- Knights of Pendragon
Superteambox
imagesize=
caption=Art byAlan Davis
team_name=Knights of Pendragon
publisher=Marvel UK
debut="Knights of Pendragon #1" (July 1990)
creators=Dan Abnett (script)
John Tomlinson (script)Gary Erskine (art)
base=The Green Chapel, Avalon
members=Albion
Adam Crown
Ben Gallagher
Sir Gawain
Francesca Grace
Breeze James
Kate McClellan
Union Jack
memberlist=
subcat=Marvel Comics
hero=y
villain=
sortkey=Knights of Pendragon|The Knights of Pendragon was the name of a superhero team published by theMarvel Comics imprintMarvel UK in a self-titled comic from1990 to1993 , and in the anthology title "Overkill". It was written byDan Abnett and John Tomlinson with art byGary Erskine .Pendragon is an alternate name forKing Arthur .Context
The comic was created during a period of attempted expansion by Marvel UK, trying to build on the critical success of
Captain Britain . "Knights of Pendragon" was initially a highly political and environmental comic, its themes borrowing heavily from British folklore and the growingNew Age and neopagansubculture s. Later issues regressed into a standard superhero title.The comic was printed in
Scangloss - an environmentally friendly paper using half the trees and minimum whiteningbleach .ynopsis
The team is formed to be agents of the
Green Knight (fromSir Gawain and the Green Knight ), who is portrayed as an aspect of theGreen Man ; a mystical entity representing the natural cycle and spiritual growth. The Knight is in ageless conflict with the Bane, an unnatural destructive force ofwar fare andwinter , 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 originalKnights 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 Yard 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 ofGawain andLancelot respectively from the time ofKing 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:
: '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.
econd Volume
Characters
The team, a mix of everyday people and superheroes, consisted mostly of new characters, with the exception of Union Jack. 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 toMerlin , although the spirit that originally possessed him was that ofHerne the Hunter . 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
Guinevere . Her son, Cam, was also a Pendragon, briefly possessing the spirit of Merlin, before Hunter reclaimed it.*Union Jack (Joey Chapman): The third hero to call himself Union Jack (the first was a
World War I period character created byRoy Thomas , the second was his son), he equated toLancelot .*Ben Gallagher: A writer with an obsession concerning the
Holy Grail , Gallagher equated toPercival . 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 Arthur .*Francesca Lexley Grace: An agent of the Bane reformed by Adam, she became a Pendragon, possessed by the spirit of
Morgause .*Breeze James: A reporter hired by the malevolent technomagical company
Mys-Tech to learn about the Pendragons, she became the new Guenevere after Kate McClellan left the team.*Sir Gawain: A
robot from an Arthurian theme park, possessed by the spirit ofGawain , which had left its intended host (see below).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 thatIron Man and Black Panther were unawakened Pendragons, having the spirits of Bedevere andRobin Hood respectively. It is not known if the Black Knight's current title of Pendragon is connected to the team.References
* [http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix2/kopendragon.htm Knights of Pendragon] at the Appendix to the Handbook of the Marvel Universe
* [http://www.internationalhero.co.uk/p/pendrag.htm Knights of Pendragon] at the International Catalogue of Superheroes
* [http://www.marveldirectory.com/groupsandteams/knightsofpendragon.htm Knights of Pendragon] at the Marvel Directory
*comicbookdb|type=team|id=136|title=Knights of Pendragon
* [http://www.comics-db.com/Marvel_Comics/K/The_Knights_of_Pendragon/index.html "Knights of Pendragon"] at theBig Comic Book Database
*gcdb series|id=4030|title="Knights of Pendragon" (1990)
* [http://www.maelmill-insi.de/UHBMCC/SHOW.HTM?SerNr=109 "Knights of Pendragon" (1990)] at the Unofficial Handbook of Marvel Comics Creators
*gcdb series|id=4467|title="Pendragon"
* [http://www.maelmill-insi.de/UHBMCC/SHOW.HTM?SerNr=1728 "Pendragon"] at the Unofficial Handbook of Marvel Comics Creators
*gcdb series|id=12253|title="Knights of Pendragon" (1992)
* [http://www.maelmill-insi.de/UHBMCC/SHOW.HTM?SerNr=1728 "Knights of Pendragon" (1992)] at the Unofficial Handbook of Marvel Comics CreatorsExternal links
* [http://www.camelot4colors.com/new.htm#Knights%20of%20Pendragon Review at Camelot in 4 Colors]
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