Remake & Reboot: The CAPTAIN BRITAIN Comic Series

Captain America may be the world’s leading super-soldier, but he’s still just a man. Earth’s secret weapon could be another Captain, of an even older tradition. Created by Chris Claremont and Herb Trimpe for a Marvel line of UK only titles in the late 70s, he is a man born in science but forged in magic with ties to King Arthur and Merlin himself. Although he’s largely been pigeon-holed to date as the UK equivalent to Captain America, he’s got the potential to be more than that — much more.

The Concept:

Last month I interviewed Rick Remender for Marvel.com about Uncanny X-Force which will feature a Captain Britain arc in 2012, and what he had to say about the Excalibur frontman was interesting. “ I like Brian because he’s a conflicted character; a man of science who had to accept magic,” Remender explained. “He has a suit of armor powered by magic, tied to his confidence level.”

Captain Britain is (finally) being brought out of his sheltered homeland and into the aforementioned Uncanny X-Force as well as accepting Captain America’s invitation to join the Avengers in Remender’s upcoming run on Secret Avengers.

For a modern Captain Britain series to work it can’t fall back on being just a British super-hero, just as Captain America isn’t just limited to fight inside U.S. borders. With his ties to Arthurian legend, the mysterious Otherworld, as well as the X-Men and now the Avengers, there’s alot for an able-bodied creative team to take advantage of to make Captain Britain interesting. You just need the right people to do it.

The Creative Team:

Writer – Rick Remender: You knew I was going in this direction, right? Remender is an avowed X-Men fan, and seeing as how Captain Britain and Excalibur were vital components of that thriving corner of the Marvel U in the late 80s and 90s I could easily see him being an expert on on Captain Britain from his Marvel UK roots to the vibrant Claremont/Davis ensemble series Excalibur. From the quote above you can see he’s put thought into the character’s concept, and if he could find a potent hook (like Uncanny X-Force being a secret mutant hitsquad) then I think he could do it here.

Artist – Patrick Gleason: Gleason has spent the vast majority of his eight year comics career drawing the ins and outs of the DCU. Currently drawing Batman & Robin, I could see Marvel giving Gleason an offer to jump ship and be the launch artist for a new Captain Britain series.

Cover Artist – Kieron Dwyer: He was one of the greatest Avengers artists in the past decade, but he’s largely been lost to the sands of time as it was in the shadow of the pre-Bendis era. Rick Remender’s known to stick with his favorite collaborators, and Dwyer charts in as his closest given Remender was his inker for over a decade. I’d love to see Remender draft Dwyer to do covers for a revitalized Captain Britain series and remind readers why he’s so great.

Comments

  1. I have never read a Captain Britain story but if Remender wrote it I would be on board. Especially if Patrick Gleason was on the book.

  2. I don’t know if i could read a Captain Britain book with an American. It’d feel so wrong even though if it was written by the brilliant Remender.

    • I get that there’s a definite aspect of “Britishness” that you’d want to have in a Captain Britain title, but I think the concept that only a Brit could do the character justice is kind of flawed.

      Preacher might be one of the best stories about America and it was written by an Irishman. Warren Ellis has had a pretty good handle on America in some of his works.

      I understand and appreciate the desire for authenticity, but I think a good writer will find a way to bring that authenticity, regardless of their own nationality.

    • While I agree that Captain Britain has been written by a number of excellent British writers, I think non-Englanders should be given a shot. It’d be like saying Captain America should only be written by an American.

    • So does that mean the only good Wolverine writers are Canadian? No. A good writer can right multiple different personalities.
      One of the best comics staring UK characters is Queen and Country and that’s written by a Portlander.

  3. has there ever been a ‘where to start with…’ for captain britain? would really appreciate one for him and excalibur?

  4. Can we just get Captain Britain and MI-13 back? Honestly one of my favorite series of the past few years with a criminally short run.

  5. Being an Irish nationalist I find it pretty hard to clap for a guy dressed in a giant union jack.

    They should partner him up with an Irish super hero who hates his guts, maybe a modern day Thor type Chulainn character with a super powered Irish Wolfhound (biggest dog breed in the world) and a spear like the Gae Bolg (which like Thors hammer always came back to it’s owner).

    Actually just partner him up with the celtic 2000AD character Slaine.

    • Hell, man, I’m English and never understood why he was wearing a Union Flag. It’s not like anyone from the “United Kingdom” ever refers to themselves as British. I always think of my nationality as English and I’ve never heard a Welshman, Scot or Northern Irishman refer to themselves as British or display a Union Flag in lieu of their specific national flag.

      To be honest, if there needs to be a Captain Britain, I’d like him or her to be Welsh. The Welsh are criminally under-represented in genre-fiction with the exception of ‘Torchwood’.