About Heroes

Author: Paul Cornell
Penciler: Leonard Kirk
Inker: Jesse Delperdang
Colors: Brian Reber

Does anyone know if this book is an ongoing or a miniseries? Because it seems like it’s another incarnation with a deserving Excalibur somewhere on that title. I really enjoyed Cornell’s Wisdom miniseries. I really though besides Warren Ellis, Paul Cornell is the only writer that has been able to write that character properly. I really thought this books was doomed when I read Secret Invasion on the cover. After those so called “tie-ins” that Bendis is putting us through in the Avengers titles, I really thought we were going to get a story about a boy Skrull and his dog Skrull with the revelation that they have been disguising themselves as Superpro and Nomad (RIP). Instead we get a really solid story with some promising future.

We revisit John the Skrull from the Wisdom mini and it is revealed that a high ranking British official is a Skrull. It seems that the Skrulls have it out for the Brits and want to take out the Siege Perilous. The hell you say? When was the last fucking time someone other than Claremont brought up the Siege Perilous? Who is going to stop these freaking aliens from crushing dear old England? Well, that’s where Captain Britain, Pete Wisdom, John the Skrull, Black Knight, and Spitfire come in and each get a little spotlight. We even get the return of Alistaire Stuart….the man from W.H.O. It seems that Captain Britain has to divert a missile and save the magic and eventually the world and it seems like he is doing it no matter the cost.

Now this is how you do a fucking tie-in and how you get the ball rolling on a new book! Damn, it was so fun reading this book, writing a review on it won’t do it justice. This is the Captain Britain I want to see. A guy that can literally take a Skrull’s head off by punching it. This is a team I can take seriously, each member providing their own unique way of taking down Skrulls. By far my favorite would have to be Spitfire ripping throats out with her teeth…now that is a chick after my own heart. Cornell does an outstanding job introducing new readers to the heroes of England….alright fair is fair, Dane Whitman (Black Knight) is from Massachusetts, but he is still residing in England.

Kirk’s artwork has gotten better since his days on Agents of Atlas. He can capture the fluidity of motion during battle sequences and still show a sentimental side to Wisdom’s facial expressions when saying goodbye to Captain Britain. Sure there are Skrulls here, but the tie-in is used to get new readers to experience a new kind of dark humor and fun comic. This book was a big surprise to me, much better than I anticipated with a great script, great characterization, and great fun. A