BRITAIN PREVAILS - Captain Britain & MI13 Appreciation PART II

[Tatsu666]

Thank you for the info

[Hindsight lad]

Anyone with a PhD is a Doctor, but teaching does not automatically upgrade them to being a Professor. When I was doing my degree some of the lecturers had the former title, others the latter.

And that doesn't even get into the labyrinth of levels and sub-levels: Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, Adjunct Professor, etc., before you become a Full Professor. My dad teach college, and he loathes everything about the hierarchy and politics.

Hindsight lad

[Hindsight lad]

Say fellow Anglophiles, I was recently reading my issues of Mortigan Goth: Immortalis, and I stumbled on some of the editorial text in the back, talking up the Frontier line titles. Now, among those mentioned were Sisters of Grace and Heavy Weapon 911, both written by Simon Jowett. I think Marvel UK imploded at about that point, so we never saw these series emerge. Two other proposed series, Evil Eye by David Hine and the Fallen, by Nicholas Vince, saw light in the Frontier Unlimited, but we never really got a good sense of what the proposed series would have been about.

My question is: Do any of you guys across the pond have any insight into what these never-realized series were about, or what their creators had in mind? Any interviews, behind-the-scenes gossip, or stories from a convention? Anything? Evil Eye especially looked like he had potential, and I was surprised to see that David Hine was an artist as well as a writer.

Thanks in advance for any info you can share.

Hindsight lad

[The Sword Is Drawn]

If Brian is in the Avengers Arena and he does teach then wouldn't that make him Professor Braddock because he's got a PHD in physics and i think but i'm not to sure that anyone with a PHD is a doctor and i doctor who teaches is a professor?

As others have posted, at least here in the UK, a PHD is a doctorate. A PHD student has the right to call themselves 'Dr' rather than 'Mr' in their chosen field. It's not mandatory, though. Some don't.

I don't recall Brian ever having been referred to as "Dr Braddock" in panel. But come to think of it, maybe he should be. You never know, he might actually get taken a little more seriously. :)

Say fellow Anglophiles, I was recently reading my issues of Mortigan Goth: Immortalis, and I stumbled on some of the editorial text in the back, talking up the Frontier line titles. Now, among those mentioned were Sisters of Grace and Heavy Weapon 911, both written by Simon Jowett. I think Marvel UK imploded at about that point, so we never saw these series emerge. Two other proposed series, Evil Eye by David Hine and the Fallen, by Nicholas Vince, saw light in the Frontier Unlimited, but we never really got a good sense of what the proposed series would have been about.

My question is: Do any of you guys across the pond have any insight into what these never-realized series were about, or what their creators had in mind? Any interviews, behind-the-scenes gossip, or stories from a convention? Anything? Evil Eye especially looked like he had potential, and I was surprised to see that David Hine was an artist as well as a writer.

Thanks in advance for any info you can share.

That actually is something I've wondered myself. These are stories or titles which certainly never made it as far as in house advertising. The Fallen and Evil Eye made it into that Frontier Comics Special, but as far as I can recall this is the only in-print reference to either of the other two. I'll have to double check tonight.

[highwayguy]

Say fellow Anglophiles, I was recently reading my issues of Mortigan Goth: Immortalis, and I stumbled on some of the editorial text in the back, talking up the Frontier line titles. Now, among those mentioned were Sisters of Grace and Heavy Weapon 911, both written by Simon Jowett. I think Marvel UK imploded at about that point, so we never saw these series emerge. Two other proposed series, Evil Eye by David Hine and the Fallen, by Nicholas Vince, saw light in the Frontier Unlimited, but we never really got a good sense of what the proposed series would have been about.

My question is: Do any of you guys across the pond have any insight into what these never-realized series were about, or what their creators had in mind? Any interviews, behind-the-scenes gossip, or stories from a convention? Anything? Evil Eye especially looked like he had potential, and I was surprised to see that David Hine was an artist as well as a writer.

Thanks in advance for any info you can share.

Hindsight lad

That actually is something I've wondered myself. These are stories or titles which certainly never made it as far as in house advertising. The Fallen and Evil Eye made it into that Frontier Comics Special, but as far as I can recall this is the only in-print reference to either of the other two. I'll have to double check tonight.

I didn't know that the Sisters of Grace were due to star in their own storyline. I didn't really enjoy their appearance in Black Axe.

[Demon Bowler]

Has anyone read the most recent avengers arena?

[whozeduke]

It was okay. Not as good as the first two issues. Focused on Cammi. The Braddock Academy kids got a couple panels.

[whozeduke]

Just finished Secret Avengers #36. Brian gets a good showing. Read it.

[highwayguy]

Has anyone read the most recent avengers arena?

It was okay. Not as good as the first two issues. Focused on Cammi. The Braddock Academy kids got a couple panels.

So far, I've only bought the first two issues. I'm undecided with to follow the series or not. I don't think I could bear to see the Braddock Academy kids killed off.

Just finished Secret Avengers #36. Brian gets a good showing. Read it.

It's in the post.

[The Sword Is Drawn]

Has anyone read the most recent avengers arena?

Grabbed it off Comixology this morning. Going to read it at lunchtime...

It was okay. Not as good as the first two issues. Focused on Cammi. The Braddock Academy kids got a couple panels.

Ah, good. I'm interested to see what they do with Cammi. She's been around the universe with Drax, but technically has no powers to speak of.

Just finished Secret Avengers #36. Brian gets a good showing. Read it.

That one is in the mail to me. I've seen a couple of panels posted up on Tumblr which would suggest it might be worth my while. One of them unexpectedly featured spoilers:

Spider-man

end of spoilers. Is that so? A reunion with Brian, of sorts?

[Kn1ghtmare]

That one is in the mail to me. I've seen a couple of panels posted up on Tumblr which would suggest it might be worth my while. One of them unexpectedly featured spoilers:

Spider-man

end of spoilers. Is that so? A reunion with Brian, of sorts?

Not even close I'm afraid, they were more like strangers than friends. Missed opportunity!

[The Sword Is Drawn]

Not even close I'm afraid, they were more like strangers than friends. Miss opportunity!

REMENDER!!!!!!!!!!! (Shakes fist) :)

[Tatsu666]

That's a shame then but maybe will get one in the near future.

[Willow616]

I just read Secret Avengers....thought it was brilliant! Sure Spidey and CB don't get much time to chat but they are in the middle of a horrendous situation. Spidey acts as though he and Brian have met before and Hawkeye acknowledges Parker, Braddock and McCoy all as scientists (in his own way). Brian is certainly shown as a professional in this, he's the one that has the idea to get the team out of Earth 666, he saves Spidey and mentions the AI mistakes of his father. Very happy with it.

The Braddock kids weren't in Avengers Arena much but it's still my favourite Marvel Now series so far.

[Gallifrey]

Not even close I'm afraid, they were more like strangers than friends.

Not even that, sadly, the way it read to me; Spidey’s comments to CB seemed snarky bordering on derogatory IMO. It’s like Remender has to take any and every opportunity to have a dig at him via other characters. He seems hellbent on reinforcing the impression that nearly everyone else in the MU thinks Brian’s a worthless tosser. Okay, Spidey’s got a well – established rep as a pisstaker, but coming on the heels of other characters’ interactions with CB it just seems unnecessary.

The motives Brian attributes to his dad for his part in the Descendants’ creation don’t make much sense to me either; apparently this is just further evidence of his obsession with creating A.I.s, regardless of the moral implications or the consequences, as previously demonstrated by his and his wife’s death at Mastermind’s ‘hands’. Except we already know that Sir James didn’t create Mastermind – it was another item of Otherworld mys – tech given to him by Merlyn and ‘grown’ behind a façade of contemporary 616 technology. Plus, I find it hard to accept that Merlyn would allow Sir James to recklessly use Otherworld resources to create a race of artificial lifeforms unless it was part of ‘the plan’; you have to assume that Merlyn was keeping tabs on his protégé over the years.

So once again established continuity is ignored or bodyswerved in order for Remender to bludgeon another plot arc into place. It’s like the assertion in UXF that the Braddock siblings were fully aware of their Otherworld heritage from an early age; we’ve seen the first time they’re given that information, in “Things Fall Apart”, and Betsy isn’t shown visiting Otherworld until Brian and Meg's wedding to the best of my knowledge. It’s not like they spent weekends and Bank Holidays knocking around the Starlight Citadel as kids.

I know it’s unfashionable nowadays, but this disregard for continuity seems all the more unjustifiable going hand in hand with the trend for decompressed storytelling. When readers are now expected to wait months or even years (or decades, if you’re a Claremont fan) for plot arcs to be resolved, it’s even more jarring if events and characterisation are contradicted in the space of, by the MU’s sliding timescale, no more than a few days, or weeks at most.

I’d like to think that this whole Sir James/Descendants plot will be explained a bit more in the one issue of SA we’ve got left, but considering there are potentially more pressing matters to be resolved (the redemption/resurrection of dead Eric, the de – conversion of cyberHank), I doubt it’s going to get the required page space. Personally, I’d be quite happy to see it dropped or retconned out of Captain Britain ‘family history’ entirely.