Saturday 22 December 2012

Merry Christmas from It Came From Darkmoor...






From Captain Britain vol 2 #14 (December 1986)

Story & Pencils by Alan Davis, Inks by Mark Farmer, Colours for the collected edition by Steve White.

This is the final page from the final issue of the second British Captain Britain series. A landmark issue. A watershed moment.

The many panels of this page would be picked up on in future issues of Uncanny X-Men, New Mutants and Excalibur in the US, but this was the final page of the British produced Captain Britain comic.

But that is not actually my reason for bringing it up, here. I've come back to this issue in particular because (And I know that this is somewhat of a rarity these days) a Christmas Issue. Marvel UK did not do many of those, but this story (For me at least) captures the spirit of Christmas in a way which is so very typically British.

'Should Auld Acquaintance...' begins on Christmas Eve with Brian and Meggan setting in front of an open fire flowing right through to the chimes of Midnight on New Year's Eve; covering the whole of Christmas Week.

(And for the benefit of American readers here in the UK it really is a week, not just Christmas Day. Outside of Retail most Offices close down for Christmas week. I kid you not.).

It has everything. From old friends dropping round unannounced...






To scenes out in the snow.






From children opening presents on Christmas Morning...






To reunions with Loved Ones... with a little Christmas magic.






From trying to find that perfect Party Attire...






To that frantic dash as the clock chimes twelve on New Year's Eve.






And, in the spirit of the New Year, two men who have never seen eye to eye find common ground, agree to bury the hatchet, and look to the future.






2012 has been a funny old year. I'm glad to have reached the end of it, and I'd like very much to take this opportunity to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Go home. Eat, Drink and be Merry. Spend quality time with your friends, family and other loved ones. Yeah. Even the ones you don't necessarily get on with so well.

Because it's Christmas. Let this be your watershed moment.

May Santa bring you everything you wanted, and may 2013 bring you even more.

And I'll hopefully see you back here in the New Year. :)

Mark (Sword)

2 comments:

  1. And a merry Christmas to you from a long-time reader. Glad to have you back. That run of British Captain Britain - Moore-Delano-Davis is one of my all-time favourite comic runs and your choice explains why. Have a good one! Hope your health continues to improve.

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  2. Merry Christmas to you, Sir. I'm lucky enought to have complete runs of both series of Captain Britain. I even bought the 5 volume Marvel/Panini editions just for ease of reading. Hard to believe it's been over 36 years since he was first introduced.

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