Honoring the Captain Britain Corps and its greatest members. Day 2: Will of the People

Welcome to the second day of our week of mourning on the Captain Britain Blog as we remember the Captain Britain Corps who were so cruelly taken from us last week. Each day we are going to look at some of the best members of the Corps and celebrate the incredible diversity and strength of the best inter-dimensional super hero team that ever was.

On our second day we honor Will of the People, also known as Jonathan Raven.

If yesterday Captain UK was the poster girl for the Corp’s values of grit, strength and determination then today’s Corps member Will of the People is the solid embodiment of the team’s diversity. This chap is a bit of an enigma with as far as I’m aware his first and only appearance taking place in Excalibur 50 by Alan Davis published in 1992. I had to search the Marvel Database before I found out who he was, but as he is unnamed in the Comic I really don’t know who gave this Corps member his details.

Even in just his short appearance though Will shines partly due to his great costume, check out the detail including those snazzy red and blue yin yang symbols, and who doesn’t want to see someone punch ninjas? I’m taken by the idea of a martial artist who also has Captain Britain powers simply because I think they could be an unstoppable super juggernaut, but until the Corps are resurrected I can only speculate on how awesome he could have been.

Join us for the rest of the week as we continue to honor the Captain Britain Corps and its finest members.

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Honoring the Captain Britain Corps and its greatest members – Day 1: Captain UK

Welcome to a week of mourning on the Captain Britain Blog as we remember the Captain Britain Corps who were so cruelly taken from us last week. Each day we are going to look at some of the finest members of the Corps, and celebrate the incredible diversity and strength of the best interdimensional superhero team that ever was.

On our first day we start with Linda McQuillan or Captain UK to give her one of her many titles.

Where to start with Captain UK’s achievements, killer of the unstoppable monster known as the Fury, member of Excalibur, stand in for Captain Britain and his defense counsel when he was put on trial are just a few of her many fantastic achievements. To me Captain UK represents the Captain Britain Corps so perfectly you could imagine her appearing on recruitment posters pointing a finger at the viewer, and telling them the Corps required their services.

Comic wise she first saw the light of day in Marvel Super Heroes 388; in a story written by Alan Moore and drawn by Alan Davis which was published in 1982.

Join us for the rest of the week as we continue to honor the Captain Britain Corps and its finest members, why not let me know in the comments which Corps member you miss the most.

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Captain Britain and Meggan spotted in this weeks Fantastic Four issue 643

So it seems someone at Marvel is listening to me about the absence of Captain Britain’s wife Meggan from current Cap events in Avenger’s Time Runs Out, as she popped up recently in the latest issue of Fantastic Four number 643.

In that comic the Fantastic Four are having to deal with the fallout of the Heroes Reborn event from 1996 – don’t ask – and as portals open up across the world letting in the bad guys the heroes rally to the fight. As one of these portals opens up in London Captain Britain, Meggan and a host of UK heroes turn up to pummel the baddies in there one panel appearance below.

Click to enlarge. so you can see Cap, Meggan, Union Jack, Spitfire and more.

I’m guessing this is before Time Runs Out as Cap is wearing a different costume, but it’s nice to see writer James Robinson has done his homework for this one panel UK hero appearance.

Does this mean Meggan is safe and sound and will survive Time Runs Out or even turn up in Secret Wars? I don’t have any answers but she’s a major part of Cap continuity so let’s hope she doesn’t get the Captain Britain Corps treatment.

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In today’s New Avengers 30 Captain Britain questions are answered. UPDATED

UPDATED see end of article.

Ever since Captain Britain turned up in The Avengers Time Runs Out event his fans have been given very few answers about his disheveled, one-eyed, bearded appearance, the possible death of the Captain Britain Corps and how it all will lead into Secret Wars.

Now New Avengers 30 has been released today does it give Cap fans the answers they want as Tom Brevoort promised it would back in November last year; or have the mysteries people are dying to unravel become even more tangled?

Join us on the Captain Blog for a dissection of the issue, but please be aware this article includes spoilers for this week’s New Avengers 30, if you haven’t read the issue yet then do not carry on reading after the picture.

OK let start with the fact that despite the cover Captain Britain and the Corps have very little page time in New Avengers 30, but when they do appear Hickman gives us some answers which die-hard Cap fans might wish to remain ignorant about.

Plot wise the big bad behind Time Runs Out and the destruction of the Marvel Multiverse have been revealed as race of Beyonders also known as the Ivory Kings  who we are told can crunch universes with their power. They along with a race known as Mapmakers began to collapse the multiverse but why? Captain Britain found out the terrible answer.

Not looking good for the Corps is it, well sadly their luck doesn’t get any better.

So in four panels we have the loss of Cap’s eye in a fight with the Beyonder’s minions and the total destruction of the Captain Britain Corps along with Saturnyne, but hope isn’t lost as Cap escaped, and if I’m reading the panel correctly he has possibly left with the power to resurrect the Corps.

So where do we start, the Corps are gone but as death in comic books is about as permanent as a spray on tan I can’t really get that upset, Cap has come back from the dead a few times and Meggan his wife once so I’m sure the Corps will reappear after or during Secret Wars. Speaking of Meggan, where is she ? SHIELD don’t seem to have any record of her as I reported here and you’d think as Cap’s wife she might have been involved in his big scrap, but she is sadly absent and hopefully not another casualty.

Hickman is a master of the twisty-turny plot, springing surprises on his readers in whatever title of his you happen to read so I’m sure he still has lots of cards up his sleeve for Time Runs Out. Whether these surprises will reveal more about Cap I’m not sure as the book seems to be approaching end game territory when apart from the end of series explanations the title will probably focus more on fixing the multiverse rather than telling us more secrets. Speaking of secrets with Secret Wars imminent Cap might not be safe even after Time Runs Out finishes and the next big Marvel event starts, who knows?

What are your thoughts on New Avengers 30? Are you angry at the death of the Captain Britain Corps? Where do you think Meggan is? If you have any thoughts on these ideas or more please sound off in the comments below.

UPDATE – following a tip-off in the comments section from Braddock I checked out the epilogue to Spider-Verse in Amazing Spider-Man 15, and there is one survivor of the Captain Britain Corps, Spider-UK.

 

So did Marvel just recreate the Captain Britain Corps but filled it full of Spider-Men instead?

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I’ll buy anything with Captain Britain on. NOW UPDATED

I love collecting Captain Britain memorabilia, I own cards, books, t-shirts, socks, badges and more, and I’m a keen Ebay scourer for anything that tickles my Cap collecting taste buds. Because of this habit I recently became the proud owner of another Captain Britain jigsaw to complement the one I already own, have a look at the box.

A brief history of Captain Britain jigsaws can be found in my original article on them here, when I believed only two jigsaws were released until I chanced on the third last week.

For those interested the jigsaw is taken from this early Cap Cover from 1976 by Herb Trimpe….

The helicopter is taken from this panel in the issue….

and the SHROOM effect taken from this panel.

If you want to see more great Captain Britain memorabilia on the site then click here

UPDATE – Thanks to Andrew Rose you can enjoy two more Cap jigsaws that he kindly photographed for the site, they’re great pics and enjoy his Captain Britain figure collection as well.

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The Complete Captain Britain comic guide. Issue 5: Captain Britain has been beaten.

Welcome to week five of the Captain Britain Blog’s ongoing review of Captain Britain’s Seventies adventures. Full details of how the review works can be found here, then after reading that why not enjoy….

Captain Britain has been beaten.

Issue 5. Published November 10 1976.

Writer: Chris Claremont.

Artists: Herb Trimpe and Fred Kida

You have been watching: First appearances of Dr McKenzie – Brian Braddock’s tutor and Kate Fraser, Chief Inspector Thomas’ side kick.

The story so far: Captain Britain recovers from his defeat at the hands of Hurricane and begins to rescue people from the devastation caused by the recent fight. Chief Inspector Thomas is quick to lay the blame at Captain Britain’s door but the steadfast Dr McKenzie lets him know he is completely in the wrong. Back as Brian Braddock our hero notices Sandy York’s photos of the battle have come out blurred, returning to his lab Brian figures out the Hurricane’s armour is nuclear powered which will enable him to be tracked.

As Hurricane pontificates on just what British monument he will destroy next Captain Britain ambushes him, and they prepare for the second round of their duel.

Continuity: We learn more about Hurricane’s powers, his suit is nuclear powered and in what can only be called a criminal oversight he has designed his helmet so it reduces his hearing.

Cap’s trusty quarter staff again proves its versatility as it is used as a lever to shift debris.

Brian Braddock in a great sequence uses deduction and science to track Hurricane, yet again highlighting his high level of brain power.

Stand out art: I love this Cap does science panel, as with not a hair out-of-place he meddles with radiation wearing what seems to me to be inadequate safety gear.

Well said old chap: Yet again Captain Britain and Chief Inspector Thomas have words.

Final Thoughts: I make no secret of my love for Captain Britain when writers remember he is a man with an intelligence almost on the level I would say of Reed Richards or Tony Stark, so his solving how to track the Hurricane just from a photograph is to me perfect characterization. Another nice touch that makes this story a bit more than a typical Spider-Man scenario is when Brian Braddock’s professor isn’t backwards on coming forward to give Chief Inspector Thomas a piece of mind when defending Cap. Courtney Ross also shows she’s not some wilting waif as she helps Captain Britain shift rubble to rescue her trapped friends.Of course this just gives the oaf Jacko Tanner more reason to rib Brian Braddock but it’s scenes and ideas like all these that make Captain Britain more than your standard Seventies super hero fare.

Sadly Hurricane doesn’t benefit from any characterization and he remains solidly in the two-dimensional school of villainy as he rants how he will destroy the UK, though I did laugh at the fact he won’t trash Big Ben as he thinks it’s already broken.

You can read my review of issue 4 here.

When issue six is ready I will put a link here

You can keep up to date with all the Captain Britain news and views fit to print by liking The Captain Britain Blog on Facebook, or on Pinterest, or subscribe to this blog by entering your email in the link top right. Already following the site on Facebook ? Well you can still help by liking and sharing the blogs posts, thanks in advance.

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The Complete Captain Britain comic guide. Issue 4: Hour of the Hurricane

Welcome to week four of the Captain Britain Blog’s ongoing review of Captain Britain’s Seventies adventures. Full details of how the review works can be found here, then after reading that why not enjoy….

Hour of the Hurricane.

Captain Britain issue 4. Published November 3^rd 1976.

Writer: Chris Claremont.

Artists: Herb Trimpe and Fred Kida.

The story so far: While having a morning workout Captain Britain is interrupted by Jacko Tanner and forced to change back to Brian Braddock in mid-air. Luckily he suffers no harm but his ego takes a beating from Tanner who thinks Brian is gutless. Brian reveals he won’t lift a fist against Tanner due to a mysterious oath he took for his parents.

Later as Brian joins Courtney Ross for breakfast they are interrupted by the Hurricane, Brian turns into Captain Britain and a brawl ensues. Blasted by the Hurricane Cap is defeated and the Hurricane escapes crowing his triumph.

You have been watching: First appearance of the Hurricane in costume and first mention of Brian Braddock’s parents.

Continuity: We witness another use for Cap’s trusty quarter staff as he uses it to pole vault.

The Hurricane’s powers are described as flight, wrist blasters – which can be reversed to suck, body armour and the power to create mini hurricanes.

Brian Braddock mentions his parents and an oath he took; we won’t see them however until issue 14.

Cap demonstrates he’s not all brawn as he uses his brain to attempt to attack the Hurricane where he will be safest at the eye of his storm.

Well said old chap: I did enjoy Cap’s snarky and very British aside as he beats up Hurricane.

Stand out art: The dramatic entrance of the Hurricane.

Final Thoughts: After last issues victory Captain Britain comes down to earth with a bump with problems for both his identities. The Hurricane rapidly proves he is the worst of these as despite his second-rate powers he quickly triumphs over Cap. It’s here we see a major problem with Captain Britain in that he does not have the super power of flight. Now a lot of heroes don’t fly but they all seem to have some ability to scale heights and attack air bound foes, here Cap is reduced to pole vaulting up to Hurricane as luckily he’s flying quite low. The lack of the ability to fly will return again to trouble Cap and become I feel such an issue that the writers cleverly soon provide him with the ability to do so. The story also suffers as after all the Arthurian trappings attached to Captain Britain’s origin it’s odd to see that his first major super villain encounter is against a fairly mundane foe, yet again like his missing flight ability this is something the writers will soon change.

Click here to read the review of issue 3

When issue 5 is ready there will be a link here.

You can keep up to date with all the Captain Britain news and views fit to print by liking The Captain Britain Blog on Facebook, or on Pinterest, or subscribe to this blog by entering your email in the link top right. Already following the site on Facebook ? Well you can still help by liking and sharing the blogs posts, thanks in advance.

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