PSYLOCKE | CAPTAIN BRITAIN // like a butterfly: Age of X-Man: The X-Tremists #3 Art

Wednesday, April 24, 2019

Age of X-Man: The X-Tremists #3 Art

37 comments:

Rahsaan said...: This is an interesting take by Leah Williams. That someone who was considered a knockout by the world at large and became a supermodel, gracing international magazine covers and sought by top designers and photographers would struggle with dysmorphia and warped self-perception. It seems totally aligned with what I know of many people who have careers based on their physical beauty.; April 24, 2019 at 5:17 PM
X-Man said...: I didn't realize the body swap happened in this reality. Or that she still had a model background. Interesting.; April 24, 2019 at 5:43 PM
Rahsaan said...: I actually like Leah's writing even if I don't overall really dig AOXM. This is really insightful writing that someone who was on top of the world at her prime would have so many insecurities and low self-worth. This is a layer of Betsy that is as good as Remender and Bunn's layers.; April 24, 2019 at 5:43 PM
Rahsaan said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; April 24, 2019 at 6:01 PM
Rahsaan said...: Also, it’s really nuanced of Williams to write that Kwannon’s body was only a way for her to run from her issues and not a solution of who she ultimately wanted to be.; April 24, 2019 at 6:02 PM
randybear said...: I agree. The raw emotion reminds me of the original Exiles.

They coulda written this mini like some action XForce vibe but I appreciate this low key vibe before the next shake up from Hickman.; April 24, 2019 at 6:59 PM
randybear said...: I loved that. It was probably the first time ever Psylocke reflected in a human sense from her body swap and not just "no biggie I'm a cool Asian assassin now"; April 24, 2019 at 7:01 PM
Alex said...: I like the ideas presented in this, it reminds me of a body dysmorphia thing I watched in school when an interviewer asked patients if they could be put in their dream body that wasn't a fit version of their own, do they think they'd be less inclined to hate it?

I'm also wondering if it's a slight dig at fans who always claimed Betsy wasn't hot until she was put into Kwannon's body?

@Rahsaan,
Yeah I've got friends who I grew up with as child models or started when we were in high school. They look damn fantastic even on days when they rip themselves apart. Not to mention the pressure from agencies & casting directors & designers.; April 24, 2019 at 8:46 PM
Finn said...: Betsy is beautiful but she never really liked her original body , that's why she spent so many years in a stranger's body and this is a good explanation: personality disorder. I feel bad for her. But still love her !; April 25, 2019 at 1:29 AM
FSaker said...: Very interesting. It's always nice when comic books approach real-life issues like body dysmorphia.

One thing I don't understand (maybe people who read the entire issue know the answer) is: what's the relation between Betsy and Kwannon in this universe? Was Kwannon the "classmate describing the moment she felt beautiful"? And if that's the case, did they actually swap bodies or did Betsy just took control of Kwannon's body occasionally (maybe when her classmate was sleeping or something) so that she could feel beautiful herself?

I mean, considering the changes in this universe, I don't think the Hand or Spiral and Mojo actually captured her and placed her mind in another body, so it's hard to think she experienced a full body swap.; April 25, 2019 at 11:06 AM
Tazirai said...: Good reading of this. It kind of hints back to why she turned her hair Purple in the first place. to become someone else, not her. Even at the time it wasn't that deep. But even then Claremont and Moore had a nuanced way with her.; April 25, 2019 at 5:48 PM
randybear said...: True. Plus the idea she never felt truly worthy or strong enough really help anyone. I love this vunerable human side of Psylocke that isnt revolving around murder guilt or her sex life.; April 25, 2019 at 7:05 PM
randybear said...: We aren't sure. I assumed it was like AOA where they lived full lives or assumed they did in this pocket reality but I'm guessing the major beats of each character still happened someway somehow in AoX.; April 25, 2019 at 7:05 PM
Rahsaan said...: @Finn, actually Betsy really never had a real choice in the matter. Several times she was either shown trying to remedy her situation, like when she asked Forge to undo it (when she thought the changes were just cosmetic) and then after she knew it wasn’t her body when villains like the Red Queen, Jamie and Cassandra offered her a chance to get her body back she was torn and only rejected due to the nefarious strings attached which included the death of innocent people. She never really decided to stay in Kwannon’s body without the decipher being made under duress.; April 25, 2019 at 10:27 PM
Jaime Braz said...: The main reason I'm a Betsy Braddock, namely a Psylocke fan is because Betsy was a complex and full of emotion character only Claremont knew how to write and what made her tick.

Leah Williams has studied Psylocke's psyche to great depths and she gives the readers the mature and complex Betsy we loved before she became a yellowface cringe fest. Kwannon was a kabuki mask Elizabeth had become accustomed wearing after she was forced into the body swap riding amnesia from the Siege Perilous half-drowned and abused time again by men and villains. What Leah explains low-key is that the process Betsy finding her way to her inner strength was difficult and ugly.

The confession of her feelings to Blob is figurative and her memories are blurry from Nate's brainwash waves. Betsy's life experiences are viewed by her as flashes of dreams and nightmares. Leah Williams doesn't approve of the body swap as a way of escapism from low self-esteem rather is a way to look at life from a different perspective and realize there is no fault with being who you are born to be. That connects with Blob to the extreme and so their Age of X-Man pairing makes perfect sense.

I doubt Betsy dyed her hair from natural blonde to purple due to confidence issues, she did so to become more competitive and unique in modelling. The exact same thing like wanting to become a strong warrior to defend herself and not depend on heritage or others.; April 28, 2019 at 1:14 PM
FSaker said...: Wow, Jaime, your analysis is very insightful! It makes a lot of sense, and makes me appreciate Leah Williams's dedication and maturity to explore this subject. And while I was originally upset with the idea of pairing Betsy with Blob, now I must admit I'm loving their relationship, whether it's just a very close friendship or a blossoming romance (if only he could keep this personality whenever AoXM is over...).

Thank you for sharing it with us!; April 30, 2019 at 11:03 AM
Renegade X said...: Interesting that she's definitely fighting her own personality disorder for years. Anyone notice that the next Uncanny X-Men featuring Kwannon and Logan?; April 30, 2019 at 1:39 PM
Rahsaan said...: The only thing that could have made this scene better was if the cover artist, Razzah had drawn it instead of Jeanty.

@Jaime, good point about the purple hair being more of an accessory for the world of high fashion than the conjecture we got into. Am I understanding correctly... Do you think her eating disorder is also a construct of this reality implanted by Nate/Gabriel?

Also, I really want to know who this sadist, Moneta is. I still think she might a new Legion alter.; April 30, 2019 at 2:57 PM
Jaime Braz said...: @FSaker you're welcome. It was how I understood Betsy's and Blob's discussion based on her fear and fascination with death through the image of moths attracted to the bug zapper. Betsy has danced many times with death and she escaped by a hair's breadth except for the time Vargas killed her. Maybe her Necrosha fear of death has stayed in her head and is magnified by Nate to keep her afraid and weak so that she won't break his psychic thrall.

If Betsy questions the value of life and weight of death it's natural to challenge her image and self-esteem. The physical weight in Blob's mutant obesity reflects Psylocke's view of the worldly weight that was heavier when she had no combat skills as a British noblewoman. Leah Williams likes working with contrast because she made Blob kind and selfless while Psylocke vulnerable and hesitant when in the 616 reality Blob is a selfish anarchist and Psylocke a confident and lethal knight.

I can't see how Blob can keep the nice personality when the X-Men will break Nate's reality bubble. If someone messes with Blob's head and reforms him it will be like Sabretooth turning hero and Havok villain or young Bobby being outted by young Jean invading his brain. Psylocke and Blob story is Beauty and the Beast meets Matrix.; April 30, 2019 at 4:34 PM
Jaime Braz said...: @Rahsaan Betsy choosing purple for her hair was a symbol of nobility. Purple was a rare dye tracing back to Tyrian Purple extracted from predatory sea snails and required tons of them to get enough substance to color textiles. It is Claremont showing how unique a character Betsy is and differentiates her from other women in the Marvel universe.

Maybe Nate conditioned Betsy to have an eating disorder to bring her down more. Jean has become a temptress and an airhead in Nate's universe and the Stepford Cuckoos are divided for the first time. It's clearly a scheme to weaken the strongest psychics who separated Nate from Gabriel and almost took them down by uniting their telepathic powers. Of course it can refer to models being famished to look good and tackle the issue of body perfection in being thin and anorexic.

If Moneta is an aspect of Legion then the same counts for Unveil? Moneta can be just a construct Nate made to maintain the illusion but anything goes.; April 30, 2019 at 4:54 PM
Rahsaan said...: @Jaime, interesting. I like how your mind works. re: the majesty of purple... Check out the accessories I'm wearing in my profile photo. :-); April 30, 2019 at 5:03 PM
Jaime Braz said...: @Rahsaan Ha ha! You've picked the same Royal Purple! Birds of a feather flock together. I'm not surprised that classy and educated people are attracted to Betsy's character because great minds think alike.; May 1, 2019 at 9:51 AM
Renegade X said...: @Rahsaan and Jamie... I didn't even think about that either of the minor details then her personal struggles.; May 1, 2019 at 11:48 AM
randybear said...: I did not know this about the color purple. That's amazing and just another interesting aspect of Psylocke to discuss and think about.; May 1, 2019 at 4:31 PM
randybear said...: Anyone else read Uncanny 17?? The artist drew the butterfly signature on Kwannon.. please let the editors (Jordan white) know it's an error! Politely of course.; May 2, 2019 at 1:58 PM
Rahsaan said...: @randybear, that’s a shame regarding Kwannon. So much for differentiating her. She’s in all purple and using Betsy’s powers and power signature. I wonder if the writers will explain saying it’s a holdover from Spiral’s gene mixing. That’s if they care to explain at all.

Also, will they be sharing her Betsy’s telepathy again with neither displaying its full potential or was that resolved now that Psylocke is a full omega thanks to AOA Phoenix unlocking her full potential? And is that full potential tied to Psylocke’s mind or to Kwannon’s body?

A good writer would actually make it canon that Psylocke’s omega potential was how she was able to harness all the stolen psychic energies within Styx to create a replica of her own body and then place her consciousness/soul in it and that now that body has all the full Omega power. I mean, that is how I would explain what happened in the poorly written Mystery in Madripoor if I were writing for the X Office.; May 2, 2019 at 3:52 PM
Rahsaan said...: Really poor writing:

1. Super disrespectful of Betsy and the other X-Men to just leave Kwannon’s body unattended in Madripoor before she awoke. Unless she had already awaken before their battle with the Fatales ended and they couldn’t find her.

2. Still no explanation of how Kwannon’s consciousness was summoned back into her recently dead body.

3. Shouldn’t the current X-Men know that Betsy or someone who looks like her original incarnation “died” in the battle with X-Man/Legion since they are aware that they “died.” If they do know, did they think that person was Kwannon and that was why they thought this hooded person was Betsy?; May 2, 2019 at 11:29 PM
Jaime Braz said...: @randybear I read it too and I was disappointed to the point of disgust that they keep confusing Psylocke with a walking dead ninja. Both the butterfly effect and the psychokinesis are Betsy's signature powers and symbols. The Yakuza woman was the lowest level of empath without telekinesis, telepathy or psionic solidification. Before her death in Betsy's body, Kwannon gave Matsu'o the amount of power Spiral stole from Betsy put into her to return it to Betsy and make her full Psylocke again. It doesn't make any sense for the Japanese body to have these abilities.; May 3, 2019 at 6:20 AM
Jaime Braz said...: @Rahsaan the whole confusion of two Psylockes has been resolved with the trip to Japan and the Body Shoppe modifications of Spiral. Kwannon died in Betsy's body and as I mentioned she handed Matsu'o the other half of Betsy's essence Spiral divided and stole due to her grudge against Betsy. There was no residue of Kwannon inside of Betsy's spirit after Kwannon died and Betsy had her proper powers restored but was sentenced inside a foreign body. The Boddy Shoppe alterations and DNA mixing was on and off used and then ditched so Psylocke presented herself only Asian for wrong racial representation.

I categorically believe that the Japanese body is remote controlled. Either by Sapphire Styx or somebody else because neither Kwannon can be summoned from the dead with a reasonable explanation. The Asian body is magicproof made so by Jamie Braddock during the House of M story. So, if writers use the crimson dawn or any other cheap magic trick it won't count.
Sapphire Styx speaks also Japanese and can hide her essence from Wolverine plus she was the only who knew that Kwannon's body was available for inhabiting and has the power to steal souls and bodies.

I don't want to appear as toadying to Jim Zub and praising his Hunt in Madripoor story, however he made the best sweetest lemon juice out of lemons. Color pun intended. At the cost of the villain Sapphire Styx, for whom readers don't feel anything in particular, Jim Zub managed to correct the yellowfaced Psylocke and did so in a very original and creative way.

First Betsy was sapped as a spirit from Kwannon's body and then was placed inside of Sapphire Styx's purgatory to be digested. The Wolverine/Patch soul residue and the astral graveyard scene was captivating and utilized Claremont canon in a clever way for Betsy to find a lightning-rod and survive. Then Psylocke's omega power kicked in and used the souls inside of Sapphire Styx to blow her up and recreate her original white body.

Also we can't blame no one but Sapphire Styx for taking Kwannon's body to feed off from its magic, Jamie marinaded in, in order to prolong her lifespan. Sapphire Styx is a black widow personality and she hid Kwannon to a place only she could find, therefore the X-Men aren't responsible. Kwannon could be hidden anywhere so nobody could find and spoil Sapphire Styx's meal.; May 3, 2019 at 7:03 AM
FSaker said...: Interesting theories. Sadly, I don't think Marvel will ever give proper explanation to these questions regarding Kwannon's return (assuming this is even Kwannon).

The X-Men are so messy right now, I wonder if Hickman will be able to properly fix them - and how. Cosmic reboot (restricted to the X-verse, like Spider-Man's One More Day)? The pre-mess X-Men (like idealistic Cyclops, likable Beast, the recently deceased mutants and so on) return from the recent past and replace their messy present versions (like Liu Kang, Raiden and Kitana in MK11)? Whatever he decides, good luck to him - even with all his talent, he'll need it.; May 3, 2019 at 10:01 AM
Rahsaan said...: You all... Can we digress and also discuss Rahne? What the entire fuck? Rosenberg's story of her death is beyond wack. I get the timeliness of it and how it parallels trans women who are murdered for "fooling" men they weren't even trying to court, but...

Rahne is a fucking beast. LITERALLY when she goes werewolf. There is no way she'd allow those nerds to beat and kill her. Not to mention, she's a trained fighter in her fully human form. Worst case scenario, she would have gone full or partial wolf and hightailed it out of that park if she didn't want to harm the men in self-defense. Talk about really bad writing!; May 3, 2019 at 12:27 PM
randybear said...: Thanks for your reply! If you're on Twitter please kindly bring this to Jordan D White's attention he is in charge of the xbooks.; May 3, 2019 at 12:59 PM
randybear said...: Rahsaan that added with the fact that Rahne hasn't had a major role in Uncanny other than just randomly being part of Scott's team so the weight of this death isnt there it just screams of shock value there was no reason or build up for doing it. Luckily I dont think she will stay dead forever and there are so many ways tied to her continuity she can easily be revived especially with whatever happens after Hickman's mini run this summer.; May 3, 2019 at 1:04 PM
Jaime Braz said...: Psylocke community and Wolfsbane fans don't worry. The reality Cyclops and Wolverine are in smells like an Age of X-Man dystopia.

Look closely neither Cyclops nor Wolverine know who Emma Frost is when Juggernaut brings up the issue by reading Cyclops' hitlist. That said Rahne would make minced meat of her attackers not sit cowardly by and let them kick her to death.

Rosenberg is another case of Tom King character assassin done Wally West style. Rosenberg's X-Men act out of character and are watered down to fit his narrative. The death toll of Velocidad, Bliss, Loa, Blindfold, Rictor, Strong Guy, Joseph and Wolfsbane are indeed shock value just like the use of transgender implication that falls short and is degrading to transgender people by way of poor execution.; May 4, 2019 at 9:13 AM
FSaker said...: I thought they didn't know who Emma is due to her using some long-range telepathy to erase herself from the world's memories (since Juggernaut has his helmet on, it didn't affect him). But the theory of UXM's current run taking place in yet another alternate reality is interesting.

Hopefully these deaths will be reversed once this arc is over. I know that sometimes it's necessary that some heroes die to make the story progress, but these ones we're seeing now seem to be just for poor shock value. When we look back, Thunderbird's death matters even today, while all these mutants you listed probably won't even be mentioned again by the end of this run.; May 5, 2019 at 8:30 PM
Kiki M. Ishola said...: I'm amazed at people who buy X-Men to leave their favorite book in the hands of a burly manchild fresh out of college ruining everything. Many hope Hickman will be the second coming or something for X-Men and I'm the only unbelieving.; May 6, 2019 at 7:54 AM
FSaker said...: I don't think people are expecting Hickman's books to be the second coming for the X-Men; if it's just good (not excellent, not outstanding, just good), it will be enough. You see, the X-books have been quite inconsistent in terms of quality for the past years, with some nice gems here and there but also many disappointing works. The fact that Hickman did excellent jobs with the Fantastic Four and the Avengers are making people hopeful that Marvel will finally deliver a good run for the X-Men - then again, very good writers like Remender, Aaron, Bendis and so on have had bad stories (damn, Claremont is the man who gave the X-Men their best decades of stories and even he did some atrocious stories after he returned), so it is possible for Hickman to mess up as well. I just hope he won't.

(but I do think that HoX and PoX seem to be radically different from the typical X-stories, so I'm guessing many people will dislike them even if they turn out to be good); May 6, 2019 at 2:48 PM

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