Betsy Braddock: Captain Britain #4 Preview

Betsy Braddock: Captain Britain #4

Writer: Tini Howard

Art by: Vasco Georgiev

Cover by: Erica D'urso

The Story: Betsy Braddock thought she had enough fury to deal with as Morgan Le Fay brings the Forgemaster Federal and his armies to the UK. But when Britain remains unbowed, Morgan reaches for the big gun, in the form of Doom! Will Morgan’s ally of the past help her build the Avalon of her demented dreams? Or does Doctor Doom have a plan of his own up his iron sleeves?

In Stores: May 31, 2023

April 2023 Sales Ranking: "Captain Britain" Disappoints

"Betsy Braddock: Captain Britain #3" landed at #150 in the sales ranking for April. At this point, there's not much else to say - the comic not only failed to attract new readers, but also lost readers from "Knights of X". What should have served as a jumping-off point ended up backfiring, further proving the lack of interest in the direction taken by Tini Howard. Clearly, the comic book was not extended for a second arc as Howard had hoped. Now, we'll keep an eye out to see what the future holds for Betsy Braddock.

Betsy Braddock: Captain Britain #4 Variant Cover by Davi Go

Betsy Braddock: Captain Britain #3 Art

Betsy Braddock: Captain Britain #3 Spoilers

Spoilers: At Braddock Manor, Betsy and Rachel decide to babysit Maggie while Brian and Meggan go out to see a musical at the theater. Rachel exhausts herself trying to track down Morgan Le Fay, and Betsy turns to the Captain Britain Corps, but neither of them knows where Morgan is.

Brian and Meggan are attacked by a Fury who proclaims itself Captain Britain, and its mission is clear: apprehend Brian Braddock. While Brian fights the Fury, Meggan protects the civilians. Betsy sneaks up and plants a psychic illusion on the Fury, making it believe it defeated Brian. Betsy thanks Brian and Meggan for their help but decides she needs to seek different kind of assistance. Betsy carries injured civilians to a pub, where she meets Pete Wisdom and Faiza Hussein, who heals the wounded. Rachel meets up with Betsy, who asks her not to interrupt her. Betsy apologizes for snapping and wonders if she made a mistake cutting ties with Saturnyne, as she would know what to do. Rachel has an immature outburst of jealousy. Betsy gets tired of the argument, asks Pete and S.T.R.I.K.E. to redouble their efforts and leaves.

At the Akkaba Coven HQ, Morgan Le Fay scolds both Reuben and the Fury for their failure. Morgan explains she wants the power of the Starlight Citadel embedded in Betsy's sword. She doesn't care about the British people, she just wants the magic of the land. This scares Reuben.

At night, a gorgeous Betsy dresses up in a stunning dress and makes peace with Rachel. She explains she's going to seek information from an ally. At the same time, Morgan Le Fay seeks the help of another old accomplice. Betsy meets with Tony Stark and asks for his and the Avengers' help, while Morgan Le Fay recruits the help of Dr. Doom.

Betsy Braddock: Captain Britain #3 Preview

Betsy Braddock: Captain Britain #3

Writer: Tini Howard

Art by: Vasco Giorgiev

Cover by: Erica D'Urso

The Story: 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…

In Stores: April 26, 2023

"Betsy Braddock: Captain Britain" Seemingly Cancelled; Fall of X Launches in August

The solicitations for July have been released and, unsurprisingly, "Betsy Braddock: Captain Britain" is missing. This shouldn't come as a shock to anyone at this point, given the abysmal sales and lack of reader interest. This direction and particular writer had already failed in the second relaunch, so obviously a third relaunch of the same story would have the same embarassing outcome.

Now, "Fall of X" is an upcoming relaunch of the X-Men line in August 2023. As far as we know, Betsy is not part of the roster of any of the new books. We'll keep an eye out for the next announcements and hope that she makes some appearance until we have more concrete news.

X-Men: Following the Hellfire Gala, the title will see a cast shakeup with new additions such as the winner of this year’s X-Men fan vote and Shadowkat.

Iceman: As the X-Men recover from a brutal defeat, one member will strike out on their own as Earth’s new protector!

Children of the Vault: Former enemies become brother-in-arms as Cable and Bishop team-up to fight this crucial war against the Children of the Vault all on their own!

Immortal X-Men: Witness the X-Men’s founder at his lowest. Xavier had a dream. Now he has nothing. He fell. He fell furthest.

 

X-Men Red: As the Brotherhood reels from the cataclysmic events of the Hellfire Gala, Genesis takes advantage of the chaos — and declares war!

Alpha Flight: In the ensuing chaos, a beloved Marvel Super Hero team rises once more! Alpha Flight will reassemble to navigate the dark times that have befallen mutantkind.

Dark X-Men: As the X-Men struggle to pull themselves together after their shattering defeat, Madelyne Pryor takes charge with her own twisted team in Dark X-Men!

Uncanny Avengers: Innocent people and world leaders are dead after simultaneous attacks on the U.S. and Krakoan governments, and that means one thing: it's time for a new squad of Avengers.

X-Force: New team leader Colossus is on the frontlines with the squad…but where he leads them, you will never expect!

Realm of X: This new age won’t be limited to Earth, as a small band of mutantkind’s fiercest warriors are sent on a mystical mission across the Ten Realms in Realm of X!

Wolverine: The dire circumstances of Fall of X send Logan on the run and into a collison course with Ghost Rider!

Uncanny Spider-Man: As the X-Men are crushed under the weight of this new age, one among them will "BAMF" his way into bright Super Hero stardom! Kurt Wagner is the Uncanny Spider-Man!

March 2023 Sales Ranking: "Captain Britain" Crashes and Burns (Update)

Captain Britain #2 continued its free fall as it plummeted from a #87 debut to the number #184 spot. While Captain Britain #2 was released on March 29, a number 184 ranking is so awful that even if it was released earlier in March its sales ranking still would have been outside of the Top 100. Meanwhile, Captain Britain #1 sold a few more copies to secure a #178 position in the ranking.

Comic Book Revolution: Betsy Braddock: Captain Britain #2 dropped like a shot duck falling from the number 87 spot all the way down to the number 184 spot. Now, given the terrible debut number I did expect this title to drop out of the Top 100 with the second issue. However, I did not expect to see this title almost drop out of the Top 200 altogether with just the second issue. Now Betsy Braddock: Captain Britain #2 did ship in the last week of March 2023. However, by barely making the Top 200 there was no way this issue was going to be in the Top 100 no matter when it shipped in March.

Again, I expected Betsy Braddock: Captain Britain to crash and burn in spectacular fashion. This is a mantle swap character that has failed to catch on with any of Marvel Comics’ readers. It is also a Tini Howard-written comic and she has never had any sales success on anything she has done. It is surprising how Howard continues to get work from Marvel and DC. It is definitely a case of failing upward.

Based on historical numbers from the Comichron as well as projections through April 2022, titles outside of the Top 100 are usually selling under the 18,000 unit sales mark. Tini Howard has set a new record with an absolute mind-shattering four dead titles walking in March 2023! Those titles included Betsy Braddock: Captain Britain, Punchline: The Gotham Game, Catwoman, and Harley Quinn. I am completely flabbergasted. I never thought I would see this many dead titles walking by a single writer in one month!

Captain Britain by Olivier Coipel

A Word & Teaser from Tini Howard

Tini Howard: I think we got into and out of Betsy Braddock: Captain Britian #2 pretty cleverly. Recommending, of course, if you haven’t read Jamie McKelvie and Marika Cresta’s Captain Carter miniseries, let this be what convinces you. That series forged such a fun connection between Peggy and Betsy, I couldn’t help myself but to go back to it. It’s just not Captain Britain without a visit to an alternate self. And they can’t all be as capable and sexy as Brittannica Rex and QE III - some of them need saving. 

For the fans, a little teaser from #3.

Note: Needless to say, Lizzie Braddock, as written by Jamie McKelvie, is capable and the one who does the saving. Unfortunately, not all authors can write their titular characters this well. ;)