Amazing Heroes Issue #52— Page 27

Amazing Heroes Issue #52— Page 27

Periodical
Comic Strips

This representative article in Amazing Heroes issue 52 is called “A Hero History of Captain Britain” by Frank Plowright. The article is broken up into three separate columns. The first column denotes the title and author at the top and has a vertical image of Captain Britain below it with the caption “And someone else said that they were going to storm through the streets and crush all the beetles and nothing would stop them and we should all be free.” Below this image, it says “Captain Britain by Alan Moore and Alan Davis.” In the second column, the article itself starts, and continues into the third column as well. The bottom of the page says “Rule Britannia” in all capital, serif letters. Below this in much smaller serif letters, it says “August 1, 1984,” denoting when it was published. The gist of the article is that it goes into detail about Captain Britain’s origins, history, and, essentially, why a British superhero was needed in the comic world.

“A Hero History of Captain Britain” by Frank Plowright perfectly encompasses what issue 52 of Amazing Heroes is all about— the importance of a European superhero, and how they’re just as valid as any American one. Captain Britain, also known as Brian Braddock, hailed from Essex, England himself, according to his wikia page. He was a graduate student in physics as well, and his parents were killed. The similarities between him and Superman are close in this— parents being killed, success in the occupational fields they were in. This in itself draws parallels to a lesser-known superhero to one of the most popular of all time, showing that, even though he’s British, Captain Britain is still capable of making a mark. Still relevant in this article, the dissertation “Superhero Comics and the Popular Geopolitics of American Identity” by Mervi Miettinen, discusses the concept of how Americanness is heavily supported in the comics industry in an idealized and mythicized manner. Bringing in the relevancy of Captain Britain helps break this notion down, showing that European superheroes can be idealized as well, and are just as influential in the industry. Also supporting the idea of the relevance and legitimacy of the European superhero is the journal article “Superman: The Persistence of an American Icon” by Cathy L. Ryan, which talks about the individualism and success of Superman as a superhero. Being, arguably, one of the most notable superheroes of all time due to his blatant Americanness, one could argue that Captain Britain is the epitome of Europeanness and is equally as relevant as Superman himself (and an individual article itself proves Captain Britain’s importance). The addition of an article about Captain Britain, a singular European superhero, also gives fans of European superheroes a specific figure to worship. Like the “British Invasion” article, this gives fans someone to idolize and place as the face of a “new wave” of superheroes from across the pond. Instead of doing an article featuring multiple different European superheroes, fans can focus on one specific, and “geek out” over Captain Britain (also, being British, he fits exactly in the British invasion mold).

David W. Olbrich, Tom Mason, Kim Thompson, M. Thompson, T. Heintjes, Janet Toombs, Lidia Hlywa, Peg Weinberg, J. Michael Catron, Mike Raub

MSU Special Collections Comic Art, PN6725.A47

Redbeard, Inc.

August 1st, 1984

Autumn Miller

All rights reserved

-http://chambl91.msu.domains/CriticalFanscape/items/show/18 (Cover)
-http://chambl91.msu.domains/CriticalFanscape/items/show/19 (Table of Contents)

Comic, 6.6x10.3 inches, black and white

English

Periodical

1981-1992