Elizabethan Autocracy

Most traditional comics genre are based the present or alternate realities that bear little resemblance to our own past. One notable exception was an eight issue limited series, 1602 released by Marvel, published in 2003.

[This weeks column features a special guest writer, Amy Rostollan BFA, M.Ed, AT, (European History Major)]

The critically acclaimed writer, Neil Gaiman, best known for his Sandman series authored 1602. Gaiman stated he had always been a Marvel fan and wanted to take a different approach to the well known characters in that particular comic book universe. In his rendition, the Marvel superheroes exist in Elizabethan era and confront impending annihilation of their world by a mysterious force.

Gaiman had been working on the series when the 9-11 attacks were still fresh in America’s conscious and didn’t want to do a “war story”. He chose the Elizabethan setting, as for him it was a time of new discovery, changes in the old patterns of government and religion, but yet still retaining magic and mystery of the past.

Neil chose to use many “old” Marvel characters sometimes retaining their original names or adding a twist to represent the historical or ethnic background, such as Agent Nick Fury now titled Sir Nick Fury, Peter Parker being called Peter Parquagh and Charles Xavier being named Carlos Javier.

Some of the historical components do represent very closely the politics and secrets mechanisms of the time. Queen Elizabeth was well known during her long reign, to be involved with the occult, keeping in her confidence, men such as John Dee, a well known occultist, astrologer and scientist. Dr. Stephen Strange filled this role in the 1602 series, as the queen’s right hand man. Sir Nick Fury was made the head of the English “black operations” for the Tudor regency and Matthew Murdoch (DareDevil) served as an agent for Fury.

This era in particular was full of intrigue and change.

The Catholic church, threatened by the recent Protestant reformation, was losing power, and other countries were flexing their colonial muscles in a race to explore and conquer the recently discovered New World. A clash of the old and new was inevitable and the inclusion of the familiar Marvel characters in this historical setting, added new dimensions to old, familiar superheroes.

In the comic, Grand Inquisitor Enrique (Magneto) is fronted by the Catholic Church’s Inquisition but was really utilizing the church to front his own secret agenda. The Church considered the “mutants” as “the witchbreed” and to be agents of the devil. In Elizabethan times, new discoveries of science were indeed threatening the old regime of the church and it was very common to torture, burn or eradicate anything that disturbed their world view.

One such historical event is the famous case of Galileo and his concept of heliocentrism or the theory of the earth revolving around the sun, and being under house arrest by Urban VIII in the early 1600’s. Certainly if a winged man such as Angel, was captured by the Inquisition, he would have been condemned to burn at the stake as premised in the beginning of the series.

Taking these traditional Marvel characters, putting writer Neil Gaimen at the helm, and adding the complex, historical Elizabethan backdrop, made 1602 an intriguing read for comic book and history lovers alike.