Union Jack

Union Jack (1998) #1-3

by Benjamin Raab, John Cassaday

A symbol of a country and a tradition passed from generation to generation, Union Jack is the people's hero, representing the indomitable spirit of Great Britain. Now, armed with the silver dagger and a Webley .455 caliber pistol, Joey Chapman is the latest to continue the legacy of Union Jack. An art school student, slacker and rebel, Joey inherited the Union Jack mantle after the passing of Lord Falsworth, the original Union Jack.

Vampire activity is on the rise in jolly old England. When Joey's friend dies from the bite of a vampire, Union Jack takes up the trail. The blood-suckers do not seek to feed, but they are on the trail of the most coveted icon of all humanity -- the Holy Grail. Now, with the infection spreading to other friends, Union Jack must defeat the vampire onslaught or risk the lives of all he holds dear

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Marvel, Vampires, Superheroes, Horror, Fiction

96 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2002

About the author

Benjamin Raab (New York City, New York) is an American comic book writer and editor and tv writer and producer. He has written stories for Marvel Comics, DC Comics, WildStorm, Moonstone Books, Malibu Comics, Harris Publications and Ludovico Technique LLC.

Reviews

[Justinthunderliger · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one was a bit of a rip-off. It's only 3 issues. It's an ok story, but it's obvious it's just a huge setup. It's a pedestrian vampire/holy grail story continuing the Baron Blood WWII plot from early Captain America stories with great action. Unfortunately, if you're looking for classic Cassaday art, look elsewhere. It's not terrible, its just that you'll be disappointed if you buy this book specifically for his art. I actually got this one as a lead in to the rest of Union Jack, as I hear Christos Gage is now writing it. And that's a good enough recommendation for me. So find this one on the cheap to get caught up before getting in on Gage's run.

[Guilherme Smee · Rating 5 out of 5]

O personagem que veste a bandeira inglesa, Union Jack, sempre rende boas histórias. Principalmente quando a terceira geração do herói transformou a sina do herói de um personagem aristocrático para um herói da classe trabalhadora. O Union Jack atual é Joey Chapman, um pintor de casas e essa dicotomia entre as classes está presente nessa primeira minissérie do herói, bem como a ameaça sempre presente dos vampiros. Escrita por Ben Raab, escritor inglês que esteve vinculado com personagens anglo-saxônicos como o Excalibur e o Cavaleiro Negro, e desenhada pelo superstar John Cassaday em início de carreira, a aventura em três edições é bastante divertida, deixando a comer poeira trabalhos atuais em minisséries como as de Brian Michael bendis, por exemplo. A edição que eu li foi compilada pela Salvat em sua coleção vermelha junto com outra minissérie boa e recente do herói. Além disso, existe a grande batalha contra os vampiros que migraram para a Grã-Bretanha e os problemas envolvendo as família de Lorde Fallsworth, o Union Jack original e Jacqueline Chrichton, a Spitifire original. Union Jack, então, dá conta de uma nova geração vampírica neste volume.

[Johnny Andrews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this in the Mightiest Heroes collection, my first solo outing with Union Jack and a good ride, I really enjoy the character. This is a very British supernatural tale which has Joey Chapman the third Union Jack going up against vampires. A real working class hero which makes him a fair bit different to Captain Britain.

[Sam Whale · Rating 4 out of 5]

slow to begin with but really picked up in the second half. Union Jack is always a great character to read and theres ome good old fashioned vampire hunting to be found here!

[Dean · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this. Sure, the story is not the most sophisticated (vampires, Holy Grail etc) but it is great fun. The creators are clearly having fun, although Cassaday's art is strangely up and down in quality. The main character is well defined, and you get the impression there is plenty more mileage in him. I liked the nod to the characters heritage too. It's a quick read, but a good one.

[M · Rating 3 out of 5]

British superspy Union Jack comes face to face with an army of vampires, pulling him into the legacy of his predecessors for a good romp. A mix of past heroics with the supernatural, one wishes Raab's miniseries was longer.

[Alex Sarll]

I usually despise the failure of empathy implicit in the assumption that writers can only properly write characters of their own race, gender, disability status, whatever. But, I have still never read an American writer getting a British superhero right.

[A J · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent little supernatural mini-series.