Irish twitter: I find myself knowing about the Irish government super-team in Marvel comics, and what better use of my time on a Sunday evening then to tell you about it. Have a thread. 
Called 'The Kinsmen', they have exactly one appearance - Marvel Comics Presents #43. MCP was often a longer Wolverine/big-name-character story, plus three short 'back-up' stories. The Kinsmen were in one of these back-ups, a mere nine pages total
Our story opens on Cassidy Keep. Banshee, the one Irish superhero who got big, is being sought by the Irish government (for some reason). Cassidy Keep is his traditional home, as all Irish people live in castles. That's why house prices in Dublin are so high.
That's the first glimpse we get of the Kinsmen, who are hoped to be 'Ireland's answer to the Avengers'
When they get to the door Theresa Cassidy, Banshee's daughter, opens the door. This is our first good look at the the team. We have:
Wee one!
Boulder!
Highlander!
Dyke!
Rapscallion!
You read that right. Buckle up everyone.
Wee one!
Boulder!
Highlander!
Dyke!
Rapscallion!
You read that right. Buckle up everyone.
Back in the fancy government helicopter, we also have Teleplex - his power is that he can kind of see what's going on. The random government dude in charge of the team sees what's happening through him, they really don't matter at all, just a framing device for the captions
Now, Theresa sees this shower and goes to get her Dad (spoiler: her Dad is not in). The Kinsmen get suspicious and send Boulder in to check on her.
Boulder gets hit by the classic Cassidy sonic scream, and hey look it's Siryn - because of course Theresa is also a super hero (a good one!). A fact the Irish government seems to have missed?
The Kinsmen now do the classic team thing of taking turns trying to attack the main character.
First up: Wee one.
Ugh, look, I know. I know! Just. He's a leprechaun, alright? He has pixie dust? For some reason? Anyway, he jumps at Siryn, she makes a force-field, he's down.
Let's never talk of him again.
Ugh, look, I know. I know! Just. He's a leprechaun, alright? He has pixie dust? For some reason? Anyway, he jumps at Siryn, she makes a force-field, he's down.
Let's never talk of him again.
Highlander seems to be some kind of sentient toxic waste, who Siryn just blasts through a wall, and he's down.
I quite like Highlander, somehow. You'd think a character called Highlander would be Scottish, not Irish? I don't know. They make Siryn sound Scottish throughout too?
I quite like Highlander, somehow. You'd think a character called Highlander would be Scottish, not Irish? I don't know. They make Siryn sound Scottish throughout too?
Next up: Rapscallion. His whole thing is that he's Ireland's cruellest bouncer.
That's it! That's his power.
He also apparently has a glass jaw, a liability for a bouncer I would have thought, and Siryn knocks him out with a cool flying kick move.
That's it! That's his power.
He also apparently has a glass jaw, a liability for a bouncer I would have thought, and Siryn knocks him out with a cool flying kick move.
Then Dyke takes her turn. She is apparently a Nereid, who are Greek, and controls a portal to a dimension of water.
Now, Siryn takes her out in a way that really plays with the comics medium. I genuinely love that panel with the 'shut up' in the air bubble.
Now, Siryn takes her out in a way that really plays with the comics medium. I genuinely love that panel with the 'shut up' in the air bubble.
Larry Stroman did an amazing job with this whole story, I have to say. The body language of the characters and the action are all brilliant.
The script is shite, but the art is *lovely*
The script is shite, but the art is *lovely*
Anyway, who's left? Ah yes, Boulder.
Boulder was given his magic boulder by Wee One (I know, sorry, I said I wasn't going to mention him).
This boulder (the stone) is commanded by Boulder (the person), and the further it gets away from him the larger it becomes. I don't know.
Boulder was given his magic boulder by Wee One (I know, sorry, I said I wasn't going to mention him).
This boulder (the stone) is commanded by Boulder (the person), and the further it gets away from him the larger it becomes. I don't know.
Siryn gives the boulder (the stone) a good old shout, it flies back and crushes Boulder (the person) and Wee One. Horray! No more Wee One ever!
That's it, the Kinsmen are down.
Siryn drags them all outside to return them to the random government dude in the fancy helicopter and Teleplex, who have been waiting outside this whole time.
Teleplex immediately blurts out 'at least our fancy helicopter is safe!', the idiot.
Siryn drags them all outside to return them to the random government dude in the fancy helicopter and Teleplex, who have been waiting outside this whole time.
Teleplex immediately blurts out 'at least our fancy helicopter is safe!', the idiot.
Siryn goes 'oh cool, thanks man, I'll just wreck that on you. Don't bother me again'
Leaving us with the cheering sight of a random Irish government lacky in tears for blowing a few million on this fancy helicopter.
(this comic came out in 1990. Charlie 'I'll help my friends skip out on a 22 million tax bill/be massively corrupt in general' Haughey was Taoiseach at the time, so this guy would probably have been grand tbh)
Anyway, there you go. Ireland's canonical super-team. They had one outing, where they just took turns getting their arse kicked. None of these characters where heard from again, as far as I can find. And rightly so.
/ends
/ends
(A+ @ComicBookFX, basically)
In summary:
