Dragon's Claws (2008)

Dragon's Claws (2008)

Author: Simon Furman | Illustrator: Geoff Senior / Bryan Hitch | Page Count: 260

Marvel UK's output for the home market prior to the launch of Dragon's Claws in June 1988 had been either 100% reprint from existing US titles or a combination of new UK and old US. Claws was their first attempt at mimicking the US format (i.e. small size) but filling it with all-new homegrown content.

Despite its size and the Marvel name in the corner, it had more in common with the edgy 2000 AD than any of the costumed superhero vs supervillain guff.

The dystopian setting (Britain, 8162 AD) is rather bleak, overseen by a shady government agency.

The heroes of the work aren't selfless do-gooders who put themselves between helpless citizens and clumsy villains, they're borderline sociopaths who fight for personal reasons - sometimes those reasons overlap with greater social concerns, but the majority of the time it's more by coincidence than design. Except, perhaps, for Dragon, the leader of the team. Dragon believes that what he's doing is partly for the greater good of mankind, but neglects to acknowledge the impact his actions have on the people he should be protecting most.

Characterisation for the remainder of the Claws team is largely absent until near the end of the comic's lifespan; Steel is a swordsman with a large build and a samurai aesthetic; Mercy is the only female member, an athletic vixen with big hair and a violent past; Digit is a tech nerd with computer parts in his brain; and Scavenger is a mystery, a character that would be right at home in the Cursed Earth of Judge Dredd's world. Author Simon Furman was most likely planning to deepen their individual stories in future issues, but that didn't come to pass and as it stands we never really get much insight into who each person is when they aren't needed in action scenes. The character profile pages included at the back of the book offer some backstory on each team member, but it would've been preferable to have the information as part of an actual story.

- The Team: Digit / Steel / Dragon / Mercy / Scavenger (and doggy friend). -

The series starts out okay, but not groundbreaking. Things begin to get more tangled in issue three; hints are dropped about the true reason for the team's reactivation, something Dragon will no doubt want to know more about. It adds additional social commentary on current events (c. 1988) and a much-needed hook to the ongoing story. By issue eight and nine it had really hit its stride. But then, just one issue later, it all ended, book cancelled and threads left hanging.

The collection is a fun trip down memory lane for anyone there in the 80s, but, objectively, I don't think it'll appeal to many new readers, in part because it was denied a proper ending.

The book collects together Dragon's Claws #1-10 and Death's Head #2.

Individual covers. Open in new tab for FULL size.