SUPER SPY WEEKEND: Captain Britain & The MI-13 Agent Profiles

[CBR News]

In Part I of our weekend-long look at the cast of May's "Captain Britain and MI:13," series writer Paul Cornell joins CBR News to profile the UK�s premier superhero, Captain Britain.

http://www.comicbookresources.com/ne...m.cgi?id=13282

[Monty_Cristo]

they are taking liberties but i don't even care. i'm tired of Braddock being a clueless buffoon. i hope this series does well.

[RonnieThunderbolts]

Finally! This was promised not this last week, but the week before, at last! I am SO psyched about this series, I can't wait to see where the creative team takes us.

[Robodojo]

“I think both countries see our strengths the same way: solid in the face of adversity and all that.

“But we British like to go one up on that by doing the heroic thing and then--not mentioning it. Call it post traumatic stress syndrome if you like, but when I asked the elderly Commando Major who used to live downstairs from me what he got those medals for, that he was wearing in the oil painting, he said he'd prefer not to talk about it."

This irritates me a bit. I wonder how many American WWII vets Cornell has interacted with in order to draw this opinion? I knew several when I was young, and they likewise were tight-lipped about their war experiences. I had to prod them in order to get them to talk about what they went through. These men were as humble as they come.

Aside from that comment, I do like what Paul has to say about Captain Britain. Under Moore and Delano, who handled Cap when he was at his best, he was a hero who was brave and selfless, even while exhibiting very human qualities. Claremont's Excalibur v1 take on Brian always seemed completely off from that. Excalibur Brian was an alcoholic and at times an "amiable buffoon," as Cornell takes issue with.

This project looks very promising so far. Hopefully this "Excalibur" team will be made up of mostly British folks, like Captain Britain's life once was before being pulled into the x-book fold.

[Monty_Cristo]

“I think both countries see our strengths the same way: solid in the face of adversity and all that.

“But we British like to go one up on that by doing the heroic thing and then--not mentioning it. Call it post traumatic stress syndrome if you like, but when I asked the elderly Commando Major who used to live downstairs from me what he got those medals for, that he was wearing in the oil painting, he said he'd prefer not to talk about it."

This irritates me a bit. I wonder how many American WWII vets Cornell has interacted with in order to draw this opinion? I knew several when I was young, and they likewise were tight-lipped about their war experiences. I had to prod them in order to get them to talk about what they went through. These men were as humble as they come.

i think americans are far more celebratory about heroism. we make a bigger deal about heroism here, imo; throw the word around more casually (like celebrities saving animals for instance). i definately don't think that Cornell was trying insult anyone; just sharing his unique perspective of the british. but this is just one opinion.

[Ratwedge]

Someone who isnt American or British I can say the whole "Quietly doing their job" is far more a British Trait than an American by far. I felt his whole "Veteran" analogy was a bit off but the underlining fact remains the British always seem like the more humble of the two.


Also: MI:13. Hell yes, more Captain Britian.

[Will.S]

I'm really on the fence on this. I sorta liked Claremont's Excalibur when he first started it but I think the whole thing just went on a decline. If I hear good word of mouth I might consider it and hopefully it doesn't turn into an X-title again.

I usually like Leonard Kirk's art but it has to be something really eye popping and he has to have a good colorist/inker that will enhance his art.

[GeneralReadingMan]

Who is Faisa Hussein? A new character?

[La Fea]

I was excited to see this article, but it sort of reminded me why I was never a Captain Britain fan.

[drwho]

Is Union jack gonna be in this too?

[mr fiend]

This book sounds amazing, Wisdom was great and Cornells TV work is spot on. Cant wait!

[The Sword Is Drawn]

This irritates me a bit. I wonder how many American WWII vets Cornell has interacted with in order to draw this opinion? I knew several when I was young, and they likewise were tight-lipped about their war experiences. I had to prod them in order to get them to talk about what they went through. These men were as humble as they come.

I think it's very much a case that America is much more publicly proud of its War record. It stands and makes it something which the Country must publicly respect. And it works - you guys probably have a much stronger sense of national pride than we do, in the UK.

That's not how it is in the UK. When the war is over, life goes on. There isn't much celebration. We just mourn the dead. It's something that I think America doesn't quite understand. America sees WW1 and WW2 as victories. We see WW1 as millions of British men (An entire generation of teenage into young men, for that matter) gassed, crawling and dying in muddy trenches in France. Those who survived were so psychologically damaged that many simply could not function in society anymore, even once they'd come back. Because they might have survived, but they watched every man of their age, in their town, being shot or blown around them, over a course of months. That was the reality of the scale.

We think of WW2 as millions of British homes destroyed in nightly German bombing runs, of children being farmed out to foster families in the country, not knowing when things were over if they'd have a family alive to return to. Neither war was much to celebrate, for Britain. We did win the war, but for the generation Paul is speaking of (And God knows I've met a few) don't even mention America to them. Because the animosity towards the US was almost as bad as the Germans. They really hated that so many years of death, so many millions of lives could have been saved, but that America chose to stay out of it. And that's deep dark part of the British psyche which has taken many decades to heal.

We don't talk about it in polite conversation. We just move on.

Aside from that comment, I do like what Paul has to say about Captain Britain. Under Moore and Delano, who handled Cap when he was at his best, he was a hero who was brave and selfless, even while exhibiting very human qualities. Claremont's Excalibur v1 take on Brian always seemed completely off from that. Excalibur Brian was an alcoholic and at times an "amiable buffoon," as Cornell takes issue with.

Totally. I think it was down in part to the tone of the series, itself. But it did take away a lot of what Brian had been. I'm glad we're getting some of that back. But I also hope we'll get to see the human, out of costume, side of Brian, as well. Because that was something almost absent in Claremonts NEW Excalibur.

This project looks very promising so far. Hopefully this "Excalibur" team will be made up of mostly British folks, like Captain Britain's life once was before being pulled into the x-book fold.

Which is, after all, what fans of Excalibur have been calling for since 1998. So here's hoping! ;)

Someone who isnt American or British I can say the whole "Quietly doing their job" is far more a British Trait than an American by far. I felt his whole "Veteran" analogy was a bit off but the underlining fact remains the British always seem like the more humble of the two.

You're probably right. But as I say, in more recent times and generations this has brought about a contemptuous lack of National Identity here in the UK. Something I genuinely am envious about America for being able to maintain, where we cannot.

Also: MI:13. Hell yes, more Captain Britian.

Indeedy.

I'm really on the fence on this. I sorta liked Claremont's Excalibur when he first started it but I think the whole thing just went on a decline. If I hear good word of mouth I might consider it and hopefully it doesn't turn into an X-title again.

It may be coming out of the X-Office, but this book is firmly part of the MU. Hell, as far as we can tell, so far, there's only one mutant on the team - and Pete Wisdom doesn't even think of himself as being a mutant, first. He certainly is NOT an X-Man either. ;)

I usually like Leonard Kirk's art but it has to be something really eye popping and he has to have a good colorist/inker that will enhance his art.

Here's hoping, then. Those Cap sketches certainly look pretty good.

This book sounds amazing, Wisdom was great and Cornells TV work is spot on. Cant wait!

You and me both.

[Tobias March]

It's gonna be good :D

[The Sword Is Drawn]

Hell yes. And I'm really glad they've put Cap back in his original Davis style costume. I really never got why they changed that in early Excalibur. I mean, it was an X-related book, and the union flag motif was even making an 'X' on Brian's cotume...

Who knows...?:rolleyes:

[Don Quixote]

Sounds interesting, and I'm a fan of Cornell's tv writing, so I think I might give this book a go.

I've never been interested in Captain Britain, or the Excalibur books, before. The gaudy patriotism of the character doesn't sit quite right with the modern Britain, in my experience. I'd have to agree with the comments about the USA being more celebratory nation when it comes to heroism. Nationalism in the UK is becoming more intrinsically linked to racist groups like the BNP, and the idea of Great Britain as an entity at all is now being disputed by many, who feel it's time for the home nations to go their own ways. A man wearing the Union flag on his chest is an image with varying political implications.

I'd be very happy if those ideas were broached in this book.