Revolutionary War Alpha #1 – Review

by Andy Lanning, Alan Cowsill (Writers), Rich Elson (Artist), Antonio Fabela (Colorist)

The Story: Pete Wisdom and Captain Britain needs to gather the crew back as trouble arrive in the UK with Mys-Tech rearing its ugly head back.

The Review: Marvel has a rather large library of characters. Mutants, magic users, cosmic beings, street-level heroes, monsters, oddities and many more are but a selection of the kind of characters one can see when reading one of their books. While the very same is true for the Distinguished Competition as well, the new 52 reboot kind of crushed this large selection for them in unfortunate ways.

We all have some characters we especially like for various reasons. Nostalgia, a certain cool factor, a presentation or a concept that resonates with what we generally like to read and many others can indicate why we like some characters more than others. One of those character, for me, is Captain Britain. A man that tries to protect the whole omniverse with other people from various universes with the same power sets and similar codenames? Now that’s cool.

My general appreciation of the character made me go out and buy this comic, which was sweetened by the fact it incorporates other elements like Pete Wisdom and writer Andy Lanning, a part of the DnA duo that gave us many excellent cosmic stories. Teamed with Alan Cowsill to revive old UK characters and reintegrate them in the larger Marvel universe and its continuity, this book certainly has potential to be particularly fun.

Captain Britain & MI:13 #14 – Review

By Paul Cornell (Writer), Leonard Kirk w/Adrian Syaf (Pencils), Jay Leisten w/Craig Yeung (Inks), Brian Reber (Colors)

Some Thoughts Before The Review: With only two issues of Captain Britain left, I hope Cornell and his team really make them count… The under-appreciated series deserves to go out with a bang.

The Story: Unfortunately, I really can’t go into much detail about the issue without wading into heavy spoiler territory.

What’s Good and What’s Not So Good: Since I really can’t say a whole lot about Captain Britain and MI:13 #14 without ruining things, I will keep things short. Paul Cornell overcomes what is initially a disappointing opening with some great character work, awesome dry humor, and clever use of a past arc to bring make the latest chapter of “Vampire State” a very good read. As for the art, it’s absolutely solid all around as Leonard Kirk and his team do a fine job of delivering action that could easily come across as muddled or confusing.  While some of the artwork looks a bit rushed, there’s enough good stuff to make up for it.

Conclusion: You can rest assure that the creative team behind Captain Britain is in no way half-assing the final issues of a tragically canceled series.

Grade: B+

-Kyle Posluszny

Captain Britain And MI:13 #12 – Review

By Paul Cornell (Writer), Leonard Kirk (Pencils), Jay Leisten (Inks), and Brian Reber (Colors)

Some Thoughts Before The Review: A story about Dracula attempting to take over Great Britain could easily come across as silly unless the tension and drama manages to set the tone both early and often. Fortunately, Paul Cornell is aware of that fact. He proves it by using the story to both raise the stakes of his series as a whole and create opportunities to add more depth to his already compelling cast.

The Story: Captive under the power of Dracula, Spitfire is escorted around the vampire base by her son. She learns some things about Dracula’s grand plan and the preparations that he has made in order to carry it out. Meanwhile, Captain Britain and the rest of the MI:13 team try to find “the head” that may help them combat Drac’s plans.

What’s Good: Simply put, Paul Cornell is writing one hell of a vampire story. It puts the dense mythology about Dracula and his minions to very good use. In addition, the distinctly British flavor of Cornell’s writing keeps things from becoming too serious thanks to a healthy dose of dry humor and clever wit. As for the artwork, Leonard Kirk and his team continues to make sure Captain Britain is as much fun to look at as it is to read. The action hits hard, most of the vampire-related imagery is downright haunting, and each panel is filled with an impressive amount of detail.

What’s Not So Good: My only real complaint about Captain Britain and MI:13 #12 is that a few scenes come across as visually confusing. Either the action is a bit to cluttered or the perspective used for the scene makes things look a bit off. While it is a minor complaint (and some may not find it distracting), I figured it was still worth a mention.

Conclusion: I really can’t recommend Captain Britain enough. The writing is damn near perfect, the artwork is always pleasing, and the stories are a brilliant mix of insane and intelligent. It’s just good stuff all around.

Grade:  B+

-Kyle Posluszny

Captain Britain and MI:13 #9 – Review

By Paul Cornell (Writer), Leonard Kirk & Mike Collins (Pencils), Jay Leisten & Cam Smith (Inks), and Brian Reber & Rain Beredo (Colors)

Some Thoughts Before The Review: When I picked up the debut of Captain Britain and MI:13 during the Secret Invasion, I never expected it to become a favorite of mine. But nows, I find myself eagerly awaiting each new issue. The latest, the conclusion to the insanely chaotic Plotka storyline, is no exception. It’s a shame that the numbers for the series are so slow, because it absolutely deserves the attention of nearly every comic fan. It’s that good.

The Story: With the majority of the team stuck in one part of Plotka’s dream corridor thanks to Captain Midlands’ betrayal and Captain Britain still trying to find a way out of another part, things look grim for pretty much everybody. But Pete Wisdom has a plan, as does the person studying the trapped Mindless One outside of Cloverfield Estate. Soon the tides are turned and the team goes on the offensive.

What’s Good: Simply all the factors that make this title wildly imaginative. That’s the only way to describe the conclusion of the latest Captain Britain and MI:13 arc. Despite all the crazy magic, chaotic action, and elements of the occult, Paul Cornell and his art team somehow manage to keep everything in line long enough to wrap up one hell of an entertaining story that also plant the seeds for what promises to be another. In short, if you’ve liked what the series has offered so far, you won’t be disappointed what it offers this time around.

What’s Not So Good: There is one “elephant in the room” element regarding the latest Captain Britain arc that has nagged at me from the start. And guess what? It nagged at me a whole lot more while reading Captain Britain and MI:13 #9. Basically the whole thing is so filled with action and chaos that it rarely stops to take a breath long enough to really work through and explain what’s actually happening. Sure it’s a lot of fun to read and look at, but I just can’t help but wish I had a better grasp on the storyline as a whole. It made sense well enough, but I just can’t shake the feeling I missed out on a few things here and there.

Conclusion: Despite being almost overwhelming at times, the latest issue of Captain Britain is loaded with high-quality, high-concept entertainment. And, while it isn’t the greatest jump-on point if you haven’t checked the series out yet, it’s strong enough to make hunting down back issues a worthwhile endeavor. Consider it highly recommended.

Grade: B+

-Kyle Posluszny