Cap Britain must be done justice!
To be hundred percent honest, I believe Captain Britain to be one of the least well-written characters with the most potential. Allow me to review all the series, which I have just finished reading. I liked it a lot but in some aspects it was a disappointment. I liked the characterization of Pete Wisdom, Spitfire, Blade, Black Knight, Meggan and Faiza, I REALLY loved the artwork, and I liked the numerous references to the MAX Wisdom series (I wish Tink and Oberon had a more recurring role though...)
What I didnt like however:
- Captain Britain: 1. his costume - at his core Cap is somewhere between a knight and a mage. These were prominent in his costume during the New Excalibur series. It made him more of an individual character. His cowl looked like a crusader helmet, the Union Jack motif was prominent...in short, he didnt look corny. Now his costume THIS time around looks like a superman knock-off, and doesnt quite capture who Cap really is.
2. characterization - as I said, I believe Cap has been one of the least well-written characters with huge potential. The writers that have been on his titles don t seem to really be interested much in his character, apart from Alan Moore and in the first Excalibur series. But as I read in the CMFC magazine, what came to define Cap is not what makes him unique - a love interest (Meggan) and the fact that he dies (A LOT) . Then being part of a team constantly isnt much healthy for his characterization - he is pushed a lot into the background even if he s supposed to be front and centre, regardless the title of the series bears his name. He was supposed to LEAD MI-13 (its CAPTAIN BRITAIN and MI-13....do the math) while he is almost completely underdeveloped. I think what should be explored at some point is his conflict between magic and science, having been a scientist himself before becoming Cap, and he seems to have blindly accepted everything there was immediately. Second, he seems very passive about all the goings on around him. He never seems at odds with Wisdom's Macchiavellian methods, he never DISCUSSES anything...he just allows stuff to happen. I think this is a bad image for the national symbol...Britain as a nation DOES allow her enemy to come to her shores before committing an action, but it does something about it before, without the need of other countries. I am not British, I am Maltese, but I know quite a bit about the British national identity.
- Confusion: at the climax of the series things got way too confusing...it was way too episodic with no cohesive sense; even the finale was rushed, much like the writer said "let's get this over and done with asap..." However, I m cutting Mr. Cornell some slack by saying all the rest was fabulous, especially the Plokta story arc. Verdict: 7 of 10
