''Dragon's Claws'' is a dystopian

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...

comic book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...

, published by

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...

, as well as the eponymous law enforcers known as Dragon's Claws. It was set in the year 8162. Dragon's Claws first appeared in ''Dragon's Claws'' #1 (June 1988), and were created by

Simon Furman Simon Christopher Francis Furman (born 22 March 1961) is a British people, British Script (comics), comic book writer who is best known for his work on Hasbro's ''Transformers'' franchise, starting with writing Marvel Comics, Marvel's The Tran ...

and

Geoff Senior Geoff Senior (born 1960) is a British artist, best known for his work in the comic book field in the 1980s, mainly for Marvel UK. Senior is perhaps best remembered for his art for the Marvel ''Transformers (Marvel UK), Transformers'' series. Bio ...

. Prior to their career as law enforcers, the Claws had been "the greatest Game players in the world" - the Game was a violent team sport, immensely popular and funded by the governing World Development Council, who had used it to distract the population and reduce civil unrest. Many of the villains appearing in the series also have their roots in the Game.

Publication history

The regular series began in June

1988 File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Australian ...

, intended as the flagship title for a line of American-format, monthly comics from

Marvel UK Marvel UK was an imprint of Marvel Comics formed in 1972 to reprint US-produced stories for the British weekly comic market. Marvel UK later produced original material by British creators such as Alan Moore, John Wagner, Dave Gibbons, Steve Dill ...

. It was written by

and drawn by

, Furman's first choice for artist and a collaborator on Marvel UK's ''Transformers''. Original marketing for the comic in other Marvel UK comics called the team and comic ''Dragon's Teeth'', but an independent comic already had the title. Shots of the cover to the first issue reflected this. The series was promoted with the tagline "Earth, 8162. Not a nice place to live..." The UK market was never big enough to support the series, which was cancelled due to low sales at #10. It was exported to America in limited numbers. Furman has said one reason for the failure was the size of the comic: the US monthly format was smaller than the standard A4 size of UK comics, meaning newsagents weren't sure where to place it and it was "lost" when placed with the A4 comics. The comic was also "quite explicitly brutal... boys love that kind of stuff", but this meant that it was quite likely "the parents of ''Transformers'' and '' Thundercats'' readers drew the line at ''Dragon's Claws''."''Starburst'' retrospective interview with Furman
/ref> Furman has said that the behind-the-scenes politics and sports-as-panacea plot of '' Rollerball'', the costumed gangs of '' The Warriors'', and the future dystopias of '' 2000 AD'' all had a strong influence on ''Claws'', and "even the NURSE/Matron thing is an affectionate nod to

Hattie Jacques Hattie Jacques (; born Josephine Edwina Jaques; 7 February 1922 – 6 October 1980) was an English comedy actress of stage, radio and screen. She is best known as a regular of the ''Carry On'' films, where she typically played strict, no-non ...

and the ''

Carry On Carry On may refer to: * ''Carry On'' (franchise), a British comedy media franchise *Carry-on luggage or hand luggage, luggage that is carried into the passenger compartment * ''Carry On'' (film), a 1927 British silent film * ''Carry On'' (novel), ...

'' movies I grew up with."

Live Aid Live Aid was a multi-venue benefit concert held on Saturday 13 July 1985, as well as a music-based fundraising initiative. The original event was organised by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise further funds for relief of the 1983–1985 fami ...

had a mark too, leaving "so the concept of starvation on a global scale... indelibly printed on my brain."

Plot

The story took place in 8162, and followed a team of former game players, the Claws, led by Dragon. The exact nature of the game is only hinted at, but it basically involves team members trying to get to a certain part of various ruined cityscapes, with the opposing team members trying absolutely anything to stop them. It was used as an opiate for the masses, to ease unrest about global concerns as the Earth moves closer to the sun. At the start of the series, the game has been banned for the levels of violence involved, but Dragon, one of the most successful players, is having trouble adapting to civilian life with his wife, Tanya, who he lives with on a farm. He is contacted by Deller, an agent of N.U.R.S.E ational Union of Retired Sports Experts who offers him, and his old team, the Claws, a role as government enforcers. Dragon initially declines, but when the farm is attacked by another former team, The Wildcats, he changes his mind. Unknown to him, the Wildcats has been hired by Deller for this purpose. A sub-plot dealt with the brother of a deceased Wildcat seeking vengeance against Deller, which resulted in Dragon's family being kidnapped when they were mistaken for Deller's family. Dragon is reunited with the other Claws – Mercy (an ex-vigilante), Steel (a samurai honour-bound to Dragon since the latter saved his life in the Tokyo Riots of 8156), Digit (who had a computerised brain) and Scavenger (to quote, "No-one quite knows who or what Scavenger really is..."), and they are given a brief to stop the many former game teams who are causing trouble. Among these were The Vanishing Ladies, Split Infinity and the Jones Boys, but the recurring threat was the Evil Dead, led by Dragon's old nemesis Slaughterhouse. Other adversaries were the mechanoid freelance peace-keeping agent

Death's Head Death's Head is the name of several fictional characters appearing in British comics and American comic books both published by Marvel Comics. The original Death’s Head is a robotic bounty hunter (or rather, as he calls himself, a "freelance ...

, who was hired by the surviving members of the Evil Dead, and was heavily damaged when he clashed with Dragon, leading to his redesign and leading into the launch of his own title, and a future take on the vigilante

Scourge A scourge is a whip or lash, especially a multi-thong type, used to inflict severe corporal punishment or self-mortification. It is usually made of leather. Etymology The word is most commonly considered to be derived from Old French ''escorgi ...

. The main plotline concerns N.U.R.S.E's manipulation of the Claws, who were revealed to be involved in corrupt dealings and had actually reformed the Claws as "bully-boys" to take out and intimidate any gang that challenged N.U.R.S.E.. They deliberately kept Dragon from his family so he won't question his orders, eventually sending Deller to kill Dragon's wife; he was unable to do it, but his presence led to the family being abducted by another rogue Game team (who believed they were Deller's family and who had a grudge against him). Dragon eventually teamed up with Slaughterhouse and Deller in overcoming N.U.R.S.E's corrupt kingpin Matron in #9. With N.U.R.S.E. closed down and the Claws directly under the control of the World Development Council, Dragon elects to stay on leading the Claws, with Deller now as part of the team. The final issue, #10, left several plot threads dangling. Dragon is still unaware of much of Deller's part in the N.U.R.S.E. conspiracy (or that Deller has murdered a villain who knew the truth), while the fate of his wife, Tanya, last seen in a burning building, is unknown. For the 2004 edition of the charity project ''Just One Page'', Furman and artist Paul Ridgon created an epilogue/teaser for Dragon's Claws, which was later recoloured and reprinted in the 2008 trade paperback. It featured Dragon holding a defeated Slaughterhouse at gunpoint, after a battle where Slaughterhouse was responsible for leading an army in sacking whole cities and killed two of the Claws. Dragon debated whether or not to simply kill his nemesis and end the conflict forever, or "play it by the book one last time" and live up to what the Claws are meant to represent. It was not revealed what decision he took.

Characters

The members of Dragon's Claws are: *Dragon, team leader - raised in an orphanage and showing great athletic and combat promise, Dragon was drawn to the Game. A tragedy involving his first team, the Courtland Rangers, caused Dragon to quit and led ex-mercenaries in war-torn Sudan. Injured and subsequently rehabilitated, he returned to the Game to form his own team, Dragon's Claws. The team were top of the league within six years, before they quit in 8156, due to escalating violence in the Game. He has a wife Tanya and an adopted son Michael, although his family are estranged as a consequence of Dragon's return to the Claws."N.U.R.S.E. Reloc File: DC1", ''Dragon's Claws'' #6 (December 1988)

Very experienced in armed and unarmed combat. Driven by a sense of morality and respected even by his bitter enemies. *Mercy (Mercy Connaught) - the daughter of a wealthy industrialist, Mercy became a vigilante after her father's murder. As part of her search for her father's killer, she joined a minor league Game team, The Equalizers. After finally killing her father's murderer, she was arrested but surrendered into Dragon's "protective custody"."N.U.R.S.E. Reloc File: DC2", ''Dragon's Claws'' #7 (January 1989)

Mercy generally fights with knives, but will use guns or other weapons when required. *Steel (Shonin Ikeda) - a Japanese strongman-samurai. Born in Kobe with a hyperactive system that transforms nutrients into muscle. After witnessing the death of his father, a Yakuza warlord, Steel joined up with Dragon when the latter saved his life in the Tokyo riots of 8156,"N.U.R.S.E. Reloc File: DC3", ''Dragon's Claws'' #8 (February 1989)

(replacing an earlier team member, Megaton). A skilled swordsman with a strong sense of honour. *Digit (Gan Ayerson) - the team techie. A Scottish highlander possessing an exceptionally high IQ, Digit became a leading expert on computers until he was found seriously injured in a Game arena. His life was saved by his own technology, his eyes and brain now computerised and his intellect greatly enhanced, at a cost to his humanity."N.U.R.S.E. Reloc File: DC4", ''Dragon's Claws'' #9 (March 1989)

Heavily reliant on his back-mounted firepower, which includes a taser, energised baton and gas dispenser. *Scavenger - a mysterious and versatile fighter. Assumed to be of aboriginal descendency from the 'Austro-Zealand crosslands'. Believed to have worked as a fence for sky pirates in the North of England, before fighting in the 'Tunnel Wars' beneath Birmingham. Taken prisoner and sent to the Chaney maximum security prison, which collapsed into a fault line soon after."N.U.R.S.E. Reloc File: DC5", ''Dragon's Claws'' #10 (April 1989)

Scavenger became a lifeline for the other inmates, who suffered from agoraphobia, and during one of his supply runs, he rescued Dragon from another Game team, The Jesters. Ultimately abandoning the Chain Gang, Scavenger joined Dragon's Claws. During the team's mission to Channel City, he found and adopted a mongrel dog, Scratch. *Deller became a sixth member in #10.

Guest appearances

#2 - The mechanoid accepts an assignment working for the inmates of a prison where Scavenger was once held. Written by

and drawn by

Bryan Hitch Bryan Hitch (born 22 April 1970) is a British comics artist and writer. Hitch began his career in the United Kingdom for Marvel UK, working on titles such as ''Action Force'' and ''Death's Head'', before gaining prominence on American titles ...

(the only time the Claws weren't drawn by Senior). The story takes place between Dragon's Claws #7 and #8.

Collected editions

The series has been collected into a

trade paperback Trade paperback may refer to: * Trade paperback, a higher-quality softcover version of a book * Trade paperback (comics) In comics in the United States, a trade paperback (shortened: TPB or trade) is a collection of stories originally published ...

: * ''Dragon's Claws'' (collects ''Dragon's Claws'' #1-10 and Death's Head #2, paperback, 260 pages,

Panini Comics Panini Comics is an Italian comic book publisher. A division of Panini Group, which also produces collectable stickers, it is headquartered in Modena, Italy. The company publishes comic books in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, France, Germany, Hunga ...

, October 2008, )

References

External links

Dragon's Claws
at the Appendix to the Handbook of the Marvel Universe *

at the Unofficial Handbook of Marvel Comics Creators *

at the

Big Comic Book DataBase The Big Cartoon DataBase (or BCDB for short) is an online database of information about animated cartoons, animated feature films, animated television shows, and cartoon shorts. The BCDB project began in 1997 as a list of Disney animated featu ...

Dragon's Claws
at the International Catalogue of Superheroes
''Starburst'' retrospective interview about Dragon's Claws (November 2011)
* {{Marveldatabase 1988 comics debuts 1989 comics endings Comics characters introduced in 1988 Marvel UK teams Works set in the future