The union!

[Anthony W]

Did anyone read this? It's one of those titles on the fringes of the Marvel Universe where the good stuff (USAgent, Juggernaut) seems to be at. Andrea Do Vito's art is reminiscent of Mark Bagley and Grist does a good job introducing the reader to the characters in a short amount of time.

Speaking of characters, who is Britannia? Everyone was making a big deal about her. I have no idea who this hero was lol. The only character with any name recognition with me is Union Jack, who is now some kind of "working class hero" which...is disappointing because you kind of want a suave, rich, cool international man of mystery in that role. At least the costume didn't change.

Still, it was a good read.

[Lonewolf36]

I enjoyed it. Britannia seems like she has been around for quite a while telling Union Jack she was active before he was even born. It also seems this is not the first time she has died referring to having a long run this time around. She reminds me a bit of DC's Uncle Sam. Hopefully this will be the start of an ongoing or more limited series with the Union.

[Noek]

I am liking it. As for the character of Britannia no idea, maybe mind control or reality warping to make it so she appears to be a really big deal.

[Husk]

Britannia would’ve been cooler as the “embodiment of British Spirit”, but it read to me that she’s a warrior that dies and is reborn (how that happens remains unclear). It might have to do with taking a human host (a la Valkyrie) since the name Tanya is relatively modern for some ancient being.

I wish we’d seen more of the new characters but I suppose they’ll be developed now that readers have been reminded who Union Jack is (or at least this Chapman version). Art was lovely and I’m still interested in seeing who or what Kelpie is so I’ll be sticking around. Just a shame the hero from my country carries absolutely no appeal to me. Hahah.

[Anthony W]

Just a shame the hero from my country carries absolutely no appeal to me. Hahah.

I think the problem with British superheroes is that Marvel leans kind of hard into the old standbys. Let's be real, If Marvel created a pair of heroes called Tea and Crumpets and they had to team up to take down their nemesis Cheeky Feckers would you be surprised?

[Reviresco]

As I said elsewhere, I loved it! Hoping it continues past the mini-series.

[Johnrevenge]

I liked it it's the only good thing that will probable come from King in Black.

I think that Britannia would be like the Uncle Sam of England, acting as the spirit of Great Britain or something like that, next issue we'll see probably an explanation as it will deal with the consequences of her death.

[your_name_here]

I hope this is a team that sticks around. Anyone remember the Union Jack mini that span out of Brubakers Cap? That was ace, so I hope we see abit more of that.

[Sutekh]

I don't know how my brain got there, but the moment I read that the new Union Jack was a working-class Brit named Joe, I fancast him as Joe Dempsie from Game of Thrones.

So, Choir does sonic stuff, and Kelpie water. Nice, not super-common powers types like fire-guy or telepath or whatever. Britannia sounds interesting, and I wonder if she'll be back in a more diverse body (a black Brit or one of Indian heritage). And Snakes. A total cypher, thus far. I kinda want him not to be 'the team strong guy' and for Britannia to have that role and the giant hulking fellow to have something less obvious like sneaky powers or animal control or he's a giant mass of snakes all dressed up like a dude under those all-concealing clothes...

[Husk]

I think the problem with British superheroes is that Marvel leans kind of hard into the old standbys. Let's be real, If Marvel created a pair of heroes called Tea and Crumpets and they had to team up to take down their nemesis Cheeky Feckers would you be surprised?

Oh definitely not. I liked the issue but the entire thing is full of cliches from the isles. Britannia harkens back to the Saxon invasion and heroes like Boudicca, Kelpie is just a Scottish water horse in human form (and possibly has an equine form we’ll see later given the references to her being a water demon), Snakes draws from the most popular Saint story, and Choir is named for the songs of the valleys and has sonic powers. Even Union Jack, he’s just the rough and tumble Everyman that you’d likely find at any East End market. Their first foe was a dragon after the story of St George. At core, they’re a bit meh. But I’ll give it a chance to see if these characters are elevated in some shape or form.

The British Isles have a much more interesting lore than the basics when you look into it so I’m hoping they start to draw on that instead but being part of a crossover means that the symbiotes and Knull have to take centre stage sooner rather than later. This could be a blessing in disguise for the longevity of the team since they’ll likely be drawn closer to the MU as a whole though.

[kevlon]

Who is the England representative? There's 2 Great Britain heroes, 1 Northern Irish, 1 Scottish and 1 Welsh.

[Husk]

Who is the England representative? There's 2 Great Britain heroes, 1 Northern Irish, 1 Scottish and 1 Welsh.

Britannia is Great Britain. Union Jack is England. Kelpie is Scotland. Snakes is Northern Ireland. Choir is Wales.

[Timber Wolf-By-Night]

Joe Chapman has been the present-day Union Jack since he was introduced in Captain America #253, back in 1981. Why is anybody acting like he's some new character?

[Husk]

Joe Chapman has been the present-day Union Jack since he was introduced in Captain America #253, back in 1981. Why is anybody acting like he's some new character?

Probably because he’s appeared in less than 300 issues in a 39 year period. He’s not well known. I knew of him and have read bits and pieces, just nothing long term enough to engage me in the character. I’m not gonna pretend this issue has catapulted him up my list of liked characters but he certainly seems fine. However, if the other members of the Union aren’t fleshed out in an interesting manner, Chapman isn’t interesting enough (to me at least) or carry the appeal necessary to anchor this series or team as a mainstay.

[Besouro]

Britannia is Great Britain. Union Jack is England. Kelpie is Scotland. Snakes is Northern Ireland. Choir is Wales.

It would be perfect to add a Commonwealth representative....who would probably be Black.

Oh....I didn't know that Great Britain and England were separate. Well, I learned this today.