There's something about British Superheroes

Despite Golden Heroes' clear Stan Lee-era Marvel influences, it has often been remarked that there is something ineffably "British" about the games' interpretation of superheroism. I'm not sure that is entirely true, but I will admit to having a certain affection for British superhero comics in a way that I don't have so much for the US variety, and would seek to incorporate that into my future games. But what is this "British" factor?

It seems to be rooted in a certain degree of cynicism and to large degree in British Sci-Fi (there was a great TV series and book in 2001 - both called SF/UK - which explored this in detail). While British comic writers may bemoan the way US writers tend to portray the UK, there is a certain basket of conventions that are downright idiosyncratic.

The two biggest cliches in British superhero comics are Arthurian legend and 1960s television. Merlin and Arthur crop up a lot (most notably with Captain Britain et al) but Doctor Who seems to have an even greater influence.

The reason for this is quite simple: the trappings of the televisual universe make for a great setting. Who wouldn't want to explore a world also inhabited by Quatermass, UNIT et al? Add to that the technicolour glory of The Prisoner, The Avengers and Thunderbirds and what you end up with is an instant shorthand that most people (well, males of around my age and older) can instantly identify with.

It is with that in mind that I found Kingdom of Champions, the only SHRPG British sourcebook I'm aware of, somewhat disappointing. It has a great reinterpretation of the Arthurian mythos to plunder and much of the emphasis on tone would be very valuable to the average US gamer, but it could have been so much more. There is a sourcebook waiting to be written out there that draws on all this to produce the ultimate British setting for a superhero game.

There are a number of examples of British Superheroics "done right" which in any campaign I run I would merrily steal from:

Zenith: sadly out of print and showing no sign of coming back due to a copyright dispute, this is one of a handful of 2000AD superhero series. Main stuff to pilfer: the intergenerational history (Grant Morrison fleshes out a world of superheroes linking events in the 40s, the 60s and finally the 80s), the Lovecraftian overtones (see also Quatermass).

Jack Staff: Paul Grist's "kitchen sink" approach to superhero comics can at times be a little hard to follow between issues. Grist draws not just from Marvel comics (the comic was reworked by Grist from a treatment for an abortive proposal he made to Marvel concerning their Union Jack character), but from British television and British comics from the 60s and 70s (these characters are further explored in Moore and Reppion's Albion although I have to confess to not having read all of this yet).

More than any other comic, Jack Staff "reads" like a particularly fun session of Golden Heroes, with its relatively uncosmic characters. Jack himself I guess must have Agility, Weaponskill (quarterstaff), Field Manipulation (kinetic energy - which he uses to add an extra punch with his quarterstaff) and Advantageous Background: Immortal.

Main stuff to pilfer: more an inspiration to pilfer really. Possibly the only superhero comic to feature both Dad's Army and Steptoe and Son.

Wisdom/MI13: Paul Cornell's recent run is sadly coming to an end, but it has been great while it lasted. What I've found most interesting about this comic is the way it looks at some common trappings of (British) superhero comics through the prism of secret services and national security. Formal pacts with the faerie realm? Departmental rivalry? There's lots of roleplaying potential here.

Other comics worth checking out:

Captain Britain: I have to admit to only reading the Alan Moore stories of the solo Captain Britain (and none of Excalibur at all). What I've read is great, vintage Moore/Davies stuff but a bit too cosmic for immediate adaptation to SqUK. There might be something in the Jasper's Warp storyline for consideration however.

Knights of Pendragon: I didn't get on with the second volume of this series at all - although it is ironically enough probably more Golden Heroes-esque. I enjoyed the first series, although I can't remember that much about it to be honest. The emphasis on Arthurian mythos is perhaps a little heavy-handed however.

Marvelman: Alan Moore's (and Neil Gaiman's) take on this character is nearly impossible to get hold of these days thanks to yet another interminable copyright dispute. Again, worth checking out as an example of British superheroics at its best, but not that useful from a gaming perspective.

Caballistics, Inc.: Not a superhero comic at all, but notable for the way it mashes together a series of iconic British mainstays (Quatermass again, plus Hammer Horror, Frankenstein and angel mythology to name but a few). Frankly, it's worth reading in its own right. Writer Gordon Rennie announced his "retirement" from comics to pursue other interests in 2007, but he has written a couple of Judge Dredd stories recently so there is a hope yet that he might finish off this series (currently in limbo).

Anyone else got any recommendations?