PSYLOCKE | CAPTAIN BRITAIN // like a butterfly: 'Marvel Universe Fall Magazine' Interviews Tini Howard

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

'Marvel Universe Fall Magazine' Interviews Tini Howard

29 comments:

Alexis said...: I gotta say these x-men storylines are getting so messy, and have become so uninteresting.
Villains becoming heroes, heroes becoming villains. The character development is so weird and inconsistent for each one them.
I remember Apocalypse being a villain, now he's among the good guys??? What is going on at Marvel? Is Dormammu next??

These characters have lived for so long and without ageing, that their development and evolution have become so obsolete. Honestly, they should just kill X-men off, and start with a new generation of mutants, with new characters and development.

I have been a huge Psylocke fan since her inception, but her story and growth have become so convoluted, that as a character, she is no longer appealing personally. Who knows, maybe she is to new X-men readers, who don't have to know her real origins. I think Psylocke should have stayed dead. Psylocke's been over-used not by Mojo, the Mandarin, Slaymaster...but Marvel writers. Well at least I'll always have Psylocke from the 80s and 90s.; August 28, 2019 at 3:58 PM
Lex said...: Before the art was released & I heard Apocalypse would be on a team with Betsy, I hoped it was kid Apocalypse. They've got a bit more history compared to her & OG Apocalypse. Either he's actually on the team to be a true member or he's got an ulterior motive that'll bite them all in the butt.

I mean if the X-Men can accept Mystique/Magneto & a few other villains multiple times on the teams...

The only villains I can think that've had legit reasons for joining in the past have been Emma & Victor.; August 28, 2019 at 5:32 PM
Kiki M. Ishola said...: Betsy is back to her roots with Captain Britain despite my distaste for losing her Psylocke identity. Those who mention it was her dream to become UK's protector are correct and Brian was forced to choose the Captain life. It is her second chance to be the person she wanted from day one. A knight of the Round Table. Claremont should've put Betsy in that path instead of the ninja. She freakin wore armor in the 80s in Australia. I wonder what Chris was smoking at the time.

Apocalypse isn't a goody goody man and hides something. The X-Men need him mostly Moira who gathered all mutants to fight machines and men. Betsy knows how to have Apocalypse on a leash and make him behave.; August 28, 2019 at 6:53 PM
Psi-Girl said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; August 28, 2019 at 7:13 PM
Ry said...: The apocalypse thing is somehow related to House of X and Powers of X although it’s hard for me to see him on a team with characters like Betsy, Gambit, and Rogue. I’m curious to know what you think about Remender’s Psylocke because that’s my personal favorite take on her since you said you prefer her from the 80’s and 90’s; August 28, 2019 at 9:49 PM
Ry said...: For me I don’t think Apocalypse works with this team especially considering everything he put Warren through and how Betsy saw what that did to him. I personally don’t think Betsy would put him on her team because of her relationship with Warren, it seems really insensitive of her to have him there. I wish they put him elsewhere because it is an interesting concept to see him on the team.; August 28, 2019 at 9:55 PM
Ry said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; August 28, 2019 at 9:56 PM
randybear said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; August 29, 2019 at 12:07 AM
Rahsaan said...: @Ry, I can see why you’d say that. However, I see absolutely no need to include Warren. His drama with En Sabah Nur is all played out. We need new storylines; not more of the same angst. I like what Tini mentioned thus far for Pox’s motivations.

Also, I do not want to see any more of the Bets/Warren angst either.; August 29, 2019 at 12:12 AM
Lex said...: @Rashaan, as much as Remender's book actually made me care for Warren(hard considering I considered him the most useless O5) I don't want any Betsy/Warren angst near this book. If this whole kick Marvels been on is about having Betsy truly evolve I don't want her tied to Warren again. He needs a good writer to come in & save him now cause he's been floundering since Rememnder finished his book. I'm already expecting the repeat drama of Jean/Scott/Logan in the main X-book though part of me is hoping they keep Jean single. Let Betsy grow on her own for a while.; August 29, 2019 at 12:53 AM
Unknown said...: We dont know what's gonna happen in this comic. Why is everyone so negative lol?; August 29, 2019 at 1:28 AM
Unknown said...: @Alexis, I feel you.
I don't know how many other unknown users are on this site, but the one above this comment needs to appreciate the criticisms of this new era.
Long-time X-Men fans are seeing decades of storytelling and character development being tossed out for a total re-write of everything.
In addition to using past costumes, this era requires too much explaining.
The extra informational pages in House of X are filling up pages that should have actual stories being told on them.
Hickman's era is all about building a new world, but almost all of the beloved characters are either being shown with no personality or not shown at all.

Also...the upcoming Fallen Angels series does not seem to be getting as much attention as Excalibur on this website. Is this site focused on Psylocke or Betsy?; August 29, 2019 at 1:57 AM
Finn said...: I hope Betsy stays far faaaaaaar away from men. Men ruin her. Except that storyline where she "killed" Warren on Uncanny X-Men.; August 29, 2019 at 6:11 AM
Jaime Braz said...: @Finn It's a stretch to blame men for ruining Betsy. The one responsible for ambushing her and blinding her while she was Captain Britain was Vixen who paid Slaymaster to do her dirty deed.

Then you have Spiral who helped with her Body Shoppe science to change Betsy's White body into Asian. Spiral is responsible for the nightmare of Betsy living in a prison made of strange flesh.

Sat-Yr-9 a corrupted version of Opal Luna and Courtney Ross had an affair with Kaptain Briton of the same Nazi universe and sent him to rape Betsy posing as her twin brother Brian.

The Goblin Queen set her eyes on Betsy because during the original Inferno Betsy helped to foil the demonic invasion and proved herself powerful. So Goblin Queen tried to recruit Betsy in her Sisterhood of Mutants using necromancy and brainwashing magic.

There you have it the most dangerous people for Betsy were women.; August 29, 2019 at 8:04 AM
Rahsaan said...: @Unknown, I am actually one of the few that is loving the jettisoning of all the past history. Pretty much everything since 1991 until before HoX/PoX feels like superfluous baggage to me and has for many years. This current run is the first time I gave been super duper excited about X-Men since X-Men no. 3 in 1991. I’m here for everything Hickman is doing. I find his writing so heady and sophisticated. It is the first time since Claremont left in ‘91 that X-Men feel like an adult book. At least to me. I do respect all of the criticisms from people who dislike it. For me though, the X-Men have been solidly rubbish for decades until now. Barring a few exceptions like the stories of Morrison and Remender. With some
notable mentions, like Wood and Bunn. Even Claremont’s returns have been awful.

Hickman is aces in my book. His work in Avengers was great and I foresee Marvel using his reset to acclimate the characters to the MCU. Even if they don’t do that, I love these new books. It’s the first time I feel like I’m reading something X-Men actually written for adult readers and not children. Not seeing yours or anyone’s tastes aren’t sophisticated. Personally though, the X-Men books have felt super trite and sophomoric to me for almost 30 years now. I love this new direction.; August 29, 2019 at 12:02 PM
FSaker said...: Great comment, Rahsaan! I'm not reading HoX/PoX yet, but I'm glad to know you're enjoying it; I guess I'll love these stories, too, whenever I get to read them.

I do wish Betsy could get at least a small cameo in one of them, though. From comments I've seen from people who are reading these stories, she hasn't appeared in them so far, right?

And the comment of X-Men feeling like an adult book reminds me of Morrison's run, and how I hated it the first time I read it - only to re-read it some years later, older and (a tiny bit) wiser, and loving every page of it.; August 29, 2019 at 4:20 PM
randybear said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; August 29, 2019 at 4:58 PM
Rahsaan said...: @FSaker, thank you. We rock the same in our tastes. I think you will dig the headiness of HoX/PoX and every single retcon or disposal of past story makes absolute sense and is done in a way that respects and honors the characters while highlighting the original social commentary of the X-Men.

As for Elizabeth, alas we have not see her yet. However, we have not seen most of the X-Men yet.; August 29, 2019 at 7:16 PM
FSaker said...: That's great to know! (that HoX/PoX is good, I mean; not that Betsy isn't in it so far)

Oh, as for the discussion involving Apocalypse and the upcoming Excalibur team, while I do agree that using bad guys as part of the X-Men is a repetitive formula, I think this one might work. I don't think Apocalypse will actually join the X-Men; he'll likely just team up with Betsy's group to reach his own goal, which may be similar to her own goal up to a certain point. You know, kinda like when Magneto teamed up with the X-Men in the God Loves, Man Kills graphic novel: both parties knew it was a short-term alliance, just to join forces against an enemy to both (in that case, Rev. Stryker).

I guess we'll have to wait and see. Strangely, I'm more concerned about Rictor's presence in the team, as he's pretty much a stranger among the other characters (except for the very brief time when he and Boom-Boom teamed up with Jubilee in X-Tinction Agenda). That said, I do like Rictor (especially after the huge character development Peter David gave him), so I hope he'll fit in nicely with the roster.; August 29, 2019 at 8:23 PM
randybear said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; August 29, 2019 at 8:53 PM
Unknown said...: @rahsaan, what exactly makes these new titles suitable for adults?
I dont think that a dense storyline is innately adult.
Also, these books should be accessible and enjoyable for everyone.
If this was an Adult fiction novel, then Hickman should take the stories and run as far as he can with them.
The fact that they have to go beyond the comic medium to tell the stories is a problem for some readers.; August 29, 2019 at 10:19 PM
Finn said...: You're right in that sense of the word, sorry for not making myself clear, I mean romantically speaking , Betsy is a character that has been abused in a "all men have been with herand want her" kinda way. She has been "involved" with a special intelligence guy in Britain, Her twins doopleganger,Cyclops, Warren, AoA Sabrethooth,Beast, Iceman, The Mandarin, Matsuo, Hercules, A singer from the band Kiss, Phantomex1 ,Phantomex2 , Phantomex3, a bunch of Cable's clones, Blob, etc. They always write her jumping from one man to the other.I'm done with her being oversexualized by men.; August 30, 2019 at 5:12 AM
Ry said...: Oh yeah I definitely agree we need more new stories and I’m super excited for them. Hickman has crafted something beautiful and I hope the writers of all the titles really take advantage of that fresh start and from the looks of it they are. I really like how the X-titles aren’t falling into generic superhero comics (nothing wrong with that I love superhero comics) but experimenting by mixing in different genres like Muarders being a pirate story, X-Force being a CIA story, and Excalibur being a fantasy story. I’m a little bias with my complaint about Betsy and Apocalypse since she and Warren are one of my favorite couples and all the stuff they went through in X-force together really hit me. I’m willing to toss that aside for good storytelling and introduction freash ideas rather than rehashing.; August 30, 2019 at 11:15 AM
Rahsaan said...: @Unknown, I typed a whole reply to you and then my blasted phone died and I lost it all. I was so irked by that I almost didn’t reply as I didn’t want to retype all my thoughts. LoL.

I disagree with you. I think the comic is accessible currently. Both books. More so than before and more streamlined. And actually more adult and to the point that it gets right back yo the heart of the mutant story, but does so with some much needed nuance that past writers never really gave. Specifically, the notion that integration is nice speak for assimilation with no real value or voice given to the oppressed by the oppressors.

I get that thoroughly as both a Black, Queer American. Krakoa as a concept is fantastic to me complete with its own laws, and language and seeking zero validation from non-mutants. I think Black Americans would have been far better off if after emancipation we had been granted our own sovereign nation away from the immediately subsequent Black Codes and Jim Crow. the latter lasting until the late 60s, complete with all manner pf domestic terrorism and criminalization of the black existence which only perpetuated emotional damage among the oppressed and the oppressors and perpetuated generational gaps in wealth. Amazon was/is supposed to do a speculative fiction about this very topic: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/01/arts/television/amazon-black-america-confederate.amp.html

Also, regarding assimilation, I like that mutants have created their own society that does not adhere to non-mutant standards as shown by a scene with Emma and Creed and the Cuckoos. As a queer person, I think much of what we do is to validate ourselves to straight folks. To appear as close to heteronormativity as possible so that we are merely tolerated. I think that is why so many of us feel the need to get married. In our society, marriage is how you legally retain wealth and how your really is seen as worth respect. That’s us bending to conform to what heteros tell us they define relationships as. Unfortunately, we have to comply to avoid penalties, like someone taking away our children we raised with deceased partners or assets we inherited from them.

Also, there’s a great exchange between Karima and Kurt thay plays out the conundrum with most forms of allyship. In that, as the oppressed, you often have to keep allies at arm’s length as ultimately their first priority is to their own kind and there will be often be a point of impasse.

Why I say this all feels more adult to me is its relevance to me now. While this allegory was always present, the past writers who were usually white heterosexual cis men born before a certain time never quite seemed to delve into these nuances of this topic of isms. Especially, racism. Not for lack of trying in their own limited ways. Maybe calling the books more adult is the wrong word. They are more timely in that the X-Men have felt super basic to me for decades now, like no one was really getting to the meat of these issues. That seems to be happening now. In a way that adult me can dig. The 90s stuff and even the 80s stuff was sophisticated enough for where I was then. And the 00s and 10s... I have nothing nice to say about. I think Hickman as a younger writer who has this wealth of information from marginalized people providing voice is writing in a way that shows he understands isms way more than his predecessors. Not just isms, but how oppressed people feel when they have their own spaces away from oppression and oppressors.

As for everyone being able to read and enjoy the books, I disagree. While I think this run is totally accessible, I don’t think it has to be liked or enjoyed by everyone. I think this way of dealing with subject matter won’t be for everyone and that those who don’t dig shouldn’t read it if they hate it. That’s why I stopped buying X-Men for years at one point.; August 30, 2019 at 9:55 PM
Unknown said...: @Rahsaan, it is great that you have found a connection with the Hickman era of X-Men books, based on your own identities and experiences.
However, it does seem like you strayed away from the comics for a bit.

I don't think that the vision of Charles Xavier was assimilation, but rather coexistence without violence. Living together, but separately.
That is why he created the Xavier school, which could be a metaphor for the safe spaces that are created by and for LGBTQ+ people.
Based on many of the recent X-Men books, the stories placed more value on the perspectives of the oppressed mutants rather than their oppressors.

This whole era seems to assume that all mutants agree with what Xavier, Magneto, and Cyclops are trying to do with Krakoa. This is something that needs to be explored a bit more because maybe there are mutants who don't feel empowered by everything that is happening.

As a queer person myself, I think that you are making some generalizations about all of us. Many queer folks want to get married not because it will earn them acceptance in a heteronormative society, but because they have seen marriage as something gratifying and worthwhile.
Marriage is not a heteronormative institution and saying that it is would be disrespectful to the queer folks who fought so hard to have the right to marry.

How is Hickman significantly different than those past writers that you bring up?
What specific work has he done to learn about marginalized communities?

Well there are people on this site who keep ranting about Asian Psylocke when they haven't read any of the more recent books that showed her in an interesting light. Sometimes it is worthwhile to read books that you do not vibe with right away because something good can still happen in the story.; August 31, 2019 at 2:32 AM
Jaime Braz said...: @Rahsaan you are not alone in praising Hickman's X-Men new era and dawn of the mutants. More readers are starting to see his vision and genuine care for the title.

The X-Men franchise was dying from the weeds invading and infesting the dream and absorbing its life with convoluted and time travelling parasites that drove off longtime fans who got attacked by character assassinations and dry plot threads or twists dealing with alternate realities and time jumps upon time jumps and reboots that either got tweaked and revised for the worst. Hickman is the constant gardener who eliminated the pests from the X-Garden.

We were at a point where originality died and doppelgangers and rip-offs of Wolverine, Jean Grey, Cable, Cyclops and many other characters were living among the 616 regulars in a loop. A real travesty of leeching off yourself while trying to balance out the 21st century Fox disaster and destruction it wrought on the X-Men brand through the film industry.

Hickman utilized the logical solution that should have been used decades ago. He streamlined the forked timeline of the X-Men giving new purpose to the team by upgrading a long-standing ally of the X-Men Moira MacTaggert into a key player.

With regard to the minority representation many forget that the X-Men are the symbol of queer, POC and all the persecuted groups of humanity. The X-Men is one of the most diverse superhero titles you will ever get to read from sexuality to race and political views to religious ones.

Whining about societal changes not syncing with the X-Men comics is a mad accusation because mutant encapsulates the LGBTQAI+, diversity of race, faith and personality traits.

Mutant is evolution and societal progress which Krakoan nation stands for as a Homo Superior sovereign state. Human is atavism to primate state which Hickman has made clear with his initial tweet launching the dawn of mutants.

https://twitter.com/JHickman/status/1109573668101939200

He knew that it's hard to please everyone and fans resemble angry primates throwing their excrement when they have temper tantrums by not fulfilling their expectations.

But Hickman is a professional writer who once finishes his story will put all the toys back on the shelf for the future writers to find and play creatively with.

Straight from the horse's mouth: “The cardinal rule beyond that is at the end of the day, after you’ve torn up the playroom and scattered all the toys, you put everything back on the shelf. Don’t be an a-hole and leave a mess.”; September 3, 2019 at 9:34 AM
Tobias Chatti said...: Apocalypse better be not a toned down villain gone good. I like Apocalypse the bastard he is. I'm longing to read about the first horsemen of Apocalypse and how Excalibur and Betsy ties with this.; September 4, 2019 at 12:09 PM
randybear said...: Apocalypse is a joke. He's supposed to be near god tier and the XMen always end up spanking him. I'd rather see a new direction where hes not necessarily gone good but is smart enough to realize at this point the XMen are not his enemy especially with their new stance towards the rest of the world.; September 4, 2019 at 12:33 PM
Tobias Chatti said...: Apocalypse was a big threat up there with Thanos in his first appearance in X-Factor. Writers used him in the same story over and over to the point he looks like team rocket who is always trying to steal pikachu and they never learn.; September 4, 2019 at 6:02 PM

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)