Showing posts with label Alan Davis. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Alan Davis. Show all posts

Thursday, April 20, 2017

Mighty World of Marvel (Vol. 2) #13

"A Funeral on Otherworld"
Published June 1984
Writer: Alan Moore
Penciler: Alan Davis
Inker: Alan Davis

What's Going On?
The battle-weary Captains Britain and UK find themselves teleported to Otherworld, just in time to witness the funeral of Merlin.  Afterwards, Roma promises to not interfere further in their lives; Captain Britain and Captain UK are no longer pieces on Merlin's chess board.  They return to Earth-616 and go their separate ways,

Sub-Plots, oh the Sub-Plots!
- Captain Britain is surprised to find himself a celebrity among the Captain Britain Corps, considering the last time he met a multiversal counterpart, they were busy punching him in the face.

- Saturnyne is is reinstated as a Majestrix and given a full pardon by Mandragon when she threatens to release a Jim Jaspers clone on his homeworld.  Saturnyne scraped some cell samples from Jaspers' corpse, with presumably this threat in mind.  Roma makes sure that this is only a threat; unbeknownst to Saturnyne or Mandragon, Roma killed the cells, making them un-clonable.

- Earth-616 will recover from Jim Jaspers' reality warping, but it doesn't mean that Jaspers' time in power has been erased.  Tom is still dead, and Elizabeth Braddock will still mourn him; per Roma, a woman named Victoria Bentley will help her recover.

- Merlin has taken many shapes over many dimensions over many years,  His reasoning for doing this to manipulate his chosen champions will remain unexplained, until he is less dead.

- Captain UK plans to stay on Earth-616, since her home dimension was destroyed.

Writing!
Some writers excel at the "quiet" issues, the falling action issues that wrap up long storylines.  Alan Moore might not be one of those writers.  This isn't a bad issue by any means, but it is easily the least interesting one of this run.  I liked that Moore went out of his way to add to the Merlin mythos, and I thought it was interesting that he didn't hit a "reset" button to erase the Jaspers concentration camps, but other than those small moments of interest, this issue could have been summed up in a single panel that read "The End."

Art!
In an otherwise dull visual issue, Davis had fun with the Captain Britain Corps.  Not much action, but some interesting costume designs being used here.

Worth Noting:
- This issue wraps up Alan Moore's run on Captain Britain and his relationship with Marvel Comics in general.

Thursday, December 15, 2016

Mighty World of Marvel (Vol. 2) #12

"Endgame"
Published May 1984
Writer: Alan Moore
Penciler: Alan Davis
Inker: Alan Davis

What's Going On?
The battle between The Fury and Mad Jim Jaspers continues, and they seem evenly matched.  Finally, The Fury realizes that Jaspers warps reality around him; if he is in a void, like what was left of The Fury's original dimension, there would be nothing to warp.  The Fury transports them both there and executes Jim Jaspers with extreme prejudice. 
Seeing that The Fury has been weakened, Captain Britain attacks, but either The Fury is too strong still, or CapBrit is too weak from the Jaspers-and-Fury beating he recently took.  Watching Cap falling to The Fury triggers some repressed rage in Captain UK, who takes up the battle and beats The Fury into a purple puddle.  The Fury is finally dead.

Sub-Plots, oh the Sub-Plots!
- The Crazy Gang, created by Jaspers last issue, escapes to parts unknown after the Jaspers/Fury battle ends.

- Saturnyne takes a blood sample of the dead Jim Jaspers for unstated, but probably not altruistic, reasons.

- After The Fury is defeated, Captain Britain, Captain UK and Saturnyne find themselves teleported to Otherworld for Merlin's funeral.

Writing!
It's another issue mainly devoted to fight scenes, but I have to admit it's well done.  Moore has been building up to this battle for so long that it is cathartic to see the finale of the Jaspers/Fury fight AND the Captain Britain/UK fight vs. The Fury.  I had wondered after previous issues how CapBrit could stand up to either Jaspers or The Fury, given their power, but Moore did a fantastic job making the final conflict plausible; the ending was not obvious (to me, anyway), but still felt true to the known limits of these characters.  One of my favorite bits was how we followed The Fury's logic during the battle with Jaspers, as it prepared for the coup de grace. 

Art!
More great work from the "other" Alan on this title.  While there could be some improvement in the coloring department (a common complaint for this era), Davis' action scenes are consistently great.  Even the challenging design of Captain Britain's torn mask/flowing hair combo looked good here, to say nothing of the very cool Jaspers/Fury fight and the dismembering of The Fury. 
I've been a fan of Davis' graceful action scenes for many years, but this is a great example of how well he can do "savage."

Retrospectively Amusing:
- The scene that triggers Captain UK into action is a panel similar to --- but not an exact copy of --- the scene back in Daredevils #7 where Captain UK's lover is murdered by the Fury.  It's interesting that Alan Davis chose not to just photocopy the old art for this scene.  Maybe that wasn't a thing back in '84?

Here's the original scene, from Daredevils #7.  They are certainly similar, but definitely different.

Worth Noting:
- The Fury and Jim Jaspers both die in this issue.

Wednesday, November 16, 2016

Mighty World of Marvel (Vol. 2) #11

"Foolsmate"
Published April 1984
Writer: Alan Moore
Penciler: Alan Davis
Inker: Alan Davis


What's Going On?
The Fury finally catches up with Captain Britain and starts attacking him.  Cap doesn't have much fight left in him after the whooping he took from Jim Jaspers last issue, so he essentially plays the part of a rag doll here.  In the process of beating the life out of the good Captain, The Fury accidentally runs into Jaspers.  Jaspers doesn't like The Fury because he didn't create it, and The Fury doesn't like Jaspers because it struggled against its original programming (which kept it from killing the Jim Jaspers of Earth 238). 
The two near-omnipotent villains begin to battle.

Sub-Plots, oh the Sub-Plots!
- Jim Jaspers, playing the part of a bored godling, decides to create life from dirt.  The end result is the Crazy Gang.

- Saturnyne and Captain UK arrive on the scene, just in time to witness the Jaspers/Fury fight and take cover.

- Meanwhile, while overseeing the battle, Roma despairs, thinking that the multiverse is doomed.  When she tries to get her father to explain things to her, Merlin falls dead.

Writing!
This is essentially an extended fight scene, so there isn't a whole lot of "writing" to look at in this issue.  That's not a knock; Moore has clearly been building to this since he started his run, and it's pretty satisfying to see it come to fruition.  I am starting to realize that we won't be seeing the traditional heroic ending to this story.  Captain Britain seems almost incidental to the overarching plot of Jaspers v. Fury, and it seems unlikely that he will be the deciding factor in a story that is ostensibly about him.

Art!
Alan Davis clearly enjoys the reality-defying possibilities of the Jaspers/Fury fight, and that is fun to see on the page.

Retrospectively Amusing:
- Here's an evocative and bizarre set of captions that would never get past the editor nowadays:

Worth Noting:
- This is the first appearance of the Earth 616 version of the Crazy Gang.  Since my only exposure to them had been through Davis' Excalibur runs, I never realized what a batshit crazy origin they actually have.  I mean, they're Alice in Wonderland-themed villains, so I didn't think their origin would be "forced into a life of crime" or anything like that, but geez...

- Saturnyne uses the name of Mitras as a blasphemous expletive.  So what?  Well, Mitras is one of the various gods mentioned in old Conan comics, set in the Hyborean Age.  I'm pretty sure that Conan (being a licensed character and all) was not set in the Earth 616 Marvel Universe, so the existence of one of the Hyborean gods on an alternate Earth (Saturnyne is from Earth 9) is a cool little Easter egg for an alternate reality that Alan Moore (and no one else, really) ever chose to explain fully.

Saturday, June 25, 2016

Mighty World of Marvel (Vol. 2) #10

"Anarchy in the UK"
Published March 1984
Writer: Alan Moore
Penciler: Alan Davis
Inker: Alan Davis

What's Going On?
It is finally time to confront Jim Jaspers, and it turns out that Captain Britain is sorely outmatched.  It seems as though his only strategy is to punch things, and (being the reality warper that he is) Jaspers does not sit still for him.  Instead, Jaspers plays with reality, making the Captain question where and who he is, until he leaves a battered Captain for dead.


Sub-Plots, oh the Sub-Plots!
- Continuing her effort to prepare Captain UK to do something worthwhile in the upcoming battle, Saturnyne has Captain UK take off her civilian clothes and don her Captain Britain Corps uniform.

- The Fury has finally caught up with Captain Britain again in the last panel of this issue

Writing!
Moore's entire run has been leading this, the resolution of the Jim Jaspers and Fury plots.  Now that we're here, I find myself wondering what the hell is Captain Britain doing in this fight.   This seems like a horrible mismatch, and not in a "the hero is the underdog" sort of way; this feels closer to Spider-Man vs. Galactus.  I mean, come on...CapBrit is just trying to punch Jim Jaspers to death?  That is as far as his planning got?  Well, whatever.  I am very curious to see if the resolution feels like forced bullshit or if it is satisfying.  This issue did make me wonder exactly what made Merlin choose Captain Britain as his champion in this battle.  Is the difference between CapBrit here and in the beginning of Moore's run just that he's going to try harder? 

Art!
I liked the idea of the Captain tearing away Jasper's reality like paper.  I think it would work better if Jaspers was an illusionist rather than a reality warper, but it's still a cool visual.

Retrospectively Amusing:
- The last time Courtney Ross made an appearance was in 1978 (Marvel Team-Up #65-66), and she was a plain-looking brunette at the time.  It is interesting to see Alan Davis drawing her both off-model here and obviously not similar to Saturnyne.  I'm assuming that she is supposed to be older in this scene --- that would explain the white hair --- but Brian does not look older, which is odd.  As for Saturnyne, Alan Davis and Chris Claremont eventually reveal (in the pages of Excalibur) that Ross and Saturnyne are alternate reality doppelgangers; Davis is clearly not modeling Ross after Saturnyne here, so it's going to be interesting to see just when that plot started.

Worth Noting:
- Captain Britain has no qualms about killing Jim Jaspers.  Unusual for a superhero at the time, and (as far as I can recall) not terribly typical of his character.

Saturday, June 4, 2016

Mighty World of Marvel (Vol. 2) #9

"Among These Dark, Satanic Mills"
Published February 1984
Writer: Alan Moore
Penciller: Alan Davis
Inker: Alan Davis

What's Going On?
Captain Britain makes his way through the surreal world that is Jim Jasper's London on his way to confront the villain.  Meanwhile, his friends fall under attack from Jaspers' Beetle enforcers, despite their best efforts.

Sub-Plots, oh the Sub-Plots!
- Despite his wounded hands (from protecting Captain UK in Daredevils #10), Merlin refuses to quit his chess game.  Roma comments that it looks inevitable that he will lose.  Since Captain Britain is Merlin's chosen champion, that bodes poorly for his upcoming battle.

- Elizabeth Braddock and Alison Double are captured by the Beetles

- On the run from the Beetles, Saturnyne harasses Captain UK until she responds with violence.  Saturnyne seems to think this will lead to UK doing more than whining in the battle to come.

Writing!
While I can't say that nothing happens in this issue, it felt a little like Moore was treading water here.  It was nice to see Captain UK take her first step toward redemption, and Tom Lennox's death may have repercussions (or maybe not), but the main story did not progress.  Captain Britain went from leaving to confront Jaspers to...continuing on his way to confront Jaspers.  

Art!
For an issue where it felt like not much was happening, Alan Davis had a few pretty cool panels.  I especially liked how he indicated Elizabeth's premonition. 
Nothing spectacular, but I like how the blending of panels implied a connection.  He also did a pretty good job with the last panel.  Davis is so good when he gets to have fun with the characters.  Also, what artist chooses to draw feet?

Retrospectively Amusing:
-Despite all the craziness swirling around him, Jim Jaspers is still found in his office.

- I find it astonishing that none of the events in this title are ever recapped when Psylocke reflects on her history.  Her lover was murdered!  And yet, I am fairly certain that his name never comes up in any of Claremont's 80's or 90's issues.

Worth Noting:
- The title of this issue is taken from a poem by William Blake.  Since the mills in the poem seem (to me; I'm not a poetry major) to reference the industrial revolution, I'm not entirely sure what the relevance is here.

- Thomas Lennox dies in this issue.  Despite having died in the middle of a story with reality being warped, Lennox has never come back to life.  (Yet.)

Sunday, April 17, 2016

Mighty World of Marvel (Vol. 2) #8


"The Twisted World (Reprise)"
Published January 1984
Writer: Alan Moore
Penciller: Alan Davis
Inker: Alan Davis

What's Going On?
Captain Britain and his friends have managed to stay out of the superhero concentration camps, but the Captain and Saturnyne agree that their current situation mirrors that of Mad Jim Jaspers' reality, just before it went completely off the rails.  CapBrit does not have much faith in his supporting cast (especially Saturnyne), but he steels himself for battle anyway.

Sub-Plots, oh the Sub-Plots!
- It was unclear how much time had passed between Daredevils #11 and Mighty World of Marvel (Vol. 2) #7, but that (sort of) gets resolved in this issue.  Multiple characters note how difficult it has been to track time since Jim Jaspers came to power.  Jaspers' reality warping powers allowed him to alter reality to suit his fancy, and it is implied that very little time has passed, rather than the several months that a normal despot would have needed to gain absolute power in England.

- The last we saw of Jim Jaspers in this reality, he was changing things in relatively small ways (like changing white wine into red).  He is now basically living in a Salvador Dali painting now, with change constantly swirling around him.  He appears to have achieved the same level of power/madness as his alternate reality version.

- The Fury has predictably survived the beatdown it received in Daredevils #11, and has survived thus far in Jim Jaspers' new twisted reality.  I'm not 100% sure about this, but it looks like The Fury may have absorbed part of the living computer in the caves beneath Braddock Manor.

- Vixen tries to assassinate Jim Jaspers, but he is already too powerful for her to handle.  He transforms her into a fox.

Writing!
Alan Moore manages to fit a lot into these eight pages - the Fury returns, Jaspers neutralizes Vixen, and Captain Britain and pals talk about the need to stop Jaspers.  Any one of those plots could have easily taken eight pages in a regular comic, but Moore continues to keep things moving swiftly.  Last issue was a bit dull, but it set the stage well for this story, and it looks like we are going to have the big Jaspers battle at long last.


Art!
It has been a while since Alan Davis has had a chance to let loose with Jim Jaspers (Marvel Super Heroes #388), and he has grown quite a bit in the meantime --- his inks are much, much cleaner here.  One of the things I like about how he draws Jaspers is the fact that his hats change in every panel.  It's not really subtle, but I still like it.  I also like that plaid + polka dots = crazy.  

Retrospectively Amusing:
- So is Braddock Manor in ruins or not?  It was seen whole as recently as Daredevils #10, and Captain UK did not have any problem knocking on its door, so it seemed as though the hologram that made the manor appear ruined to passersby was no longer working.  However, this issue opens with STRIKE Beetles walking through the rubble of the mansion.  Maybe this is due to Jaspers warping reality?  I guess?

- Alison Double, one of the few STRIKE psychics that Slaymaster did not get around to killing, has developed a serious fever and requires medical attention.  I don't think we've seen her since a crowd scene in Daredevils #4, but I guess the implication is that she's been living in Braddock Manor with everybody, ever since Slaymaster was defeated.  She must be a pretty worthless psychic, because she was not included in the battle against the Fury and the Special Executive did not mention her as a possible threat.

Worth Noting:
- The STRIKE Beetles mention the capture of a Lady Farnsworth.  That is the civilian identity of Spitfire, a member of the Invaders, a World War II superhero team.

Friday, March 4, 2016

Mighty World of Marvel (Vol. 2) #7

"The Candlelight Dialogues"
Published December 1983
Writer: Alan Moore
Penciller: Alan Davis
Inker: Alan Davis

What's Going On?
The story picks up an unspecified amount of time after Daredevils #11, after Jim Jaspers has taken control over England and super-powered people are placed in concentration camps. 
Two women, Sue and Meggan, trade campfire stories they have heard about Captain Britain fighting their oppressors and winning, remaining free.  

Sub-Plots, oh the Sub-Plots!
- The events hinted at in the alternate Earth of Mad Jim Jaspers and The Fury have finally become reality for Earth 616.

Writing!
This is an interesting transition issue for Alan Moore.  While it has become obvious that Captain Britain and friends will need to battle Jim Jaspers eventually, it was an odd choice to leave off last issue with the group going to confront Jaspers and then jumping forward to a world where they have already lost the battle.  However, since Jim Jaspers can warp reality, I suppose there is no need for Moore to bother with the build up to their confrontation; with Jaspers' abilities, Moore is able to immediately raise the stakes and skip the less interesting buildup scenes.  Very clever, Mr. Moore.

That said, this may be my least favorite issues so far in this storyline.  I think I get what Moore is aiming for --- he's raising the stakes by jumping to a dire situation, and he's building the mythology of Captain Britain at the same time.  Sadly, though, that means that this issue feels a bit like filler.  None of the characters we have been following for months accomplish anything, and in a title that has managed to squeeze in a lot of progress in a small number of pages, this feels like treading water.

On the other hand, this issue's format may be a result of a publishing switch.  This issue kind of serves as an introduction to Captain Britain, and since this is the first issue of the storyline published in  Mighty World of Marvel, it makes some sense to reintroduce the character to the (potentially) new readers.  That doesn't make it any more interesting to read, but I suppose I can follow that logic.

Art!
Alan Davis flexes some new artistic muscles with this chapter, playing with extreme close-ups and shadows.  Honestly, he doesn't have a whole lot to work with in this story.  He has CapBrit kicking some ass, and the rest of this issue features people being inactive.  One of the nice things about an Alan Davis-drawn issue, though, is his ability to make characters look good, even if they are doing nothing.

Retrospectively Amusing:
- Look!  Sympathetic characters (without healing factors) smoking!

Worth Noting:
- You might have noticed that this Captain Britain story, which is clearly picking up after the events of Daredevils #11, is not the next issue of Daredevils.  That title was cancelled, but the original stories that were being published in Daredevils were adopted by Might World of Marvel.  They were both anthology titles, mostly comprised of reprinted stories from the American Marvel line, with the occasional original story from British creators.


- This is the first appearance of Meggan, Captain Britain's eventual wife.  Her feral-like appearance is a far cry from the blonde bombshell look she sported in Excalibur (Vol. 1).  It will be interesting seeing how she develops, to see how natural her transformation is.

Wednesday, February 24, 2016

Daredevils #11

"But They Never Really Die"
Published November 1983
Writer: Alan Moore
Penciller: Alan Davis
Inker: Alan Davis

What's Going On?
Captain Britain and the Special Executive fight The Fury.  It does not go well at first; Cap and Fascination only give it pause, while Special Executive member Oxo was casually killed by The Fury.  When Zeitgeist finally joins the fight (against his better judgement), the tables turn, and the good guys are able to bury The Fury under tons of rocks beneath Braddock Manor...for now.

Sub-Plots, oh the Sub-Plots!

- The issue ends with CapBrit, Betsy, Tom, Saturnyne, and a traumatized Captain UK deciding to investigate Jim Jaspers, presumably because The Fury came from the reality that Mad Jim Jaspers had ruined.

- Zeitgeist's issues with Wardog's leadership come to a head.  The team has battled The Fury, with Oxo and (eventually) Legion dying, and they were not even paid.  With this battle over (at least temporarily), the Special Executive decides to cut their losses and retreat.  They will not be joining the fight against Jaspers.

Writing!
I am always a fan of when a writer surprises me with a fight scene.  While Moore has shown several instances of each character doing their thing and showing off their powers already, I did not expect Zeitgeist to pose such a credible threat to The Fury.  Well done.

Art!
I thought Davis did a great job showing The Fury's mind being impacted by Fascination, and its subsequent recovery.  There are a lot of ways to indicate disorientation, but I thought this was a cool and creative way to show it visually.

Worth Noting:
- Special Executive member Oxo is killed by The Fury.  Is that worth noting?  Did Oxo ever have any lines?

Wednesday, August 19, 2015

Daredevils #10

"The Sound and the Fury"
Published October 1983
Writer: Alan Moore
Penciller: Alan Davis
Inker: Alan Davis


What's Going On?
Picking up at last issue's cliffhanger ending, The Fury attacks Captain UK.  After some intervention from Merlin (see the Sub-Plots), Captain Britain comes joins in the fray, along with members of the Special Executive.  They don't stack up well against The Fury.  Wardog is immediately crippled; The Fury tears off his cybernetic arm. 
Legion, whose ability is to summon future versions of himself from his own timeline, has one of his future selves murdered.  Captain Britain survives a beating, but only because The Fury directed its attention to the others.  Things don't look good; Cobweb announces that the future of the multiverse has been cancelled.

Sub-Plots, oh the Sub-Plots!
- Merlin and Roma continue their game of chess.  The appearance of The Fury on the game board takes them by surprise and, when he senses The Fury's imminent attack, Merlin protects Captain UK's real body by shielding her chess piece with his hands.  She survived a deadly blast unscathed, and Merlin's hands were badly burned as a result.

- Cobweb, the precognitive member of the Special Executive, starts seizing and foaming at the mouth as The Fury begins to attack.  She repeats "I didn't see it coming," over and over again.

- Zeitgeist refuses to join the battle because he was not hired to fight.

Writing!
The Merlin/Roma metafictional subplot is interesting, but I'm not really getting much enjoyment out of it.  I get it, Merlin is playing chess with human lives; making it a literal game for him is clever, but I don't think it really adds much to the story. Aside from that, Moore does a great job cranking up the tension.  One of the hardest things for a comic writer to do is to make the hero look hopelessly outmatched, and Moore makes it look like CapBrit ans co. are about to die.

Art!
Alan Davis keeps getting better, month after month.  Here, he gets to flex his experimental muscles a bit with Cobweb's monologue and it is pretty great.  
 (Note: two-page spreads are hard to scan properly)  Not only is the recurring Fury face repeating across this scene interesting, the 90-degree rotation of Cobweb's head along with the action of the scene was very cool.

Retrospectively Amusing:
- The revelation that Legion and Cobweb are lovers seemed a little out of left field.  Since neither character made the transition to Excalibur as part of the Executive Elite, I wonder if this is ever mentioned again.

Worth Noting:
- This is the first time we see Merlin and Roma's chess game directly impacting reality.

- The future version of Legion was killed by The Fury, but the current version lived.  The implication of this is that one day soon, current Legion will become future Legion and blink out of existence, which is a cool idea, right?

Sunday, August 9, 2015

Daredevils #9

"Waiting For the End of the World"
Published September 1983
Writer: Alan Moore
Penciller: Alan Davis
Inker: Alan Davis


What's Going On?
Jim Jaspers makes a televised speech that portrays super-heroes as dangers to the world at large; Linda (Captain UK of Earth 238) explains that he made the exact same speech on her world as a precursor to the wholesale slaughter of all superhumans.  Captain Britain tries to console her and convince her that this world will not suffer the same fate, but she doesn't believe him (in part, perhaps, because Betsy Braddock has a premonition of the impending slaughter) and leaves Braddock Manor...only to come face-to-face with the Fury.

Sub-Plots, oh the Sub-Plots!
- Merlin and Roma are playing a chess game, with the major characters in this story acting as the chess pieces.  It turns out that the Fury is not on the game board, though, so events may not turn out as Merlin has planned...

- Jim Jaspers takes a moment to change his white wine to red, indicating that he has the same reality-altering powers as his Earth 238 counterpart.

- There are tensions brewing within the Special Executive.  While Wardog is concerned with a possible superhero holocaust, Zeitgeist is only interested in getting a paycheck.

- Betsy Braddock's boyfriend, Tom, is still urging her to abandon her brother and go somewhere less violent.  Since we know that Betsy eventually joins the X-Men as Psylocke and I've never heard of Tom in any X-title, I'm going to make a wild guess and say Tom won't have a happy ending here.

Writing!
This is yet another issue where Alan Moore manages to do a lot with only a little space.  I thought that the Merlin chess scenes were trying to be a little too clever, but Moore balanced that out by having the Fury throw a monkey wrench in that game.  Other than that, we see progression with Linda, the growing conflict within the Special Executive, the growing danger from Jaspers, and a cliffhanger with the Fury.  That's a lot for one half-issue!

Art!
I liked how Alan Davis chose to handle Jim Jasper's reality manipulation with the wine.  It's simple, but it's just another example of how well he works with subtle facials expressions.  And that last page...considering that neither character is exactly iconic, it's a damn nice panel.  I think the best example of Davis' work on this issue, though, is Betsy's premonition.  It's nothing huge or splashy, but showing her premonition within the silhouette of her profile is a very nice touch.

Retrospectively Amusing:
- It looks like Merlin and Roma are hanging out in a cosmic jacuzzi during the chess game.  I guess you can play chess wherever you want to, but it does look strange that the father (Merlin) is at least partially unclothed and the daughter (Roma) appears to be jacuzzi-ing with her normal outfit on, right?

Worth Noting:
- Jim Jaspers specifically mentions the Presidential pardon from Incredible Hulk #278, and Henry Peter Gyrich and Sebastian Shaw both make cameos.  This is the first evidence that A) ties Captain Britain to the X-Men titles and B) Marvel UK/Earth 616 is still the same as the prime Marvel universe; yes, CapBrit had made some appearances in the Marvel Universe before (Contest of Champions, Marvel Team Up) and his original self-titled comic did have a few American heroes guest-star, but Alan Moore could have easily changed what reality Marvel UK inhabited when Merlin brought CapBrit back from the dead and returned him home.  So, now we have proof that these stories can impact the Marvel Universe as a whole, and an indication that Alan Moore liked Chris Claremont's Uncanny X-Men run.

- While she has been mentioned earlier, this is the first appearance of Vixen.  It turns out that she's a woman, which will surprise Captain Britain and his friends, who somehow concluded that someone named "Vixen" had to be male.