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Betsy Braddock: Captain Britain #1 is a fun debut that shows off why the character is popular

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Betsy Braddock: Captain Britain #1

What happens to a hero whose country doesn’t want them? It sounds almost unfathomable to believe such a thing would happen to anyone who helped defend their nation. The thing is, that is exactly what happens to many Veterans when they come home. It is even worse for anyone of color who is a Veteran, as there are countless accounts of history which shows the deep rooted hate towards Black veterans who came home from wars, only to be reminded of how much worst it was back home.

I have had family members on both sides of my family who have told me about how they were treated as if they were not heroes. They told me how it made them question why they served in the first place. Which brings to question, how one defends someone or people who don’t even see you as a person, much less a revered warfighter?  In the debut issue of Betsy Braddock Captain Britain, we find Captain Britain coming back home to a nation who does not see her as a hero but a mutant menace.

We are taken to a tv show where Betsy is being interviewed , one which tries to besmirch her existence, but before they can make a mockery of her, she gets a psychic call from a member of the Captain Britain Corps .She gets called to Otherworld, with Askani, where they find a regiment of Furies, and demolish them, but something seems off, despite the victory. As her siblings try to figure out what happened, they realize that the Furies have been modified, as a new threat awaits. We soon find out that the recent rash of Mutant hate speak was riled by Morgan Le Fey, as she seeks to install a Captain Britain she can control. Betsy and Askani find out after a meeting with the Forgemaster of the Furies, that someone has manipulated the Furies into starting trouble with the Corps, which propels her to reach out to Pete Wisdom to find out exactly who it would be. By the issue’s end,  Betsy finally gets Morgan to reveal herself, but it may cost her more than she knows.

Overall, Betsy Braddock: Captain Britain #1 is a fun story that shows why everyone loves Betsy Braddock. The story by Howard is wonderful. The art by the creative team is gorgeous. Altogether, a story that shows off a different side of the X-Men’s world that has endured for decades.

Story: Tini Howard Art: Vasco Georgiev 
Colors: Erick Arcienega Letters: Ariana Maher
Story: 9.0 Art: 9.0 Overall: 9.0 Recommendation: Buy

Marvel Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: TFAW – Zeus Comics – comiXology/Kindle

Betsy Braddock: Captain Britain #1 is a love letter to the badass, queer psychic superhero that Tini Howard has nurtured for the past 3+ years

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Betsy Braddock: Captain Britain #1

Tini Howard has crafted a course-correcting (In the whole white woman in an Asian woman’s body situation), character defining arc for Betsy Braddock throughout Excalibur, X of Swords, and Knights of X so it’s fitting she gets her own multiverse-spanning solo title in Betsy Braddock: Captain Britain #1. This comic follows Braddock and her girlfriend Askani (Earth 811 Rachel Summers) as they protect the multiverse from the villainous Furies and also deal with the negative PR of a Krakoan mutant taking up the mantle of Captain Britain instead of the more John Bull-ish Brian Braddock. For the most part, Howard and artists Vasco Georgiev and Erick Arcienega balance the interpersonal shenanigans with the large scale fight scenes although the same can’t be said about Betsy Braddock, who is drawing up battle plans while making out in one particularly on-brand panel.

Although Excalibur and Knights of X were definitely Anglo-centric X-books with the latter featuring King Arthur, Mordred, and Merlin as supporting characters/antagonists, true to its title, Betsy Braddock: Captain Britain #1 is almost completely UK-centric whether that’s Earth-616 or an alternative Earth where a T. Rex is Captain Britain. Pete Wisdom, STRIKE, and most importantly, Faiza Hussain make appearances and join the book’s extended supporting cast as Betsy needs allies in both protecting the multiverse, keeping Otherworld peaceful, and figuring why a cannon fodder baddie like the Furies. (That Alan Davis design is timeless though.) Hussain’s sense of humor, connection to Arthurian lore, and perspective as a Pakistani-British woman in a story that is definitely using things like Otherworld and the mutant metaphor to explore bigotry and xenophobia in the United Kingdom are a huge asset to the book, and I grinned every time the former codename Excalibur appeared on-panel. (Or was quoted in a data page.) She also is a character to root for in a narrative that is quite complex drawing on Howard’s previous two X-Books plus classic Captain Britain comics.

Visually, Betsy Braddock: Captain Britain #1 is classic superhero dynamism with a pinch of bisexual lighting any time Betsy and Askani interact courtesy of colorist Arciniega. This softness goes away when Betsy and Askani visit the home realm of the Furies, which is lots of blacks and shadow in a soul-crushing, authoritarian way not a cool Goth or noir one. But Georgiev has solid action chops that he demonstrates in a pre-title fight scene where Betsy Braddock and Askani team-up with the aforementioned dinosaur Captain Britain, Britannic Rex. For example, his smaller inset panels showcase particularly cool moves or blows like when Askani uses her Phoenix powers to dispatch a Fury. The insets also come in handy for the flashes of humor in Betsy Braddock: Captain Britain #1 like British soldiers’ reaction to the manner in which Jamie Braddock helps transport the Braddock ancestral dwelling to its original spot. (Hint: it’s not a Uhaul.) Vasco Georgiev is also fantastic at crowd scenes giving each face (Or lack of one in the Furies’ case) a moment to react to the on or off panel action, which is a necessary skill for a book with such a large cast.

Betsy Braddock: Captain Britain #1 is a love letter to the badass, queer psychic superhero that Tini Howard has nurtured for the past 3+ years while also shows the strain that taking on the role of Captain Britain, protecting the multiverse, and dealing with Otherworld has taken on her. The comic is a meditation on burnout and being spread too thin, but with killer robots, evil plans, and shrinking Tory-friendly podcasters. Captain Britain #1 is definitely a more rewarding reading if you’ve been following Betsy’s journey throughout Excalibur and Knights of X, but has enough widescreen action (Thanks to Georgiev and Arciniega), smooching, and prestige television style backstabbing for new fans who are curious about the only side of the Marvel Universe that the Original Writer had a hand in shaping, or what’s the deal with the UK’s answer to Captain America.

Story: Tini Howard Art: Vasco Georgiev 
Colors: Erick Arcienega Letters: Ariana Maher
Story: 8.5 Art: 8.0 Overall: 8.3 Recommendation: Buy

Marvel Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: TFAW – Zeus Comics – comiXology/Kindle

Early Review: Betsy Braddock: Captain Britain #1 is a love letter to the badass, queer psychic superhero that Tini Howard has nurtured for the past 3+ years

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Betsy Braddock: Captain Britain #1

Tini Howard has crafted a course-correcting (In the whole white woman in an Asian woman’s body situation), character defining arc for Betsy Braddock throughout Excalibur, X of Swords, and Knights of X so it’s fitting she gets her own multiverse-spanning solo title in Betsy Braddock: Captain Britain #1. This comic follows Braddock and her girlfriend Askani (Earth 811 Rachel Summers) as they protect the multiverse from the villainous Furies and also deal with the negative PR of a Krakoan mutant taking up the mantle of Captain Britain instead of the more John Bull-ish Brian Braddock. For the most part, Howard and artists Vasco Georgiev and Erick Arcienega balance the interpersonal shenanigans with the large scale fight scenes although the same can’t be said about Betsy Braddock, who is drawing up battle plans while making out in one particularly on-brand panel.

Although Excalibur and Knights of X were definitely Anglo-centric X-books with the latter featuring King Arthur, Mordred, and Merlin as supporting characters/antagonists, true to its title, Betsy Braddock: Captain Britain #1 is almost completely UK-centric whether that’s Earth-616 or an alternative Earth where a T. Rex is Captain Britain. Pete Wisdom, STRIKE, and most importantly, Faiza Hussain make appearances and join the book’s extended supporting cast as Betsy needs allies in both protecting the multiverse, keeping Otherworld peaceful, and figuring why a cannon fodder baddie like the Furies. (That Alan Davis design is timeless though.) Hussain’s sense of humor, connection to Arthurian lore, and perspective as a Pakistani-British woman in a story that is definitely using things like Otherworld and the mutant metaphor to explore bigotry and xenophobia in the United Kingdom are a huge asset to the book, and I grinned every time the former codename Excalibur appeared on-panel. (Or was quoted in a data page.) She also is a character to root for in a narrative that is quite complex drawing on Howard’s previous two X-Books plus classic Captain Britain comics.

Visually, Betsy Braddock: Captain Britain #1 is classic superhero dynamism with a pinch of bisexual lighting any time Betsy and Askani interact courtesy of colorist Arciniega. This softness goes away when Betsy and Askani visit the home realm of the Furies, which is lots of blacks and shadow in a soul-crushing, authoritarian way not a cool Goth or noir one. But Georgiev has solid action chops that he demonstrates in a pre-title fight scene where Betsy Braddock and Askani team-up with the aforementioned dinosaur Captain Britain, Britannic Rex. For example, his smaller inset panels showcase particularly cool moves or blows like when Askani uses her Phoenix powers to dispatch a Fury. The insets also come in handy for the flashes of humor in Betsy Braddock: Captain Britain #1 like British soldiers’ reaction to the manner in which Jamie Braddock helps transport the Braddock ancestral dwelling to its original spot. (Hint: it’s not a Uhaul.) Vasco Georgiev is also fantastic at crowd scenes giving each face (Or lack of one in the Furies’ case) a moment to react to the on or off panel action, which is a necessary skill for a book with such a large cast.

Betsy Braddock: Captain Britain #1 is a love letter to the badass, queer psychic superhero that Tini Howard has nurtured for the past 3+ years while also shows the strain that taking on the role of Captain Britain, protecting the multiverse, and dealing with Otherworld has taken on her. The comic is a meditation on burnout and being spread too thin, but with killer robots, evil plans, and shrinking Tory-friendly podcasters. Captain Britain #1 is definitely a more rewarding reading if you’ve been following Betsy’s journey throughout Excalibur and Knights of X, but has enough widescreen action (Thanks to Georgiev and Arciniega), smooching, and prestige television style backstabbing for new fans who are curious about the only side of the Marvel Universe that the Original Writer had a hand in shaping, or what’s the deal with the UK’s answer to Captain America.

Story: Tini Howard Art: Vasco Georgiev 
Colors: Erick Arcienega Letters: Ariana Maher
Story: 8.5 Art: 8.0 Overall: 8.3 Recommendation: Buy

Marvel Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Pre-order: TFAW – Zeus Comics – comiXology/Kindle

Marvel Contest of Champions Reveals Captain Britain and Omega Sentinel in an All-New Trailer!

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The Contest continues as Kabam has premiered The Last Word, an all-new Champion Reveal Trailer for MARVEL Contest of Champions! The trailer teases two new Champions coming to the popular mobile fighter – Captain Britain & Omega Sentinel. Here is a quick look at what The Contest has in store this month:

The Grandmaster and Captain Britain bring the warring mutant factions of Krakoa, Clan Akkaba, and The Brotherhood of Mutants together for a tournament to decide who is worthy to lead all the mutants of The Battlerealm, but the arrival of a mutant-hunting foe threatens the very existence of all factions!

Elizabeth “Betsy” Braddock spent most of her adult life as the mutant Psylocke, fighting alongside the X-Men while her brother took on the mantle of Captain Britain. After years spent trapped in the body of the assassin Kwannon, Betsy was finally able to regain her original form just in time to take over the role of Captain Britain from her brother Brian Braddock. Using her mutant abilities to engage her opponents with telepathy, telekinesis, and potent psionic weapons, the new Captain Britain is a powerful force for good in the multiverse.

Omega Prime Sentinels are humans who have been augmented by Sentinel technology to become cyborg sleeper agents, only transforming into mutant killing machines when they detect one nearby. Karima Shapandar is one such Sentinel, having struggled for years between her human instincts to serve and protect, and the Sentinel protocols that would make her a killer. In the end, Karima’s Sentinel side overtook her humanity, and now as Omega Sentinel she serves as the ultimate Human-Sentinel-Hybrid hunting mutants and enforcing the will of Nimrod.

MARVEL Contest of Champions Captain Britain and Omega Sentinel

Both characters will arrive in the game in March!

Other MARVEL Contest of Champions updates, including bug fixes, balance updates, Prime Sentinel Reprogramming challenge, quests and more can be found HERE.

Review: Excalibur #13

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Excalibur #13

In Excalibur #13, the “X of Swords” event is back in fetch quest mode, but writer Tini Howard, artist R.B. Silva, and colorist Nolan Woodard bring not one, but two swords to the party along with a lot of Braddock family drama. There’s betrayals, reversals, and it’s a merry old time like an Errol Flynn film with interdimensional doppelgangers and energy blasts. The rivalry between Betsy Braddock and Brian Braddock for the mantle of Captain Britain takes center stage in this issue, and Howard connects the role the Sword of Might plays in selecting a Captain Britain (If you pick it instead of the amulet, you’re too angry and impetuous for the position.) to the story of “X of Swords”. She and Silva show that even with Krakoa/the universe threatened, there is still time for petty disputes and self-doubt.

Other than the two opening issues (X of Swords: Creation, X-Factor #4) and Hellions, most of the chapters of “X of Swords” have followed a formula of a mutant taking possession of a sword that they’ll used to fight the Arakko aka Apocalypse’s kids and having to give up something or learn something about themselves in the issue (Or two for Wolverine) about their quest. Tini Howard and R.B. Silva adhere to this formula, but throw in an Otherworld twist and connect their story to the Captain Britain mythos as well as Opal Saturnyne’s machinations.

Whether or not you’ll like this comic depends on how invested you are in the Braddock family dynamic as well as the Captain Britain mythos in general even though Howard’s data pages do a decent job providing adequate background information on both the Captain Britain Corps and how one becomes Captain Britain. (It’s all a basically riff on the classic choice between Excalibur and its scabbard, which could protect the bearer from all wounds in some of the Arthurian legends.)

As she has done throughout her run on Excalibur, Howard does a wonderful job nailing the bickering sibling dynamic between Brian, Betsy, and Jamie Braddock. Before they end up swinging swords at members of the new Captain Britain Corps and hatching plots against Opal Saturnyne, Betsy and Brian spar a bit about the mantle of Captain Britain. Howard gives Brian a dry wit, and he makes some zingers about Betsy not even living in the U.K. as well as if she even wants the mantle. Betsy fires back with his hesitance to draw a sword even in a good cause like protecting the Earth from Arakko, and Brian’s relationship with combat and swords is a big throughline in Excalibur.

Excalibur #13

As far as art, R.B. Silva’s action scenes lack a sense of flow, but his facial expressions, cartooning, and use of grids help drive home the dynamic between the Braddocks with Jamie Braddock as a chaotic Omega mutant monarch wild card. He also gets a bit of visual comedy out of Betsy’s strategy to get the Starlight Sword from Saturnyne.

Nolan Woodard uses a pretty intense color palette whenever Betsy Braddock goes into action with her big-ass sword and contributes to the mystical vibe of everything. He also adds some interesting touches that make a Excalibur #13 richer storylike using a glowing, almost whiter-than-white color tone for Saturnyne that symbolizes that she is kind of above it all. Add Tini Howard’s foreboding narration for Betsy, and just like Ed Brisson and Rod Reis did with Douglas Ramsey in New Mutants #13, there’s a feeling that she might not make it out of the tournament despite her considerable skills.

I’m definitely on the fence as far as my opinion of Excalibur #13. It’s not my favorite issue of “X of Swords”, but it’s considerably better than, say Wolverine #6 and X-Force #13. Some highlights are Tini Howard and R.B. Silva’s portrayal of the relationship between Betsy, Brian, and Jamie Braddock as well as the legacy of the Captain Britain Corps, and Nolan Woodard’s heavy metal color palette. Some not-so-great parts are the battle between the Braddocks and the Excalibur doppelgangers even though the character designs are quite fun. It has all the trappings of a “mandatory fight scene”, and I felt less emotionally connected to it than when Betsy and Brian almost came to blows. With their deep personal connection to Otherworld, I’m interested to see how Captain Britain (Betsy Braddock) and the newly-minted Captain Avalon (Brian Braddock) fare in the “tournament” part of “X of Swords”.

Story: Tini Howard Art: RB Silva
Colors: Nolan Woodard Letters: Ariana Maher
Story: 7.8 Art: 7.2 Overall: 7.5 Recommendation: Read

Marvel Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: comiXology – Kindle – Zeus Comics