Knights of Pendragon
Encyclopedia
The Knights of Pendragon was a superhero team published by the Marvel Comics
imprint Marvel UK
in a self-titled comic from 1990 to 1993, and in the anthology title Overkill. It was written by Dan Abnett
and John Tomlinson
with art by Gary Erskine
. Pendragon
is an alternate name for King Arthur
.
. Knights of Pendragon was initially a highly political and environmental comic, its themes borrowing heavily from British folklore
and the growing New Age
and neopagan
subculture
s. Later issues dropped or downplayed these elements and the series became a more standard superhero title.
The comic was printed in Scangloss - an environmentally friendly paper using half the trees and minimum whitening bleach
.
The team is formed to be agents of the Green Knight
(from Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
), who is portrayed as an aspect of the Green Man
; a mystical entity representing the natural cycle and spiritual growth. The Knight is in ageless conflict with the Bane, an unnatural destructive force of war
fare and winter, apparently led by the Red Knight, the Green Knight's adversary. The Green Knight invests power, in the form of a possessing spirit bestowing powers, to various groups throughout British history, in order to protect nature; one such group were the original Knights of the Round Table; the Knights of Pendragon are a modern-day incarnation.
Inspector, is assigned to solve a series of gruesome murders of ecologically-based criminals (corrupt farmers, ivory
hunters, exotic bird smugglers, and so on). Accompanied by satellite reporter Kate McClellan, Thomas becomes obsessed with fighting the criminals themselves, and after a series of visions, becomes superhumanly strong and battle-savvy.
Captain Britain is sent by the British Government to retrieve the apparently insane Thomas from a cut-down section of the Amazon Rainforest
, they instead fight, and Britain kills Thomas. It becomes apparent that Thomas and the Captain are possessed by the spirit of Gawain
and Lancelot
respectively from the time of King Arthur
. The Captain was destined to kill Thomas in an aftershadowing of Arthurian lore, who is then resurrected.
The three of them travel to the Green Knight's citadel, whilst Thomas/Gawain recounts the Green Knight's poem. The comic's interpretation of the beheading-themed poem is as an ecological metaphor, a pact between man and nature:
Man had forgotten that pact, and so the Knight was lashing out in pain. Gawain sacrifices his Pendragon power in order to partially heal the Knight, and also to spark the creation of another Pendragon group.
. Each member was the modern day version of an Arthurian knight, and was possessed by the same ancient spirit that had possessed that knight. The Green Knight gave each of them powers, including heightened senses and fighting skill, the ability to speak with animals, and the ability to shoot blasts of "Pendragon fire".
The full roster was:
Not all Pendragons were members of the team. Captain Britain
was briefly Lancelot, and his police contact Inspector Dai Thomas was possessed by the spirit of Gawain before the robot. It was also suggested that Iron Man
and Black Panther
were unawakened Pendragons, having the spirits of Bedevere
and Robin Hood
respectively. It is not known if the Black Knight
's current title of Pendragon is connected to the team.
The Green Knight and the Pendragon Force briefly appeared in the later Captain Britain and MI13 series, when the alien Skrull
s invaded Avalon (as part of the Secret Invasion
event). The Green Knight was decapitated by a Super-Skrull and the Pendragon Force was briefly controlled by the Skrulls and redistributed to empower the Skrull soldiers attacking London. With the failure of their invasion, the Green Knight was restored and the Skrulls lost control of the Pendragon Force.
:
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
imprint Marvel UK
Marvel UK
Marvel UK was an imprint of Marvel Comics formed in 1972 to reprint US produced stories for the British weekly comic market, though it later did produce original material by British creators such as Alan Moore, John Wagner, Dave Gibbons, Steve Dillon and Grant Morrison.Panini Comics obtained the...
in a self-titled comic from 1990 to 1993, and in the anthology title Overkill. It was written by Dan Abnett
Dan Abnett
Dan Abnett is a British comic book writer and novelist. He is a frequent collaborator with fellow writer Andy Lanning, and is known for his work on books for both Marvel Comics, and their UK imprint, Marvel UK, since the 1990s, including 2000 AD...
and John Tomlinson
John Tomlinson (comics)
John Tomlinson is a British comic book writer known for his work on various 2000 AD strips.-Biography:Tomlinson worked at Marvel UK in the early 1990s and helped nurture various talents, including Matthew Bingham and John Freeman. He has co-written strips with Nick Abadzis.He was editor of 2000 AD...
with art by Gary Erskine
Gary Erskine
Gary Erskine is a Scottish comic book artist born in Paisley, near Glasgow in 1968.-Biography:Erskine started drawing work for fanzines while at art college and aspired to be a comic book artist. After sending samples of his work to Marvel UK he was eventually given Knights of Pendragon to draw on...
. Pendragon
Pendragon
Pendragon or Pen Draig, meaning "head dragon" or "chief dragon" , is the name of several traditional Kings of the Britons:...
is an alternate name for King Arthur
King Arthur
King Arthur is a legendary British leader of the late 5th and early 6th centuries, who, according to Medieval histories and romances, led the defence of Britain against Saxon invaders in the early 6th century. The details of Arthur's story are mainly composed of folklore and literary invention, and...
.
Context
The comic was created during a period of attempted expansion by Marvel UK, trying to build on the critical success of Captain BritainCaptain Britain
Captain Britain , briefly known as Britannic, is a fictional character, a superhero appearing in the comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Chris Claremont and Herb Trimpe, he first appeared in Captain Britain Weekly, #1...
. Knights of Pendragon was initially a highly political and environmental comic, its themes borrowing heavily from British folklore
Matter of Britain
The Matter of Britain is a name given collectively to the body of literature and legendary material associated with Great Britain and its legendary kings, particularly King Arthur...
and the growing New Age
New Age
The New Age movement is a Western spiritual movement that developed in the second half of the 20th century. Its central precepts have been described as "drawing on both Eastern and Western spiritual and metaphysical traditions and then infusing them with influences from self-help and motivational...
and neopagan
Neopaganism
Neopaganism is an umbrella term used to identify a wide variety of modern religious movements, particularly those influenced by or claiming to be derived from the various pagan beliefs of pre-modern Europe...
subculture
Subculture
In sociology, anthropology and cultural studies, a subculture is a group of people with a culture which differentiates them from the larger culture to which they belong.- Definition :...
s. Later issues dropped or downplayed these elements and the series became a more standard superhero title.
The comic was printed in Scangloss - an environmentally friendly paper using half the trees and minimum whitening bleach
Bleach
Bleach refers to a number of chemicals that remove color, whiten, or disinfect, often via oxidation. Common chemical bleaches include household chlorine bleach , lye, oxygen bleach , and bleaching powder...
.
Synopsis
Green Knight
The Green Knight is a character in the 14th-century Arthurian poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and the related work The Greene Knight. His true name is revealed to be Bercilak de Hautdesert in Sir Gawain, while The Greene Knight names him "Bredbeddle"...
(from Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a late 14th-century Middle English alliterative romance outlining an adventure of Sir Gawain, a knight of King Arthur's Round Table. In the poem, Sir Gawain accepts a challenge from a mysterious warrior who is completely green, from his clothes and hair to his...
), who is portrayed as an aspect of the Green Man
Green Man
A Green Man is a sculpture, drawing, or other representation of a face surrounded by or made from leaves. Branches or vines may sprout from the nose, mouth, nostrils or other parts of the face and these shoots may bear flowers or fruit...
; a mystical entity representing the natural cycle and spiritual growth. The Knight is in ageless conflict with the Bane, an unnatural destructive force of war
War
War is a state of organized, armed, and often prolonged conflict carried on between states, nations, or other parties typified by extreme aggression, social disruption, and usually high mortality. War should be understood as an actual, intentional and widespread armed conflict between political...
fare and winter, apparently led by the Red Knight, the Green Knight's adversary. The Green Knight invests power, in the form of a possessing spirit bestowing powers, to various groups throughout British history, in order to protect nature; one such group were the original Knights of the Round Table; the Knights of Pendragon are a modern-day incarnation.
First volume
Dai Thomas, a supporting character from the Captain Britain strip and burnt-out Scotland YardScotland Yard
Scotland Yard is a metonym for the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police Service of London, UK. It derives from the location of the original Metropolitan Police headquarters at 4 Whitehall Place, which had a rear entrance on a street called Great Scotland Yard. The Scotland Yard entrance became...
Inspector, is assigned to solve a series of gruesome murders of ecologically-based criminals (corrupt farmers, ivory
Ivory
Ivory is a term for dentine, which constitutes the bulk of the teeth and tusks of animals, when used as a material for art or manufacturing. Ivory has been important since ancient times for making a range of items, from ivory carvings to false teeth, fans, dominoes, joint tubes, piano keys and...
hunters, exotic bird smugglers, and so on). Accompanied by satellite reporter Kate McClellan, Thomas becomes obsessed with fighting the criminals themselves, and after a series of visions, becomes superhumanly strong and battle-savvy.
Captain Britain is sent by the British Government to retrieve the apparently insane Thomas from a cut-down section of the Amazon Rainforest
Amazon Rainforest
The Amazon Rainforest , also known in English as Amazonia or the Amazon Jungle, is a moist broadleaf forest that covers most of the Amazon Basin of South America...
, they instead fight, and Britain kills Thomas. It becomes apparent that Thomas and the Captain are possessed by the spirit of Gawain
Gawain
Gawain is King Arthur's nephew and a Knight of the Round Table who appears very early in the Arthurian legend's development. He is one of a select number of Round Table members to be referred to as the greatest knight, most notably in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight...
and Lancelot
Lancelot
Sir Lancelot du Lac is one of the Knights of the Round Table in the Arthurian legend. He is the most trusted of King Arthur's knights and plays a part in many of Arthur's victories...
respectively from the time of King Arthur
King Arthur
King Arthur is a legendary British leader of the late 5th and early 6th centuries, who, according to Medieval histories and romances, led the defence of Britain against Saxon invaders in the early 6th century. The details of Arthur's story are mainly composed of folklore and literary invention, and...
. The Captain was destined to kill Thomas in an aftershadowing of Arthurian lore, who is then resurrected.
The three of them travel to the Green Knight's citadel, whilst Thomas/Gawain recounts the Green Knight's poem. The comic's interpretation of the beheading-themed poem is as an ecological metaphor, a pact between man and nature:
- 'A bargain between man and the great wild force that should stand forever, that neither should take more than he can give back...destroy more than he can replace...strike deep, and refuse to accept a blow in return."
Man had forgotten that pact, and so the Knight was lashing out in pain. Gawain sacrifices his Pendragon power in order to partially heal the Knight, and also to spark the creation of another Pendragon group.
Characters
The team, a mix of everyday people and superheroes, consisted mostly of new characters, with the exception of Union JackUnion Jack (comics)
Union Jack is the name of three fictional characters that appear in comic books published by Marvel Comics.-James Montgomery Falsworth:The original Union Jack, James Montgomery Falsworth, first appears in comics in The Invaders #7. He was created by writer Roy Thomas and artist Frank Robbins. He...
. Each member was the modern day version of an Arthurian knight, and was possessed by the same ancient spirit that had possessed that knight. The Green Knight gave each of them powers, including heightened senses and fighting skill, the ability to speak with animals, and the ability to shoot blasts of "Pendragon fire".
The full roster was:
- Albion (Peter Hunter): A history teacher who has had the power of Albion since World War I. He has battled the Bane throughout the years. He currently equates to MerlinMerlinMerlin is a legendary figure best known as the wizard featured in the Arthurian legend. The standard depiction of the character first appears in Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae, written c. 1136, and is based on an amalgamation of previous historical and legendary figures...
, although the spirit that originally possessed him was that of Herne the HunterHerne the HunterIn English folklore, Herne the Hunter is a ghost associated with Windsor Forest and Great Park in the English county of Berkshire. His appearance is notable in the fact that he has antlers upon his head....
. The leader of the group, he represents the Green Knight's aspects of intellect and wisdom.
- Kate McClellan: A reporter who was investigating a series of "eco-terrorist" attacks which turned out to be the work of the Green Man, she became the equivalent of GuinevereGuinevereGuinevere was the legendary queen consort of King Arthur. In tales and folklore, she was said to have had a love affair with Arthur's chief knight Sir Lancelot...
. Her son, Cam, was also a Pendragon, briefly possessing the spirit of Merlin, before Hunter reclaimed it.
- Union Jack (Joseph Chapman)Union Jack (Joseph Chapman)Union Jack is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe and the third person to take on the role of Union Jack...
: The third hero to call himself Union Jack (the firstUnion Jack (comics)Union Jack is the name of three fictional characters that appear in comic books published by Marvel Comics.-James Montgomery Falsworth:The original Union Jack, James Montgomery Falsworth, first appears in comics in The Invaders #7. He was created by writer Roy Thomas and artist Frank Robbins. He...
was a World War IWorld War IWorld War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
period character created by Roy ThomasRoy ThomasRoy William Thomas, Jr. is an American comic book writer and editor, and Stan Lee's first successor as editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics. He is possibly best known for introducing the pulp magazine hero Conan the Barbarian to American comics, with a series that added to the storyline of Robert E...
, the second was his son), he equated to LancelotLancelotSir Lancelot du Lac is one of the Knights of the Round Table in the Arthurian legend. He is the most trusted of King Arthur's knights and plays a part in many of Arthur's victories...
.
- Ben Gallagher: A writer with an obsession concerning the Holy GrailHoly GrailThe Holy Grail is a sacred object figuring in literature and certain Christian traditions, most often identified with the dish, plate, or cup used by Jesus at the Last Supper and said to possess miraculous powers...
, Gallagher equated to PercivalPercivalPercival or Perceval is one of King Arthur's legendary Knights of the Round Table. In Welsh literature his story is allotted to the historical Peredur...
. He embodies the Green Knight's spiritual and sensitive aspects.
- Adam Crown: A young man whose Pendragon power was awoken by the team breaking up, he reunited the team and led it in battle against the Bane's forces. He possessed the spirit of King ArthurKing ArthurKing Arthur is a legendary British leader of the late 5th and early 6th centuries, who, according to Medieval histories and romances, led the defence of Britain against Saxon invaders in the early 6th century. The details of Arthur's story are mainly composed of folklore and literary invention, and...
.
- Francesca Lexley Grace: An agent of the Bane reformed by Adam, she became a Pendragon, possessed by the spirit of MorgauseMorgauseMorgause , known in earlier works as Gwyar or Anna, is the sister or half-sister of King Arthur in the Arthurian legend. In her earliest appearance she is Arthur's full sister by Uther Pendragon and Igraine; Gwyar is her name and she is the mother of Gwalchmei...
.
- Breeze James: A reporter hired by the malevolent technomagical company Mys-TechMys-TechMys-Tech were a shadowy Faustian organisation who acted as the main villains in a range of, initially successful but short-lived comics, launched in the US by Marvel UK in the 1990s...
to learn about the Pendragons, she became the new Guenevere after Kate McClellan left the team.
- Sir Gawain: A robotRobotA robot is a mechanical or virtual intelligent agent that can perform tasks automatically or with guidance, typically by remote control. In practice a robot is usually an electro-mechanical machine that is guided by computer and electronic programming. Robots can be autonomous, semi-autonomous or...
from an Arthurian theme park, possessed by the spirit of GawainGawainGawain is King Arthur's nephew and a Knight of the Round Table who appears very early in the Arthurian legend's development. He is one of a select number of Round Table members to be referred to as the greatest knight, most notably in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight...
, which had left its intended host.
Not all Pendragons were members of the team. Captain Britain
Captain Britain
Captain Britain , briefly known as Britannic, is a fictional character, a superhero appearing in the comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Chris Claremont and Herb Trimpe, he first appeared in Captain Britain Weekly, #1...
was briefly Lancelot, and his police contact Inspector Dai Thomas was possessed by the spirit of Gawain before the robot. It was also suggested that Iron Man
Iron Man
Iron Man is a fictional character, a superhero in the . The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, first appearing in Tales of Suspense #39 .A billionaire playboy, industrialist and ingenious engineer,...
and Black Panther
Black Panther (comics)
The Black Panther is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and penciller-co-plotter Jack Kirby, he first appeared in Fantastic Four #52...
were unawakened Pendragons, having the spirits of Bedevere
Bedivere
In Arthurian legend, Sir Bedivere is the Knight of the Round Table who returns Excalibur to the Lady of the Lake. He serves as King Arthur's marshal and is frequently associated with Sir Kay...
and Robin Hood
Robin Hood
Robin Hood was a heroic outlaw in English folklore. A highly skilled archer and swordsman, he is known for "robbing from the rich and giving to the poor", assisted by a group of fellow outlaws known as his "Merry Men". Traditionally, Robin Hood and his men are depicted wearing Lincoln green clothes....
respectively. It is not known if the Black Knight
Black Knight (Dane Whitman)
Dane Whitman is a fictional comic book superhero in the Marvel Comics universe, the company's third person to bear the name Black Knight. Created by writer Roy Thomas and artist John Buscema, he first appeared in The Avengers #47 Dane Whitman is a fictional comic book superhero in the Marvel Comics...
's current title of Pendragon is connected to the team.
The Green Knight and the Pendragon Force briefly appeared in the later Captain Britain and MI13 series, when the alien Skrull
Skrull
The Skrulls are a fictional race of extraterrestrial shapeshifters that appear in publications by Marvel Comics.-Publication history:The Skrulls first appeared in Fantastic Four #2 and were created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby....
s invaded Avalon (as part of the Secret Invasion
Secret Invasion
"Secret Invasion" is a comic book crossover storyline that ran through a self-titled eight issue limited series and several tie-in books published by Marvel Comics from April through December 2008....
event). The Green Knight was decapitated by a Super-Skrull and the Pendragon Force was briefly controlled by the Skrulls and redistributed to empower the Skrull soldiers attacking London. With the failure of their invasion, the Green Knight was restored and the Skrulls lost control of the Pendragon Force.
Collected editions
The series is being collected into trade paperbacksTrade paperback (comics)
In comics, a trade paperback is a collection of stories originally published in comic books, reprinted in book format, usually capturing one story arc from a single title or a series of stories with a connected story arc or common theme from one or more titles...
:
- Volume 1 (collects Knights of Pendragon (vol. 1) #1-9, 216 pages, Panini ComicsPanini ComicsPanini Comics is an Italian comic book publisher. A division of Panini Group, best known for their collectible stickers, it is headquartered in Modena, Italy...
, October 2009, ISBN 1-84653-431-3)