Daredevils #6

"Judgement Day"
Published June 1983
Writer: Alan Moore
Penciller: Alan Davis
Inker: Alan Davis

What's Going On?
After being kidnapped by the Special Executive last issue, Captain Britain resigns himself to the fact that he has been taken to an alternate dimension to testify on behalf of Saturnyne.  And by "resigns," I of course mean "punches people until he gets tired."

When he arrives at the Supreme Omniversal Tribunal, Cap is surprised to meet Captain England (of that Earth) and Captain Albion (of the "Earth next door"), both with themed costumes like his own.  Exhausted, Cap agrees to speak with Saturnyne, and is shocked to find her filthy and in shackles; she is on trial for the ruin of the alternate Earth that Mad Jim Jaspers warped.  While he doesn't like her, CapBrit won't let her be punished for something she is innocent of.  Unfortunately, the head of the tribunal is Saturnyne's replacement, Lord Mandragon, who has a vested interest in keeping Saturnyne from resuming her post.  Before the trial begins, Mandragon chooses to destroy the entire universe containing Mad Jim Jaspers' Earth; he argues that it is to keep Jasper's reality warp from affecting other alternate Earths, but it also serves to eliminate any evidence that the defense might have been counting on.

Sub-Plots, oh the Sub-Plots!
- The Fury, the last sane creature on its alternate Earth, has come to the conclusion that its most recent prey, Captain Britain, may have escaped to another dimension.  It naturally concludes that it must visit alternate dimensions to track him down and kill him. 

Thanks to this decision, it is able to alter itself enough to survive the destruction of its universe.

- The alternate Earth where Mad Jim Jaspers reigned supreme has apparently become entirely enveloped in a reality warp, driving all the inhabitants insane.  This isn't terribly important to the main story, but it does establish the destructive scope of Mad Jim Jaspers' powers.

Writing!
The more I read of this run, the more impressed I am with how much Alan Moore fits into such a compact space.  This is, essentially, a pretty dull issue --- it is a lead-in to a trial --- but there are so many ideas being thrown around that it's easy to overlook the lack of action.  In this issue, we have Saturnyne partially de-villainized,  the introduction of the Captain Britain role as a constant throughout multiple dimensions, and a governing body that has the power and right to destroy entire universes with the flick of a switch.  That's some heavy stuff!  And yet, Moore keeps things pretty light, making small jokes here and there and using the Special Executive as light comedy relief.
Honestly, I'm surprised at how funny this series is turning out to be.  It's not "bwa-ha-ha" funny, but it is getting a little funnier each issue.  I especially liked the concept of "universe lag" for trans-dimensional travelers.  I wasn't so sure about Moore's choice to return to the multiverse after effectively rebooting the character, but I'm really liking where the series is going right now.

Art!
This is not the juiciest script Alan Davis has had to draw in this series, but he makes the most of his opportunities.  The all-out brawl between Captain Britain and the Special Executive was fun, but brief.  He clearly had fun creating the cast of thousands in attendance at Saturnyne's trial.  I think his most impressive work, though, was in designing the alternate Captain Britain characters.  Little is explained about them, but Davis does a great job conveying the variations on a theme that was required for the characters.

Retrospectively Amusing:
- The unifying theme of Captain Britain uniforms is apparently thigh-high boots.

Worth Noting:
- This issue marks the debut of the concept of the Captain Britain Corps, which becomes a large part of the Captain Britain mythos.