CAPTAIN BRITAIN AND MI13 10 PAGE 2 by Leonard Kirk & Jay Leisten

A very nice page from Captain Britain & the MI13 by the great Leonard Kirk and his usual inker, Mr Leisten.

I tremendously enjoyed that serie that came a bit out of nowhere and most likely under the radar of most (X-Men) fans. This is to me the best book ever written by Paul Cornell.

Here we have Dracula (a fav’ since his Tomb of days) and Dr Doom (the ultimate villain) discussing the possibility of a non-aggression pact and who would claim Britain. I found the dialogues to be top notch and perfectly in character also giving the sense of broader geopolitics within the Marvel universe at the time (something that could also then be found in Black Panther).

The art is quiet but great. The meeting on the moon is a great touch. Having Drac’ covered in shadows works particularly well. He looks quietly menacing this way and this is even more underlined by the close up on his fangs in the last panel. The disdain is evident on Doom’s face despite his metal mask. Doom shows some respect or at least interest in mankind’s achievement by touching the lunar pod whereas Dracula could not be less interested.

Again, a small, quiet moment full of great little storytelling choices.

If you haven’t read this serie, I would recommend the full run for a great match of writing and art that makes me think of that British invasion of writers during the late 80s.