Captain Britain Vol.1 #1

13 Oct 1976. Cover price 10p.
36 pages. Colour & B&W.
Marvel Comics Ltd.

Edited by Larry Lieber & Neil Tennant.

Cover p: Larry Lieber (signed); i: Frank Giacoia (uncredited).

Free Captain Britain mask.

Contents:

.2 Captain Britain UNTITLED [] w: Chris Claremont; p: Herb Trimpe; i: Fred Kida, lettering by Irving Watanabe, colouring by Marie Severin.

.9 A Personal Message from Stan Lee introduction.

10 All the Excitement of the Battlefield from Atlantic advertisement.

11 To Celebrate the Launch of Captain Britain (half page) announcement. / Fun Jokes (quarter page) advertisement for novelty catalogue. / Free Stamp Collectors Outfit (eighth of page) advertisement for The Bridgnorth Stamp Co. Ltd. / Free Complete Stamp Collectors Outfit (eighth of page) advertisement for Philatelic Services.

12 The Fantastic Four One From Four Leaves Three! w: Stan Lee; p: John Buscema, i: Joe Sinnott, lettering by Mike Stevens.

r: edited Fantastic Four (Marvel Comics) #110 (May 1971).

17 Get These 4 Great Mags Everyweek! (three quarters page) in-house advertisement for Super Spider-Man, Planet of the Apes and Dracula Lives, The Titans, and The Mighty World of Marvel starring The Incredible Hulk and the Avengers / Free Next Week... Captain Britain Boomerang!! (quarter page)

18 Have you got a meccano tank, plane, horse, jeep, submarine, skyscraper, motorboat, showboat, racing car, railway-engine, taxi cab, windmill, cable car set? (half page) advertisement for Meccano. / Marvel T-Shirts (half page) in-house advertisement.

24 Captain Britain's Fun Page puzzles. w:/a: Owen McCarron.

25 A Marvel Masterwork Pin-Up Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. a: Jim Steranko.

r: cover from Strange Tales (Marvel Comics) #167 (Apr 1968).

26 Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. From Hell -- Fury! w:/a: Jim Steranko, lettering by Jerry Feldman.

r: cover from Strange Tales (Marvel Comics) #159 (Aug 1967).

31 A Marvel Masterwork Pin-Up Captain Britain! p: Herb Trimpe, i: Fred Kida.

32 Win These 3 Great Mogul Toys advertisement.

Splashing out on full-colour pages, with which to showcase Captain Britain, makes a real difference to the title as a whole. Flat colouring really doesn't matter, and gives the strip the feeling of belonging to the same tradition as Captain America, Spider-Man and other US characters - this is a British character with firmly American roots. Lieber's cover design looks back to mid-sixties US covers for inspiration, and - compared to other British launches - shows great restraint in text placement.

Opening somewhere on Cheviot Hills, our fledgling hero faces off against Reaver and his associates. There are (Duddo?) standing stones making interesting background scenery for a action-packed sequence, as Reaver states that Cap is all that stands between him and enough power to rule the world. Reaver's forces don't stand a chance against the strength and reflexes of Captain Britain, who casually swats them away.

A highlight of this is the thought balloon: "I'm a physicist, not some... Super-hero!" Was a Star Trek re-run playing in the background when this was written?

Instinctively stating that Reaver can call him Captain Britain, we get treated to a flashback origin story - not the most elegant manner in which to impart this information. This section doesn't work quite as well. Darkmoor Research Centre, a top secret nuclear complex half-hidden on the lonely moor, is a bustling, futuristic facility which looks more like a hydro-power plant designed by a madman. That it is only half-hidden is an interesting fact - what was wrong with completely hiding it? Did they run out of time? Did they run out of money?

Brian Braddock, working as an assistant to Dr. Travis - a pipe in his mouth throughout, hopefully unlit considering his location - gets told that the complex is on the threshold of developing a practical, safe fusion reactor system which will solve the world's energy crisis overnight. Their conversation is interrupted by shooting from outside, and a nearby wall collapses as Joshua Stragg - the Reaver - enters in a futuristic tank to kidnap the assembled scientific minds.

Dr. Travis is killed in the assault, and Brian flees - abandoning his pipe - with Stragg's men in hot pursuit. Crashing his motorbike off a cliff, Brian has a vision of two immense faces. Informed that he is in an ancient circle of power, Brian learns that he is going to be judged on peril of his immortal soul. He is then told to choose between an amulet and a sword...

Which is where the story breaks off, sans a satisfying conclusion.

It feels like an American reprint, especially given the uncomfortable break just as things are getting interesting, a matter not aided by the very large panels more befitting a younger audience than intended. Still, this is a nice change from endless reprints, so must be applauded.

The Fantastic Four story continues on from material published in Titans, which is simply unacceptable in a launch issue - stories should feel fresh and exciting, and not immediately tie to other publications which are not assured to still be available. Facing certain death in the Negative Zone, Reed attempts to save himself as the rest of the team watch on via the Visi-Scanner.

Having been deprived of the opening part of this adventure I can't say that I care much how Reed survives (as he must), though it is an attractively-drawn tale with enough style to validate its inclusion.

Steranko's work is always appreciated, though (once again) we begin mid-story - there is no alteration to remove a "see last ish" reference in an opening text box, making me wonder is the decision to include the strip in this title was a last-minute decision. A couple of pin-ups - Nick Fury and Captain Britain - are also included, but special mention must be made of the free gift. There's a distinct lack of blue mouthpiece, but it is a great-looking mash when flat.

An unfocused and slightly scrappy first issue, but with an appeal which transcends its limitations.