Doom Patrol #3. Wonderfully weird, and weirdly wonderful.

The Earth-X Blackhawks were revealed to have migrated there from Earth Two in All-Star Squadron #50.

Captain Britain #15 (Jan '77)

Script: Gary Friedrich
Art: Herb Trimpe/Fred Kida

"Once Upon a Death Wish!"



"I killed my mother and father--and I can't live with it--I can't!!" These are the stirring words with which our hero greets us at the beginning of this installment. And why? Because he happened to be out when the computer offed his parents! The man's hysterical! Personally, at this stage I'm thinking he needs a nice, long holiday-he's clearly not coping with the demands of a superhero lifestyle.

Luckily, he's shocked out of his self pity by the arrival of Emma the charwoman, who's forgotten her dust pan and, on coming to retrieve it, is stunned at being confronted by two costumed loonies in the basement. She's even more stunned when Mastermind blasts her with his finger laser, causing CB to realize that he can't just quit "while such evil still walks the Earth!"He returns to the fray, but when he leaps directly at Mastermind, he ends up going through him, prompting the revelation that his foe isn't really there at all! CB hurls his staff at the projector lens he's only just noticed, smashing it, and the bald giant vanishes "leaving naught save a small wisp of smoke". He was just a hologram all along, "a three dimensional image projected by laser beams", as Brian helpfully informs the now empty lab. Except...hang on a minute...if he was just an image, why the wisp of smoke? And how did he pick up the finger laser earlier? Oh, well...

Momentarily forgetting all about the murderous computer, which is still plotting away to itself, CB calls an ambulance and carries the injured Emma out of the lab, as we suddenly shift scenes to London, or more specifically, the sky above it. There, the gigantic Heli-Carrier HQ of S.H.I.E.L.D has arrived, bringing with it Nick Fury and Steve Rogers, Captain America! Yep, the strip has now firmly joined the Marvel Universe proper, and what's more, S.H.I.E.L.D have been called in by Britain's Ministry of Defence to investigate rumours that "the Commies" have been building "some sort of computer compex here in Britain!" The preceding explanation comes courtesy of Colonel Fury, who informs Rogers that "this might be the biggest job you ever tackled!" (yeah, right) And also that if he runs into "some costumed clown called Captain Britain", he should check him out too, as "Intelligence thinks he might be tied in with the computer somehow". This seems to suggest that "Intelligence" have been watching events in the vicinity of Braddock Manor very closely, or that Friedrich is taking huge short cuts with the plotting. Take your pick.

Back at the Manor, CB has emerged with the unconscious Emma only to be confronted by Chief Inspector Dai Thomas, who starts demanding explanations from him about the injured woman and "the murder of someone by the name of Synne", and talking about taking him back to Scotland Yard. Despite the fairly obvious fact that we are no longer anywhere near London so Thomas, being an officer of the Metropolitan Police, has absolutely no jurisdiction and, indeed, no reason to be here at all, CB is torn by indecision; he can't just leave the computer still operational, it's too dangerous, but if he defies the law he'll be "going against everything I stand for". As Captain Britain ponders his desperate decision, we cut back to the computer complex, where a mysterious cloaked and hooded figure has crept in under cover of all the commotion out front, intending to use Dr. Braddock's creation to gain "total victory over Great Britain--then--domination of the entire world!!" Blimey, things are getting serious! We also get a quick reminder that Jamie and Betsy Braddock are still in danger, tied up under armed guard by operatives of our mystery villain.

The Captain, meanwhile, has problems of his own, as Dai Thomas-in a flagrant violation of our hero's rights-has two of his uniformed minions grab him, while he tries to pull off his mask...

Gary Friedrich: making up British law as he goes along.

Ah, but "the fourteenth of the twelfth" is also self explanatory everywhere, whereas "twelve fourteen" just sounds as though you're telling someone the time!