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Pencil art by
Leonard Kirk |
By Jim Beard
The Vampire State has arrived and
Dracula, Lord of the Undead, leads its charge. England's seen better days, its heroes too, and things look fairly grim. As CAPTAIN BRITAIN AND MI 13 #15 opens on July 15, the world may be forced to contend with an entirely vampiric country.
But never fear! Poised over the corpse stands writer Paul Cornell with wooden stake and garlic in hand to set the mood for the conclusion of "Vampire State"!
"It's wrapping everything up—the arc and the series—so it has a kind of season finale vibe to it," Cornell says of the issue. "Anything can happen, and there will be an ending. A solid, proper, close the book ending! It's the theme of the series, really: hope vs the crushing weight of the past."
And though England's greatest protectors,
Captain Britain and MI13, have never been hit harder and never been so low on hope, there's still a chance for them…right?
"Without giving anything away, MI13's state is very…fluid, and its future is... uncertain," teases Cornell. "Yes. There."
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Pencil art by
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The problem lies in Dracula's desire to find a home for his "people" and once he sets his baneful eye on something, prevailing opinion says he gets it. Long inhabiting the Marvel Universe, vampires and their ilk may feel the impact of this storyline for years to come.
"I think they could feel much more stable, having got all of the United Kingdom to inhabit as a proper home, and having killed or turned into a vampire every hero that stood in their way," Cornell muses.
In the recent CAPTAIN BRITAIN AND MI 13 ANNUAL #1, the good Captain's wife
Meggan fought to escape from Hell to return to her husband Brian's side in his time of need. Cornell explains that the former X-Man enters CAPTAIN BRITAIN AND MI 13 #15 in a startling new role.
"Meggan, or Gloriana as she's called now, does indeed enter the battle at the end," reveals the writer. "Do she and Brian manage to find a happy ending together? In the face of all that's against them, with how things were at the end of #13, is that really possible? There's our theme again."
So, where does the Marvel United Kingdom go from here, what with all the vampires and dead and undead heroes and all?
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Pencil art by
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"The wonderful thing about having [the] Marvel UK as a playing field is that, since no other title goes there, we can do what we like to it," notes Cornell. "So anything can happen in the finale. Right up to and including the complete destruction of the country and everyone in it.
"It's literally do or die. Can whatever remains of MI13 save the nation? Are there any more clever tricks they can pull? Is there even a team left at this point? I'd say: check it out and see how we could possibly get out of that!"
Sharpen your stakes and quell your fear of the dark for the final chapter of "Vampire State" in July 15's CAPTAIN BRITAIN AND MI 13 #15. Merry Olde England needs every Marvel fan to do their duty!
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