Union Jack (Joseph Chapman)

Infobox comics character

---

imagesize=250
converted=y
caption=Cover art for "Union Jack" #1.
Art by Mike Perkins.
comic_color=background:#ff8080
character_name=Union Jack
alter_ego=Joseph Chapman
publisher=Marvel Comics
debut="Captain America" vol. 1 #253
creators=Roger Stern
John Byrne
alliances=Knights of Pendragon New Invaders MI5
aliases=
supports=
powers=Mystically enhanced strength, speed, and endurance; martial arts and hand-to-hand combatant; highly skilled with a knife and handgun.
cat=super
subcat=Marvel Comics
hero=y
sortkey=PAGENAME|

Union Jack (Joseph "Joey" Chapman) is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe and the third person to take on the role of Union Jack. He first appeared in "Captain America" #253 (January, 1980).

Publication history

After a few appearances as a guest character in the mainstream Marvel line of comic books (Captain America, Namor, Marvel Comics Presents), Chapman would be a major character in the Marvel UK comic book series, Knights of Pendragon, alongside Captain Britain, Kate McClellan and Dai Thomas. The series would run between 1991 (volume 1 #1-18) and 1992-1993 (volume 2 #1-15).

Chapman has appeared in two limited comic book miniseries. Creators Ben Raab and John Cassaday depict Chapman's fight against a sect of vampires in the 1999 three-part mini-series, "Union Jack".

Chapman stars in yet another self-titled mini-series in late 2006, spun off from his appearance in Ed Brubaker's run on "Captain America", written by Christos Gage [ [http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=7092 Battler of Britain: Gage talks "Union Jack"] , Comic Book Resources, May 17, 2006] with pencils and inks by Mike Perkins [ [http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=7184 Rule Britannia: Perkins talks "Union Jack"] , Comic Book Resources, May 30, 2006] and Andrew Hennesy, respectively.

Fictional character biography

Origin

Chapman's incarnation as the current Union Jack is unique in the fact that he is not a member of the Falsworth line or part of any British aristocratic family. Rather, Joey Chapman is the working class son of a shipbuilder, born in Manchester, England. While visiting his friend, Chapman learned of Baron Blood and donned the Union Jack costume to help fight the vampire. [Captain America vol. 1 #253] With a bullet resistant costume, Chapman usually carries a gun of some variety (changing it as appropriate to the mission) and a silver-edged dagger used for supernatural foes.

Chapman is also one of the heroes teleported from Earth to Battleworld when the Grandmaster took all the heroes of Earth for the Contest of Champions. [Marvel Super Heroes Contest of Champions] Upon his return to Earth he would stop a group of his anti-establishment friends from defacing Falsworth Manor. [Marvel Comics Presents #42] He would also help save Namor alongside his future girlfriend Jacqueline Crichton and Namor's cousin, Namorita from neo-Nazis, having to battle Master Man and Warrior Woman in the process. [Namor: The Sub-Mariner #12]

Knights of Pendragon

Chapman would later become a member of the Knights of Pendragon, and as Union Jack, alongside Kate McClellan and Captain Britain, failed to prevent the kidnapping of Kate's son, Cam by Bane [Knights of Pendragon vol. 1 #8] leading to a battle with Bane. He also joins the other Pendragons in the search for the Holy Grail at Kitsford tumnus, [Knights of Pendragon vol. 1 #10] and fight fellow Pendragon, Iron Man. [Knights of Pendragon vol. 1 #11] After the battle, the Pendragons are formed and Chapman encounters Mr Fantastic, Invisible Woman and Black Panther [Knights of Pendragon vol. 1 #14] and travel to Hong Kong where he is killed by Dolph. [Knights of Pendragon vol. 1 #16] Chapman would later wake at Avalon [Knights of Pendragon vol. 1 #17] where he joins the Pendragons to battle and finally stopped Bane. [Knights of Pendragon vol. 1 #18]

Later, while making a public appearance at Stark's Questworld, Chapman had no choice but to battle malfunctioning robots [Knights of Pendragon vol. 2 #1] where he received a new armor [Knights of Pendragon vol. 2 #2] which would later evolve into a new stronger mystical armour. [Knights of Pendragon vol. 2 #5] Life as a Pendragon didn't get any easier as he fought Magpie, [Knights of Pendragon vol. 2 #3] tried to stop the Cape Wrath Breeder Reactor from overloading [Knights of Pendragon vol. 2 #4] and traveled to Arakne where he met and fought with Spider-Man and the Warheads. [Knights of Pendragon vol. 2 #9]

When the villainous company Mys-Tech revived his enemy Baron Blood, Chapman infiltrated the company and once again destroyed his foe, [Knights of Pendragon vol. 2 #11] inadvertently starting the Mys-Tech wars. [Knights of Pendragon vol. 2 #12] [Mys-Tech Wars #1]

Shortly after the defeat of Mys-Tech, Chapman, alongside the Pendragons fought Death's Head/Minion, Magpie and the Lemurians of Earth-313. [Knights of Pendragon vol. 2 #13] Upon the villains defeat, the Pendragons disbanded [Knights of Pendragon vol. 2 #15] and Chapman would revert back to his classic costume.

Post-Pendragons

After the Pendragons disbanded, Chapman carries on protecting Britain. However, he failed to prevent Baroness Blood from using the Holy Grail to become immune to sunlight [Union Jack vol. 2 #1] and lost his friend Kenneth Falsworth (the true heir to the Union Jack mantle) from vampirism and death. [Union Jack vol. 2 #3] He was also seen protecting civilians from unnatural winds. [Thunderbolts vol. 1 #25]

Chapman would also protect reporter and ally of Cable, Irene Merryweather from mercenaries of the Hellfire Club. [X-Men: The Hellfire Club #3] Chapman would be mainly seen, however, when the entire Earth was threatened including during the Maximum Security storyline [Maximum Security #2] and when he was being held prisoner, alongside many of Earth's heroes, by Graviton, until they were all saved by the Thunderbolts. [Thunderbolts vol. 1 #57] When Captain America "died" a notably upset Union Jack would speak a eulogy at Cap's memorial. [Captain America vol. 4 #50]

Joey shares a relationship with Romany Wisdom, the sister of X-Men ally Pete Wisdom. Although the relationship ends, Chapman stays in contact with Wisdom as she provides him with vital research on the occult.

New Invaders

Wearing an updated, militaristic version of his old costume Chapman joins the modern incarnation of the Invaders, [Avengers vol. 3 #82] [New Invaders #0] led by Jim Hammond. Chapman becomes romantically involved with his New Invaders teammate, Spitfire. However, the relationship does not last and they part because of the vast age difference. They still remain good friends and partners. With the Invaders they battle Axis Mundi for the Interceptor, a ship built by the Thin Man, [New Invaders #2] fight Baroness Blood and her minions after they kidnap Spitfire [New Invaders #4] and fight Meranno and his rogue Atlanteans to prevent world flooding. [New Invaders #8] After this battle and his break up with Spitfire, the Invaders would go their separate ways.

Anti-terrorism

At the request of S.H.I.E.L.D., Chapman would help his good friend Captain America in searching the London Underground for the Red Skull's agents. [Captain America vol. 5 #3] Chapman, Rogers, Spitfire, and Sharon Carter worked together to prevent neo-Nazis and the Red Skull from devastating London. [Captain America vol. 5 #21]

Moving on from his vampire hunting days, he leads a makeshift team of heroes - including Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, Sabra and the third Arabian Knight - to defeat a group of super-powered terrorists intent on blowing up London [Union Jack vol. 2 #1]

Chapman appeared in "", as explained by writer Paul Cornell, "One of the great things about this title is that, because all British superheroes are de facto part of MI-13, we can visit disparate parts of the Marvel UK scene without it being a big deal. Joe (not 'Joey', who's called Joey? Okay, kangaroos in Aussie, but apart from that...) is going to want to check in with [his former girlfriend Spitfire] soon. Because they parted amicably, and that's still fine with him. Right?". [ [http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=16432 Defense of the Realms: Cornell on "Captain Britain and MI:13"] , Comic Book Resources, May 15, 2008] However, Chapman did not leave MI5 to become part of the permanent team, although he is seen working along Spitfire (who is in MI:13) to clear out a nest of "Sons of the Serpent". ["Captain Britain and MI: 13" #5] [ [http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=18038 And Hell Followed: Cornell talks Captain Britain & MI:13] , Comic Book Resources, September 12, 2008]

Powers and abilities

Like those who held the title of Union Jack before him, Joey Chapman is an athlete in peak physical condition. In addition, his strength, speed, and endurance are enhanced by the Power of the Pendragon. He carries on the Union Jack tradition by using a Webley .455 revolver (though often uses other pistols depending on the mission he is completing) and a silver dagger which he uses for supernatural foes. His costume is also bullet-resistant.

Collected editions

Joseph Chapman's major appearances have been collected in a number of trade paperbacks:

* "Captain America: War and Remembrance" (by John Byrne and Roger Stern, with pencils by John Byrne and inks by Josef Rubinstein, tpb includes "Captain America" #253-254, 1981, 208 pages, July 2007, ISBN 0-7851-2693-7)

* "Union Jack" (written by John Cassaday and Ben Raab, with art by John Cassaday, 3-issue mini-series, December 1998 - February 1999, tpb, 96 pages, April 2002, ISBN 0-7851-0934-X)

* "New Invaders: To End All Wars" (written by Allan Jacobsen, with art by Jorge Lucas and C. P. Smith, tpb collects "New Invaders" #1-9, October 2004 - June 2005, 216 pages, July 2005, ISBN 0-7851-1449-1)

* "Captain America: Red Menace Volume 2" (written by Ed Brubaker with art by Steve Epting, tpb collects "Captain America" #18-21, July - October 2006, 104 pages, December 2006, ISBN 0-7851-2225-7)

* "Union Jack: London Falling" (written by Christos Gage, with pencils by Mike Perkins and inks by Drew Hennessy, 4-issue mini-series, November 2006 - February 2007, tpb, 96 pages, July 2007, ISBN 0-7851-2181-1)

Notes

References

*comicbookdb|type=title|id=3294|title="Union Jack" (1998)
*comicbookdb|type=title|id=9628|title="Union Jack" (2006)
*comicbookdb|type=character|id=3824|title=Union Jack (Joseph Chapman)
* [http://www.internationalhero.co.uk/u/unionjk3.htm Union Jack (Joseph Chapman)] at the International Heroes Catalogue
* [http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix/rcxdofp.htm#Union Union Jack (Joseph Chapman) of Earth-811] at the Appendix to the Handbook of the Marvel Universe

External links

* [http://www.marvel.com/catalog/?book_id=5076 Marvel's pages for the new mini-series issues #1] , [http://www.marvel.com/catalog/?book_id=5228 #2] , [http://www.marvel.com/catalog/?book_id=5388 #3] and [http://www.marvel.com/catalog/?book_id=5652 #4]
* [http://www.brokenfrontier.com/headlines/details.php?id=1777 "Union Jack" #1 Sneak Peek] , Broken Frontier

Reviews

* [http://www.comicsbulletin.com/reviews/115851405256919.htm Sunday Slugfest review of "Union Jack" (2006) #1] , [http://www.comicsbulletin.com/reviews/115898861985231.htm "Union Jack" (2006) #1] , [http://www.comicsbulletin.com/reviews/116146369996810.htm #2] , [http://www.comicsbulletin.com/reviews/116388642182082.htm #3] and [http://www.comicsbulletin.com/reviews/116690287958953.htm #4] , Comics Bulletin
* [http://www.brokenfrontier.com/reviews/details.php?id=1033 "Union Jack" (2006) #1] , Broken Frontier