October 1976 was one of the most exciting times for a young Marvel fan in the UK. After years of black and white reprints of US characters we were being gifted our very own hero, in full colour! Even as a 12-year-old I could see how derivative Captain Britain was – part Thor, part Spidey, part Captain America – but he was all ours, exclusive to British readers.
I followed him through his ups and downs – the loss of his comic, his return in glorious black and white as a supporting character in Hulk Weekly’s Black Knight strip and then his own story, his revamp under newcomers Dave Thorpe and Alan Davis, his rebirth under Davis and Alan Moore, his Excalibur and MI: 15 spotlights… it’s been a ride.
So seeing Marvel advertise a special to mark 50 years, with contributions from co-creator Chris Claremont, Alan Davis, the artist and writer most associated with him, and the brilliant British author Dan Abnett… I was excited.
The first story, by Claremont and the excellent British artist Paul Davidson, with colourist Carlos Lopez, is set, we’re told, between panels of Captain Britain Weekly #9. Davidson captures the vibe of original penciller Herb Trimpe, and Claremont’s script hits the nostalgia beats. But the story can’t fit anywhere in that 1976 issue, despite it featuring that issue’s villain, Dr Synne. Most annoyingly, Betsy learns about Brian’s heroic identity, turns into the version of Captain Britain she briefly becomes later… and then forgets the whole thing.
For no obvious reason, Claremont also tosses in X-Men characters Sebastian Shaw and Tessa aka Sage. There’s an ending full of foreboding which never went anywhere, and never will.
The baton/star sceptre passes to Alan Davis for an adventure set who knows when. Brian, in his second costume, is ambushed by a high-ranking functionary of the Captain Britain Corps… because he’s behind on paperwork he never knew was required. That’s very British. Major Archibald Payne, hoping to fill in the gaps, pokes around in Brian’s memories – and unleashes something very scary.
Brian beats the faux Fury, and he and Payne part.
The Davis artwork, coloured by Matt Hollingsworth, is glorious – no one has ever matched Davis when it comes to drawing the classic Captain, and he also gives us Brian’s authentic voice, rather than the corny, cliche words Claremont imagined.
While I would love Davis to have been allowed to rescue Brian from the mess Marvel US has made of him, presumably the assignment was a one-off fun romp studded with nostalgic moments, and that’s what we get.
Because Marvel US like to insist Betsy is also Captain Britain, she gets a strip too, set on Otherworld, her father’s original home. She’s apparently been there years – time passes differently – which may explain why, as a spot of ceremonial jousting gets weird, she looks less like the young woman we know and more like Granny Goodness
It turns out the shenanigans are the typical nonsense pulled by ruler Roma and resident bad girl Saturnyne, causing Betsy to flounce out. The end.
The point seems to be to show us that Betsy, like Brian, can get sick of being treated like a multiversal pawn. Maybe it fits in with some bit of Betsy’s story I don’t know – anthology co-editor Pedro Beltran gamely lays out big moments in the Braddock twins’ comics background and demonstrates that Excalibur aside, they should both be kept well away from the body-swapping, mind-mangling nonsense of the X-Office.
Whatever’s going on, the art by Kelsey Ramsay, with colours by Brittany Peer, is a bit strange. As well as blousy Betsy, there’s a weird effect which looks as if someone has twanged ink all over the pages – everyone looks like they need a good wash. Ramsay’s work is interesting, though, not far off classic British adventure comics art, and I think I’d like it more in black and white.
The cover by Davidson and Hollingsworth is glorious, a tease at how great this issue could have been. Just imagine Davis in charge of the full 25 pages, giving us a modern take on Brian. Heck, it’s bonkers that wife Meggan isn’t even namechecked, never mind seen. Instead we have three stories, two of which just left me feeling flat – I was not entertained. After 50 years of faithful service, Captain Britain, and his fans, deserve better.
