BEN GALLAGHERBEN GALLAGHER
Real Name: Ben Gallagher
Identity/Class: Human (Marvel UK) magical mutate; UK citizen
Occupation: Adventurer, writer
Group Membership: Knights of Pendragon (Albion/Peter Hunter, Adam Crown, Kate McClellan, Union Jack/Joseph Chapman)
Affiliations: Dionne Bell (deceased), Black Panther (T'Challa), Captain Britain (Brian Braddock), Invisible Woman (Susan Storm), Fortune Publishing (Andrea, Justin Meyer), Mr. Fantastic (Reed Richards)
Enemies: The Bane (Dolph/Colin Snewing (deceased), Rowan Gowing (deceased), Brent McCinley (deceased), Robart, formerly Francessca Grace, Scarman), Red Lord
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: His Pendragon previously inhabited Perceval who was known as "the perfect fool", "the seeker", and "the grail knight". Ben has been referred to as "the perfect fool" by the Bane for this reason. Otherwise, Ben went by his real name both as a member of the Knights of Pendragon and as a writer.
Base of Operations: Camelaird Farm in Wiltshire (See comments)
First Appearance: Knights of Pendragon I#7 (January, 1991)
Powers/Abilities: Ben Gallagher was fit for a man of his age at the time he investigated the dolphin massacres in the Orkney Islands, showing greater stamina than the younger Dionne Bell even before his latent Pendragon abilities had started to develop. Ben was a talented writer and had always had an intuition, long before his other Pendragon abilities manifested themselves. He has been described as an artist, but this may have been in reference to his writing skills rather than a talent for drawing or painting.
Each Pendragon carries with it the past incarnations of its champions and in Ben's case this spirit had once belonged to the Arthurian Knight called Perceval. After encountering the Bane in the Orkney Islands, his other abilities started to develop. Ben displayed superior fighting skills, and could hold his own against large groups of Bane in hand-to-hand combat. He gained Class 10 superhuman strength. He was able to throw his fake grail with such force that it could decapitate one of the Bane, or hurl a fully grown man several stories up in the air with one hand. His durability and stamina were enhanced human, sufficient for him to withstand a close range burst of Bane fire without being badly hurt or stunned. He developed enhanced senses, including a heightened sense of smell. He was able to detect the Bane, and could at times see their true form even when to others they appeared human. Ben described the way this felt as being "unreal" and "torn inside". He, Kate and Union Jack were once able to sense Bane nearly a mile away. As Ben was considered the more sensitive of the Pendragons at this point, the range of his power was quite possibly superior to theirs. Ben experienced Pendragon visions in the form of dreams. He was able to communicate with animals mentally in the form of an out of body experience which also allowed him a form of clairvoyance, seeing distant objects without physically being there. He was attuned to the natural cycle, and appeared to have acquired some skill in swordsmanship and horsemanship.
Ben had a unique Pendragon power, a "grail-like" ability inherited from Perceval. This power extended to healing the land as well as people. Perceval had sought the grail and the secrets of creation and recreation because the land in his time was infertile, dead and dry. Perceval had learned the secret of living with the natural cycle and not against it. Ben cleansed and healed the land in Joselito, purging it of poison. At first Ben appeared to be using his fake grail to access this power, but he learnt that he (like Perceval) didn't need it when in Joselito. However, when mortally wounded he used the grail in order to save Union Jack's life. It appears that while he didn't need the grail, it could help focus his power.
Although he did not display the ability, it is common for Pendragons to be able to tap into the power of the Earth itself and manifest it as a lightning-like energy referred to as "Pendragon Fire".
Height: 6'2" (by approximation)
Weight: 188 lbs. (by approximation)
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Brown
History:
(Knights of Pendragon I#9 (fb) - BTS) - Ben had always had an intuition, which led him to become a writer. It caused him to become fascinated with the Grail. He became an Arthurian buff. He came to believe that if he could find the Grail he could understand his power.
(Knights of Pendragon I#10 (fb) - BTS) - Although he wouldn't realize it till late in life, Ben had apparently always had the Pendragon in him.
(Knights of Pendragon I#7 (fb) - BTS) - Ben wrote for the publishing company Fortune and developed a good relationship with his editor Justin Meyer. Whenever Ben showed up for a meeting, they had an in-joke; Justin would tell the receptionist to send Ben in then call the police.
(Knights of Pendragon I#7 (fb) - BTS) - Ben's book called "Flame In The West" was published by Fortune.
(Knights of Pendragon I#7 (fb) - BTS) - Ben buried a fake grail as a publicity stunt. Clues in his book pointed to where it was buried.
(Knights of Pendragon I#10 (fb) - BTS) - It was buried at the Kitsford Countless Stones in the Weald of Kent to be part of a grail hunt amongst his book's readership.
(Knights of Pendragon I#10 (fb) - BTS) - Ben's book was read by Peter Hunter, former World War One hero Albion.
(Knights of Pendragon I#7 (fb) - BTS) - Plans were made for the Channel Tunnel to be built through the grail's burial site.
(Knights of Pendragon I#10 (fb) - BTS) - This caused Ben to call off the grail hunt, leading to much displeasure amongst people who had spent a great deal of time and effort scouring the land for the buried prize.
(Knights of Pendragon I#7 (fb) - BTS) - Fortune received a lot of legal hassle due to these developments.
(Knights of Pendragon I#7) - Ben met with Justin to arrange a fact-finding trip to the Hebrides in order to get footage of a dolphin massacre.
(Knights of Pendragon I#9 (fb) - BTS) - Ben boarded a boat bound for Craggansay Firth in the Orkney Islands.
(Knights of Pendragon I#9) - Ben momentarily considered turning back, but swiftly changed his mind. It felt like coming home to him. As an Arthurian buff he considered that Lot, Agravaine, Gaheris, Gareth and Gawain were all born in the Orkneys and so he should fit right in. As he was taking photographs of dolphins he was approached by Dionne Bell, a journalist for Astra TV working on a piece regarding the killing of whales and dolphins. She recognized Ben and asked for his help, as her cameraman had left all his gear on the train at Inverness. Ben agreed to help.
(Knights of Pendragon I#9 - BTS) - They arrived at the island and found a dead dolphin washed up on a beach.
(Knights of Pendragon I#9) - As Ben was taking photographs of the dead dolphin, Dionne spoke about her boss Kate. Ben, meanwhile, suddenly sensed evil and looked up to see a monstrous humanoid figure watching them from up on high in the distance. Dionne asked what was up, but Ben replied "nothing". The figure now appeared to be human.
(Knights of Pendragon I#9 - BTS) - They used a small boat to get footage of a dolphin massacre. Dionne began a commentary, but became distressed due to the violence that was being perpetrated upon the defenseless animals.
(Knights of Pendragon I#9) - Ben told Dionne that she was too upset to record the commentary and suggested they concentrate on getting footage. One of the boats involved in the massacre came alongside Ben and Dionne's boat at speed, as though to collide with or capsize the smaller boat. Aboard the boat was the man who had been watching them on the beach earlier. They began shouting at each other, but Ben trailed off as the man appeared to transform into the monstrous form he'd seen earlier. Apparently only Ben could see this.
(Knights of Pendragon I#9 (fb) - BTS) - They moved on to a public house in Kilsyth, Craggansay. Dionne asked Ben for a white wine and soda. Ben was told by the landlord that it was a "man's pub" and ended up getting her a cider instead and a bitter for himself.
(K nights of Pendragon I#9) - As Ben and Dionne drank their drinks they whispered, Ben feeling distinctly unwelcome. He felt things about the massacres didn't add up, pointing out that cetacean culling had never been a tradition in Craggansay, unlike in the Faroe Islands. Dionne pointed out that the dolphin on the beach could've been poisoned. She cheekily took Ben's bitter, and then proceeded to ask him about earlier as he had appeared to go into a trance. As Ben explained about his intuition and his interest in the grail, they were interrupted by the men responsible for the massacre they'd witnessed earlier. One of them smashed their table violently. Ben grabbed a decorative sword hanging on the pub wall, but insisted they didn't want any trouble. The leader, the man Ben had sensed watching them on the beach prior to the massacre, identified himself as Scarman and said that there'd be no trouble if they handed over the film from the camera. Dionne began to complain, while Scarman spoke of how the whales were fouling up their fishing grounds. Ben and Dionne managed to get out of the pub and began to run away along the shoreline until they came to a cave. Suddenly they heard whale song and Ben went into a trance like state. Ben found himself communicating with the whales mentally and they showed him a poisoned place under the sea. He saw canisters with the label "Omni" on them. He sensed a lack of anger in the creatures despite their pain and sadness as they asked why humans had poisoned their fishing grounds. He was unable to answer and so they left. Meanwhile, Scarmen and his people had reached the cave. While Ben was still mentally elsewhere, they began attacking Dionne.
(Knights of Pendragon I#10 (fb) - BTS) - Ben, despite having apparently always had the Pendragon in him, only truly felt it when Dionne died. He would later liken it to being "born".
(Knights of Pendragon I#9) - Ben fought back with the sword from the pub. He drove Scarman's men away, then turned to fight Scarman himself. Disarming Scarman, Ben dropped his sword and wrestled his enemy out to sea. Scarman called Ben a Pendragon as they fought. Ben took Scarman to a point where they could hear the whale song. At first Scarman ranted about serving the Bane, but was quickly overwhelmed by the song. Realizing what he had done to the whales and dolphins, he became remorseful and asked "why don't they hate us?".
(Knights of Pendragon I#9 (fb) - BTS) - Ben reported Scarman to the authorities and they came to collect him and Dionne's dead body. Ben realized that whatever had possessed Scarman had gone.
(Knights of Pendragon I#13(fb) - BTS) - Ben found evidence of marine contamination on a massive scale in the form of toxic waste dumped by Omni Corporation.
(Knights of Pendragon I#9) - Scarman was still babbling as he was led away by the police. Ben vowed to one of the police officers that he was going to put a stop to Omni Corporation's pollution of the whales' home waters. Ben boarded a boat to return home, thinking about how Scarman had called him a Pendragon as though whatever had possessed him had recognized a similar possession in Ben. The word Pendragon made him think of the round table and the grail, and how he might've been able to save Dionne if he'd had it. As the boat moved on a bitter wind rippled the ocean, causing Ben to remember what lay beneath. He thought that it was too late for many things.
(Knights of Pendragon I#10 (fb) - BTS) - Ben began to make his way towards Astra TV in London to meet Dionne's boss, Kate McClellan to talk about what had happened to Dionne. He was unaware that Kate's son had been kidnapped by the Bane.
(Knights of Pendragon I#10) - Ben was unaware that as he walked he had been spotted and recognized as a Pendragon by Peter Hunter, who also recognized Ben as the writer of Flame In The West. Upon arriving at Astra TV he was informed that Kate was out but due back soon. He was happy to wait, and began watching a news report on a recent incident at the Omni Corporation tower involving Captain Britain and Union Jack. It was at this point that Peter Hunter introduced himself, and Ben felt like they had met before. Hunter commented that they hadn't, but that it was an understandable feeling. He went on to explain that he taught Kate's son, Cam, and suggested they had a talk.
(Knights of Pendragon I#10 (fb) - BTS) - They made their way to Kate's apartment.
(Knights of Pendragon I#10) - Eventually Kate arrived alongside Joseph Chapman. Ben and Kate seemed to take an immediate liking to one another. They went into Kate's appartment and Peter began talking about the Pendragon, the Bane, and Cam's kidnapping. Chapman explained that he was Union Jack, and had recently encountered the Green Knight and been empowered by him. Ben recounted events in the Orkney Islands. Kate finally realized that she too had the Pendragon force, like her friend Dai had previously. Peter explained that Grace had taken Kate's son to Joselito in Spain for reasons he didn't understand at that point. However, before they could approach the Bane, Peter felt it important they locate Ben's Grail. Although Ben was sceptical, Peter encouraged him to show them where the fake was buried. At this point Chapman became amused when he noticed that they were conversing over a round table, like King Arthur's. The following day Ben took them to the Kitsford Countless Stones in Kent. Ben explained that in folklore, if people tried to count the stones they would meet a nasty fate. He promptly began trying to count them. It suddenly began snowing, and Chapman sensed something following them. Peter and Ben became separated from the others as the blizzard worsened dramatically, and Peter doubled back to check on their friends. As Ben dug for the grail, he realized he was starting to get frost-bite and started to become very irritated that Peter had made him come all this way for what he considered a cheap and nasty fake. Suddenly he heard a scream, and felt a sensation like when he had faced Scarman. He quickly realized he was surrounded by more creatures like Scarman, and their leader addressed him as the "last Pendragon".
(Knights of Pendragon I#11) - Ben was attacked by the creatures,
who identified themselves as Bane and referred to Ben as the "perfect
fool". He became enraged and threw the fake grail at one of the Bane with
such force that the creature was decapitated. He engaged the other Bane in hand-
to-hand combat and they fled in fear. The blizzard subsided, and Ben saw Kate
laying nearby frozen stiff. As he knelt by her with the fake grail, she
surprised him by starting to recover.
(Knights of Pendragon I#11 (fb) - BTS) - Joseph, Kate and Peter all recovered and they drove back with Ben to Kate's appartment.
(Knights of Pendragon I#11) - Ben was confused at how he'd managed to fight off the Bane as though he'd been a fighter for years, which Hunter attributed to the champion fire. Hunter also realized that the Bane's reference to the "perfect fool" linked Ben to Perceval and that it had been Ben's Pendragon that had saved their lives. Kate then asked that they leave for Spain to find what Grace had done with her son.
(Knights of Pendragon I#11 (fb) - BTS) - They traveled to Spain by plane and reached Joselito the following day. Ben and Kate split off from Peter and Joseph.
(Knights of Pendragon I#11) - Ben and Kate saw bulls, which Ben suspected were being led to "la fiesta oscura" ceremony. Kate sensed Cam's presence nearby. The fiesta commenced, and Kate eventually saw Cam up high in a window. Just then, however, they were ambushed by the Bane. Ben found himself held at gun point by Rowan Gowing, while Dolph threatened Kate with a knife.
(Knights of Pendragon I#11 - BTS) - Meanwhile, Grace's plans to summon the Red Lord inadvertently summoned the Green Knight instead.
(Knights of Pendragon I#12) - Rowan grabbed Ben by the throat, and spoke of their encounter at the Countless Stones.
(Knights of Pendragon I#12 (fb) - BTS) - At first Ben froze, feeling overwhelming death-pains like the agony he had sensed in the Orkneys, but worse.
(Knights of Pendragon I#12) - Ben broke free and grabbed Rowan
instead, and then threw him high in the air. Rowan was impaled on a spike atop a
nearby building. Ben charged at Dolph to rescue Kate, and was slashed by one of
the maniac's knives. Captain Britain arrived, allowing Kate time to tend to Ben.
He told Kate they needed to help the Green Knight, explaining what he had
sensed. The land was dying and the Green Knight with it thanks to Grace's
machinations.
(Knights of Pendragon I#12 - BTS) - Iron Man, siding with Peter and Joseph, was able to drive Grace away. Peter reclaimed his Pendragon as they rescued Cam.
(Knights of Pendragon I#12) - The tide of the battle turned with Grace's departure, giving Ben and Kate a chance to make their way towards the Green Knight. They could feel their Pendragon fire ebbing away as the Knight's life force diminished. Ben realized, however, that he didn't need the fake grail to use his healing power. He healed the Knight and the lands, purging poison, cleaning and healing wounds. Kate impulsively kissed Ben before they rejoined their friends, the Green Knight having vanished.
(Knights of Pendragon I#12 - BTS) - A week passed. Ben was asked to meet with Captain Britain, Union Jack, Dai Thomas, Iron Man, Peter Hunter, Kate and Cam at Camelaird Farm in Wiltshire.
(Knights of Pendragon I#12) - Union Jack explained his plans for the farm, including the start of the art mod cons, relaxation areas, and possibly a computer library. Iron Man said that Tony Stark would supply any hardware that was needed. Peter Hunter went on to say that the farm was to be a meeting place for the Pendragons and their allies.
(Knights of Pendragon I#13 (fb) - BTS) - Ben didn't see Kate for a while and began to miss her. After a long evening phone call, he spent the better part of the following morning trying to get hold of Kate on the phone at Astra TV with no luck.
(Knights of Pendragon I#13) - Ben met with his editor, Justin, at Fortune Publishing in Camden, London, to discuss his next book. Ben planned to write about his experiences in the Orkney's and Joselito. He used Justin's office phone to call Kate and arrange to meet up with her later for a drink.
(Knights of Pendragon I#13 (fb) - BTS) - They arranged to meet at Kate's apartment that evening. Ben took a bottle of wine. They drank and chatted until 2.13 in the morning.
(Knights of Pendragon I#13) - Ben began to make excuses to leave, but Kate encouraged him to stay. He resisted at first, giving Kate the opportunity to get to know him better first, but Kate was insistent.
(Knights of Pendragon I#14 (fb) - BTS) - Ben began to have Pendragon dreams of Africa causing him to suspect the Bane were active again. He spoke of this to his fellow Pendragons. He, Kate and Union Jack decided to travel to Africa and investigate. As they traveled along the river Zaire by boat Ben's dreams became more intense as they neared a particular stretch of the river.
(Knights of Pendragon I#14 - BTS) - Ben heard Kate call out in the night.
(Knights of Pendragon I#14) - Ben entered Kate's sleeping quarters on the boat to check on her and found that she'd had a nightmare, a Pendragon dream like Ben's. She felt it confirmed the Bane's presence and furthermore their involvement in local poaching cartels. As they spoke, Union Jack appeared to check in on Kate too. Ben told him there was no problem, and Union Jack left. Kate picked up on an underlying tension between Ben and Union Jack. Ben commented that "anyone would think I stole his girl or something". Later, as the boat entered the black waters of the Lualaba, they sensed the Bane. They took a smaller boat to investigate, and soon found themselves engaging a group of poachers led by Robart. Some of the poachers, Robart included, made a break for it and Ben ordered Union Jack to get back to the boat so they could catch them. As they were getting into the boat they were approached by the Black Panther, Mr. Fantastic and the Invisible Woman. The Panther was upset about the kiboko, or hippo, killed by the poachers, and came close to attacking the Pendragons only to be restrained by Mr. Fantastic. Kate introduced herself, Ben and Union Jack to the new arrivals and explained that although they had arrived too late to prevent the massacre they had stopped it from escalating. They traveled on together in search of the poachers. Ben asked the Black Panther if the locals hunted the hippo for food. The Black Panther countered that the Wakandan's only hunted when food was needed and that they had a custom to pray and beg forgiveness from kiboko. They caught up to Robart and the poachers. Ben fought Robart on the deck of the poachers' boat, and was blasted overboard by Bane-fire for his troubles. Kate blasted the boat before Robart could escape again. Ben looked on jealously as Union Jack checked on Kate, who had nearly been run down by the boat in Robart's escape attempt. With assistance from Mr. Fantastic's empathic resonator, Ben interrogated one of the poachers. They were told that Robart shipped the ivory out abroad and that there was a market in Hong Kong at the House of Orchids which in turn supplied a man called McCinley in Australia. Mr. Fantastic and the Invisible Woman made their excuses and left the Pendragons to it, as Kate suggested they go to Australia. Union Jack, however, offered to go and investigate the House of Orchids with the Black Panther.
(Knights of Pendragon I#15 (fb) - BTS) - Ben and Kate made arrangements to meet Astra TV's owner, Les Buchanan in Australia.
(Knights of Pendragon I#15) - Les spoke of the myth of B'ngudja, the Akua tiger shark god. Ben pointed out that they were actually there to investigate the hippo ivory trade, at which point Les offered to take them to meet Brent McCinley at Port Jackson, Sydney.
(Knights of Pendragon I#15 (fb) - BTS) - Later, Ben and Kate split off from Les to go to get some food.
(Knights of Pendragon I#15) - Ben made a joke at Union Jack's expense, which Kate didn't appreciate. She accused him of giving both Union Jack and Les a hard time. Ben admitted to getting jealous and apologized. He asked if she was going to come with him to check out McCinley, but she left saying that she had plans to meet Les instead.
(Knights of Pendragon I#15 (fb) - BTS) - Ben snuck into McCinley's warehouse uninvited and started looking about the place.
(Knights of Pendragon I#15) - Ben found ivory in boxes marked with the "cape fresh" fruit logo. He was challenged by McCinley, and began quizzing him about the ivory, but McCinley was intent on leaving. He invited Ben to come with him, apparently to hunt a killer shark. Ben accompanied McCinley on his boat, where the trader admited he exchanged the ivory for sharkfin as part of a deal with the Tongs in Kowloon. Ben realized that McCinley was talking about the House of Orchids. McCinley boasted that he made a fat profit, and was endorsed by the coastguard for dealing with the local shark problems. He admitted, however, that very few sharks were really dangerous to humans. When Ben asked what was causing the shark problems, McCinley began to transform into a Bane-shark form calling himself B'ngudja. McCinley attacked Ben, severely wounding him, but came under attack from several real sharks. Ben managed to swim to safety.
(Knights of Pendragon I#16 (fb) - BTS) - Despite having suffered major severance trauma to the chest and abdominal cavity along with major limb damage, Ben made it back to McCinley's warehouse. Believing McCinley dead, Ben looked through the man's notes and uncovered details of a land owner near Cootamundra called Jenks who took a fair proportion of each Kiboko shipment.
(Knights of Pendragon I#16) - Kate arrived at the warehouse to find Ben mortally wounded but still conscious. He managed to tell her about McCinley and Jenks before McCinley burst in, worse for the wear after his fight with the sharks. He attacked, only to be finished off by Kate's Pendragon fire blast. Ben was taken away by an ambulance, and told Kate to leave him and go find Jenks.
(Knights of Pendragon I#17) - Ben found himself in what he took
to be a dream where he was greeted by a lady who greeted him as Perceval. He was
wearing old-fashioned Knights armor. Meanwhile, his
original physical form passed away at Sydney General Hospital in Southern
Australia.
(Knights of Pendragon I#17 - BTS) - Kate called the hospital to speak to Doctor Haig, who informed her of Ben's passing.
(Knights of Pendragon I#18 (fb) - BTS) - Ben was taken to Avalon where he met Adam Crown, who explained that all the Pendragons were being summoned. He was also reunited with Union Jack.
(Knights of Pendragon I#18) - Ben and Union Jack looked down at a massive army of Pendragons from the Green Chapel. Ben passed comment on Union Jack's armor being an improvement on his usual costume, prompting Chapman to make a joke about Kate. Ben started to lose his temper, but Union Jack apologized and said he had no intention of causing trouble between Ben and Kate. Ben thanked him, and just then they were approached by Adam Crown who said that all the Pendragons had arrived now and that things were about to begin. Adam was still trying to maintain a grip on reality, reminding himself that he wasn't King Arthur, though Ben teased him by saying that he was. Adam retorted by calling the older man "Perceval". They moved on to rally the forces, as sentries had reported Bane outriders entering the Avalon valley. Adam delivered a rousing speech to the Pendragon army before the Red Lord and his forces arrived. Ben and Union Jack charged on horseback into battle alongside Adam. Ben bravely told Joe to stay with him, joking that he would need a best man when the fight was over.
(Knights of Pendragon I#18 (fb) - BTS) - Their horses were felled but they fought on as best they could, Ben and Union Jack fighting back to back.
(Knights of Pendragon I#18) - Dolph appeared suddenly and impaled first Ben then Union Jack. Chapman swiftly decapitated Dolph with a sword before collapsing in agony.
(Knights of Pendragon I#18 - BTS) - Meanwhile, Adam Crown turned the tide of the battle by causing Grace to reject the Bane. She and all Bane she had turned reverted to normal, causing the Red Lord's army to dwindle dramatically.
(Knights of Pendragon I#18) - In the aftermath of the battle Ben
passed his grail to Union Jack, who drank of it and was healed of his wounds.
Ben, however, simply said "see ya mate" and passed away quietly. Union
Jack cradled his body in his arms and called out his name. Later, Union Jack and
Kate said their goodbyes to him.
(Knights of Pendragon II#1 (fb) - BTS) - After Ben's death Kate put her career on hold in order to concentrate on finishing Ben's book.
Comments: Created by Dan Abnett, John Tomlinson, Gary Erskine, Bambos Georgiou.
Ben is a very unique Pendragon, having apparently always had his intuition and interest in all things Arthurian long before gaining his full power. His healing ability was a unique ability amongst his contemporaries, though clearly Perceval (and most likely any other Pendragons sharing the same spirit) had the same power.
Knights of Pendragon I#10 refers to the building of the Channel Tunnel. Work that was supposedly due to take place six months after events in this issue was going to mean that the Kitsford Countless Stones would be demolished. This is now a topical reference, and one Dan Abnett seemed keen on making in the 90's. The Channel Tunnel development was part of his Punisher storyline Eurohit, which also featured a cameo from the Omni Corporation tower. With the sliding timescale, the Channel Tunnel would've been built many years prior to the Fantastic Four's space flight. Perhaps further work was done on the Tunnel in Marvel's "modern era".
Other topical references were made by Justin Meyer, to the writer Salman Rushdie and a carbonated candy called Space Dust that had allegedly been outlawed in the 1970's. Space Dust was more commonly known as Pop Rocks in America. Meyer himself, particularly in his second appearance, reminds me of the former Doctor Who producer John Nathan-Turner with his bearded look and loud shirts.
Ben presumably had a home in or around the London area not too far from the offices of Fortune Publishing in Camden or Kate McClellan's home.
I've not listed Astra TV's owner, Les Buchanan, as an affiliation or an enemy. They only met briefly for starters. Also Les appeared to only be helping for Kate's benefit, and Ben was jealous of the way Les was around Kate, so they weren't exactly on the best of terms. Admittedly Les seemed to be helping by taking Ben and Kate to Port Jackson to find McCinley. But when I consider that his flirtation with Kate then ended up with her making plans to socialize with Les instead of helping Ben investigate McCinley, I can't help wonder if Les was somehow involved in the Bane's plans. Ben's judgment was presumably impaired by his jealousy as he didn't wait around for Kate and ended up dead due to the injuries caused by McCinley, whereas Kate had been with him the whole time then perhaps Ben might've survived.
As he said in #13, Ben had intended to write about his recent experiences as a Pendragon. This is presumably the topic for the book that Kate McClellan later worked on finishing, as seen in volume two. Kate had apparently put her career on hold in order to finish this book, but she has been seen to be back to work in the more recent Revolutionary War: Knights of Pendragon. No mention was made, however, of Ben or his book in that story which focused on Kate, Dai Thomas, Albion and Union Jack. Adam Crown and Grace at least were able to appear on a variant cover for that issue.
Images by Markus Raymond
Profile by Changeling.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Ben Gallagher has no known connections to
Justin liked a confectionary called Space Dust which crackled in the mouth and had been been outlawed in the 1970's. Justin stashed a crate for special occasions.
Justin Meyer worked at Fortune Publishing from their offices in Camden, London. He was Ben's editor and worked with him on Flame in the West, which led to a great deal of trouble after the site where Ben's grail was hidden was scheduled to be built through. Despite this, Justin approved expenses for Ben when he went to the Hebrides, though he seemed equally concerned with finding some mints he'd lost. In a later meeting with Ben, who spoke about his recent adventures with the Pendragons, Justin ate some of his old Space Dust. He soon regretted it as it crackled away in his throat, but Ben seemed oblivious and went on to use Justin's office phone to call Kate while Justin frantically tried to get a drink to stop the crackling.
Justin was presumably a reasonably experienced editor. He clearly had a sweet tooth. He also seemed keen on plastic dinosaurs and the wearing of brightly colored summer clothes such as Hawaiian shirts and shorts.
--Knights of Pendragon I#7 (Knights of Pendragon#7, 13 (fb)
Dionne worked for Astra TV. Her boss was Kate McClellan. Dionne traveled to Craggansay Firth in the Orkney Islands to do a piece on the deaths of whales and dolphins. She was due to meet her cameraman, Nigel, but he left his gear on the train at Inverness. Recognizing Ben Gallagher as writer of a grail quest book, and seeing that he had a camera, she approached him to see if he would be willing to help her out. Ben agreed, and they managed to get some footage of a dead dolphin. While taking footage of a dolphin massacre, Dionne became too upset to record a commentary. Their boat was nearly capsized by the men responsible for the massacre. Later, while Ben and Dionne were trying to have a drink in a local pub, they were threatened by the men from the massacre who wanted the film from their camera. They managed to run free of the pub, but Ben became entranced in a Pendragon vision. Finding herself surrounded by the men, Dionne weilded a sword that Ben had found in an attempt to defend herself. She was struck on the back of the head with a mallet and collapsed. Ben came around and fought off the men and their leader, a man called Scarman, who had been possessed by one of the Bane. Sadly, Dionne never recovered from her head wound and passed away. As she passed away, Ben felt a sensation like being born as his Pendragon kicked in. He would later meet Kate McClellan to talk about what had happened.
--Knights of Pendragon#9 (Knights of Pendragon#9, 10(fb) - BTS)
images: (without ads)
Knights of Pendragon I#7, p3 (main image)
Knights of Pendragon I#9, p4, pan1 (Ben)
Knights of Pendragon I#11, p6, pan5 (Ben vs. the Bane)
Knights of Pendragon I#12, p7, pan3 (Ben throws Rowan)
Knights of Pendragon I#17, p7, pan3 (Ben in armour)
Knights of Pendragon I#18, p23, pan5 (Ben's grail)
Knights of Pendragon I#7, p4, pan3 (Justin)
Knights of Pendragon I#9, p4, pan4 (Dionne)
Appearances:
Knights of Pendragon I#7 (January 1991) - Dan Abnett and John Tomlinson
(writers), Gary Erskine (breakdowns), Kev Hopgood (finishes), Andy Lanning and
Bambos Georgiou (inks), Steve White (editor)
Knights of Pendragon I#9 (March 1991) - Dan Abnett and John Tomlinson
(writers), Gary Erskine (pencils), Bambos Georgiou (inks), Steve White (editor)
Knights of Pendragon I#10 (April 1991) - Dan Abnett and John Tomlinson
(writers), Gary Erskine (pencils), Bambos Georgiou (inks), Steve White (editor)
Knights of Pendragon I#11 (May 1991) - Dan Abnett and John Tomlinson
(writers), Gary Erskine (pencils), Bambos Georgiou (inks), Steve White (editor)
Knights of Pendragon I#12 (June 1991) - Dan Abnett and John Tomlinson
(writers), Gary Erskine (pencils), Bambos Georgiou (inks), Steve White ( editor)
Knights of Pendragon I#13 (July 1991) - Dan Abnett and John Tomlinson
(writers), Mike Collins (pencils), Steve Pini and Bambos Georgiou (inks), Steve White
( editor)
Knights of Pendragon I#14 (August 1991) - Dan Abnett and John Tomlinson
(writers), Gary Erskine (pencils), Bambos Georgiou (inks), Steve White ( editor)
Knights of Pendragon I#15 (September 1991) - Dan Abnett and John Tomlinson
(writers), Gary Erskine (pencils), Bambos Georgiou (inks), Steve White ( editor)
Knights of Pendragon I#16 (October 1991) - Dan Abnett and John Tomlinson
(writers), Gary Erskine (pencils), Bambos Georgiou (inks), Steve White ( editor)
Knights of Pendragon I#17 (November 1991) - Dan Abnett and John Tomlinson
(writers), Gary Erskine (pencils), Bambos Georgiou (inks), Steve White ( editor)
Knights of Pendragon I#18 (December 1991) - Dan Abnett and John Tomlinson
(writers), Gary Erskine (pencils), Bambos Georgiou (inks), Steve White ( editor)
Knights of Pendragon II#1 (July 1992) - Dan Abnett and John Tomlinson
(writers), Phil Gascoine (pencils), Adolfo Bylla (inks), Stuart Bartlett
(editor), Paul Neary
First Posted: 02/11/2017
Last updated: 02/11/2017
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
Non-Marvel Copyright info
All other characters mentioned or pictured are ™ and
© 1941-2099 Marvel Characters, Inc. All Rights Reserved. If you
like this stuff, you should check out the real thing!
Please visit The Marvel Official Site at: http://www.marvel.com
Special Thanks to www.g-mart.com for hosting the Appendix, Master List, etc.!
