Trained to be an assassin since birth, Kwannon chose to be an X-Man. But there are still some jobs too dirty for the X-Men. And some paths have to be walked alone. When the mission is brutal, Psylocke unsheathes her blades to punish those who prey on mutants. Exploding out of the pages of X-Men, Psylocke heads into the underbelly of the Marvel Universe, carving out her own place in a world that would rather see her under control! Psylocke #1 explores the tortured past of the character while delivering some kick-ass violence.

Written by Alyssa Wong, Psylocke #1 sets the character off on her own path for a bit, breaking her away from the current X-Men team for her own mission. With a bit of help, she’s been helping those in need for a bit of cash, or outright just kicking ass. This debut issue has her investigating A.I.M. and a claim they’ve made even more powerful Mutant Growth Hormone.

And that’s where the comic seems to really succeed. Wong does an excellent job of making Psylocke #1 both one for long time fans as well as easy to dive in for new readers. It builds off of what has come before as well as exploring the character’s complicated past.

All of the convoluted stuff with Betsy Braddock is generally to the side, and instead Wong focuses on Psylocke’s upbringing by the Hand and her training to become a killer. She questions if that’s all she is and can be and if there’s anything else. You get the sense that she’s sad and conflicted because she’s very good at what she does.

The art by Vincenzo Carratù is pretty solid. With color by Fer Sifuentes-Sujo and lettering by Ariana Maher, the comic is of course drenched in purple while depicting the assassin looking sexy, but not objectified, and bouncing around to kick some ass. She’s shown as strong and vulnerable in the visuals and you get a solid sense of the emotional rollercoaster she’s going through with her facial expressions and body language. The tragedy is all there visually.

Psylocke #1 is an entertaining debut. It delivers action as well as soaks in the drama. But, what’s most impressive is it takes a character whose past is so complicated and makes the issue one anyone can dive into by focusing in on what matters.

Story: Alyssa Wong Art: Vincenzo Carratù
Color: Fer Sifuentes-Sujo Letterer: Ariana Maher
Story: 7.75 Art: 7.75 Overall: 7.75 Recommendation: Read

Marvel provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

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Purchase: Zeus Comics – Kindle