A NEW line of British superheroes is coming to the Marvel Universe.
"The Union" is a five-part series that brings together a team of new characters representing each distinct country of the United Kingdom - though at a time in real life when relationships between Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales and England have never been so tense (in modern history, anyway).
In the forthcoming Empyre storyline, Union Jack, who first appeared in 1976's The Invaders No. 21, teams up with four brand new characters: Kelpie from Scotland, Snakes from Northern Ireland, The Choir from Wales and Britannia, the leader of the team.
British writer Paul Grist, known for his work on Judge Dredd and Jack Staff, worked on the comic series with artists Andrew Di Vito and R.B. Silva, who was responisble for the design of Scotland's Kelpie character.
According to Marvel's website, The Union "is stepping in to assist the Avengers and Fantastic Four in a battle that will test the limits of the fledgling crew!"
Perhaps realising that a contemporary comic book about the United Kingdom may draw criticism, Grist shared on Facebook that "details of the Union have been announced by Marvel Comics. I may need to stay away from twitter for a while."
"The Union" was announced on the same day that UK Government immigration plans were branded as "devastating" for Scotland by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.
The Union No. 1 is set to be released digitally and in stores in May. It's unclear if the team will still be together by the end of the series.
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