|
By Jason Bourgeois
That may very well be the lamest punny title for a column this year, if not this decade. Bad puns aside, what is up in this month's Grey Matters? While one half of me is off interviewing Paul Cornell over in the Torture Chamber, this half of me is actually looking at the new comic he's writing for Marvel, Captain Britain & MI: 13.
I've made it no secret that one of my favourite comics ever is the original run of Excalibur, particularly the first 25 issues or so, as well as Captain Britain being a well liked character of mine. That's right, there's a character I like who is not a redhead, not even female, and does not shoot lasers from their eyes. It was first told to the fans that Paul would be writing a new Excalibur title, after Claremont's last attempt was ill received by most, although I thought it was a good popcorny ride, for the most part. Emphasis may fall on the corny side of that, however. Cornell had just completed the critically acclaimed, but poor selling miniseries Wisdom, about Shadowcat's ex, and British black ops man, Pete Wisdom, and his very strange cadre of characters protecting the United Kingdom from threats foreign, domestic, and strange.
Paul has taken a bunch of his MI: 13 characters and brought Captain Britain into the mix, along with other British iconic characters, such as Spitfire, and a few brand new creations. The mix of characters continues Cornell's flair for the weird he had in the Wisdom miniseries. The team is made up, so far, of the aforementioned trio, the Black Knight, a Skrull impersonating John Lennon and loyal to Earth, since he's grown to love the place over the last 40 years, and a Muslim doctor whom we have yet to learn much about, besides having a bit of hero worship for the Black Knight.
Oh yeah, you may have noticed I said there's a Skrull on the team. Those paying attention may also have noticed the rest of the Marvel Earth is thrust into the midst of a Skrull invasion, so this title picks up on that obvious thread, and drops the forming team right into the thick of the invasion. I love making this choice, since it makes the Skrulls plot not be centered entirely on New York City, which is often a flaw in these big, epic storylines. With so many titles taking place in one locale, it's hard to buy a global invasion. However, here we have the Skrulls overrunning London, and seeking to destroy their source of magic, the Siege Perilous, the gateway to Avalon and Otherworld.
Their goal adds even more depth to the invasion, making it more than 'beat up the superheroes, conquer the planet'. This is a war being fought on multiple fronts, with multiple targets, and it's drawing the planet's resources of heroes thin. It's hard to show that in the miniseries proper, but that's what tie ins and crossovers are for, and should be used for. They fill in the cracks, and widen the scope, and on that front, this title knocks it out of the park. This is exactly what I look for in my crossovers. I don't need to know the big picture over in Secret Invasion, and Secret Invasion doesn't need to reference this book much, and it makes everything feel all that much bigger. The book uses the strengths of Marvel's history and shared universe, in a logical manner, and this book feels like it should be out right now.
Cornell's dialogue is as sharp and clean as I've come to expect from him. The characters all have their unique voices, and they're all within the bounds of characterisation I've come to associate with them. Although, the Black Knight is acting outside the norm, it is at least acknowledged and giving reasoning within the book, unlike other writers who just come in and write a character how they want, logic and explanations be damned.
The action drops you right into the thick of things, with finding a Skrull infiltrator within her majesty's service, and a firefight in the heart of London, with all of the heroes of the realm being called into service, and under Wisdom's leadership. I'm not sure if that's a sure sign of being doomed, or mad brilliance on someone's part to put Wisdom in charge, but he seems to aquit himself well, and knows enough to defer to the Captain's experience in such matters. The two may rub each other the wrong way at times, but they have grudgingly grown into close allies and equally respecting each other over the years, if not a weird sort of friendship.
Beyond the fighting, the story has heart, with even Wisdom showing a respect for heroes, and what they do, and represent to his nation. With a war brewing all around, the nation needs heroes, and when called, those in Britain rise to the occasion, and show their true mettle. I'm a sucker for a good heroic tale, and people doing all those things, so I am absolutely loving this book.
Topping it off is the art of Leonard Kirk, whom I've long been a fan of, and this could well be some of his best work yet. I'm more familiar with his work being a lot cleaner and smoother, and less rough around the edges, but in this title, with these characters, and these dire situations, it completely works, and he brings his best to the table, showing what a capable storyteller he is. His characters manage to look different, an uncommon trait with too many artists, and you can tell who most people are just by looking at them, and you know what they're thinking as well. Kirk needs to be a much bigger name than he is, and this title will hopefully start getting him some notice.
With the Wisdom miniseries' poor reception, tying this book into the invasion, and the Captain Britain mythos, was a wise decision, I would wager, and hopefully enough people are hooked by this first issue to keep it going. Most events, even if they're lackluster in execution, almost always seem to create that one shining gem of a title that should continue. Annihilation had Nova, Infinite Crisis gave us Blue Beetle, and I hope this year we get to keep CB13 for a good, long time. I missed having a cracking good read set in England. Let's keep these guys around.
Jason M. Bourgeois
|
