User:Emperor/Sandbox/Wisdom (comics)

Wisdom was a six-issue limited series written by Paul Cornell. It was published by Marvel Comics' MAX imprint in 2007.

The story involved a series of investigations by MI-13, led by Pete Wisdom, which, while one-offs, introduce plot elements that build to a real test for the team.

Publication history
The initial art was provided by Trevor Hairsine on pencils with Paul Neary on inks. However, Hairsine had to step down due to personal reasons and and so a new art team took over from issue #3, with pencils by Manuel Garcia and inks by Mark Farmer.

Characters
The members of MI-13:


 * Captain Midlands
 * John the Skrull
 * Maureen Raven
 * Pete Wisdom
 * Sir Mortimer Grimsdale, Joint Intelligence Committee Chair
 * Tink

Other characters who appeared were:


 * Alistaire Stuart, the former head of MI-13
 * Captain Britain
 * Dai Thomas, Scotland Yard Inspector. Supporting character from Captain Britain and Knights of Pendragon
 * Jack Tarr, MI-6
 * Jonathan Raven, Maureen's son
 * Shang-Chi, martial arts expert who is called in to deal with the Y Ddraig Goch, Welsh Dragon, and is put in charge of Jonathan Raven's training and safety
 * Sir Clive Reston, MI-6
 * James Ransom, reality manipulator

The Day The Fairies Came Out
Faeries from Otherworld have been attacking the British public and the kidnapping of the baby belonging to a Cabinet Minister gets British Intelligence involved. The intelligence agency specifically for these weird happenings, MI-13, dispatches a field team; consisting of Pete Wisdom, Tink, John the Skrull, Captain Midlands, and new recruit Maureen Raven, to Otherworld on a rescue mission. MI-13's attack on Otherworld leads them to the King of the Fairies and Tink's father Oberon, who explains that he took the baby to raise as an ambassador between the worlds, however, Wisdom suggests an alternative and marries Tink to forge a peace treaty between England and Otherworld.

Later back in England, clairsentient Maureen Raven tells Pete Wisdom that she knows something terrible is coming and that she plays a role in it, while her son Johnathan Raven sees disturbing visions of tentacled creatures.

The Village That Walked Like A Women
MI-13 are sent to a small village in Wiltshire to investigate why its population is suffering from bad dreams, who believe it to be connected to a weapon being tested by the military in the area. The sonic weapon which is being testing messed with the dreams of Pantagruel (which is also the name of the village), one of the sleeping Giants of Britain, who's dreams unconsciously shape the character of the nation. This disruption caused the entire surrounding population's dreams to be amplified, and when Maureen Raven attempted to connect with the consciousness of one of villagers it worsened the effect by connecting everybody directly to the giant through her.

In an attempt to stop it the group attempt to will the giant to sleep, but John The Skrull suggests the giant wakes up. The female giant, Pantagruel, awoke and rose up from the ground with the entire village on top her head and shoulders, she then defeated two guardians buried beside her by those who buried the Giants of Britain. Captain Midlands convince the giant not to harm any of the innocent people and the giant decides to walk off into international waters towards Greenland, thus taking herself and the village outside MI-13's jurisdiction.

One of Pete Wisdom's dreams was of Maureen with a hole through her face standing in the in front of the destroyed ruins of London as she says "This is a dream. But it will come true".

Look Out, Here Comes Tomorrow
Martians come to Earth-616 from another reality to kill Jonathan Raven in order to prevent him becoming Killraven. Pete Wisdom is forced to shoot and kill Maureen Raven in order to stop the Martian invasion, while Jonathan Raven is taken to an MI-6 safehouse in Prague to be trained by Shang-Chi so that he can be properly trained in case of another Martian invasion.

Reception
Sales:


 * 1) 1 (20,000 - 140th) November 2006
 * 2) 2 (14,900 - 142nd) January 2007
 * 3) 3 (12,400 - 141st) February 2007
 * 4) 4 (11,500 - 145th) March 2007
 * 5) 6 (10,092 - 175th) May 2007

Wisdom trade sales: 1,578 August 2007

In comparison to New Excalibur #13 which sold 32,200 which was out the same month as issue #1 or 28,788 for Excalibur #20 in the same month as issue #6

Reviews:

1
 * http://www.comicsbulletin.com/reviews/116432837890811.htm
 * http://www.comicsbulletin.com/reviews/116290848135654.htm
 * http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=90869

2
 * http://www.comicsbulletin.com/reviews/116987160192780.htm

3
 * http://www.comicsbulletin.com/reviews/117285826930802.htm

4
 * http://www.comicsbulletin.com/reviews/117465683791489.htm

5
 * http://www.comicsbulletin.com/reviews/1177683633870.htm

6
 * http://www.comicsbulletin.com/reviews/118013780225109.htm

Trade:
 * http://www.comicsbulletin.com/reviews/119810650081678.htm

Collected editions
The limited series was collected into a trade paperback:
 * Wisdom: Rudiments of Wisdom (144 pages, August 2007, ISBN 0-7851-2123-4)