Comments on PaulCornell.com: Thanks and Cap Four

Thanks very much, Brian, it's a pleasure to create...

2008-09-15T07:40:00.000+01:00

Thanks very much, Brian, it's a pleasure to create something that gets reactions like that. Cheers.

As Neil Gaiman says, the actual voting on awards i...

2008-09-14T01:09:00.000+01:00

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

Hello, Noh. No, because the Mandarin's mother die...

2008-09-03T09:21:00.000+01:00

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.

Dear Paul;

Since these questions deal with ...

2008-09-02T18:14:00.000+01:00

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

Thanks very much. And we shall see what we shall s...

2008-09-02T10:38:00.000+01:00

Thanks very much. And we shall see what we shall see.

Amazing first arc Paul! The whole thing had an ep...

2008-08-31T20:56:00.000+01:00

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?

It may well, Dr. I'm not ruling that out. And all ...

2008-08-28T06:59:00.000+01:00

It may well, Dr. I'm not ruling that out. And all villain requests to be taken under consideration. Cheers.

Dear Paul,

I know you remarked upon the mor...

2008-08-27T16:42:00.000+01:00

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

Thanks, all. No art changes that I'm aware of. The...

2008-08-26T11:27:00.000+01:00

Thanks, all. No art changes that I'm aware of. The Mandarin... hmm.

Also, similar to the way most people didn't know B...

2008-08-25T19:18:00.000+01:00

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.

LOVE Captain Britain and MI:13.
Not often I get...

2008-08-25T09:51:00.000+01:00

LOVE Captain Britain and MI:13.
Not often I get the urge to cheer in a comic - but when Pete muttered those three words....

The art looked slightly different...it looked real...

2008-08-24T06:26:00.000+01:00

The art looked slightly different...it looked really sharp. Any thing that you guys changed for this issue?

I don't see why you can't have Captain Ireland, Ca...

2008-08-23T14:38:00.000+01:00

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.

Hmmm... I'd suggest that the British collective un...

2008-08-23T12:00:00.000+01:00

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.

Dears, I think I was just rather feeling the press...

2008-08-23T10:19:00.000+01:00

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.

The last writer who got political with Captain Bri...

2008-08-23T05:49:00.000+01:00

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.

Not to take this lightly but how about we google '...

2008-08-23T00:56:00.000+01:00

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!

"I note when I asked you for an answer, you just r...

2008-08-22T22:21:00.000+01:00

"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.

You know having read this political bit about the ...

2008-08-22T22:20:00.000+01:00

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.

Second place is nothing to sneeze at! Congrats! ...

2008-08-22T21:55:00.000+01:00

Second place is nothing to sneeze at! Congrats! (Sorry it's late. Been out of the loop.)

Okay fellas, break it up . . .

Although to ...

2008-08-22T19:13:00.000+01:00

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?

I'm not going to decide upon that question. Which ...

2008-08-22T16:58:00.000+01:00

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.

Apologies for the length of the comment Paul. I'm ...

2008-08-22T16:32:00.000+01:00

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!

Thanks, all. Steve: The Pendragon force went back ...

2008-08-22T08:54:00.000+01:00

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.

Man, thanks for not making Pete the new Captain Br...

2008-08-22T08:45:00.000+01:00

Man, thanks for not making Pete the new Captain Britain. I would've been incensed.