to see what Faiza sees the first time she goes over...
Cheers.
I don't see why you can't have Captain Ireland, Captain Wales and Captain Scotland tbh.
Be a bit of a laugh. You could have loads of politically incorrect banter as they stave off enemys and all go down the pub afterward.
Harping back to issue three a bit because thats where I'm up to until issue 4 arrives next week.
I really liked the way in which Merling brings CB back - though I was a little surprised that CB was brought back into the story so soon. I was just getting into the whole Spitfire and Wisdom thing as well as the relationship between Faiza and the Black Knight.
Not a criticism as such - but I think I'd have kept CB back for one more issue and waited for things to get really, really, really bad. You know to a point where even are Heroes are so affected by apathy that they've started fighting among themselves.
Then I would have brought CB back and would have had him snap them all out of that sense of apathy.
The art looked slightly different...it looked really sharp. Any thing that you guys changed for this issue?
LOVE Captain Britain and MI:13.
Not often I get the urge to cheer in a comic - but when Pete muttered those three words....
Also, similar to the way most people didn't know Blade is from London, what about the Mandarin's late mother, who was said to be an English noblewoman? Maybe there could be some future mention of her. AFAIK, most people don't mention her too often.
Thanks, all. No art changes that I'm aware of. The Mandarin... hmm.
Dear Paul,
I know you remarked upon the more mystical storylines MI:13 will deal with. How do you define "mysticism"? Does it also include W.H.O. (or X-Files) type of missions for MI:13 involving extra-terrestrials?
Still, I wonder if characters like Ka-Zar (or his brother) could show up in future issues. The Foreigner from Spider-Man has an unknown origin and some mystic abilities, and it used to be said that he had a British accent. Maybe he get a mention as well??
-- DN
It may well, Dr. I'm not ruling that out. And all villain requests to be taken under consideration. Cheers.
Amazing first arc Paul! The whole thing had an epic scope, looked fantastic, flowed effortlessly and yes John's death really did (to my surprise) "hurt". You and Leonard Kirk have put out something mighty impressive and I'm already immensely hyped for the next arc with Blade and the vampires.
But while on the subject of villain suggestions, what are your thoughts on the Hellfire Club? I know the core X-Books seem to be going a bit Hellfire crazy for the foreseeable future, but given that two of your cast already have familial ties to the Club and that there's a perfectly interesting London branch that seems to have gone to waste... I dunno, possibilities? The London Club always had more directly occult priorities too, which could fit well with MI-13's immediate mission statement... how about a comeback for Ms. Steed and friends?
And speaking of Hellfire, any chance we'll see more mutants with MI-13 besides old Pete? I still miss Meggan but if not her, there's still quite a few active British mutants I wouldn't mind seeing here or there (Micromax, Kylun, Alchemy, Tangerine, etc)... how about it?
Thanks very much. And we shall see what we shall see.
Dear Paul;
Since these questions deal with ongoing characters, perhaps it's not too late do ask this...
Is it possible for Spitfire to be the Mandarin's mother?
When dealing with Blade's past (if you choose to do so), will you mention Jamal Afari and/or Whistler?
-- DN
Hello, Noh. No, because the Mandarin's mother died when he was a baby, it's a big part of his origin story. And I'm not planning on any Blade history as yet. I think that well's been visited enough. In general, we move forward.
As Neil Gaiman says, the actual voting on awards is subject to a lot of factors other than the quality of the work itself, and getting nominated is what's meaningful. (Actually, he put it more nicely.) And I do think it was a Doctor Who win, reflecting enthusiasm for that year's very high standard.
Compare the "Who's your favourite MI-13 agent" poll. To start with, I can't really pick anyone, since "Dane and Faiza" isn't an option, and while both are terrific characters, neither would be half as cool without the other. Each grows because you see them through the other's eyes and brings out things in the other. One of the best things about Dane is the way he absolutely gets Faiza and is delighted for her when she succeeds, and one of the best of many things about Faiza is the way she never stops being herself despite her awe of Dane and the circumstances she finds herself in. They fit together so well that you can't pick one without the other. (And after one person has reassembled the other down to the quantum level, they're married under common law, anyway).
So Pete Wisdom, then? Yeah, but he wouldn't stand out in the same way without Brian and the rest of MI-13 as context -- and if that weren't true, would you vote for him just because you could separate him out from the rest? But what about John the Skrull, or should we exclude him because he's dead? And what about ...
It's a bit odd to hava a "favourite character" poll about a book whose greatest strength is ensemble. Any choice you made would be a false one. That would be true even if the characters weren't so closely related; any ranking would be arbitrary when the choice involves so many dimensions. Do I like Faiza more than Dane more than Pete Wisdom? I have no idea how to even begin to answer that, except to say that it's good company to be in. Counting votes for something like that is meaningless.
So congratulations for a very well deserved nomination.
-- Brian
Thanks very much, Brian, it's a pleasure to create something that gets reactions like that. Cheers.