Marvel Super-Heroes (2nd series) #382

Issue Date: 
February 1982
Story Title: 
Against the Realm
Staff: 


first story
Dave Thorpe (writer) Alan Davis (art), Jenny O’Connor (letters)

Brief Description: 

The Status Crew attacks and Captain Britain and the Avant Guards fight back. Several members of the Status Crew analyze Cap’s powers and realize they have to break his concentration to cause his forcefield to fade. They do so with a sonic device. Before they can kill Captain Britain though, Jackdaw takes the blast meant for him, seemingly perishing in the process.

Full Summary: 

The Status Crew has entered Saturnyne’s headquarters and orders everybody to stand down. They are under arrest. What is their authority? an angry Captain Britain demands to know. They are the Status Crew, England’s chief security force, answerable only to the home secretary, one of the men replies.

What is the charge? Cap asks. The commander asks if he fought the monster earlier today at Tower Bridge. Cap replies that he did and is told in response that he is guilty for treason under the treason act of 1971. All persons taking the law into their own hands are punishable.

Cap blusters that he stands for whatever is good in the people of England. You anti-state subvert!, one of the men howls as another opens fire at them. Cap gallantly steps in front of Saturnyne, hoping his forcefield will protect both of them.

While Saturnyne orders her men of the Avant Guard not to let the intruders destroy anything and Cap focuses on his forcefield, said intruders try to learn more about his powers. In a corner, some of them use a scanning device. Seconds later, a computer readout tells them about Cap’s power and his weaknesses: they learn that his electromagnetic aura is 20 times more intense than normal and that its surface area is mentally controllable to form a force field. His costume is full of micro-circuitry of arcane origin, but his ultimate power source is mental concentration. The conclusion is obvious… destroy his concentration!

The Avant Guards point their umbrella guns at some members of the Status Crew. As before reality bursts and they disappear. Other members of the Status Crew, having witnessed that fear that such advanced technology can only come from the Reds. Angrily, one soldier fires at the Avant Guards, killing several of them.

In another part of the room, two of the men try to grab Saturnyne. She takes them out with an effective judo move, mocking that they just don’t know how to handle a lady.

Elsewhere again, Cap fights the Status Crew, angrily berating them for being traitors. They are betraying the sanctity of life and right of innocent until proved guilty. He thinks to himself how glad he is that he can control his forcefield more directly now than when he had his Star Sceptre. But has he really made the right choice?

Behind him, other members of the Status Crew allow a device to emit a high-pitched sonic beam in his direction, which causes him to break his concentration. The Status Crew tackle him brutally hitting him as his force field begins to dissolve.

Captain Britain shakes them off once more, but finally finds himself completely drained. One of the soldiers aims at him. Seeing what’s about to happen Jackdaw throws himself in the fireline to stop the soldier.

Too late, as he is seemingly disintegrated by the ray meant for Captain Britain. Jackdaw… you little… fool is all Captain Britain can mutter, before he falls down. Saturnyne shouts that they are going to attack again and orders him to do something but he finds that he can’t.

Characters Involved: 

Captain Britain

Jackdaw

Luna Opal Saturnyne

Dimples (one of Saturnyne’s employees)

The Avant Guard

The Status Crew

Story Notes: 

This story was published by Marvel UK.

Apart from the Captain Britain story this issue includes a reprint of Avengers (1st series) #187, the Nightraven text story “Death’s Divide” by Paul Neary, plus a reprint of Hulk Magazine #22.

Issue Information: 
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