MI 13: Meet Captain Midlands

By Tim Stevens While heroes like Captain Britain and Union Jack dominate the headlines of England's periodicals, only one man has fought for the British since World War II. That man, Captain Midlands, will finally lay claim to a well-deserved portion of the spotlight in October 15's CAPTAIN BRITAIN AND MI:13 #6, by writer Paul Cornell and artist Leonard Kirk. In doing so, he will also be meeting a significant portion of Marvel readers for the first time. Created by Cornell in 2007's WISDOM limited series, Sid Ridley served as Britain's answer to Captain America during World War II. Unlike his cousin across the pond,

however, Midlands did not end up sleeping his way into the 20th Century. Instead, he remained awake and alert for every momentous change the world went through and feels it all. "Sid has lived through it all, and built up the attitudes and experience of a genuine pensioner," articulates Cornell. "He doesn't feel young. He has super soldier strength, but his joints still creek and his piles play up." With Union Jack currently occupying the role of England's working class hero and Captain Britain continuing to be the physical embodiment of the country's soul, Ridley represents a more complicated archetype. Cornell explains: "He's the representative of my dad's generation, those who fought in World War II, which is still big in the British psyche. He also tends to look backwards, while Pete Wisdom looks forwards, thus also representing that trait of the British."

CAPTAIN
BRITAIN AND
MI: 13 #6 cover
by Bryan Hitch

With that more nuanced role comes the ability for Captain Midlands to be a more down-to-earth hero, to not have to soldier the same elaborate expectations that Captain Britain does. As such, he can divide his time between the mind boggling exploits of MI:13 and the more benign events of a local hero, like neighborhood watches. Birmingham, the city that sees most of these exploits, suffers from undeserved scorn, according to Cornell. "Brits often think of the Brummie accent as silly, so the voice they 'hear' for Sid is a little absurd," reflects the writer. With the start of "Hell Comes to Birmingham" in CAPTAIN BRITAIN AND MI:13 #6, Brits might quickly find reason to change their minds on that matter of Birmingham and its resident hero. Cornell promises, "We'll be seeing in this arc, he's a serious guy, and has serious issues." Captain Midlands works out his serious issues as he battles the supernatural, beginning in CAPTAIN BRITAIN AND MI: 13 #6, on stands on October 15.

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