A new Captain Britain comic for 2016?

[The Sword is Drawn]

Some of you may have seen this speculation posted up on Bleeding Cool

Mark Buckingham - A new Captain Britain comic for 2016?

Purely speculation there, but apparently Mark Buckingham has a huge interest in Captain Britain, and would love to work on the character.

There have been several rumours of late relating to a plausible Captain Britain revival title at Marvel. Bleeding Cool also listed a Captain Britain related title as a book they expected to see in the titles launched post-Secret Wars.

I for one (and I don't think I'm alone on these boards) would be happy to this.

I've long maintained that Captain Britain is a very strong character concept, frequently handled very badly. Literally powered by the collective psyche of a Country, converted through a mix of magic and science into a power source. 'Dipped in Magic, clothed in Science'.

After Secret Invasion Brian Braddock seemed to really be gaining traction in readers minds. Paul Cornell's re-envisioning of the character in Captain Britain & MI13 was broadly well-received, and the series went about simplifying many of the more confusing elements of the character, into a more easily approachable and understandable whole. There was areal sense of the character having been put right, in a fashion which acknowledge all of his previous incarnations and aimed to move forward with them. Steve Rogers even invited him to join The Avengers. Things were looking up.

Since then, of course, a lot has gone wrong for the character. After the pretty brutal mangling of the character at the hands of Rick Remender (On both Uncanny X-Force AND Secret Avengers) and that infamous slur from Iron Man in Guardians of the Galaxy it probably seemed to some as if somebody at Marvel had requested a very oddly slanted character assassination of poor Brian.

Jonathan Hickman has gone some way to redress the balance, very logically including him as part of the Braintrust of his Illuminati, leading up to Secret Wars. Using the whole Braddock family in Secret Wars 2 also.

I'd say a proper series dealing with character is long overdue. Who else would pumped for this?

[Where is Jessica Hyde?]

I think I'd prefer a UK team book personally. MI:13 was great and I think Revolutionary War set up some interesting things for a number of UK characters. Still a Captain Britain solo with a decent supporting cast would definitely go on my buy list.

[The Fury]

Cap B with supporting cast of Meggan with occasional visits from Nightcrawler, would be a welcome read. Mark Buckingham involved would just make the situation really nice.

[CSTowle]

If he's drawing it I'm buying it. Maybe he can talk Gaiman into writing a 6-issue run or so, since they're finishing up their Miracleman story.

[The Sword is Drawn]

I think I'd prefer a UK team book personally. MI:13 was great and I think Revolutionary War set up some interesting things for a number of UK characters. Still a Captain Britain solo with a decent supporting cast would definitely go on my buy list.

I think you'd need that. I'd want to see Jamie Braddock involved, it would be great to have regular interaction with Psylocke, too.

But I think you'd need to spend some time re-illustrating Brian's connections with the wider Marvel Universe. Because over the years he has been shown to have many. Not just the modern day Avengers connection, or his past hanging out at the X-Mansion.

Time to have Brian hang out with his old College room-mate Peter Parker. Spend some time designing stuff with Dane Whitman, the Black Knight. Catch up with Steve Rogers, now that he's not part of group being hunted by him.

He's worked with Thor, been a Knight of Pendragon alongside Tony Stark and T'Challa. It's been far too long since he last interacted with long time team mates Nightcrawler, Kitty Pryde and Rachel Summers/Grey.

Time to pick up on some of these past friendships. Remind newer readers where he fits within the Marvel Universe.

Cap B with supporting cast of Meggan with occasional visits from Nightcrawler, would be a welcome read. Mark Buckingham involved would just make the situation really nice.

I'd love to see Kurt and Brian interacting again. Close friends and colleagues for a decade of comics. Now all but forgotten.

I do kinda hope that the Braddock Academy concept also survives Secret Wars. And then we have Meggan. Shown as pregnant in Secret Wars #2. Will that carry through into the main universe afterwards? How would that change both characters?

There's plenty to explore.

[The Sword is Drawn]

If he's drawing it I'm buying it. Maybe he can talk Gaiman into writing a 6-issue run or so, since they're finishing up their Miracleman story.

That would be ideal, in my book. Gaiman works well when mixing mythological aspects in with real world settings. And that's kind of Captain Britain's deal, to an extent.

[The Fury]

And then we have Meggan. Shown as pregnant in Secret Wars #2. Will that carry through into the main universe afterwards? How would that change both characters?

There's plenty to explore.

I'd prefer that not to be the case. There are enough stories about characters having kids to throw in another, plus I actually think based on Cap's character, he's stop being a hero if he had kids. He'd give Meggan a normal life.

In recent years it seems Marvel have been pushing Cap more and more towards general stance not X-men stance in the comics. Which I'm fine with but with a mutant as his wife, his twin sister and brother being ones too, many of his best friends as mutants, it's hard to ignore. (much to the reason a Cap Britain movie that didn't follow Alan Moore's story would never work, presume Marvel have his rights, Fox having mutants).

A story about him dealing with life, marriage and friends outside of being stuck in a team book would be cool.

[The Sword is Drawn]

Merely a thought Fury, but to my knowledge Jamie has never actually been confirmed to have the X-Gene.

Psylocke ha one retconned in several years after her joining the X-Men, but the nearest Jamie ever got was the 198 Files fact file book. Which was only told from the perspective of the officials from O*N*E. It had no official backing.

[mrjinjin]

Time to have Brian hang out with his old College room-mate Peter Parker. Spend some time designing stuff with Dane Whitman, the Black Knight. Catch up with Steve Rogers, now that he's not part of group being hunted by him.

He's worked with Thor, been a Knight of Pendragon alongside Tony Stark and T'Challa. It's been far too long since he last interacted with long time team mates Nightcrawler, Kitty Pryde and Rachel Summers/Grey.

Time to pick up on some of these past friendships. Remind newer readers where he fits within the Marvel Universe.




I'd love to see Kurt and Brian interacting again. Close friends and colleagues for a decade of comics. Now all but forgotten.

I do kinda hope that the Braddock Academy concept also survives Secret Wars. And then we have Meggan. Shown as pregnant in Secret Wars #2. Will that carry through into the main universe afterwards? How would that change both characters?

There's plenty to explore.

I would get it especially if the Black Knight appeared!

[Yeoman]

Here's the problem with Captain Britain:

The only people that have ever written him well are Moore, Claremont and Davis.

Guy's from an upper class British family, is a scientist, but mostly just thinks with his fists. He's intelligent, but acts like a thug in combat until he figures out how outclassed he is.

This speaks of a man deeply at odds with himself. No wonder he developed a drinking problem. It's easier to turn off than think. It's easier to just wade in than stop and figure things out.

But everyone since Davis left Excalibur pretty much just writes him as British Superman. And not even like Selfless Jesus Metaphor Superman. Like, boring Superfriends Superman. Heck, I don't think even Warren Ellis did anything interesting with him.

So if Brian's getting a book, it needs to go into his character, what makes him tick, and make him engaging. Cause I can't remember I time in the last 20 years that he was.

[The Sword is Drawn]

Here's the problem with Captain Britain:

The only people that have ever written him well are Moore, Claremont and Davis.

I think you'd find a few people might debate you on Claremont. But aside from Moore and Davis I'd say that Jamie Delano did good job after Moore. I'd say Paul Cornell did a great job with Captain Britain and MI13, and while others have only had a chance to do single issues featuring the character Rob Williams did a solid Deadpool Team-up issue featuring the character, and Al Ewings Captain Britain & Captain Marvel issue of Avengers Assemble during Age of Ultron also had a good handle on Brian.

I'd also say that while he hasn't had the longest time to write him Johnathan Hickman has had a strong handle on him.

So I'd disagree with that. Sure, it tends to be British writers that get the character the most, but I do think that the Remenders and Lobdell's of this world are exception rather than the rule, of getting the character wrong.

Guy's from an upper class British family, is a scientist, but mostly just thinks with his fists. He's intelligent, but acts like a thug in combat until he figures out how outclassed he is.

Again I'd disagree with this also.

Let me break that down.

Upper Class family? Technically. He grew up in a big house, with his family. But the money really started and stopped with Sir James Braddock's death. There is no long term family wealth. No riches. Sir James was not from Our Earth. Or Earth 616, at least. He was planted their by Merlyn effectively as part of a breeding experiment, which resulted in Brian, Jamie and Psylocke.

After their fathers death all three Braddock sibling had to go out and work. And granted Race Driver, Model/Government Agent and Research Scientist are slightly less humble than most. But they did at least go out and work, rather than sit on what little of the family wealth remained.

As for the Thuggishness you suggest? If this were the days of Excalibur I would agree. That was a long time ago. It has long been established than in the most basic of terms Brian grew out of that.

His later Excalibur appearances, the Excalibur mini, Avengers appearances just before Bendis took over those books, New Excalibur, Captain Britain and MI13 all portrayed him as a calm, selfless and intelligent Leader. No more rash decisions. No more leaping in.

Marvel handbook entries echoed that, too. Which is why Remender's approach to the character in more recent times was so bewilderingly out of character.

Hickman wrote Brian as being an intelligent and worthwhile member of the Illuminati. His presence there was a no brainer. That's the approach I would like to see continued with. Building interdimensional gateways, or tracking incursions or anomalies post Secret-Wars.

This speaks of a man deeply at odds with himself. No wonder he developed a drinking problem. It's easier to turn off than think. It's easier to just wade in than stop and figure things out.

But everyone since Davis left Excalibur pretty much just writes him as British Superman. And not even like Selfless Jesus Metaphor Superman. Like, boring Superfriends Superman. Heck, I don't think even Warren Ellis did anything interesting with him.

As noted above I'd say Cornell, Hickman, Williams and Ewing were the exception to that, post-Excalibur.

As for Ellis? Ellis kind of resurrected the character after Lobdell broke him. Lobdell's memory-wiped 'Britannic' incarnation of the character was a mess. 'Lost in the Timestream'? What did this even really mean? Lobdell never told us. He just booted the character off the book, between issues and off-panel, before turning him into some kind of blazing eyed automaton when he brought him back.

Ellis actually used the Timstream incident. He decided that as a result of having become one with the entire of Human history Brian would decide to become a pacifist, and withdraw from active combat duty. In stead he spent time building crafts and tech for Excalibur. Which produced some amusing moments such as Excalibur going to rescue Alistair Stuart while he was being pursued by Black Air, only to find the new craft Brian had built them had intentionally not been stocked with any weapon systems...

But over time Ellis had Brian experience flashes of memory from his time in the timestream. Future echoes of what was going to happen if they didn't take Black Air down. He saw future timelines, one of which even got a whole issue dedicated to it. Ultimately in the climax to that storyline Brian had to go back into combat, and in doing so took back the mantle of Captain Britain.

So while there wasn't an awful lot of 'Captain Britain' in Ellis' run there was a lot of Brian Braddock. He fixed and evolved the character in a very positive way.

So if Brian's getting a book, it needs to go into his character, what makes him tick, and make him engaging. Cause I can't remember I time in the last 20 years that he was.

I would agree. It would need to be. But I don't think it's that he hasn't been engaging in the past 20 years. I just think you my not have been reading the periods and runs for the character, when he was.

[The Fury]

Merely a thought Fury, but to my knowledge Jamie has never actually been confirmed to have the X-Gene.

I'm sure Doc Croc had his effect on him and his half Otherworld DNA helped too but he is a mutant. His powers occured naturally, making him one.

Guy's from an upper class British family, is a scientist, but mostly just thinks with his fists. He's intelligent, but acts like a thug in combat until he figures out how outclassed he is.

What's not to like? It's better than stupidly rich guy in a suit who out thinks everyone instead. I like the idea that there is this intelligent guy who in reality is out of his depth when fighting sometimes.

And if upper class is a problem, then Inhumans will never succeed.

[The Sword is Drawn]

I'm sure Doc Croc had his effect on him and his half Otherworld DNA helped too but he is a mutant. His powers occured naturally, making him one.

That's not the same as a confirmed X-Gene, though? X-Genes generally activate during puberty, and while we can never say for sure how old Jamie is his powers activated well into adulthood and only after his captivity at the hands of Doctor Crocodile, a buttload of drugs and Sat-yr-9's intervention.

I don't buy into Jamie being a mutant. I don't buy into Psylocke being one either. At least in her original body. Kwannon's a different matter.

The only Marvel UK character of that period stated to be a mutant was Meggan. And even then that's only based off an offhand comment made by one of her friends that she's probably 'a mutant. Like they have in America'.

It doesn't entirely ring true of course, because Meggan's shapeshifting abilities were present from birth. There are very few Mutants who are in a similar situation. Jamie Madrox. And Nightcrawler. Peter David had termed these mutants as a seperate species, on X-Factor. 'Killcrops'. But that never really got developed any further.

[Shinglepants]

I'd be pretty excited for a new Cap B book. I'm not at all familiar with Buckingham's work but to be honest I don't even care who draws it at this point, it just has to happen!

[Cinnamon]

I only see Marvel making a Captain Britain comic if Faiza Hussain is the lead.