Captain Britain (a review thread)
Nov 7, 2016 9:13:36 GMT -5
shaxper, Roquefort Raider, and 5 more like this
Post by tingramretro on Nov 7, 2016 9:13:36 GMT -5
OK, despite having done overviews of other subjects before, I've never tried an actual formalized issue by issue review thread until now, but I was prompted to reread the Captain's early adventures by his recent fortieth anniversary. No idea how regular I'll be able to make these, but here goes...oh, and while all the character's adventures were published in otherwise reprint weekly anthology titles, I'm concerned only with his own strip, so don't expect to hear what was going on with Nick Fury that week!
Captain Britain #1 (Oct '76)
Script: Chris Claremont
Art: Herb Trimpe/Fred Kida
Our story begins, somewhat oddly, with Captain Britain (who we've never seen before) fighting a group of armoured goons in the employ of a character called the Reaver "in the remote fastness of the Cheviot Hills, just south of the Scottish border". We're left in no doubt, though, that our hero is new to his job (and considers himself less than qualified to do it) as he is amazed by his own strength when he knocks one of them out, and then equally overwhelmed at the realization that "I-I'm reacting with the speed of thought!" He is also more than a little confused to find himself using the name 'Captain Britain' without having the faintest idea where it came from...but luckily for the equally confused readers, decides that his best way of surviving the fight is by forcing himself to remember what presumably only happened to him minutes before by going into a prolonged flashback. Not sure that would have been my choice of action at that point, but still...
Once we actually reach the beginning of our story, it starts with Brian Braddock (a young man smoking a pipe, an affectation we will mercifully never see again) chatting to his employer, Dr. Travis, at Darkmoor Research Centre, which we are told is a "top secret nuclear complex, half hidden on the lonely moor". Travis is pleased with the way Braddock is working out as his new assistant, though Brian reminds him that "it's only temporary, just until the new term starts at Thames University". So: pipe smoking Brian is, in fact, a student on some sort of work experience placement at a top secret government project where they are on the verge of developing "a safe, practical fusion reactor system". On the face of it, this seems rather unlikely (and, given some students I've met, rather worrying) but before we are given too much time to think about it, the centre is attacked by Joshua Stragg, the Reaver, a seemingly slightly unbalanced gentleman with an exotic flying craft, a one man assault vehicle capable of blasting its way through concrete walls, and an army of goons in armour carrying laser guns. Stragg intends to stun all of the scientists, kidnap them, and force them to serve him rather than the Crown. Unfortunately, Brian escapes through the brand new hole in the wall and flees on his motorbike (which we will also never see again) much to the frustration of Stragg, since "the success of our operation depends on everyone believing that the Darkmoor staff all died in a reactor accident!" (one might be tempted to suggest that in this case, his method of entering the complex was possibly a little unwise since he's undoubtedly left a fairly obvious trail, but never mind)
Brian, meanwhile, is racing across the moor, musing that Stragg (whom he's clearly heard of) obviously intends to "hijack the finest nuclear minds in the UK" so that Stragg Atomics can "corner the energy market". So, our notorious criminal mastermind has his own company, a good ten years before John Byrne gave us Lexcorp! Before Brian can speculate further, though, Stragg's high tech hovercraft appears in front of him, blinding him and causing him to ride off the road and over a cliff! Brian survives (though his bike does not) and, though apparently suffering from internal injuries, drags himself from the wreckage only to find himself "in a most ancient circle of power" where gigantic visions of an as yet unidentified wizardy looking bloke with a beard and a rather attractive but seemingly otherwise fairly pointless individual called "the Lady of the Northern Skies" are looking down on him. Heedless of Brian's injuries and understandable confusion, beardy bloke first orders Brian to shut up ("be silent mortal, thou hast not been given leave to speak") and then informs him that "thou art here to be judged, on peril of thy immortal soul"...all of which seems a little unfair given the kind of day Brian's been having so far! This opening episode ends with Brian being shown two standing stones, one with a sword stuck in it and the other with an amulet draped around it, and informed that "you must choose, the amulet or the sword-life, or death! For thee, and mayhap for thy world as well!" So, no pressure, then...
On the whole, given that all of the above is packed into just seven pages, and the first two are a fight scene (the beginning of which we still haven't reached by the end of this installment) it's all a bit overwhelming, but that's possibly no bad thing as it distracts the reader from some of the obvious absurdities in the plot. However, it certainly grabs the reader's attention, and what little we see of Captain Britain pre-flashback is certainly intriguing (still love his original costume, and his red, white and blue striped quarterstaff, a truly ridiculous weapon). All in all, a promising-if bewildering-beginning...
Captain Britain #1 (Oct '76)
Script: Chris Claremont
Art: Herb Trimpe/Fred Kida
Our story begins, somewhat oddly, with Captain Britain (who we've never seen before) fighting a group of armoured goons in the employ of a character called the Reaver "in the remote fastness of the Cheviot Hills, just south of the Scottish border". We're left in no doubt, though, that our hero is new to his job (and considers himself less than qualified to do it) as he is amazed by his own strength when he knocks one of them out, and then equally overwhelmed at the realization that "I-I'm reacting with the speed of thought!" He is also more than a little confused to find himself using the name 'Captain Britain' without having the faintest idea where it came from...but luckily for the equally confused readers, decides that his best way of surviving the fight is by forcing himself to remember what presumably only happened to him minutes before by going into a prolonged flashback. Not sure that would have been my choice of action at that point, but still...
Once we actually reach the beginning of our story, it starts with Brian Braddock (a young man smoking a pipe, an affectation we will mercifully never see again) chatting to his employer, Dr. Travis, at Darkmoor Research Centre, which we are told is a "top secret nuclear complex, half hidden on the lonely moor". Travis is pleased with the way Braddock is working out as his new assistant, though Brian reminds him that "it's only temporary, just until the new term starts at Thames University". So: pipe smoking Brian is, in fact, a student on some sort of work experience placement at a top secret government project where they are on the verge of developing "a safe, practical fusion reactor system". On the face of it, this seems rather unlikely (and, given some students I've met, rather worrying) but before we are given too much time to think about it, the centre is attacked by Joshua Stragg, the Reaver, a seemingly slightly unbalanced gentleman with an exotic flying craft, a one man assault vehicle capable of blasting its way through concrete walls, and an army of goons in armour carrying laser guns. Stragg intends to stun all of the scientists, kidnap them, and force them to serve him rather than the Crown. Unfortunately, Brian escapes through the brand new hole in the wall and flees on his motorbike (which we will also never see again) much to the frustration of Stragg, since "the success of our operation depends on everyone believing that the Darkmoor staff all died in a reactor accident!" (one might be tempted to suggest that in this case, his method of entering the complex was possibly a little unwise since he's undoubtedly left a fairly obvious trail, but never mind)
Brian, meanwhile, is racing across the moor, musing that Stragg (whom he's clearly heard of) obviously intends to "hijack the finest nuclear minds in the UK" so that Stragg Atomics can "corner the energy market". So, our notorious criminal mastermind has his own company, a good ten years before John Byrne gave us Lexcorp! Before Brian can speculate further, though, Stragg's high tech hovercraft appears in front of him, blinding him and causing him to ride off the road and over a cliff! Brian survives (though his bike does not) and, though apparently suffering from internal injuries, drags himself from the wreckage only to find himself "in a most ancient circle of power" where gigantic visions of an as yet unidentified wizardy looking bloke with a beard and a rather attractive but seemingly otherwise fairly pointless individual called "the Lady of the Northern Skies" are looking down on him. Heedless of Brian's injuries and understandable confusion, beardy bloke first orders Brian to shut up ("be silent mortal, thou hast not been given leave to speak") and then informs him that "thou art here to be judged, on peril of thy immortal soul"...all of which seems a little unfair given the kind of day Brian's been having so far! This opening episode ends with Brian being shown two standing stones, one with a sword stuck in it and the other with an amulet draped around it, and informed that "you must choose, the amulet or the sword-life, or death! For thee, and mayhap for thy world as well!" So, no pressure, then...
On the whole, given that all of the above is packed into just seven pages, and the first two are a fight scene (the beginning of which we still haven't reached by the end of this installment) it's all a bit overwhelming, but that's possibly no bad thing as it distracts the reader from some of the obvious absurdities in the plot. However, it certainly grabs the reader's attention, and what little we see of Captain Britain pre-flashback is certainly intriguing (still love his original costume, and his red, white and blue striped quarterstaff, a truly ridiculous weapon). All in all, a promising-if bewildering-beginning...
