Friday, January 20, 2023

Betsy Braddock: Captain Britain #1 Preview

Betsy Braddock: Captain Britian #1
Writer:
Tini Howard
Art by: Vasco Georgiev
Cover by: Erica D'Urso

The Story: The Captain Comes Home! And she’s got a whole new mission! With Otherworld settled, Braddock Manor restored, and her brother Captain Avalon at her side, you’d think things look pretty good for Betsy Braddock. Only it turns out, good ole Britain doesn’t want her back. No one wants a mutant menace carrying the shield of Captain Britain, and Betsy’s made more than a few enemies along her way. Quest-less and country-less, Betsy must define a role for herself. A fresh take on a beloved character, don’t miss the latest Tini Howard extravaganza and fan-favorite artist Vasco Georgiev’s Marvel debut!

In Stores: February 22, 2023

Thursday, January 19, 2023

X-Solicits for April 2023

Betsy Braddock: Captain Britain #3
Tini Howard (W) • Vasco Georgiev (A)
Cover by: Erica D'Urso
Variant Cover by: AKA
The Forgemaster Federal is the Captain Britain we Deserve!
He's here to right wrongs, defend the innocent and — oh wait, Morgan Le Fay put him in power? So much for the campaign slogans. Betsy Braddock is down for the count, Rachel Summers is iced out and the most powerful witch in history is about to take the entire kingdom for herself. Britain needs true allies — but they may have to come from foreign lands…

Storm & The Brotherhood of Mutants #3 (of 3)
Al Ewing (W) • Alessandro Vitti (A)
Cover by: Leinil Francis Yu
Variant Cover by: Sway
Connecting Variant Cover by: TBA
The Last Stand!
One thousand years in the future, the Empire of the Red Diamond has located Fortress Arakko – the burning Last Castle at the heart of the Storm System! The only hope for the universe lies in bringing a long-lost legend back to life… Ororo of the Storm returns to the Sinister Age for the final battle!

Immoral X-Men #3 (of 3)
Kieron Gillen (W) • Alessandro Vitti (A)
Cover by: Leinil Francis Yu
Variant Cover by: Derrick Chew
Connecting Variant Cover by: TBA
The Experiment Ends?
Year 1 was the start of the experiment. By Year 10, it was filling a petri dish. By Year 100, it had cracked the glass and spread across the desk. Now it's been 1000 years, and the lab is filled by the writhing, pulsing sins of sinister and all the lab staff have been devoured. Everyone is in hell. The upside: this includes Sinister.

Nightcrawlers #3 (of 3)
Si Spurrier (W) • Alessandro Vitti (A)
Cover by: Leinil Francis Yu
Variant Cover by: Philip Tan
Connecting Variant Cover by: TBA
Listen to Mother!
Now that we know who she truly is, it's time to taste the horrific ambitions lurking in the heart of MOTHER RIGHTEOUS... The galaxy burns... The pieces are in place... The Storm System rages... The NIGHTKIN make a last, lethal leap...and the GREAT DEVOURER hungers only for vengeance. The experiment is over. The cosmic laboratory is on fire. At last, the Sinister Galaxy will feel the wrath of one seriously baaaad mother...

Sins of Sinister: Dominion #1
Kieron Gillen (W) • Lucas Werneck & Paco Medina (A)
Cover by: Leinil Francis Yu
Stormbreakers Variant Cover by: Jan Bazaldua
Variant Cover by: Pepe Larra
Variant Cover by: TBA
Timeless Apocalypse Virgin Variant Cover by: Alex Ross
Timeless Apocalypse Virgin Sketch Variant Cover by: Alex Ross
Seven Trillion Deadly Sins!
A thousand years of hell and damnation comes to end with the loudest scream in history and for the truly guilty, there is no escape. Can the future change the present, or will we just make all the same mistakes again? Either way, the present will have to live with the future's sins.

X-Men #21
Gerry Duggan (W) • Stefano Caselli (A)
Cover by: Juan Frigeri
Trading Card Variant Cover by: Giuseppe Camuncoli
Stormbreakers Variant Cover by: Nic Klein
Variant Cover by: TBA
Variant Cover by: Skottie Young
Lord of the Brood – The Conclusion!
Why have the Brood gone mad? Which of the X-Men's past deeds is coming back to haunt them? And are bloodthirsty alien monsters even the biggest threat the team is currently facing? All these answers and more will be revealed! Featuring a connecting cover to Captain Marvel #48!

X-Terminators #5 Preview

X-Terminators #5
Writer:
Leah Williams
Art by: Carlos Gomez
Cover by: Federico Vicentini

The Story: The Final Beat Down!
These X-Ladies have been through one HELL of a night…and it's not over yet. They might have managed to escape the trouble that found them…but that trouble hasn't escaped them! It's time to make these suckers regret they ever crossed their paths!

In Stores: January 25, 2023


Monday, January 16, 2023

X-Men Monday #187 – Tini Howard Talks ‘Betsy Braddock: Captain Britain’


Tini Howard shares what readers may expect from Betsy as she enters the next phase of her journey as Captain Britain. Unfortunately, nothing new or interesting was said.

AIPT: It’s been a minute since the conclusion of Knights of X — in which a lot happened. Where would you say Betsy’s head is at going into Betsy Braddock: Captain Britain #1?

Tini: For Betsy, her head is with her body, in the U.K. If you’ve been reading along, you know that’s a bit of a difference from where we’ve been in Excalibur and Knights of X. Captain Britain’s been dodging Britain ever since anti-mutant sentiment in the U.K. government caused them to back out of the Krakoan agreement.

But how long can you run from the source of your power? How long can you turn away from people who might need you and believe in you? And certainly, I don’t think you can turn away like that in your first solo title as the Captain herself. She’s coming back with something to prove to a country that isn’t sure about her getting the job.

AIPT: A two-part question about writing Betsy. First, Excalibur #1 was released October 30, 2019. That means you’ve had the privilege of writing the same character for roughly 4 years — a rarity in modern comics. What is it about writing Ms. Braddock that doesn’t get old for you?

Tini: It really is something. I think everyone wants to have a run on a character like that, especially one they love and have gotten to make a mark on the way I have with Betsy. Beyond grateful for that.

I think what doesn’t get old for me is that we’ve seen so little of her like this. Her in her own body, inside her own mind, in charge of her own life. I think we’ve gotten to give her a cause and a drive and a job, and it just all feels like fresh territory all of the time for Betsy.

AIPT: Second, you clearly had a sense of who Betsy Braddock was going into Excalibur. Having written her across three series, has your appreciation for the character changed in any ways?

Tini: Oh yeah, absolutely. For example, Betsy (and I, as the person who had to write it) had some cautious nerves about the relationship with Kwannon, about which she had no small amount of guilt. So when I went to write that story, for example, it was after X of Swords and after her first few arcs as Captain Britain — and it was a real low moment for her, after being shattered by Saturnyne and the Corps returning without her.

It felt really good to wait to tell that story, to define Betsy as a whole real woman outside of her guilt so that the story wasn’t just something to ‘get out of the way’ and ‘move on’ about. It had to mean something to Betsy and Kwannon, and Betsy had to have a chance to stumble at it. It had to feel complicated and messy so that it could be real.

Also, it was great to have writers like Bryan Hill and Zeb Wells writing Kwannon as well, so that when I wrote a story about them coming together, it felt like fully realized women having a conversation, and not just… narrative fix-it-ing.

That’s part of your question about time, too, I guess — that’s a gift of having got to write her for so long. I mean, we’ve just given her a public girlfriend for the first time too, that’s a whole new level of appreciation for writing her that’s new to me.

AIPT: And Betsy’s relationship with Rachel Summers is set to play a key role in Betsy Braddock: Captain Britain. Going back several years, what was it about Betsy and Rachel that made you think they’d be even better together?

Tini: Segue! So, there are definitely a lot of great examples in the text of them being there for each other and looking hot together, like any of the Great Ships, but most of it came about just naturally during the Krakoan era. I’d considered using Rachel in Excalibur from the beginning but she was first a big player in Jon Hickman’s X-Men book and then Leah Williams’ X-Factor.

I have to credit Leah with part of this, because as two queer women writing these characters, so much of the relationship came about from story planning, from being queer women and writing these characters who — for a lot of reasons (Rachel’s stories with Kitty, Betsy’s affair with Cluster) were adopted by fans as being into women.

I’m sure there are Discord conversations far enough back where Leah and I found the core of that relationship together, where I feel like we brought it up at the same time that they would be great together, and there was definitely a time where we were writing toward it together, what with Amazing Baby and all, and I want to give her credit there.

Anyway, to your original question — I don’t want to say too much because there is some good relationship juice in the story, but I’ve been really into the ethics of privacy when you and your girlfriend are both very powerful psychics, haha.

AIPT: Very juicy. The other major character in Betsy’s life is her brother Brian. What role will the former Captain Britain play in the current Captain Britain’s life moving forward?

Tini: Brian has two roles currently — he’s still Captain Avalon, but the role is a little different right now. The Kingdom of Avalon is ruled by a wounded King Arthur who is healing more than just his body — he’s healing his relationship with his son, Mordred. So Captain Avalon is sort of making sure that he doesn’t get a 911 (sorry, 999) call from the Kingdom.

And he’s also enjoying life with his family, running the house at Braddock Manor, being with his wife and daughter. We’ll see him in the lab again, we’ll see some of old school scientist Brian — I love that nerd.

AIPT: In Betsy Braddock: Captain Britain preview art, we see Betsy and Micromax on television, giving Betsy a chance to flex her PR muscles. Beyond superheroing, what other sides of Captain Britain might we see explored in this series?

Tini: Definitely her as a PR person, her as a girlfriend, a negotiator, a delegator of responsibilities, an auntie and sister, and a friend. She’s got some great scenes I love with some of my favorite Marvel heroes — folks you won’t see a lot of on Krakoa, I’ll say that much.

AIPT: We know that on the superhero side, we can look forward to a Captain Carter team-up in Betsy Braddock: Captain Britain #2. Any other future Captain Britain adventures you can tease?

Tini: See above! There are some great cameos in this book, and it all builds to a really satisfying position for Captain Britain in the Marvel Universe at the end of this book.

AIPT: The modern Captain Britain has been illustrated by some very talented artists in the Krakoan era. How has it been collaborating with Vasco Georgiev on this series?

Tini: He’s great — I’d seen his work before and I was a big fan. I wanted someone with a classic superhero-y feel, and there’s something really bright, a real Alan Davis feel to his work. And we’re back again with Erick Arciniega, who’s been our colorist since the beginning, which is SUCH a cool way to visually link the stories, and I’ve been grateful to have him from the jump.

Sunday, January 15, 2023

CBR: 10 Marvel Comics That Need An Overhaul In 2023

CBR: Marvel spent 2022 at the top of the sales charts, but that doesn't mean everything is perfect. Sales don't equal quality and not every book is good. Many Marvel books can definitely use some work, even the ones that have traditionally been very good. These Marvel comics have fallen from grace, and while they still boast the same level creatively, they could use a reset.

#6. Captain Britain Hasn't Even Started Yet But Marvel Needs To Think About Switching Things Up

Betsy Braddock has gone through many costumed identities. She's currently Captain Britain, and has starred in Excalibur and Knights of X. She's finally getting her own solo series, but there's a problem with that. Since the beginning of the Krakoa Era, writer Tini Howard has been writing Betsy's adventures.

Howard's track record as an X-writer hasn't been stellar, and she helped create the worst book of the Krakoa Era, X-Corp. Captain Britain is Elizabeth Braddock's first solo series, becoming only the third solo series of the Krakoa Era. Marvel needs to evaluate all their resources and see what's needed to give Captain Britain the best chance possible.

Thursday, January 12, 2023

Sunday, January 1, 2023

Recap 2022 • Captain Britain

Recap 2022  This was a year that Betsy Braddock fans will not miss. Our Captain Britain had only 5 full comic book appearances in the entire year, which is unheard of for character that was once so popular and beloved. Tini Howard has written yet another chapter in her Otherworld saga that ultimately saw Betsy Braddock's popularity wane even further. Knights of X, which had been conceived as an ongoing book, ended up canceled after 5 issues with low sales and mixed reception from fans and critics alike. Howard continued her tendency to write Betsy as if she were a brand new character while ignoring the last 30 years of characterization and developments with her preference for a "struggling" Betsy prevailing. Meanwhile, the character became increasingly isolated from the main X-Men line and ignored in other major events like Inferno, the second Hellfire Gala and Judgment Day. Perhaps as a consolation prize, we saw the debut of Agent Lizzie Braddock, an alternate version much more in line with the Betsy we know and love, written as a competent hero for a change by the brilliant Jamie McKelvie. Refresh your memories and talk about your favorite stories, writers, artists, quotes, etc. Happy New Year!

JANUARY


X-Men Unlimited Infinity Comic #18
• Paradise Lost, Chapter 6: Kinda Nice to Merit
[Behind the Scenes] Betsy resists against a biotoxic and psionic assault which rendered all mutants on the island of Krakoa inert.


Uncanny X-Men #9
• Paradise Lost, Chapter 8: The Stupidest Plan Ever
Betsy Braddock, Charles Xavier and Kwannon are the only mutants awake in Kwannon following the Human Adaptoid's attack.


MARCH


Captain Carter #1
• Chapter 1
[Alternate] Agent Lizzie Braddock is paired with super soldier Captain Carter as a liaison between her and S.T.R.I.K.E.


Life of Wolverine Infinity Comic #9
• Chapter 9: A Better Path
[Flashback] Recap of the "Fall of the Mutants" event.


Dark Ages #6
• Chapter 6
[Alternate] Psylocke is mind-controlled by the Purple Man to fight Deadpool. She's ultimately released.


APRIL


Captain Carter #2
• Chapter 2
[Alternate] Agent Lizzie Braddock and Captain Carter manage to foil a smuggling operation and apprehend the criminal leader Georges Batroc.


X-Men '92: House of XCII #1
• Chapter 1
[Alternate] Psylocke meets human ambassadors from all over the world to explain what Krakoan medicines and technology are capable of. 


Knights of X #1
• Part One: Hated and Feared
After months leading the Corps and rescuing mutants in Otherworld, Betsy returns to Krakoa to gather the Knights of X and accept Roma's quest to find the Siege Perilous.


MAY


Captain Carter #3
• Chapter 3
[Alternate] Agent Lizzie Braddock thwarts an assassination attempt on her and goes into hiding while growing suspicious of her fellow S.T.R.I.K.E. agents.


Knights of X #2
• Part Two: Never Split the Party
Captain Britain takes Rictor, Shatterstar and Mordred to Blightspoke to investigate the source of the blightswill liquor and the whereabouts of Sheriff Whitechapel.


JUNE


X-Men '92: House of XCII #2
• Chapter 2
[Alternate] Psylocke joins the newest iteration of Krakoa's X-Force.


Knights of X #3
• Part Three: Kill Your Darlings
Captain Britain and her team make their way to Sevalith and reach Death to learn more about the kingdom of Mercator. They later face Merlyn in the Crooket Market.


JULY


Captain Carter #4
• Chapter 4
[AlternateAgent Lizzie Braddock and Harley Davis uncover the vampire conspiracy behind the Prime Minister’s fabricated life.


Knights of X #4
• Part Four: The Seat Of The Self
Captain Britain enters Mercator, which is the Siege Perilous itself, and sees the Captain Britain Corps blaming her for her failures. She then reunites with Rachel and kisses her.


AUGUST


X-Men '92: House of XCII #3
• Chapter 3
[Alternate] Psylocke joins the Swordbearers of Krakoa in a contest against the champions of Polemachus for the fate of Arakko.


Captain Carter #5
• Chapter 5
[Alternate] Agent Lizzie Braddock reveals she is a mutants, defeats other S.T.R.I.K.E. agents and frees Captain Carter from prison. She is then promoted to Deputy Director General.


X-Men '92: House of XCII #4
• Chapter 4
[Alternate] Psylocke attends the Hellfire Gala.


Knights of X #5
• Part Five: Fort Krakoa
Captain Britain defeats and ultimately kills Merlyn with the aid of the Knights of X and the X-Men ending the battle once and for all.


SEPTEMBER


X-Men '92: House of XCII #5
• Chapter 5
[AlternatePsylocke joins the X-Men in the final battle against Nimrod and Orchis.


DECEMBER


X-Treme X-Men #1
• The Ghost That Just Won't Die!
[HallucinationKitty Pryde has a nightmare about all her X-Men friends dead.


X-Terminators #4
• This Book is Your Favorite Book Now, isn't it? Be Honest
Captain Britain leads the Knights of X in a baseball match against the New Mutants in Krakoa.