Customer Reviews

Captain Britain and MI13 - Volume 2: Hell Comes to Birmingham

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Since the late 1980s, Marvel has kept up a stream of British-based superhero teams in the tradition of "Excalibur", Chris Claremont and Alan Davis' mishmash of B-list X-Men and old Marvel UK characters (most notably Captain Britain and his girlfriend Meggan). The first volume, which ran the longest, lasted from 1988 through the late 1990s. The 2000s have seen a series of sputtering attempts to revive the title, mostly by Claremont, but, after that didn't work out, Paul Cornell, a British sci-fi writer ("Dr. Who") was given the property, under its current name, taking the concept in a far more British direction. Only one foreigner (the Black Knight) remains, with mainstays Captain Britain and Pete Wisdom joined by Spitfire and new character Faiza Hussain. Spoilers follow.

This is Cornell's second arc (and, sadly, will be the penultimate one, as the series, which struggled in the American market, will end with #15, after the terrific "Vampire State" arc), where he takes his team out for a spin, building on past plot points and laying the groundwork for his masterwork, the aforementioned vampire arc. The team has lost a member on its first mission, and so Pete brings in a new one: Blade (also known as Eric Brooks), the famous vampire-hunter. Those familiar with the Wesley Snipes film version will be surprised to learn that he is actually British in origin, something acknowledged humourously by Captain Britain. Blade's film series has given him a popular following, but attempts to translate this into an ongoing comic series have repeatedly failed. Cornell's version is the most appealing take on the character probably since his original Marv Wolfman-written time on "Tomb of Dracula" in the 1970s. Elsewhere, Cornell continues his rebuilding of the character of Captain Britain, aiming to add a bit more seriousness to a character with a long recent history of being played somewhat for humour. Faiza, Cornell's new creation, gets more character development, and there is a scene between Faiza, Dane, and Faiza's father that really captures the idea of a newer, more multi-cultural Britain that the Excalibur-wielding Faiza represents. Spitfire, my favourite character on the series when it started, gets more to do this time, which is great.

The main villain here is Doctor Plotka, a Duke of Hell (he rather resembles the classic Marvel villain Eternity, except with a Greek theatrical mask for a head), who has emerged in Birmingham with a nefarious plot to (what else?) conquer the world. This is one of the ripples of Wisdom's actions in the previous arc, and Cornell continually evinces a tremendously tight sense of narrative, tying all things together. He likewise continues to unwind the continuity kerfuffle of the Black Knight's Ebony Blade, a ruckus created by "Black Panther" writer Reginald Hudlin, and reintroduces Brian's absent wife Meggan, who disappeared into a void during Claremont's "House of M" tie-in (like so many Claremont plots, he never got back to it within his tenure). The story ends on a brilliant little two-page prologue for the next arc, which I assure you is truly excellent.

The least of the series' three stories, but still well worth your time.