Out this Week - Revolutionary War: Motormouth and Avengers Undercover

Well, here we are into the third month of Revolutionary War already. This week sees the turn of Harley Davis, know better to many as 'Motormouth'. This time out the writer and artist pairing of Glenn Dakin and Ronan Cliquet will be taking on the reins, with Mark Brooks on the lead cover, and a variant cover by Declan Shalvey and Jordie Bellaire:

There is 3 page preview up at Comic Book Resources, for the curious, and this is probably one of the books I've been most curious about. As we saw in the Alpha issue Harley's former partner-in-crime Killpower was separated from the other UK heroes some time ago, lost into an alternate dimension at the Battle of London Bridge. Furthermore, as was mentioned in the solicits, apparently Harley is a... mum now??

REVOLUTIONARY WAR: MOTORMOUTH #1

GLENN DAKIN (W) • RONAN CLIQUET (A)
Cover by MARK BROOKS
Variant Cover By DECLAN SHALVEY
• When Mys-Tech returns and threatens the safety of Great Britain, MI:13 need to try to convince MOTORMOUTH to come out of retirement.
• Harley Davis’ days of being a hero are over, though.  Now, her day job is being the mother of  her two children. Until an explosive Mys-Tech attack calls her out of retirement!
• Be there as Motormouth gets her mojo back!

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99 

Two kids. I wonder who the father is. 

The story also picks up directly from where the Alpha issue left off for SHIELD Agent Keller and Col Tigon Liger of The Warheads. Both of whom are trying to locate Harley - who has always had a knack for not being found when she doesn't want to be...

I just love the darker tone this preview seems to have compared next to some of the other recent Revolutionary War issues. It's clear that Harley is in a pretty bleak place, right now. In her original Marvel UK stories she was always the mouthy teenager who the world could never bring down. Always cheerful. Frequently very funny. I suppose in some kind of messed up way Motormouth was the nearest Marvel UK had to a Kitty Pryde figure in the imprint years. And while they are quite different characters, seeing the ever positive Harley Davis broken by the real world has a similar powerful effect to it as the X-Men trend of putting Kitty in peril. People sympathise with her. She's an easy character for the reader to connect with.

This is exactly the kind of contrast I'd been hoping we'd see in Revolutionary War - how the intervening years have effected our forgotten heroes. I really look forward to it.

In connection with Motormouth, this week's issue has also reminded former Marvel UK editor John Freeman of his time editing the character. He's been talking about it over at Down The Tubes. You should check that out.

This week see the launch of another new series at Marvel, with ties to the British side of universe. For all of you who read and enjoyed Dennis Hopeless and Kev Walker's Avengers Arena series, you'll want to pick up the continuation of that story. The name has changed, but the creative team and the surviving cast (including former students from 'Braddock Academy') are all still here in the new series Avengers Undercover.

What's the premise this time?

Well, here's the solicit blurb:

WHEN TEEN HEROES INFILTRATE THE MASTERS OF EVIL, WHO WILL BREAK BAD?
Damaged by their experience in Murder World, five conflicted young superhumans go rogue and infiltrate the Masters of Evil, planning to bring the Avengers’ rivals down from within. But the longer the teens spend undercover, the more they descend into darkness, and as they start to build relationships with these multi-layered criminals, the line between good and evil blurs. What will happen first…joining the Masters for real, or getting exposed and killed? If you thought Murder World was dangerous, just wait until “Most Promising New Talent” Harvey award-winner Dennis Hopeless and acclaimed artist Kev Walker surround you with Evil!

Avengers Arena has been one of the rare gems of Marvel's recent history, which while some might only see tenuously connected to Marvel's Britain I've certainly enjoyed a lot.  The first run is a hard act to follow, but it's great to see the Hopeless/Walker pairing got to continue into a second run. They do great work together.

Both Revolutionary War: Motormouth and Avengers Undercover are out tomorrow - Wednesday 12th March.