PSYLOCKE | CAPTAIN BRITAIN // like a butterfly: X-Men: Legacy #236 Art

Friday, May 21, 2010

X-Men: Legacy #236 Art

49 comments:

Anonymous said...: haha Betsy flies.; May 21, 2010 at 2:52 PM
Psychilde said...: lol Betsy has no face; May 21, 2010 at 2:59 PM
SoulTapestry said...: I'm confused as to why Warren is carrying her in one panel... Did she just decide she needed a rest? LOL. #LAME.

I'm glad they've got her airborne again; since, they made a big deal about it when she first became a flier - piloting flashback,etc.; May 21, 2010 at 4:05 PM
Anonymous said...: She loves to be in Warren's arms. You know it.; May 21, 2010 at 4:11 PM
Anonymous said...: inasmuch as a flying telekinetic makes sense, it really doesn't suit her. She's gone all Phoenix / Dragonball Z in that one panel.; May 21, 2010 at 5:13 PM
Anonymous said...: She's spoiled. Why waste her own power and energy when she can get someone to fly for her. haha gotta love that Betsy.; May 21, 2010 at 5:33 PM
Francis said...: flying betsy's back!; May 21, 2010 at 7:00 PM
J J said...: I'm so glad she's finally shown flying again. Wahoo!
I don't get why someone would say it "doesn't suit her". She loves the idea of flying & it's been written a couple times that she LOVES it.
Therefore... it completely suits her.
It may not fit *your* idea of a ninja/mutant/whatever. But she loves it. So, period.
& the butterfly yay! Land is terrible but at least this was Carey written.; May 21, 2010 at 8:31 PM
centurion said...: @J J - Definitely. She needs to explore other facets of her telekinetic abilities to evolve as a character. In the New Exiles, flying was unusual for Betsy, but it was a cool ability in her repertoire of skills.; May 21, 2010 at 10:05 PM
SoulTapestry said...: Haha. I LOVE everyone's rationale as to why Warren was carrying her. I accept them all as valid possibilities. Hehe.; May 21, 2010 at 11:21 PM
Anonymous said...: Okay, where is Pixie in all this? She's a teleporter who is not dead, so shouldn't she be pitching in around camp?

Flying doesn't suit Psylocke, I agree. But flying in the 'Superman' sense is what doesn't suit her in my opinion. Not that she can't, but maybe that's why Land drew her in Angel's arms, the way some other guy drew her in Angel's arms in one of the first issues following sisterhood. (It was that one where they were all Olde English.) Flying in the superman sense looks better on her with the glowing eyes and butterfly effect, so that doesn't seem too misplaced.

When are the New Mutants bringing Illyana back to tear it up?; May 22, 2010 at 2:34 AM
Anonymous said...: Pixie is Limbo right now.; May 22, 2010 at 3:46 AM
sublimeclown said...: Wait, is she definitely flying? Just looks like she's leaning out of Angel's arms to me.; May 22, 2010 at 7:12 PM
Anonymous said...: as much as I find it off for her, she's definitely flying in the 1st and 3rd scanned pages.

I much prefer the way her powers were depicted in her mini-series. Power blows, fields, some levitation, but no superman flying.

The way she's depicted here makes her seem like a 2nd rate Jean Grey, when she's already shone as a ferocious and creative warrior in her own book.

But that's just my opinion.; May 22, 2010 at 7:53 PM
Anonymous said...: i don't think she's flying in these. in one shot she's just projecting her powerful tk to hit the dome they're trapped in. in the other it's just land being lazy and drawing half of her but i think it's implied that archangel is still flying her out there. i wouldn't take anything land draws as literal as a real artist. however, she looks really powerful so i like this issue. i love her powers.

unrelated but for all the debates about her race she never looks asian at all! she looks exactly like land made her when she was british.; May 23, 2010 at 5:55 AM
SoulTapestry said...: Please reference the last panel. She's levitating right in front of Warren... BOOM!; May 23, 2010 at 6:05 AM
SoulTapestry said...: Er... I meant the last page (FIRST panel). Anyhow, there she is... airborne.; May 23, 2010 at 6:07 AM
Anonymous said...: She definitely appears to be levitating in these panels, especially the first panel on the third page. And, one could assume that if she's able to lift/levitate X-23 (in X-Force #26) she would be able to do the same to herself.

Now while I'm not sure, it seems that that the editors/writers are making a concerted effort to show that she is not a "flyer" in the "Superman" sense.

Since the "Sisterhood" story line, when the Red Queen's manipulations restored Psylocke's access to telepathy, and in subsequent stories arcs (including her mini) Psylocke has never been shown to fly like she did when she was the "Mountain-Smashing" telekenetic under Claremont's pen.

Maybe this distinction is part of Marvel's attempt to define her powerset in tangible ways. She regains her specialized telepathy and loses elements to her TK-only powerset (like the ability to "Superman" fly).; May 23, 2010 at 12:28 PM
Anonymous said...: She is definitely flying. It's not Land's laziness in this instance, it's way too obvious.

But he does draw her as a white girl. He's stuck on big bush Betsy. Land's art = j/off; May 23, 2010 at 12:30 PM
Anonymous said...: She could probably still Superman fly to some limited degree but I do think it's a concerted effort to get her away from that. In the 90's, she would say that she could use her telepathy from a distance but she preferred the thrill of action, and didn't manifest her powers superfluously - only to most devastating effect with her psychic knife. She shows similar restraint here with the flying. I think it's a concerted effort to show that she is very grounded (no pun intended) and centred in the use of her powers - something Land doesn't necessarily respect because he has her waving around her Psychic Go-Go Sticks all the time, with her big 80's air.; May 23, 2010 at 12:35 PM
Anonymous said...: wtf she is FLYING. so what. she has flown before. she can use her TK to fly if she chooses. maybe it is limited. we don't see her sprinting off into the moon, just flying above the bridge. it SUITS that her TK is powerful enough to transport her such a distance. and while land seems to want to draw her as that same model refernce he gives every woman he draws, at least she is hot. i love the mix of the out fit and butterfly with the supermodel hair. elegance. we don't need the hair plastered to the head with a ponytail if she isn't even asian.

***psylocke for MARVEL vs. CAPCOM with the original outfit as unlocked costume!!!!!!!***; May 23, 2010 at 2:02 PM
FSaker said...: I have no problems with her flying once in a while (she's a telekinetic, she can do it), but I do hope it doesn't become a habit. She's cooler when she's not boasting her powers and is just concentrated in fighting with a small amount of her power (like the use of the psy-knife).

But it's nice to see her in these panels, even with Land's "art". Second Coming may become her biggest participation in any event so far (she got a large role in the first 5 issues, and it seems she'll get more action in the next ones...).; May 23, 2010 at 2:06 PM
Anonymous said...: I think that some of the posters aren't arguing whether or not she can or should be able to fly, but rather speculating on the EDITORIAL and WRITERS decisions to depict her flight/levitation in a more limited way.

From these few panels, it appears that Psylocke is able to levitate and even fly to some extent (she leaves leaves Archangel's arms above the bridge in the 3rd panel).

What some people are commenting about is the reason why she hasn't been depicted as "flying" like she did before when she was only a TK (like in the HoM story when she was flying after Rachael and surpassing her).

The writers and editors have depicted Psylocke as being carried in the arms of Archangel at least twice when traveling through the air, and in her mini she chased after a flying opponent on a motorcycle. This naturally raises questions.

These SCRIPTED actions just give pause to fans who are trying to understand the reasoning behind the editorial decisions...NOT a statement on whether or not she SHOULD or CAN fly like before.

Remember these are comic book characters whose abilities and actions are ultimately in the hands of the writers and editors. Powers and actions are not based in any reality which one could point to as empirical evidence that a character must definitely be able to do something or act in some way.

This is fiction.; May 23, 2010 at 2:47 PM
Anonymous said...: she's not flying. i'm sure it wasn't in the script that she was flying. if i see any artist show her flying i'll believe it. but land has been known to do far worse. why would they show her specifically being carried in angel's arms if they knew she could fly.; May 23, 2010 at 3:55 PM
Anonymous said...: "we don't need the hair plastered to the head with a ponytail if she isn't even asian."

1) She is asian, whether you like it or not. Trust me, if she was *supposed* to be white, or black or hispanic for that matter, I would be as actively defending her as a white girl. It's just too obvious a disrespect to ignore that some, like Land, deliberately "cover up" her ethnic asian features. That is SAD, Marvel, especially in an X book.

2) Why would she have to be asian to have a ponytail and plastered hair? LAME. Land, stop replying anonymously! :D

Her hair looks like crap. I do like the glowing butterfly effect though - why did it take them nearly two decades to figure out that it was cool and finally use it? I guess it took them the same length of time to figure out Psylocke was a slick character.; May 23, 2010 at 4:00 PM
Anonymous said...: "she's not flying. i'm sure it wasn't in the script that she was flying. if i see any artist show her flying i'll believe it."

Well, I'm one of those in the "flying doesn't suit her" camp, but I'm also not in denial. She is flying. See: pictures. :); May 23, 2010 at 4:16 PM
Anonymous said...: I am in the huge denial camp, Im pretending shes just tk lowering herself onto the bridge and had to use Angel to get over there. ignorance is bliss.; May 23, 2010 at 8:13 PM
Anonymous said...: OH MY GOD ARE YOU GUYS SERIOUS

she is FLYING!
WHY ARE WE HAVING A DEBATE OVER HARD EVIDENCE! it is wankers such as you who let cold-blooded criminals loose on streets. i hope none of you are in high-risk decision-intensive professions.

she is F-IN flying. her hands are OUT there are no f-in jet packs nor hands around her, she is F-IN FLYING

GET OVER IT.

i like her hair better here. and the butterfly is one of the top best x-men power signatures i have seen; May 23, 2010 at 9:12 PM
Dr. Doom said...: I asked Carey on facebook via private message. He confirms Psylocke was flying.

Also, she had already levitated X-23 in that X-Force issue. What's the problem with it?; May 23, 2010 at 9:23 PM
Anonymous said...: I honestly hope that it is in limited bursts which would explain her being carried by Archangel and we dont have another Jean Grey wannabe on our hands, Psylocke is far too cool and unique for that.; May 23, 2010 at 11:00 PM
Anonymous said...: Anyone else notice Betsy and Scott not using codenames when talking to eachother but the others are.

If it came down to loyalty to a leader between the big players do you think Psylocke would side with Cyclops or Storm? I think she would choose both over Professor X but i cannot be sure which she prefers. She has served under Storm for a long time and they are a bit close but this tends to be forgotten but she had an attraction to Cyclops and he seems to trust her implicitly even though she only recently returned. what do you guys think?; May 23, 2010 at 11:07 PM
Anonymous said...: Maybe the reason why she's in Archangel's arms is because she can't telekenetically "fly" as fast as Warren, Namor, or a jet pack. Just because she can levitate and fly doesn't mean she can do so as fast as others.

Magneto and Storm can fly, but I don't see them reaching extreme speeds.

It makes sense that a powerful TK can fly, I'm just glad that they toned it down from the Claremont supersonic speed.; May 24, 2010 at 1:00 AM
FSaker said...: "If it came down to loyalty to a leader between the big players do you think Psylocke would side with Cyclops or Storm?"

Hard to say. Currently, I guess she would choose Cyclops, since he's the proactive leader and Storm has other business in Wakanda.

She won't need to make this choice, though, since Storm has currently been very supportive of Scott's leadership. The only ones who may question his skills as a leader are Namor, Xavier, Beast, and MAYBE (but probably not) Magneto and Kitty. Even though I'd like to see her choose Xavier or Namor, she wouldn't do it; same for Beast. And Kitty has no skills at all as a leader. She might consider Magneto a better leader than Scott, though; they've worked together in the 1980s and recently in Necrosha, after all.; May 24, 2010 at 9:43 AM
Anonymous said...: When is Jim Lee going to draw Psylocke again.; May 24, 2010 at 2:00 PM
centurion said...: @Anonynous May 24th 2:00PM.

Hi. When he stops working for DC, we can get him back to Marvel and Psylocke again, just like the late 80s early 90s.; May 24, 2010 at 2:04 PM
K~ said...: Why do people argue about her powers being used at their weakest level? (aka, people saying "I like when she used her powers at a minimum & was up close fighting in the 90s"). That was a terrible mess. While it is her most iconic, it is also her most weak. She was depicted as "too ninja for her powers" &, save for a few issues, the characterization went out the door.
Anyway, about her flying. It is wonderful, & I'm so happy she is actually using her powers, *instead* of being a danger to herself & even her team (not to mention getting her butt handed to her in most hand-to-hand fights) by being an "action junkie" all over again. If she were written like this again, I would stop buying completely.
Go Betts!; May 24, 2010 at 2:20 PM
blaw blaw said...: Alan Davis drew her wonderfully in her return (455). The artist of X-Force where she makes a teke field deflecting bullets and floats x-23.. that artist did a great job making her look Asian.
While I agree with what Alan Davis has said about her before, no one at Marvel can say a clear race for her besides "Asian", etc.. I think Land could have at least traced some Asian porn stars this time instead of his usual white folk porn stars. Is it that hard Land? Bad enough that we all know you are tracing but you could at least try lol
I love her flying. Psylocke should use her powers & she is not weak (people argue above that it doesnt suit her.. Think; she has died & been beaten up countless times in melee. You'd think after the resurrection she would decide to try and harness her powers in a nonphysical way before dashing into close combat. She doesn't have a healing factor. She doesn't have metal skin.) Also, it is clear she is capable of doing these things, so why state that it "does not suit her" when we all know she loves to fly (since before her pilot days) and it is being made clear that she is able to do so again. (Good for her!)
Someone said above that she uses a motorcycle in the Yost mini, and "that is proof she cannot fly". I actually think it is because she didn't want attention drawn to her while she's.. going off the radar to kill someone basically. (You saw how the government reacted when she landed the jet!)
Regarding the panel with her in Archangel's wings, it could be anything. I personally think it is either a misdraw, or that something is happening off panel where maybe Angel is like "Want a ride?" as he flies close to her. Money is tight and I doubt anyone is going to go back to a panel and fix the small matter of a panel where she is in someone's arms, though in the surroundings she is in flight. (They may have in the big days, but those are in the past)
It's also good to have her with a currently more unique powerset. There are an extreme amount of telepaths/variations of telepaths.. it's not even funny. I know she started out that way and I loved her but with Emma and everyone else, minus the strong use of her tk, she is just.. a ninja restricted to a psychic knife all over again.; May 24, 2010 at 2:36 PM
Anonymous said...: To K: I don't mind if you stop buying completely if she were written like before, as I would start buying regularly if she were. Fair enough trade off.

She was never a danger to her team mates by being an "action junkie". Also, the characterization went out the door when other creative teams started introducing slilly ideas such as giving her a Jem and the Holograms Crimson Dawn thing on her face.

I'm okay if she flies to some degree since she is a telekinetic now. I want to see her meditate by sitting in the air, the way Magneto did when he was concentrating on bringing Kitty back.; May 24, 2010 at 2:58 PM
Anonymous said...: Blaw Blaw:

"so why state that it "does not suit her" when we all know she loves to fly"

Because it doesn't suit her.

I agree with the person who said that she probably cannot fly at great speeds like Archangel, hence he carried her to get her there post haste.; May 24, 2010 at 3:01 PM
FSaker said...: "I agree with the person who said that she probably cannot fly at great speeds like Archangel, hence he carried her to get her there post haste."

Or maybe she can't fly for long distances and/or for a long time. When she first got telekinesis, there was an issue where she bet a flying race against Rogue and Thunderbird III (Omega Sentinel's ex), and although she was winning at first, her powers started to fail and she fell (fortunately Thunderbird III rescued her before she could hit the ground).

Granted, in New Exiles she managed to fly from the United States to Japan with her telekinesis, but back then she had that power boost that Jamie gave her when he revived her (and we know how Claremont likes to write his favorite girls always uber-powerful).; May 24, 2010 at 5:25 PM
Anonymous said...: I don't think it's that big of a deal. They said her tp and tk split to balance itself out; so she probably just used a bit more tk energy to have herself fly. And even so I never really minded her flying.

I agree with Fsaker that she probably can't fly for too long or even if she can she just chooses not to.; May 25, 2010 at 12:28 AM
Anonymous said...: She's not actually flying, it's just Land's drawing. She's just reaching out while Archangel is holding her off panel. There is no evidence of flight, so I'll believe it when I see it.

(j/k) :D; May 25, 2010 at 12:41 AM
jeansbff said...: i think that betts may only be able to fly short distances. shes only used the teketana once since her return to uncanny x-men last year so that suggests to me that her tk levels are weaker than they were but we have seen her using shields and at least one tk blast in the mini so her tk must be strong enough for her to use in battle. she also used her tk to dismantle that robot in the last x-force issue. but basically her tk has been portrayed inconsistently as of late.; May 25, 2010 at 1:22 PM
Anonymous said...: I don;t think it's been shown inconsistently at all. She still uses her tk normally as she alwways could it's just not at mountain smashing, putting a tk field over an entire city, flying from one place to china levels like it once was with Claremont. It's much weaker than it once was but at the same time she is still adept in using it allowing for limited flight, shields, tk blast, and enhancing her speed, strength, etc.; May 25, 2010 at 1:34 PM
Anonymous said...: I agree with anonymous above me. It's about showing versatility and emphasis on skill rather than stock power.; May 25, 2010 at 1:41 PM
Anonymous said...: The following is only a personal opinion...

I have to confess that as a long-time Psylocke fan (Mutant Massacre/Outback days), I have only recently been able to accept her TK abilities. I loved her as British-body Betsy, and even more so as post "Acts of Vengeance" Asian-body Betsy. I didn't even mind the "Crimson Dawn" power enhancement (although I HATED the tattoo).

The reason I thought that Ninja Betsy was so awesome was because we had a top-notch telepath who had remarkable martial arts skills and could combine the two in a unique manner. She could read the minds and intentions of her opponents in close combat and counter them. It was a brilliant idea. And her Psi-Blade was nothing but awesome.

When Claremont came back to Uncanny I thought the "Dark Ages" for Psylocke would be over, but instead we were given an unexplained power-swap, the death of Psylocke, and a return which resulted in an uber-powerful TK Betsy.

She was able to smash mountains, reconstruct molecules, fly from the US to Japan, and bend light to become invisible. (To quote Amy Pohler and Seth Meyers from SNL, "really? REALLY?")

I don't mind a powerful Psylocke, but I don't want an omnipotent Psylocke. OMNIPOTENCE destroys characters and stories. There needs to be a give-and-take with power.

Having said all that, this is why I'm chiming in on why I like a limited flying/levitating Psylocke. Yes, she is a powerful telekenetic as she is a powerful telepath, and a master martial artist, but she shouldn't be the without limitations.

Since her return to the 616 universe, she's lost her uber TK and regained her original TP (with the butterfly effect)...HOORAY! Let these powers enhance her physicality and enjoyment of getting into the mix of things.

She can still be a "powerhouse" but doesn't need to be able to have unlimited flight capabilities or travel at super-sonic speeds. Nor does she need to be the most powerful telepath. Rather, it would be interesting if the writers and editors focused on her UNIQUE ability to concentrate her psi-powers. Because her Psi-blade is so concentrated it should have a physical limitation, but be powerful enough to break through the defenses of the few telepaths that are more powerful than her, if it makes contact. Because her TK is focused she should be able to pull off "Trinity from the Matrix" moves but not allow her to match Archangel in flight speed or distance.

It's give-and-take...and it ultimately makes for better stories (in my humble opinion).; May 26, 2010 at 1:51 AM
Anonymous said...: Totally agree with that!; May 26, 2010 at 2:00 AM
Rahsaan said...: Anonymous 1:51 AM,

Great points. Rather than the power swap with Phoenix, it'd be cool if we actually found that Psylocke has always had the potential for telekinesis. Recall her old psycho-blasts (which she never uses anymore!)could affect physical matter as they knocked Sabretooth off his feet, destroyed the Cerebro helmet and penetrated Juggernaut's helmet. Also, she had limited and random precognition. Instead of some superfluous power swap story that he'd planned for her and Jean, Claremont should have simply had Elizabeth's telekinesis be the next stage of her evolution as a psychic as she'd already exhibited a range of psychic abilities. Would be cool to revisit the psycho-blasts (which were quite powerful) and the precognitive flashes sometimes.; May 26, 2010 at 12:58 PM
FSaker said...: Yup. I always thought that Jean just awakened Betsy's latent secondary power, just like Sage did with a bunch of people back in Xtreme X-Men. That explanation would have been much, MUCH better.; May 26, 2010 at 1:12 PM

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