Holy-!
Uhhh... I need to compose myself.. I've just had a reply from THE Alan Davis... Thats like - to me - a Star Trek fan getting a reply from THE William Shatner!
Thank you for taking the time to reply to my pretty banal query... Its amazing how long this teenie-tiny detail lingered at the back of my mind for all this time. To be fair, I pretty knew deep down that it was something that obvious, but I guess it took the bloke who actually drew it to give me closure! The subtext of that particular issue was/is nothing short of wonderful, and it remains one of my favourite possessions to date - not least because it shows us - the reader - that despite everything they can do, superheroes "are people too". And what is more emotive than a jealous spat?
Before I gush any further, I have to say the decision to make Kurt the defacto leader of the team was a masterstroke; the temptation to make the 'flag hero' the head often makes the dynamic cliched. In avoiding this, Excalibur rose above the clutter and into it's own 'side-real string'.
I didnt realise that - as an artist - there are different ways to work, depending on the industry you are hired by. It's certainly an eye-opener. Therefore I don't blame you for steering clear. And you're right, comics are so much more fun, for all concerned. Of course, I'll take the liberty in mentioning "City of Heroes" has it's own comic series published by Top Cow. It's hardly mainstream, but I have to say it has promise! If you're curious, it's certainly worth have a peek. DISCLAIMER: I don't work for CoH, Cyrptic or Top Cow! LOL!
Finally... "The Crooked World". Well, I have to admit to making a bit of a slip-up. I meant a panel from the whole "Jaspers" arc - which I call the "Crooked World" in private. Heh. Anyway, the panel that haunts me in particular is from the issue "Waiting For the End of the World". It's a half-panel with an image of the 'concetration camp' (for want of a better word). There is a pile of heroes (including Captain Britain), and a STRIKE 'beetle-head' perched on top. Besty is in chains, screaming. But that isnt what disturbed me, horrible as the aforementioned is, but what is in the background: Spiderman and Captain America. Ragged, covered in lice, and utterly broken. That really gripped me in a fist of ice.. I still remember it now, and I still react the same when I read my copy of the TPB.
I think it's because these are symbols. Symbols I grew up with. The stories of Cap A and Spiderman are pretty much ingrained to a vast swathe of generations. Their adventures epitomize the human spirit, our ability to fight for what is right, despite personal hardship.
And here I had them in chains, broken, filthy and apathetic.
Truly shocking. And I thank you for helping me - as a child - understand the horrors of the real life analogue of these camps. Before then, I lacked the emotive understanding a child of my age had. Not only did comics entertain me, they educated me. And they educated me in a way school never did. Thank you sir.
However, after discovering my error last night re: "TCW", I had a flick through that particular issue, and there
is in-fact a panel from that very story that I recall scaring me as a child too (Mr Davis, I blame you for all my nightmares! LOL!). Its one of the first panels... where the Status Crew looks at a monitor and sees London under the Reality Warp. My god.. as a kid, the notion of a world dissolving into dribbling lunacy was nothing short of bed-wetting!
But like everything as a young lad, the scarier it was, the cooler it was.
I'll leave my ramblings right here.... but it's made my decade hearing from you.
Now all I'm waiting for is William Shatner... the slacker..
Cheers
Carl
