An old "blog account" of the 2006 Union Jack mini-series.

Union Jack #1 (2006)
I...really liked this. There's alot going on. Within the first five pages, Jack fights vampires, hears about a new AIM terrorist group called RAID, discusses his split from the Invaders/Spitfire/his costume modifications, then teams up with Sabra, Arabian Knight and Countessa Alegra De Fontaine from SHIELD to stop a terrorist plot. Whew.

Later on, they run into Batroc and throw down with Zaran and Machete. Whole load of established villains are on the way. Believe it or not, but Arabian Knight doesn't come off as goofy. This is the kind of junk I dig-- superheroes out saving the day and fighting bad guys. Really hits the ground running. I want to pick up the remaining 3 issues, but I always have trouble picking up limited series (I still forget to pick up Eternals...last year I made it to #3 of Ghost Rider).

There's a subplot involving tensions between the Israeli Sabra and the Arabian, umm...Arabian Knight. Hope it doesn't get too political.

The art's pretty straightforward and nothing stylized-- a good job. But, I have one minor complaint. The artist apparently used shots of Naveen Edwards (Sayid from "LOST") to draw the new Arabian Knight. I think the character's name is even "Hayid". Plus, Countessa looks a little like Gina Gershon in a few shots... but that's not necessarily a bad thing (Big Bro would go out and buy this if I told him Gina Gershon was in a comic).

I really liked Jack's "super-commando" outfit from "Invaders", but he's back to his regular outfit, here. More iconic, and I suppose that was the intent.

Union Jack #2 (2006)
Second issue in a row that I thoroughly enjoyed. A big, non-stop slugfest with Jack facing Jack O' Lantern, Shockwave (a forgotten Shang-Chi villain), Jackhammer, and the Death-Throws in and around London. So far, that's what I've liked about this series-- it's not trying to re-invent the wheel, it's just taking exisitng characters off the shelf and using them in a good way.

This has been my suprise book of the year, so far. When I saw it advertised, I was expecting something like a crappy Union Jack story that ran in "Marvel Comics Presents", circa 1989. It was a lame political yarn that tried to show Jack's disillusionment with England's government. The current series has a subplot about England's class system, but it's not essential to the story. It's just good old fashioned superhero thumping.

Union Jack #3 (2006)
More action with under-used C-list villains and heroes. This month, it's the villainess Ecstasy, who apparently used to be an old Cloak and Dagger villain. Jack also gets a pat-on-the-back by the general public.

The issue actually starts off with the Controller, who's taken over Arabian (Sayid) Knight and Sabra. I was a little confused at the mind-control gimmick of the Controller, though. Last time I saw him, in 1999 in 'Iron Man', he still needed to slap control discs on people's necks. Now, he can apparently secreet his control powers through his skin. I always thought that he relied strictly on technology and had no powers. Also, he now looks like a blue, bald-headed Kree. He used to be an ugly rock-faced guy like the Thing or even Thanos. For that reason, I initially thought he was the Purple Man with a haircut. So I guess there's some VITAL Controller continuity that I've missed in last 7 years. I...I can't sleep without knowing this!

Also, it's revealed that this story is taking place shortly before "Civil War". For once, I'll be finishing a mini-series, as I "subscribed" to this title after issue #2.

Union Jack #4 (2006)
Hey, I finally did it. I managed to follow and complete a mini-series while it was on the racks and current!

"Union Jack" was a very satisfying mini-series. Nothing seemed forced or out-of-place. Good use of digging into the closet and taking things off the shelves. More superhero slugfestin' (this month with a giant Dreadnaught) and the political/class conflict subplot was tied up nicely. Even the tension between Arabian Knight and Sabra was dealt with on a satisfactory level.

The art wasn't too flashy, so that may hurt the appeal of this book. But it's still my biggest surprise of the year and I strongly recommend the "London Falling" TPB ...errr, "collected edition".

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