Volume 59: Captain Britain and MI13: Vampire State

Captain Britain and MI13: Vampire State

Author: Paul Cornell  |  Illustrator: Leonard Kirk

"Is that where she is now? With someone? Being a different person for them?"

I'd like to say that Vampire State is a great book, because I enjoy championing the underdog, which Captain Britain probably qualifies as in comparison to the majority of the other heroes featured in TUGNC Collection, but the confusing prologue is followed up by more of the same head-scratching and by the end I was sick of wondering who the hell anyone was and why they were there.

I attempted to factor in that perhaps I was simply lacking essential knowledge from previous Captain Britain and MI13 issues. But while that's no doubt true to an extent, I don't believe it's solely to blame, because the people I did recognise (from being a Marvel UK reader back in the day) were thrown into the narrative with no proper explanation and in some cases without even a legitimate reason why they'd be there in the first place. It was a mess in more ways than one. Characters randomly appear and disappear once their usefulness is used up (or is wasted), and then some other mad shit happens, before the finale magically pulls new levels of bullshit out of nothing but air. Why? What? Did no one question it at the production stage?

The 'story' has actual Dracula. The legendary vampire desires a nation of his own, so he builds a castle on the moon (because hah, fuck you, logic) from which to organise his forces. In response, Captain Britain, MI13, and a number of other mostly UK-specific heroes attempt to stop the ancient, bitey villain from executing his evil plan.

The most interesting thing about the book is that the Captain's powers are based on his confidence level, so self-doubt is potentially both emotionally and physically destructive to him. It's an idea that could've been put to many poignant uses, in isolation or sequentially, but it never is - or rather, never any worthy of the idea itself.

I felt some relief when I actually recognised things, such as the House of Lords, of all places (or was it the Commons?), but now I can't remember why it was featured. A brain-fart, perhaps, but just as likely a coping mechanism: my brain expunging the mess.

The book collects together Captain Britain and MI13 #10-15; and Annual #1.

Verdict:

Volume 03: Captain Britain: A Crooked World

Captain Britain: A Crooked World

Author: Alan Moore | Illustrator: Alan Davis

"I hit one of you and ten of you get nose-bleeds! What are you people?"

Author extraordinaire Alan Moore's only work for Marvel was for their Marvel UK imprint. For too short a time he took over author duties of the unimaginatively named Captain Britain.

The bearded-one plays it safe for the first few issues, but being Moore means he can't contain himself for long. Early in his run he chucked the manual out the window, rewrote the character's origin story in a convincing manner, making the manipulative Merlyn and his daughter Roma more instrumental in decision making, and turned the Captain into a fully fledged Moore-esque character. It turned out to be just what was needed to revive the series. At times it feels like an episode of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. He even slips in a vision of a dystopian England, much like his V for Vendetta (1988).

It's very British. The Captain gets deeply frustrated when things don't turn out as expected, and characters display the quirks that define the quintessential Englishman. However, rather than reinforce stereotypes it succeeds in turning them into comical strengths. More than once I found myself in hysterics at the behavioural traits of the group.

The villains are equally ridiculous, with names to match: The Omniversal Majestrix Saturnyne; the Special Executive; the Avant Guard; and Jim Jaspers (with a name like that it sounds like he should be teaching high school Chemistry, not destroying entire worlds).

As the scripts got more insane so too did artist Alan Davis' panels grow more adventurous. Some of the expressions he uses are really fantastic. It's refreshing to see someone break from a regular routine and admirably rise to meet a challenge.

A Crooked World is noteworthy for also featuring the first appearance of the Captain's twin sister, Betsy Braddock, who works for S.T.R.I.K.E, the British version of S.H.I.E.L.D. You maybe know the purple-haired Betsy better as Psylocke of the X-Men.

The book collects together stories from Marvel Super-Heroes (UK) #387-388, Daredevils #1-11,
and Mighty World of Marvel V2 #7-13.

Verdict: