DNF at pg 407, with all intentions of picking it up again someday.

I got through all of the early BAM! POW! parts of Captain Britain, but stopped before the Moore/Davis run started to get weird with the characters. I liked it! It is wild to see the literal queen of England mind controlled by an African warlord or a wizard with a robot falcon doing wacky shit, but the early work just doesn’t have the pathos that I’ve come to expect from an X-Men adjacent character. Whenever I get back to this and wrap it up, I’m sure my rating will only go up.

This collected edition reminds me why I love comics so much. This is a perfect collection. A complicated hero with an amazing surrounding cast of characters. Easily my favorite omnibus of all time.

Having read Psylocke after she joins the X-Men and some Captain Britain in Excalibur, I was curious going into this. I will say that reading the series in the order of this book is not a good way to do things. I took several long breaks as I’m reading this alongside Uncanny X-Men Omnibus #1, Uncanny X-Men Omnibus #2, X-Men Classic Omnibus, and Uncanny X-Men Omnibus #3, along with others. The contents of this omnibus were released over more than ten years, so that’s certainly one way: take long breaks from the endless pointless fighting until you get to Hulk Comic UK and read the significantly better material more consistently from there. I’d actually maybe recommend reading from Hulk Comic UK, but jump to the end after issue 30 and read the abbreviated version of his and the Black Knight’s history from issues 31-41. You could also read the first ten issues of the first Captain Britain series and then jump to either Hulk Comic UK if you love dark fantasy or Marvel Super-Heroes if you want to start with the Alan Moore craziness. You could start there or in Daredevils, but I’d recommend trying to start early and skipping to the next jumping on point if you’re not feeling it. This series is pretty crazy, and there’s a ton in the middle that I really do regret spending the time on, which is something I don’t say often, but I think overall, I’m glad I finally caught up with Britain’s first superhero. Early Alan Moore has the weirdness, and Alan Davis’ art is gorgeous.

Captain Britain (1976) #1-39 ⧫ 1.5 Stars
This starts fine and goes off the rails. I feel like this series showed scant moments of hope only to string me along as nonsense action just constantly happened. The eight page chunks just can't do anything. Honestly, just skip to Marvel Tales #131-133 at the end of this and read that version of his origin; then, start with the Marvel Team-Up. That's my recommendation.

Super Spider-Man & Captain Britain #231-247 ⧫ 1 Star
This is literally not worth reading. I don't think I enjoyed any of it. It is bad.

Marvel Team-Up #65 ⧫ 3.5 Stars “Introducing, Captain Britain”
The first stateside appearance of Captain Britain, and it’s pretty fun, certainly compared to the series it came from. A neat and logical fight between the two along with a full introduction, given the character hadn’t been seen in U.S. comics. Also, I’d just start here, probably. It also hints at the hot new villain: Arcade.

Marvel Team-Up #66 ⧫ 3 Stars “Murder World”
Arcade’s plans are revealed, and it’s the first full appearance of Murder World, which is super gimmicky, but I love it. Courtney Ross, Captain Britain’s love interest, shows up with no introduction, though honestly she just got injured and healed with little fanfare or development, so I don’t even really know her. I guess she recovers from trauma quickly. This also has the major Marvel Team-Up problem of having little wrap up, which is a shame. Claremont and Byrne would bring Arcade and Murderworld to the mainstream in X-Men #123-124.

Hulk Comic (UK) #1,3-30 ⧫ 3.5 Stars "The Black Knight" & "Captain Britain"
According to a feature at the end of this omnibus, this was meant to give Marvel’s British heroes a flavor and style of their own, and it works so much better than the original Captain Britain one. It’s in more of a fantasy style with a ton of mystery surrounding why the characters are present and what is happening. The battle with the Nether Gods is much more interesting, given that the heroes have time to reflect and make moral choices. It’s everything that this series hasn’t been.

If you’re curious about the origin of the Black Knight, jump to his abbreviated origin at the end of this Omnibus in Hulk Comic (UK) #37-41. There’s also the Captain Britain origin, but it’s better elsewhere.

Hulk Comic (UK) #42-46, Incredible Hulk Weekly #47-63 ⧫ 3.5 Stars "The Black Knight"
The series itself finishes on a high note. It’s got some cool sword and sorcery with a surprising end.

Marvel Super-Heroes #377-388 ⧫ 3 Stars "Outcasts" "--The Junkheap That Walked Like a Man!" "In Support of Darwin!" "Re-Birth!" "Against the Realm" "Faces of Britain" "Friends and Neighbours" "Attack of the Binary Beings!" "If the Push Should Fail?" "A Crooked World" "Graveyard Shift"
The early Alan Moore is really cool, but the story gets very slapstick and reference heavy. Alan Moore arrives, uncredited for the last four issues, and the series gets much, much better. So much better it gets a relaunch in a new title.

Daredevils #1 ⧫ 4 Stars “A Rag, a Bone, a Hank of Hair...”
This is probably the real place to start reading about Captain Britain because this is essentially a recap of everything that came before, but it makes it all coherent and ominous. It does have the big danger of making it sound really cool, which from my point of view is what makes these good. It also adds and and changes context for several events.

Daredevils #2 ⧫ 4 Stars “An Englishman's Home...”
Another flashback to several earlier stories that plays with both the character’s and the readers’ perspectives. I’m not sure how I feel about his decision at the end, but this is by far te

Daredevils #3 ⧫ 4 Stars “...Thicker Than Water”
I’m mostly giving this the higher rating for the proper introduction of Betsy Braddock, purple hair and all. The plot itself is a bit simple, but it’s very effective.

Daredevils #4 ⧫ 3.5 Stars “Killing Ground”
Props for bringing back a cheesy villain and making him a big threat. It’s like Moore is going back through the trash of the first series and going with the cool and effective version of it. It’s a solid battle issue if a little predictable.

Daredevils #3.5 ⧫ 3.5 Stars “Executive Action”
Davis’ art continues to stun with Moore doing a decent job with some new characters while still playing with Britain’s previous continuity.

Daredevils #6 ⧫ 3 Stars “Judgement Day”
Very euro-comic, but not terribly interesting. Still, rad art.

Daredevils #7 ⧫ 3 Stars “Rough Justice”
First use of Earth 616, and it’s really random, thrown in as part of a recap. Wild. I like the alternate varieties of Captain Britain, but I also want this series to slow down a little. There are currently three or four storylines going on, and I just want a little more characterization.

Daredevils #8 ⧫ 3 Stars “Arrivals”
Things settle a bit, but it would still be better to get to know some of these characters.

Daredevils #9 ⧫ 3.5 Stars “Waiting for the End of the World”
A nice idea, but it still isn’t really dealing with many of the characters.

Daredevils #10 ⧫ 3.5 Stars “The Sound and the Fury”
More cool fights, more random character deaths.

Daredevils #11 ⧫ 3.5 Stars “But They Never Really Die”
Okay, I’ll give this series one thing, I am sad about the multiple guy’s predicament. I also like the divide in the groups as it’s more personal than what’s come before.

Mighty World of Marvel #7 ⧫ 4 Stars “The Candlelight Dialogues”
The introduction of Meggan is weird, but very cool. This is a better introduction to the Jaspers threat than most of the standard stuff that’s been happening in the series.

Mighty World of Marvel #8 ⧫ 3.5 Stars “The Twisted World (Reprise)”
I wonder how much retreading is just because of the insane publishing history of the series as this is the third different magazine Marvel UK has put this in. This has some differences, notably in tone that I appreciate, though. Also, it helps that I have a fondness for Betsy based on where she goes in the future.

Mighty World of Marvel #9 ⧫ 3.5 Stars “Among These Dark, Satanic Mills”
More buildup.

Mighty World of Marvel #10 ⧫ 2.5 Stars “Anarchy in the UK”
Not my favorite type of issue.

Mighty World of Marvel #11 ⧫ 3.5 Stars “Foolsmate”
This is more my type of fight with a pretty surprising ending.

Mighty World of Marvel #12 ⧫ 4 Stars “Endgame”
I actually really like how this ends, though I still would have preferred some more downtime to get to know the various characters.

Mighty World of Marvel #13 ⧫ 3.5 Stars “A Funeral on Otherworld”
I’m a little mixed about the epilogue. Betsy gets nothing. Saturnyne gets everything. The Captain Britain kiss at the end is pretty funny.

Mighty World of Marvel #14 ⧫ 4 Stars “Bad Moon Rising”
Alan Davis takes over with the reintroduction of Meggan, and I feel very relieved at finally getting a small story with a returning character.

Mighty World of Marvel #15 ⧫ 3.5 Stars “Tea and Sympathy”
Mostly good, though the joke ending feels somewhat out of place.

Mighty World of Marvel #16 ⧫ 3.5 Stars “In All the Old Familiar Places...”
This is a solid end to this phase as Captain Britain gets his secondish self-titled book.

Captain Britain Vol. 2 #1 ⧫ 3.5 Stars “Pictures, Puzzles, and Pawns”
Jamie Delano, most famous for some of the best Hellblazer stories teams with Alan Davis for most of this series, and he’s a welcome addition. I was just complaining about my issues with Betsy, and this pretty much makes up for that, despite yet again needing to recap the history of Captain Britain.

Captain Britain #2 ⧫ 3 Stars "Law and Disorder"
I’m not thrilled with the return of the Crazy Gang, but they’re treated a little better here. Their hijinks feel more earned and they actually convey a pretty serious threat.

Captain Britain #3 ⧫ 3.5 Stars "Flotsam and Jetsam"
Slaymaster turns Captain Britain over to Vixen, and he gets some more fleshing out. Slaymaster might be my favorite Captain Britain villain. I commented during Super Spider-Man & Captain Britain #244, one of the many low points of the early series, that Slaymaster could have been very funny, but he didn’t pull it off then. The weird thing is that Moore, Davis, and Delano have reworked him into a serious threat and this reveal is also pretty funny. It’s kind of a measure of how far this character has come.

Captain Britain #4 ⧫ 3.5 Stars "Sid's Story"
Dark and sad, but also pretty good.

Captain Britain #5 ⧫ 4 Stars "Double Game"
It’s a pretty good battle issue, and I was worried about the end, but the next issue handles it better.

Captain Britain #6 ⧫ 4 Stars "A Long Way From Home"
This is a pretty cool issue that finally shows Betsy’s potential.

Captain Britain #7 ⧫ 4 Stars "Things Fall Apart"
Dark portents and some interesting developments for the Mastermind computer.

Captain Britain #8 ⧫ 4 Stars "Childhood's End"
Some more dark hints at Meggan.

Captain Britain #9 ⧫ 3.5 Stars "Winds of Change"
Another flurry of characters that don’t get much development, though the fight and portents are pretty cool.

Captain Britain #10 ⧫ 3.5 Stars "African Nightmare"
This issue also has me worried, but handles it well enough. In both this and the next issue, I wanted more, and I wish these issues were a little longer.

Captain Britain #11 ⧫ 3.5 Stars "The House of Baba Yaga"
Some more mysteries and revelations about Meggan, though again, I want more!

Captain Britain #12 ⧫ 3 Stars "Alarms and Excursions"
Some silly comedy fare with a good cliffhanger.

Captain Britain #13 ⧫ 3 Stars "It's Hard To Be a Hero..."
This really should have been a longer issue buildup, but the series was about to be canceled again before it got folded into the rest of the Marvel Universe. Shame, it has promise.

Captain Britain #14 ⧫ 3.5 Stars "Should Auld Acquaintance..."
An all too quick end for a good series.

Captain Britain #11-14 ⧫ 3 Stars "Playgrounds and Parasites! (Part 1-4)"
This is a cute little backup story about the warpies.

New Mutants Annual #2 ⧫ 3.5 Stars “Why do we do these things we do?”
Alan Davis really handles the insanity of this issue well. It’s an issue where feeling trumps sense, and it’s the art that holds it together. Psylocke officially collides into the X-Books, though she bookends the issues. It’s Doug Ramsey who gets main character status with an assist from Warlock, and I really like his journey. If all Mojo stories were like this, I probably wouldn’t despise them so much.

Uncanny X-Men Annual #10 ⧫ 3 Stars “Performance”
This is sort of the less-good retread of the previous issue. Also, the graduated New Mutant costumes look terrible. The one good thing is that Psylocke continues to worry about her eyes. Thus, Britain and Psylocke enter the Marvel Universe proper. Psylocke continues as an X-Woman, and Captain Britain himself needs to way a year to appear in Annual 11.

Marvel Tales #131-133 ⧫ 3 Stars "The Saga of Captain Britain" "Rebirth!" "Trial of Iron"
The Captain Britain origin, now in color! This might be the easiest version of his origin to just read, though it’s not much

Hulk Comic (UK) #31-36 ⧫ 3 Stars "Captain Britain"
An incredibly abbreviated version of Captain Britain Vol. 1 #1-4,6-7,25,29,32-38 and Super Spider-Man & Captain Britain #234-235,239 and maybe a panel or two from Marvel Team-Up #66. Sadly, it’s mostly just an early origin and fight recap, which cuts out his family moments (bad cut) along with the stupidest enemies from his original series (very good cut), so I can’t really recommend just reading this.

Hulk Comic (UK) #37-41 ⧫ 3 Stars "The Black Knight" & "Captain Britain"
It has a bit of Avengers #48 and more Marvel Super-Heroes #17. It gives a basic background for Dane and Mordred. It has a little more character, though I feel like Dane had more at this point.

600 pages of this are pure gold. Just lovely stuff, much of which was a mystery to me because of the way Marvel reprinted the stories in the early 90s. Unfortunately I won't pretend that I had much interest in the early stuff... or the Claremont stuff, really.