The random nerdy interests of a random nerdy person
Characters: Captain Britain / Brian Braddock, Hurricane,
Content Note: hurricanes, plane crash (sort of) into ocean, death trap involving a jet
To recap: Captain Britain is chained to the intake of a jet and when Hurricane powers up the jet he’ll get sucked in and shredded.
Considering we’re only seven weeks in, I’d say the end is extremely unlikely…
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Characters: Captain Britain / Brian Braddock, Hurricane, various Heathrow airport personnel and pilots
Content Note: violence at an airport and involving fuel, mention of 9/11 in my commentary, deathtrap involving a jet
The cover is concerning and (spoilers) a good teaser of what’s going to happen.
Yeah, this is set at Heathrow airport. I expect it would go down very differently these days.
They did casually mention last issue that Hurricane’s base was at Heathrow, which I kinda skipped over, and didn’t realize that Heathrow isn’t, like, a neighborhood as well (I’m a Yank, cut me some slack). This time they’re clearer that the hideout is “on the fringe of Heathrow/London Airport”. And as one would expect from last issue’s cliffhanger, we jump straight to them fighting.
I feel like this being next to an airport deserves more attention from the get-go, but that may due to the changes caused by, well, today’s anniversary (9/11/2001, the attack on the World Trade Center in New York City). We’re not going to get into that, but the airport security theater that resulted seems relevant.
We do have a nice bit of nonsense technology in the background of the first and third panel.
As Cap is blown out of the warehouse, he thinks that Hurricane’s power is like nothing he’s felt. Which, uh, really? You’ve already fought him before and he just about destroyed the university.
We get an aerial shot that gives us an idea of the distance between the “North Field Factories” and the airport itself, plus some references to things, I’m assuming at least partially, happened in other Marvel comics.
I guess having your base at an airport would cover a lot of weird noises? But I’d really expect them to vet who they rent to. Anyway, the cover happens and naturally the airport is now concerned. Cap is also concerned – Hurricane’s armor is invincible, but Cap is faster and more agile. He’s hoping to wear him down. He manages to get a hit to Hurricane’s backpack, which makes both Hurricane and his windblasts go wild.
Hurricane says it’s a momentary advantage, but thinks that he “must work fast – heat factors are already rising out of control.” Brian has figured out that the backpack is his weakness, but gets caught by surprised and blown around, dropping his quarterstaff.
And… he got blown onto an active runway, with a plane coming right at him to take off. Hurricane uses his suction blasts to pull the aircraft, under full power, down at Cap. Who decides, instead of, say, running to the side, to run underneath it.
Why do people always do things like that? You can turn a whole lot faster than the vehicle chasing you can. Run to the side! But I digress…
It works, but now Hurricane flies over him and uses his suction trick to pull all the air out from around Cap. Which I’m not sure would work as described? More air would just come fill the void?
Hurricane admits that Cap came close to winning as Heathrow’s fire brigade and security forces come to take care of the plane. Hurricane blasts them away and kidnaps Captain Britain. Dude may be a little obsessed with him at this point, or maybe it’s just that Cap’s name is on the cover.
We get a NASTY cliffhanger deathtrap. Holy Shades of Batman!
Wow.
The problem with these weekly issues is that each story is short (7 pages). These had Fantastic Four and Nick Fury stories on top of these. That’s a lot of action for just 10 pence!
Credits: writer: Chris Claremont, artists: Herb Trimpe & Fred Kida, letterer: I. Watanabe, colorist: Marie Severin, editor: Larry Lieber. Cover credits (via the GCD): pencils: Ron Wilson, inks: Frank Giacola, letterer: Irving Watanabe
I will go back and add icons to this and the previous issue! I liveblogged issues 5-7 on Discord and want to get them up here before the thread gets buried.
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Characters: Captain Britain / Brian Braddock, Courtney Ross, Hurricane, Jacko Tanner, Chief Inspector Dai Thomas, Sandy York
First Appearance: Dr. Neil MacKenzie, Detective Inspector Kate Fraser
Content Note: disasters, falling buildings, digging people out of rubble (no pictures), radiation
We start with one of those nice talky comic covers. I really do like Hurricane’s costume, although the wrist wind blasters do end up looking like they’re shooting water. Wind is hard to draw.
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Characters: Captain Britain / Brian Braddock, Jacko Tanner and his cronies (one is named Charley), Courtney Ross
First Appearance: Hurricane
Content Note: violence, bullying, head trauma, and as you might expect from the name of the villain, extreme weather
It’s Hurricane time! But first, Brian is screwing around in the gym at his university. (We’re also reminded that he’s a physics student, and I really would like to know how he has ANY time for superhero stuff). And as these come out weekly, and this is #4, and so he’s been doing this for a month – but apparently it’s so easy, it’s like he’s been doing it for years.
Buddy, you haven’t dealt with anything yet.
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Characters: Captain Britain / Brian Braddock, Chief Inspector Dai Thomas, Royce, Vixen’s Mob, Dora, Courtney Ross, Jacko Tanner, Sandy York, Hurricane
(Content Notice: violence including guns, gender policing, bullying)
Yeah, it’s been a while. Sorry.
It’s time for another adventure full of Kirby-esque artwork! Including extreme foreshortening and disproportionately large figures. You think I’m kidding?
Look, there’s stylization, then there’s drawing one foot ten times as big as the other. That second one doesn’t make SENSE. The green guy is a perspective all his own, unless his leg actually stretches back three yards. But, it’s very dramatic! And that’s what matters.
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Characters: Captain Britain / Brian Braddock, Reaver / Joshua Stragg, Merlin, Lady of the Northern Skies, Unnamed Thugs
The cover is very exciting and all – well composed, full of Kirby Dots, nice color contrast between Cap and Reaver, but… Look at Captain Britain’s pose. So his legs are basically perpendicular to Reaver. Who is attacking him. Brian had to have fallen on his ass one second after that blow.
To recap, Brian Braddock got super powers and a really spiffy costume somehow, he’s fighting the Reaver who is in plate armor for some reason, and this is all a flashback. (You can tell because all the panels have round corners.) Continuing from the last ish, we have the giant head of Merlin and the Lady of the Northern Skies, Brian trying to run, Reaver looks like a troll and his men are in pseudo-medieval / technological armor. Brian has to choose between a sword and an amulet. To no one’s surprise this is an easy choice.
Really, it’s all very kind of melodramatic.
“YOU HAVE TO CHOOSE NOW.”
“I’m not a killer! I can only chose the amulet, the symbol of life!” (Since when do amulets generically symbolize anything?)
(And this is a direct quote, because DRAMATIC MUCH?)
“Rejoice, my son, for thou hast chosen the amulet of right o’er the sword of might! Therefore, let there be beauty and strength — power and compassion — honour and humility, mirth and reverence — within you… Be one with thy brothers of the Round Table — with Arthur and Lancelot, Gawain and Galahad, with them all…”
Brian: Srsly woman, you don’t have to yell.
No, sorry, I was doing direct quotes. Here we go.
“This — is — insane!!
A second ago, it was as if my very being were on fire — mind, body and soul together — and now… This costume, appearing out of nowhere — fitting me as if it’s tailor-made — and my body within the costume. I feel… bigger, faster, stronger — literally bursting with power, but how– and why?!?”
How and why? Seriously, I thought Over-Dramatic Lady made all that clear, more or less.
So our sides are defined – Right (aka, Law and Justice) and Might. A little cliched, but okay.
And to no one’s surprise Reaver decides to grab the sword to fight Cap with. And it’s EVIL. Which seems wrong to me. I might be overthinking or in the wrong mindset or something, but why are Merlin and this Lady setting out something evil? And two, it’s not like swords or might are inherently wrong. To bring up the previously mentioned Round Table – those guys used swords all the frikking time, and while they weren’t all entirely righteous (with the possible exception of Galahad, if I’m remembering my mythology correctly), they weren’t bad guys either. I know, I know, they were simplifying, stop thinking so much.
Anyway, Reaver grabs the sword and gets transformed like Brian. Except sillier (see the GIANT plume from last issue). And Reaver’s men tackle Brian. And we get this:
And then Brian instinctively reaches for his whupping stick, gives himself a pep talk, and the flashback ends. And apparently it took him a half hour to beat Reaver’s men.
Turns out Reaver got powers too. Which seems unwise of Merlin – okay, there has to be a wrong answer, fine, but don’t make it one that will then make you have to find someone else to clean up the mess if the hero picks it. Or, for example, a bad guy wanders in and grabs it.
So, yeah, his sword shoots energy. Because having a sharp pointy end isn’t enough when you’re dressed in armor and the other guy is in spandex. Brian tries throwing the staff at him, thinking that’s going to work. Brian? Cutie? HE HAS A HELMET. And they fight more with, in good Marvel Tradition, Brian getting the worse end of it. So, again, in good comic tradition, he has a crazy thought.
And I hate to interrupt the action, but we get a special bonus! A Captain Britain Do-It-Yourself Colour Page! Which my cynicism translates to: we ran out of money to color this page. So, yeah, black and white.
And Reaver is defeated, just like that. And Brian has proven himself a champion of Right, by beating people up. Because Might is evil.
Credits: writer: Chris Claremont, artists: Herb Trimpe & Fred Kida, letterer: I. Watanabe, colorist: Marie Severin, editor: Larry Lieber.
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Characters: Captain Britain / Brian Braddock, Dr. Travis, Reaver / Joshua Stragg, Merlin, Lady of the Northern Skies
First appearance: … everybody. Actually I don’t know that. To the Wikipedia! … yes.
Or I could’ve just gone on to the first page, which has ‘a personal message from Stan Lee’! It’s Britain’s greatest superhero! (I’m pretty sure that’s not true, at least yet)
For you who don’t know, British comics come out weekly. Because of this, they are shorter (this one is 10 pages, including the cover) and often at least partially in black and white (this one is in full color).
I first read about Captain Britain during my ‘I love the X-men’ phase, in Excalibur, which, at the time I was reading it, was excellent (Cross-Time Caper era, for those of you who know). Anyway, let’s get on with the story.
‘Captain Britain!’
‘Born in fulfillment of an ancient dream — forged and tempered in the fires of defeat and death…‘
‘… a man gifted with superior powers and abilities–‘
‘– he is that rarest of all men:’
‘ a Super-Hero! ‘
The artist is not, in fact, Jack Kirby, but you could be forgiven for thinking otherwise. Our hero, clad in brilliant red, amply emblazoned with the Union Jack and displaying the English lion, and with a permanent and somewhat inexplicable shadow about the face, damn near leaps off the page with his whacking stick.
We also get hints what is going to happen in the background, which is a bit silly if you think about it, as this is the second page in a nine page story, so why bother? There’s also a bit of Kirby Krackle serving absolutely no purpose, because, hey, why not?
I don’t know why I described it and then showed the pic anyway, but hey, I’m not going to waste that overally complicated sentence.
So we start in the middle of our story ‘in the remote fastness of the Cheviot Hills, just south of the Scottish border’, which I’m sure thrilled somebody reading this for the first time.
You couldn’t see it on the splash page, but besides the Union Jack over his face, Cap’s also got one on each arm, because, again, why not? He’s probably got Union Jack boxers on too.
Because this is England, Cap is fighting a guy in a full suit of Medieval-style armor, complete with big poofy purple feathers coming out of his helmet. I can’t tell if Reaver’s minions are carrying rayguns or just Kirby-teched normal guns, but they don’t get a chance to use them before Cap knocks them out, while thinking, in classic Marvel fashion, ‘I’m such an awesome fighter! But how?! I’m a physicist, not a super-hero!’ Cap, um, it comes with the goofy costume, along with the ability to think three pages of text in the five seconds it would take to beat these guys up.
Oh, we also get some classic onomatopoeia:
And people narrating their action as well, because comics.
Reaver: He dodged my blow at the last second!
Remaining conscious minion: Yeah, we saw that.
Okay, Reaver’s silly purple plume curves from the top of his head in a perfect arc up, down, and to halfway down his back. It’s like a blanket. Those are some serious feathers.
And Cap spontaneously says his name, which he didn’t know up till this point. Can I just point out that while starting in the middle of the story is exciting and all, it’s also silly. We don’t know what’s going on because it’s just two people in silly costumes we don’t know fighting for an unknown reason. And apparently our hero doesn’t know what’s going on either. I know Marvel is about everyman heroes (at least when this story was written), but this is goofy.
Annnd cue flashback. In the middle of a fight. Because why on earth would Cap bother paying attention? After all, he’s unbeatable!
The flashback panels are nicely done. The first one starts with typical thought bubble scallops and then they all have rounded corners. It’s a nice subtle way of setting it apart.
I’m always inordinately pleased about pipe-smoking characters. I don’t remember ever seeing Brian with a pipe before. He must have given it up when he finished college.
Any, Brian was working as an assistant to Dr. Travis, supposedly just until the next term starts, at a Darkmoor Research Center – I’m sorry Centre -, where they’re developing a fusion reactor system. OK, that name is just foreboding. As is the strange aircraft disappearing behind the hill in the last four panels.
And the world’s most ridiculous vehicle bursts through the wall! Thus introducing our villain. Who appears to be wearing a mohair trenchcoat.
And they kidnap everyone but Brian, who races off on a motorcycle, looking very silly. (Something about a nice suit and a little bike just is odd). But he gets blinded by the strange aircraft – which he doesn’t seem fazed by at all – and drives off a cliff in a fireball. Is this the end? Nope, he gets saved by – and I’m not making this up – the giant floating heads and hands of Merlin and ‘The Lady of the Northern Skies’ to get judged ‘on peril of [his] immortal soul!’
And thus we end, still in flashback mode! What’ll happen next week?! Aside from the stuff we saw at the beginning of this issue?
Credits: writer: Chris Claremont, artists: Herb Trimpe & Fred Kida, (doing an excellent Kirby impersonation, yay for house styles?), letterer: I. Watanabe, colorist: Marie Severin, editor: Larry Lieber. (Specifically, Herb Trimpe did pencils and Fred Kida did inks, according to the Grand Comics Data-Base.)
I’m not marking the Age on these, but if you’re curious, it’s Bronze Age.
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