Captain Britain and MI-13

[TheCorpulent1]

What the f--Christopher Priest wrote The Prestige?

 

[Manic]

I looked it up. Two different writers named Christopher Priest. You're thinking of the American comic writer, but the dude who wrote The Prestige is an old Englishman.

 

[JewishHobbit]

I gotta say that has got to be my favorite cover so far!

 

[TheCorpulent1]

I looked it up. Two different writers named Christopher Priest. You're thinking of the American comic writer, but the dude who wrote The Prestige is an old Englishman.

Hmm. I wonder if comic-Priest took the pseudonym as an homage to English-Priest...

 

[CaptainCanada]

Hmm. I wonder if comic-Priest took the pseudonym as an homage to English-Priest...

He's said he was unaware of it.

Oh, and, incidentally, Paul Cornell has a new Marvel project for autumn.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Meh. Not really that interested in Black Widow. I hope one day Cornell gets another project that excites me, though. I'd gladly read his work again.

 

[Dread]

I've never been interested in Black Widow in a solo project. She is fine in a team book like AVENGERS or as a supporting character in DAREDEVIL or CAPTAIN AMERICA, but I'm not into the espionage genre. I had thought that Marvel was building up Cornell for a possible run on YOUNG AVENGERS, but I guess Marvel is still waiting on Heinberg to launch a second volume, a wait that has lingered onto FOUR YEARS and COUNTING. For perspective, four years is how long George Bush Sr. was president from 1989-1993. The TV show HEROES has only been on for approx. 3 years/seasons, one year shy. That is how long Marvel has been sticking their editorial hands up their rectums waiting for a Hollywood writer who clearly sees comics as a paid hobby and if he was interested further, he'd have at least provided a plot for someone else to co-write from by now. Marvel couldn't even get an issue out of him during the writer's strike. I suppose it is worth allowing this once hot franchise to cool down to selling 50% less than it did in 2006 and reliant on Dan Slott to basically do major things with some of them in MIGHTY AVENGERS. But I digress.

I am looking forward to the next issue of CAPTAIN BRITAIN AND MI-13, although it is a shame it is the last. Hopefully it ends with a bang.

 

[Manic]

Heinberg pisses me off, sometimes. Brian K. Vaughan is writing for Lost, but he still manages to squeeze out a comic every now and then.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Because Vaughan treats comics as a job as well as TV. Heinberg treats it like a paid hobby, as Dread said. Heaven forbid he take time out of busily cobbling together those masterpiece scripts for Grey's f***ing Anatomy to write a comic book.

 

[The Englishman]

I hope Cornell writes some new Doctor Who episodes....

 

[Manic]

Because Vaughan treats comics as a job as well as TV. Heinberg treats it like a paid hobby, as Dread said. Heaven forbid he take time out of busily cobbling together those masterpiece scripts for Grey's f***ing Anatomy to write a comic book.

Wasn't he writing The OC before Grey's Anatomy?

It's all about the art and creativity for that man, isn't it?

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Clearly. No money-gigs for him.

 

[JewishHobbit]

Hmm, a Black Widow project right when she has a major role in a Marvel movie?! What a coincidense

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Pure serendipity, I'm sure.

 

[The Englishman]

Black Widow might be interesting, I'd like to see her team up with Pete Wisdom.

 

[CaptainCanada]

Hmm, a Black Widow project right when she has a major role in a Marvel movie?! What a coincidense

Cornell outright said it was a movie tie-in (not in terms of story, but in terms of having something with her name on it).

And, in an improvement on how a lot of these things go, the trade will be out in time for the film, rather than the singles.

On the subject of this week's finale, I thought it was pretty good. A few sequences had the feeling that they could have been a bit longer, but that's not a huge deal.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Yeah, I enjoyed it. Happy endings all around, which is nice.

 

[The Mighty Thor]

And I'm glad Faiza got the final takedown, even though it would've been cooler if it had been Dane.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Dane did sort of get shafted there. But I understand the dramatic and symbolic reasons for Faiza taking down Dracula.

 

[CaptainCanada]

On the subject of Dracula's Islamophobia, the historian in me does think they depict that a bit one-sidedly. He hates Muslims because the Ottomans were out to subjugate his kingdom and eventually succeeded in killing him.

 

[Dread]

Dane got to beat Captain Fate in a page two issues ago. He had his moment.

Anyway, my review of the final issue (sniffle), with spoilers.

CAPTAIN BRITAIN AND MI-13 #15: The final issue of this excellent team book, because hardly anyone read it. Such a shame. At any rate, this issue wraps up the series in a pretty British bow and I can't think of much more I could have asked of it. There are parts that seem a little speedy, but then you remember this is the end of a 5-6 issue arc, so there was plenty of time spent on it.

Spoiler

In this issue, Captain Britain and MI-13, as well as a cameo by nearly every decent U.K. superhero from Death's Head II to Union Jack to Digitek and even Dark Angel combine their might to stop Dracula's invasion of Britain. Turns out Pete Wisdom faked the whole thing with Harkness' skull, so it still is barring any uninvited vampire from entering the U.K., with the whole last few issues been their attempt to keep Dracula from figuring that out. His vampire army starts to break apart upon coming close to Britain, leaving his few forces vulnerable to attack. Brian is reunited with Meggan at last, after punching the tar out of Lilith (who, recall, once needed all of the Midnight Sons to beat in the 90's). Faiza stands her ground against Dracula after he takes out Black Knight and seemingly kills him with Excalibur, and it turns out Dane's heart is no longer stone because he has genuinely fallen for her. Blade stakes Baron Blood, just like Spitfire wanted, which appalls Union Jack. Dr. Hussein's stll a vampire, but accepted into the fold. Nearly every loose end is tied up. Not much more one could ask of a final issue.

No one dies, except the bad guys. The heroes pair up and enjoy their victory, whether new lovers or old lovers like Brian and Meggan. Leonard Kirk's pencils rock as usual, although Tara and Spitfire look exactly the same if not for a mask for the latter. I feel sorry for Kirk; so many of the series he lends his art to usually get canceled. I wasn't irked that Dane lost to Dracula, considering he IS Dracula and there's no shame in losing to him; considering Dracula's strong enough to duke it out against Colossus, Dane's lucky he wasn't sliced clean in two, magic armor or not. Besides, he beat Captain Fate pretty quickly a few issues back. I understood why the moment had to be Faiza's as the novice champion. She's one of the most unique new heroines to come out of Marvel in a good long while. It is no surprise it would be in a series that the masses mostly ignored, in favor of seeing Greg Land draw Psylocke in bondage tape in UNCANNY X-MEN.

It is a damn shame that this title couldn't continue, to see where Cornell put this great team in the future. Still, we got three trades worth of stories out of this, which isn't too bad for a launch these days I guess. Most die by issue 24 on average, and at issue 36 on the high side, before needing a relaunch. Still, at least the series ended on a satisfying note, and there's nothing wrong with that. Hopefully the next time we see these characters will be just as good. At least this series ended well, which is more than too many Marvel stories do.

 

[NDX]

I finally got to read this issue, and I can't stop laughing at the 2 panel appearance of Death's Head II. I truly never thought I'd see him again. I had hopes, but I just never saw it happening.

It will probably be another 15 years before he's seen again, too.

And now I made myself sad.

 

[Dread]

Guess you were a fan of his, huh?

 

[NDX]

Yeah. Still am, for nostalgia purposes. Seeing him here, though, just laughably depressing. Because I know this is probably the last time he'll see print.

Although, Abnett and Lanning did throw his creator Doctor Necker into the Nova series for a short bit, so one never knows.

 

[Dread]

The problem is the connection to Marvel U.K. from the 90's, a line editorial would likely forget. "Good ideas, poorly executed" usually become "ixnay" because editors don't know the difference.

But, yes, Abnett & Lanning have referenced it a few times in NOVA, so who knows.