Psylocke Leads UNCANNY X-FORCE Into Marvel NOW!

Newsarama: Yes, we know, X-Force is led by Cable once more in the Marvel NOW! relaunch, with Cable & X-Force #1 coming in December from Dennis Hopeless and Salvador Larroca. Turns out, though, Uncanny X-Force is led by Psylocke, in a book featuring her and a whole new team of "killers."

Uncanny X-Force #1 arrives in January 2013, following the end of Rick Remender's critically acclaimed run to the book of the same name in December. Written by Sam Humphries with art by Ron Garney, the book will focus on the mutant ninja Psylocke, as speculated thanks to the interview with Marvel SVP of Sales David Gabriel on Friday. The book, teased as "KILLERS" two weeks ago, was officially revealed on ComicsAlliance today through an interview with Humphries.

The book will have a decidedly different mission from the Cable title, picking up six months after Remender's story ends. As for that squad? Storm is a surprising addition to the team, as she's never been viewed as much of a "killer," though her post-Avengers vs. X-Men status may influence that. Puck, formerly of the Canadian superteam Alpha Flight (also formerly of the dead status) and Spiral, Mojo's six-armed enforcer are confirmed members, though Humphries promises the roster will number more than just four, as they "have a few more characters joining the group in the first few issues." Of the first four, he says they're "wild cards. They're all strong personalities, they're all strong in terms of their powers, they've all got dark secrets and they've all got a rebellious streak."

While Puck may seem like a strange choice to some, Humphries likens him to "a Canadian Indiana Jones, an adventurer." Psylocke, meanwhile, "is a survivor," and her situation post-Rick Remender's run will be directly addressed.

In an additional interview with Marvel.com, the writer addressed the oddball choice of Storm. "Odd one out? Don't forget Storm is still the same person who ran off into the Tokyo night and reappeared sporting leather street wear and a mohawk! I see everyone in this book as a wild card, especially Storm. Without saying too much, the events of AvX creates a bond between her and Betsy that will take them into the events of the book together."

Uncanny X-Force will explore the "situations and beings and all sorts of dark secrets that you can't find anywhere else" in the X-Universe, said Humphries to CA. He expanded, saying both old fans and new will find things they'll like about the book. "Long-term X-Men fans will definitely find juicy bits to sink their teeth into. Familiar characters, familiar locations, familiar themes. But my job is to take these into the context of X-Force and present them in a whole new light. To see a new, perhaps dark corner of locations you've seen before," said the writer.

Specifically, this team won't be hanging out around the Jean Grey School or Utopia much. Instead, they'll be trotting the globe (and beyond). "What we're going to do is cut this crew loose and let them roam around the world to various locations," Humphries said. "Some are real-life locations, some are Marvel Universe, some may not even be on Planet Earth."

The Marvel.com interview also revealed the first villain of the series: Bishop. Cable, the leader of the other X-Force team and series, was of course chased through time with Hope at his side by his fellow time traveler, and Storm has a prior relationship with the man with the M tattoo. Bishop will be greatly affected by his final destination after Cable scrambled his time traveling ways. "He was abandoned in the year 6300 AD," Humphries told Marvel.com. "The dude has been alone, thousands of years in the future. A man goes through a lot of changes trying to get from 6300 AD to the present day. It is going to be an ugly reunion all around." 

Humphries also hinted that his title may interact with Dennis Hopeless's Cable & X-Force, especially thanks to Bishop.

"But we've also got two books with two very different focuses. To put it simply, Uncanny X-Force are the hunters, and Cable & X-Force are the hunted. Will the two books intersect? Well, one book has Cable as a leader, and one has Bishop has a bad guy. There's a volatile history there that could be powerful enough to draw in both teams."

Humphries promises readers that he's very conscious of following Remender's run, one of his "favorite books since before Marvel even knew [his] name."

New Psylocke Ongoing Series?

On his NOW! column on Diamond's retailer website this week, Marvel Comics Senior Vice President of Sales David Gabriel said Milo Manara will be doing a Marvel NOW! cover that heavily features Psylocke, with her name in italics in the interview like it's the title of a book, suggesting the mutant ninja will be getting her own ongoing series as part of Marvel NOW!.

When reached by Newsarama for comment on Psylocke, a Marvel Comics representative had merely this to tease: "Stay tuned for some big news regarding Psylocke on Monday!"

Marvel responded to CBR after this article went to press, saying, "Stay tuned for some x-citing Marvel news on Monday that'll make Psylocke fans very happy."

Fraction Talks X-Books Future

CBR: On Saturday at the 2011 Emerald City Comicon, Brian Michael Bendis, Matt Fraction, Ed Brubaker and Jonathan Hickman appeared at a packed panel to discuss their plans for the Marvel U. A fan wanted to know more about the X-Men's future plans. As the team has been through so much over the past year, he was wondering what new direction the X-books could possibly take.

Fraction smiled at this and replied, "Boy, 2012 is a great year to answer that question. We have a really big idea that ate up two and a half days of our lives recently. It's the whole murder-marriage-death-birth cycle/saga, yet bigger and better and onwards and upwards."

"With all the [X-Men] storylines in the next twelve months, you'll start to see that they're all converging towards a single point. You'll see… we're getting there. Almost all the pieces are on the board."

Fraction Brings Back the Pryde of the X-Men

CBR: Matt Fraction: "I knew very early on that Magneto was coming back and would become part of the dynamic of the X-Men. I knew what he was up to and what his personality would be. I also knew how that would complicate and and challenge personal relationships and, ultimately, he would have to demonstrably make good. The X-Men may not have reacted by thinking, 'He's here. Let's punch him!' But they still don't trust him. So I wanted to build that [trust] by having him give a gift to the X-Men, who are now his people, in the form of Kitty. It felt very right in this weird, full-circle way,"

The story of Kitty's return will be fully told in "Uncanny X-Men" #522, but the issue also seeds future plot lines in which the character will figure prominently. "The issue has a cliffhanger for the ages, as we go rocketing into the events of 'Second Coming' [A crossover event between all the X-Titles which kicks off in March and completes the "Messiah" trilogy of X-crossover stories.]," Fraction remarked. "So we wrap a chapter and get a glimpse of a new one before heading into 'Second Coming.'"

Kitty doesn't play a huge role in "Second Coming," but Fraction isn't bringing the character back only to let her recede into the background. "'Second Coming' is really the story of Cable and Hope, but Kitty will be very important after," Fraction stated. "Kitty being back is a big part of our next year. With where we are in 'Second Coming' and then coming out of it, Kitty's return couldn't come at a better time for all involved. So she's coming back right as there's a giant Kitty-shaped hole in the X-Men."

In March Marvel Shows How To Break Into Comics

Breaking Into Comics the Marvel Way #2 Cover

Newsarama: In early 2010 Marvel will debut two-issue series called Breaking Into Comics the Marvel Way, a showcase that will not only spotlight a group of up-and-coming “breakout” artists, but also serve as a resource book giving tools, instruction, and advice to aspiring creators looking to become the future generation of Marvel “Young Guns”.

Each of the two 56-page issues will feature 6 brand new 8-page stories written by Marvel stars like Brian Bendis, Peter David, Mike Carey, Jonathan Hickman, and Marc Guggenheim, illustrated by one of the “Breakout” artists found during “ChesterQuest”, along with insider commentary from Cebulski on how the featured artists got their work seen and how they landed a Marvel gig, as well as comprehensive submissions information and a sample Marvel script.

Newsarama: Can you mention some of them specifically? Some details on the characters/stories we mean.

Jordan D. White: We've got an untold tale of the New Avengers from Brian Bendis. A new Peter David Hulk story. Mike Carey takes us into the history of Psylocke for a look at her past and powers.

Psylocke #1 Sells Out & Returns With New Printing

Marvel.com: Marvel is pleased to announce that Psylocke#1 has sold out at Diamond (though copies may still be available at the retail level) and will return with Psylocke #1 Second Printing Variant! The superstar team of writer Christopher Yost (X-Force) and artist Harvey Tolibao present Psylocke on the path to vengeance! After the defeat of Madelyne Pryor and her minions, Psylocke heads to Japan to return her body to its final resting place-- twice as many bodies ain't always twice as good! But the evil assassin Matsu'o and the Hand ninja clan have other plans for her! Psylocke #1 Second Printing Variant features the interior art of Tolibao on a new wraparound cover!

"Yost has written an entertaining and fast-moving story that kept me interested for all 22 pages, and Harvey Tolibao's art is nicely slick and interesting..." - Jason Sacks, ComicsBulletin.com

Marvel urges retailers to check their orders on Psylocke as the series continues to sell out and generate buzz! Is Psylocke skilled enough to take down Matsu'o? Find out in Psylocke #1 Second Printing Variant!

Psylocke #1 Second Printing Variant (OCT098024)
Written by: Christopher Yost
Penciled by: Harvey Tolibao
Cover by: David Finch
Parental Advisory $3.99
FOC - 12/03/09, On-Sale - 12/23/09

More "Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2"

The official Marvel Ultimate: Alliance 2 website has finally confirmed Psylocke, Cyclops and Blade as exclusive characters on Wii, PS2 and PSP.

Kalina, one of the games producer, broke the news and talked about Psylocke: "My OTHER favorite character of all-time is in! Go Psylocke! This is not the last you will see of her..." She also posted two exclusive screenshots of Betsy in-game:

As for the possibility of Psylocke and other system-exclusive characters being available for PS3/360 DLC packs later, she said that: "DLC content is not necessarily limited to the exclusives that were just revealed. DLC content does not necessarily exclude the exclusives that were revealed. Who knows, maybe it’s some combination of characters you’ve seen and all-new playable characters..."

More information on the Wii version of Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 was revealed too. The levels are different between 360/PS3 and Wii/PS2. The games share locations, follow the same general story, and of course incorporate awesome fusions, but the level design and gameplay are different. The Wii and PS2 versions are identical in terms of game content (levels, characters, story), but there are differences in the controls.

"X-Men: Gals On The Run" by Claremont & Manara

"X-Men - Gals On The Run" by Chris Claremont and Milo Manara will be released at Lucca Comic-Con 2009. Panini will publish a volume of 64 pages with a 48-page story in black and white. The graphic novel will be released in Italy on November 5, and previewed a couple of days earlier at Lucca. According to Claremont, it will go on sale in the United States in 2010.

"Panini Comics is proud to present a unique event in comics. An unprecedented book that unites a legend of American comics and an European master. Chris Claremont, author of the myth of the X-Men as we know them today and Milo Manara, the famous Italian artist of Il Gioco, Il Profumo dell’Invisibile, El Gaucho and much more give life to "X-Men - Gals On The Run", a fantastic graphic novel starring the women of the X-Men. 48 pages of adventure among Madripoor and the Greek islands, where Storm, Rogue, Psylocke, Kitty Pryde, Marvel Girl and Emma Frost face a mysterious enemy. An exclusive volume, drawn with the magical pencils of the erotic art Master."

Chris Claremont: "I have the very great privilege of working with the amazing Italian artist, Milo Manara, on a very special X-Men project, featuring Storm, Kitty, Sage, Rogue, Psylocke, Rachel, & Emma Frost. Yes, all women! The title is still being worked out, but the in-house title is X-Babes. For those of you who know Manara's work – and if you're an adult you should check him out – this is everything you would imagine. This is the first time this preeminent European artist has ever done superheroes, and he's having so much fun! First publication is in Italy, in time for Lucca. Look to the publisher's web site: Panini, as well as a cover story in the Italian magazine La Rebulica this September, for a first look. Marvel will publish in the US next year."

Evolution Revolution: Matt Fraction

In today’s installment of Evolution Revolution, “Utopia” writer Matt Fraction gets CBR ready for the story’s final act by offering insight and commentary on all the action and intrigue of “Uncanny” #514.

CBR: Cyclops briefs four different characters on the current situation and the parts they’re to play in what comes next. Why did you choose these four particular characters?
Matt Fraction: This was really a payoff of a year of rebuilding the X-Women. These four women are all key components to Scott’s master plan, and it was a nice change to put these four together instead of Wolverine, Colossus, Nightcrawler, and Beast. So it was a chance to do something different and not quite as status quo.


CBR: You end things with Psylocke and the X-Men Science Club on an undersea mission for Cyclops.
Matt Fraction: Yes, please notice the nice X-shaped windshield. Terry Dodson, ladies and gentlemen. That wasn’t in the script. It’s just pure Terry.

CBR: How important is the Science Team’s mission?
Matt Fraction: The science team’s mission is everything.

CBR: Are there any clues in this scene as to what the Science Club’s sub is moving over? It looks like some type of mysterious technology?
Matt Fraction: You could probably extrapolate some guesses. There is something in the bay that Scott has tasked this team to bring to the surface. When we reveal what the thing at the bottom of the water is then the stakes become really clear.

Fraction looks ahead to “Dark Avengers #8” / “Utopia” Part Five

We reveal who Dani is meeting with. We get another and much more gruesome look at the Omega Machine. The Science Club’s plan is revealed. Dark Beast gets the surprise of his life. The Dark Avengers find themselves once again in position to be daddy’s favorites. Wolverine’s squad makes their move and a couple of characters are going to make pretty big choices. There’s lots of ins, outs and what-have-yous, and by the end Scott Summers gives the press conference to end all press conferences.

Evolution Revolution: Matt Fraction

In today’s installment of Evolution Revolution, CBR gets the answers to those questions and more, straight from “Utopia” writer Matt Fraction. Here's an interesting excerpt:

Fraction looks ahead to “Uncanny X-Men #514” / “Utopia” Part Four

Hang on because here we go! Trask goes mission critical. Surprises and twists happen as Cyclops is put to the test. There are three or four very important characters in the issue—they’re the last three people you would ever think of. Here’s a hint. They’re all girls.

Uncanny X-Men #514
Moonstar, Domino, Mindee Cuckoo and Psylocke. Could it be them?

San Diego Comic-Con 2009: X-Men

Psylocke

CBR: X-Men Panel

Fraction said there's "big stuff coming up for Psylocke. Not to be lascivious, but wait til you see Terry Dodson draw Psylocke."

Nation X
IGN: The Return of Magneto

Nation X - Uncanny X-Men #515

Matt Fraction's Uncanny X-Men series will once again be home to the biggest Marvel villain of all time. This Fall, in the aftermath of the X-Men/Dark Avengers crossover, Utopia, writer Matt Fraction will be tackling the "Nation X" arc, and Magneto will play some undetermined role in that storyline.

Nation X - Uncanny X-Men #516

"I think it's safe to say that, through Nation X, we're going to have a lineup and a group of people as X-Men that you've never seen before – living in a world we've not seen before and with a status quo that we've not used before. The first year was very much about having all hands on deck and having a very big, very sprawling cast. As we move forward and the events get bigger and more sprawling the team will focus a little bit more."

Necrosha
CBR: Kyle, Yost, Carey, and Wells talk "Necrosha"
IGN: X-Force Brings Back 16 Million Mutants

Selene's Necrosha - X-Force, X-Men: Legacy and New Mutants

With Messiah War concluded, X-Force is headed to a new crossover - Necrosha. The storyline will bring Wolverine's strike team in line with the New Mutants and Rogue's X-Men Legacy series. Selene is back, and is attempting to raise the dead of Genosha, a former mutant sanctuary that was annihilated by a massive Sentinel in Grant Morrison's New X-Men series.

Doug Ramsey Returns - New Mutants #6

"We have been going for this since our New X-Men run," said Craig Kyle. Kyle said Selene feels cheated by the Hellfire Club. He mentioned he and Chris Yost are huge fans and this is their chance to bring back characters that have been lost to them - including many they had killed. Selene is back and she's bringing lost parts of the X-Universe with her. Yost notes that this is the payoff for stories they've been building since the beginning, and that next month's issue starts to bring everything together. Yost also says it's shockingly violent.

"Uncanny X-Men" #510 & #511 Sell Out And Return With New Printings

Official Press Release: Marvel is pleased to announce that Uncanny X-Men #510 and Uncanny X-Men #511 have sold out at Diamond (though copies may be available at the retail level) and will return with Uncanny X-Men #510 Second Printing Variant and Uncanny X-Men #511 Second Printing Variant! Acclaimed writer Matt Fraction and superstar artist Greg Land amp up the flagship series as they conclude Madelyne Pryor’s assault on the X-Men! What do these bombshell baddies known as the Sisterhood want with the X-Men? And how does their endgame involve the enigmatic mutant known as Jean Grey? Uncanny X-Men #510 Second Printing Variant and Uncanny X-Men #511 Second Printing Variant each feature the art of Land on their covers.

Critics are raving about Uncanny X-Men:

“It's nice to see Uncanny X-Men once again take center stage as the X-book that matters.”-- Timothy Callahan, ComicBookResources.Com

“It's one of the more cohesive Fraction efforts yet, and the issue flourishes as a result.”— Bryan Joel, IGN.Com

Marvel urges retailers to check their orders on all Uncanny X-Men issues, as the series continues to garner buzz from fans and critics alike. How will the battle between the X-Men and the Sisterhood end?? Find out in Uncanny X-Men #510 Second Printing Variant and Uncanny X-Men #511 Second Printing Variants!

Why do we care? Uncanny X-Men #510 Second Printing cover features Psylocke. :D

Chris Yost Gives The Lowdown on X-Men: Psylocke

Marvel.com: Betsy Braddock returns to Japan in the four-issue X-Men: Psylocke limited series debuting this October and written by Chris Yost. The series will follow Psylocke as she seeks to place her former body in its final resting place following the events of the recent "Sisterhood" story arc in Uncanny X-Men.

As Yost sees it, while recent events for Betsy would seem rather extraordinary to most, for her it comes off as relatively normal.

"Betsy's been through a lot in her life, and it's been flat out crazy," Yost reminds. "Mojo, fake eyes, the Siege Perilous, Revanche, the Crimson Dawn, power swapping, dying, being recreated by her mad brother, dimension hopping nuts. So being pulled from another dimension as a test subject for Cyclops' dead wife to try and inhabit Jean Grey's body? Just another day in the office—or so you might think. But there's certainly something she's not dealing with, a loss she thought she made her peace with a long time ago: Her own identity. So much insanity has come down on her, she really has to question who she is. Is this what her life is now? Anyone else would go mad."

As Yost listed, throughout her history Psylocke has played a number of roles. But in all that time, a number of things have never changed at the core of her character.

"Psylocke's constant is her toughness," the writer relates. "Her spirit. Anyone else at some point would say to heck with it all, I'm out. But Betsy keeps on fighting. She's a hero through and through, and now that's literally all she has. That's her only identity: X-Man. She used to be a real person, but now she's been taken apart and reassembled so many times."

Yost promises to pick things up shortly after the "Sisterhood" arc, calling it "a direct sequel" to that storyline.

"It's the story of Psylocke and her body," elaborates Yost. "Putting it to rest. But surprise! Things get complicated."

Many of those complications stem from the return of Matsu'o, who originally placed Psylocke's mind in a different body.

"Kwannon, better known now as the Japanese body of Elisabeth Braddock, was the crime lord Matsu'o's lover," recounts Yost. "Ill-fated lover. She dies, and he and Psylocke made their peace. But the situation has changed now. And he's back in Psylocke's life, but for a radically different reason."

Finally, Yost promises fans both old and new will have a hard time turning this limited series down:

"If you like sexy powerful women kicking ninja butt with psychic powers and a sword—and who doesn't—buckle up. This book is for you. And her final adversary is a doozy."

Chris Yost: Settling the Ghosts of Psylocke

Newsarama: And you thought Psylocke had been through a lot in her recent appearances in Uncanny X-Men. Just you wait. Plus sketches by Harvey Tolibao, the penciler to the mini-series!

November will see writer Chris Yost head up a four issue Psylocke miniseries with art by Harvey Tolibao which will kick off with a trip to Japan and a reunion with Matsu'o Tsurayaba. Madness, violence, and ninjas follow.

We spoke with Yost for more on what readers can expect in the coming miniseries.

Newsarama: First off Chris - you were an X-Men fan long before you got into weaving their tales - what's your first X-Memory?

Chris Yost: Not as long as some. The very first time I read X-Men in a comic was when Spider-Man took them down in Secret Wars #2. I had no idea who they were... although I'd seen Nightcrawler in an issue of Amazing Spider-Man and didn't realize it.

Then I picked up Uncanny a while after that... but the issue I picked up had Forge, Illyana, a powerless Storm, Dire Wraiths and Rom Spaceknight. And Illyana Rasputin and Amanda Sefton. So, it was awesome... but I had no idea who the hell they were. And they didn't have Wikipedia back then. But I was hooked.

NRAMA: Obviously, you follow along with the series, and know what's coming up, so what was your reaction when it became clear that Psylocke was coming back in a big way in Uncanny?

CY: My reaction was 'Finally.' Psylocke is one of the new new wave of X-Men, one of the ones that I got introduced to as I read the book. Her, Gambit, Psylocke, Longshot, Dazzler... the Silvestri/Mister Sinister/Morlock Massacre days. The anything could happen days.

NRAMA: So spell things out a little for where this miniseries picks up with her - Betsy is back, and Kwannon is gone, as per what Madelyne explained to the Sisterhood?

CY: This is post Sisterhood, so Betsy is back and Kwannon is gone... but Betsy is in Kwannon's body. Elisabeth Braddock's 'birth' body is dead. Again.

NRAMA: Again. Since we're talking about Madelyne, where does Besty fit in in your mind, in regards to the psychics of the X-Men’s world? Just how powerful is she?

CY: Betsy is one of the planet's most powerful telepaths... of course, there aren't that many left. She's not Xavier or Jean Grey level, but she can hold her own. But what she can do that the others can't is focus her telepathy into a psychic knife. So she can physically and psychically kick your ass, and look amazing doing it.

NRAMA: Groundwork out of the way, let's talk about your miniseries - was this something you volunteered for, came up with, or were just the guy who picked up the phone and said, "Hell, yes, I'll write it!"?

CY: Much like the recent Storm mini, editor Daniel Ketchum called me up and asked if I'd be interested. I can't imagine a character that I'd answer 'no' for, but with Psylocke, it was an easy decision.

NRAMA: While this starts as Betsy looking to do the right thing, it quickly becomes a revenge flick on paper. Who is she gunning for?

CY: Matsu'o Tsurayaba. But wait, you say... the two of them made their peace! She's got nothing against him. Well, just wait.

NRAMA: Oh, like we’re going to let you go with that... Why's she got such a mad on for Matsu'o and figures she must stop him?

CY: Matsu'o does something pretty unspeakable. For a very simple reason, he hurts Betsy in a very personal, very violent way. It's pretty shocking, and at first glance non-sensical. But by the end, it will all make sense. Fingers crossed.

NRAMA: What's your take on these eddys that flow off the main X-Men current like Psylocke and her whole adventure? In a way, you could argue that it was almost an afterthought when Betsy and Kwannon were mashed up, and here, a couple of decades later, we're still telling and reading stories about it...

CY: This is a story about Betsy coming back to the world, trying to figure out who she is and what her place is... and having an option taken off the table in a horrific way. Betsy has been on a rollercoaster, that's for sure. There's a laundry list of weirdness and complexity that's been heaped on her, but at her core, she's still Betsy. She's a hero, and a fighter. She's got an edge. She's sexy as hell, to the point where Cyclops finds himself staring at her.

This mini does touch on the 'two bodies' bit, but it's the set up for a pretty personal conflict. It's about revenge, but it's about mercy. After everything Psylocke has been through, does she have any humanity left?

NRAMA: What do you want this miniseries to do for Psylocke as a character when it's all said and done?

CY: I want this mini series to remind people how and why we're still telling stories about Psylocke. To show the youngsters why she kicks ass, and remind the rest of us what we love about her.

NRAMA: Can't let you go without a tease - how does issue #1 kick off?

CY: Psylocke kills some guy.

Psylocke Heads To Japan

IGN: Anyone who has been following Uncanny X-Men over the past few months knows that Psylocke made a grand return to life. This act of resurrection is just the latest in a long, complicated string of body-switches, deaths, and cross-dimensional travel. At the end of the day, though, all that matters is that the X-Men have their own personal psychic ninja back on staff.

Psylocke will quickly be playing an integral role in Matt Fraction's future issues of Uncanny, but that's not the only place fans will be able to catch the adventures of Betsy Braddock. At Heroes Con this weekend, Marvel revealed that Chris Yost (X-Force) will be writing a new four-issue mini-series called X-Men: Psylocke, with the first issue due in November.

We're always eager to chat with Yost about all mutant matters, so we talked to him and editor Daniel Ketchum about the premise behind this Psylocke book. The fact that Marvel are so quick to compare this story to Kill Bill has us salivating at the thought of stylish ninja action, and from what we've heard so far, it sounds like that's what Yost intends to deliver.

IGN Comics: Psylocke is alive and well once more. What is her current mental state after her resurrection? Does she feel she has any place with the X-Men these days?

Chris Yost: I imagine that Psylocke feels pretty disconnected from not only the X-Men, but from herself these days. Imagine what she's been through in her relatively young life... the insanity that she's had to deal with. Then death. Then resurrection. Then getting pulled into another dimension with alternate versions of her teammates and friends. I think maybe she made out with alternate universe Sabretooth.

And now, she's back, pulled home as a test run for body snatching by the Red Queen.

Luckily, this series doesn't touch on any of that, except a bit of the last part. So the question is, to Psylocke, what is real? Who is she? What's important to her?

IGN Comics: Why does she choose to return Kwannon's body to Japan? Is this the late ninja's final wish?

Yost: It's out of respect, not only to Kwannon but to herself. This is the body she was born in, and while she's accepted her new body... she's still got fond memories of her original. So she wants it to be treated well.

That doesn't go to plan.

IGN Comics: How do Psylocke's powers function now that she's back in her original body? Is she not quite the ninja she once was?

Yost: She's not shadow melding, she's maybe a little telekinetic. She's got high level telepathy, which she can focus into a psychic knife. She's got the muscle memory of being a bad-ass ninja assassin, so she can move, knows martial arts, and is lethal with a katana. That's it.

Daniel Ketchum: Psylocke's power set has been a mish-mash of things over past few years. But to boil it down for the purposes of our story: Betsy's a little telekinetic and a little telepathic, but mostly, yeah, she's a bad-ass ninja.

IGN Comics: Describe the opponent Psylocke faces in this story. What sets her on the path of revenge?

Yost: Matsu'o Tsurayaba has a long history with Psylocke and the X-Men, going back to the day that Psylocke went from pink butterflies to ninja assassin. But they made their peace, right? That's what Psylocke thought. So when Matsu'o does something fairly unspeakable, it makes her anger all the more... angrier.

IGN Comics: This story is being compared to Kill Bill. Is that a stylistic comparison as well?

Yost: It's a revenge story, but it's a little more complicated than Kill Bill. As for the style, I'll leave that to Daniel.

Ketchum: I actually think a comparison to Kill Bill applies to Psylocke herself more than the book as a whole. When I signed on to edit this book, the first question I asked was: What kind of Psylocke book would I want to read? I love the idea of Psylocke being a force of nature…walking carnage, ninja-shaped death. I want her to be a complete bad-ass and a force to be reckoned with, not just that purple-haired chick on the B-roster of the fourth X-Men book from the left.

And, as a sidenote, if there's anyone who can do that for Psylocke, it's Chris.

IGN Comics: Chris, what made you want to be the one to tackle Psylocke's story following her return?

Yost: All Daniel has to do is call me up and say, 'Would you be interested in..' and I'm already sold. In this case, with Psylocke, I was sold on her as of New Mutants Annual #2. Seeing her grow over the years, survive the mutant massacre, take a more and more bad-ass stance with the X-Men, and finally see her evolve into what she's known as today... she's an amazing character that's been on one hell of a journey.

We just want to remind people why we love her.

For instance, I love her because of that shot of her coming out of the water that Jim Lee drew, which made Cyclops go all slobbery right in front of Jean Grey.

IGN Comics: We suspect Captain Britain will be interested to know his sister is alive again. Will he play any role in this story?

Yost: Ha ha, poor Brian. He's always the last to know. Nope. He's fighting Dracula in one of my favorite books, Captain Britain and the MI:13 by Paul Cornell. So go buy it!!

IGN Comics: Anything else you'd like to add about the Psylocke mini at this point?

Yost: If you've been reading comics lately, coming away feeling empty... wondering why you're not seeing incredibly sexy, bad-ass telepathic women fighting ninjas on a quest for revenge, culminating in a battle with one of the most vicious killers on the planet...

...buckle up.

Breaking News: Yost Talks Psylocke Mini!

CBR: You can't keep a good British, psychic, mutant ninja down for long.

After a wild resurrection and sudden body transfer in the pages of Matt Fraction and Greg Land's "Uncanny X-Men" #511, the once and future X-Woman Psylocke bounces back towards her '90s ninja roots in "X-Men: Psylocke," a four-issue Marvel miniseries announced today at Charlotte, North Carolina's Heroes Con. Written by Christopher Yost with art by a creative team yet to be revealed, the series takes the newly reconstituted sister of Captain Britain on a different kind of revenge mission meant to remind fans why the katana-wielding warrior was one of the more popular X-Men characters during the property's heyday.

"The mandate on this series was 'Tell us a story that reminds everyone of why she's so kick ass,'" laughed Yost in an exclusive first interview with CBR. The writer said Psylocke’s general appeal is almost too easy, while digging into Psylocke's history gets infinitely harder. "The bottom line is that the great things about her is that she kicks ass and she's sexy. Those are two things that are not going to be hard to incorporate into any story. But when you look at the history of Psylocke, it's just batshit insane – all of the stuff she had to deal with: the Mojo stuff and the crazy, other-dimensional Captain Britain stuff. Having bionic eyes and getting switched into an Asian body. Getting the Crimson Dawn, which I'm not even clear on what that is. It's like...where do you start?"

However, despite regaining her senses and her ninja warrior body at the end of the "Sisterhood" arc in "Uncanny," Betsy Braddock still has a mess of a life (or lives) to clean up before she can move forward with her team – starting with what to do with her own corpse. "It was tricky to decide what aspect of the character to take on," explained Yost. "We figured coming out of 'Sisterhood,' the matter at hand was that there are two Psylockes sitting there. At the end of it, one will be alive and one won't. So out of respect, Psylocke is returning her other body to its grave. That's a pretty straightforward place to start...and then things get a little complicated."

While drafting the first script, Yost found one element of the story surprisingly uncomplicated: how to portray the long-lost character's personality. “Psylocke doesn't take any shit from anybody. But it's tricky because in opposition to Emma Frost who's very snooty and sarcastic, Psylocke’s very no-nonsense and tough," he explained, noting that one of the series villains will be the ninja master who removed Betsy from her original body to begin with.

"Matsu'o Tsurayaba is involved," Yost confirmed, adding the obvious fact that Psylocke aims to kill her former abuser, though twists abound. "There's a very specific reason that she wants him dead, and there's a very exciting villain that she has to overcome to make this happen. In this story, it became Psylocke fighting ninjas in Japan and that stuff, but there's a very personal story to it. It's deadly personal to Psylocke. It's her body."

And while some fans may hold allegiance to the character's original form, Yost and editor Daniel Ketchum agreed that Fraction and Land's use of the Asian version made the most sense. "She definitely is going back to her ninja assassin look," he said, citing J. Scott Campbell's variant for "Uncanny #510" as a prime example of Psylocke. "We tend to think of that as what people identify as the definitive Psylocke. I still kind of like the light pink butterfly Psylocke here and there, but I think for most modern readers Psylocke is that person.

“But that's part of the story. Who is Psylocke? She has to think to herself, waking up in the morning, 'What shell am I in today?' She's been jerked around the multiverse for a while now. So a lot of the story is setting her up and reestablishing her in the 'mainstream' Marvel Universe. This is who she is, where she is and what her worldview and attitude on things is. This is how she functions in the X-Universe.

“And there's fighting!"

A Dark Utopia for the X-Men

IGN: Matt Fraction chats about the upcoming Uncanny X-Men/Dark Avengers crossover known as Utopia, as well as the sad state of Tony Stark's life. Click on the link to read the rest of the interview. Very cool stuff about Utopia!

IGN: Uncanny #511 came out last week, and the cover was pretty blatantly teasing the return of Jean Grey. Did you enjoy being able to pull the wool over readers' eyes for a while?
Fraction: You know, I always feel bad for outright lying. [laughs] I just hope people were entertained. The real misdirect was so we could bring Psylocke back. I hope people were at least surprised by that. I think there was profound meaning in Jean's death, and I'm not looking to bring her back.

IGN: As you mentioned, the character who did make her return this month was Psylocke. What made you want to bring her back?
Fraction: The team is pretty masculine, and we were looking for ways to bulk up the females on the team. I think she's a great, interesting character, and what we've done with her kind of synthesizes her two histories into one person. That'll give us some cool places to go with her character in the next year. It's not quite the same Psylocke everyone has seen before. Her power-set is a little bit different. Her personality is a little bit different. She's these two synthesized Psylockes as one with bits of each combined into this one person. And she's cool. She's got a great power-set and a cool costume. She's a super-powerful woman, and we don't get enough of those.

IGN: And she's a ninja. You can't really go wrong with that.
Fraction: And she's a ninja. And Asian. So it's win-win-win. Psychic ninja! Who doesn't want to write about a psychic ninja?

IGN: Is she going to be playing a big role in the series right away?
Fraction: She plays a big role in issue #512. She also shows up in X-Men/Dark Avengers and going forward. I'm looking forward to her being a member of the team.

IGN: What can you reveal about #512?
Fraction: I've been really happy with the book so far, and I've been having a great time. I think both #512 and Utopia are the two best stories I've done so far. #512 is a standalone issue. It's a fun time-travel story about the X-Club. Mutants have been around for hundreds of thousands of years, but as a racial addition to the planet's human birth rate, mutants are a little more than a hundred years old. We've often called Namor the first mutant. But he was really sort of the first mutant of the popular wave. Where the mutant birth curve really started to skyrocket was around Namor's time.

And this is a story about the X-Club traveling back about 100 years to investigate a pair of humans about to have a child that will be a mutant. In trying to investigate the mystery of M-Day and how to reverse it, they quite literally find themselves searching for the origin of the species. They're trying to figure out what it is about these parents. Why them – why mutants? And it's fun. Yanick Paquette's art is amazing. The colors are beautiful. I'm so, so proud of how the issue came out. It's a lot of fun. Like I said, it's a self-contained, done-in-one, 34-page adventure.

Matt Fraction Talks Uncanny X-Men: Breaking News!

CBR News spoke with Fraction about the Red Queen and her scheme, which involves the return of a fan-favorite X-Man; as well as the writer’s future plans for “Uncanny,” which involve the introduction of a new team of “Dark X-Men.” It pretty much confirms that Psylocke is indeed back to her original body! Check the entire article for preview art and more news concerning "Sisterhood " and the upcoming Dark Avengers/Uncanny X-Men crossover!

The result of the ritual performed by the Red Queen and the Sisterhood appeared to have returned the spirit of Psylocke to her original body, which had been deceased. Also known as Betsy Braddock, Psylocke hadn’t been seen in the pages of “Uncanny X-Men” for several years, and Fraction wanted to bring her back to the title for a number of reasons. “It’s also part of that initiative to bring in more strong and powerful female characters. That's really been our agenda,” Fraction said. “Plus Psylocke is great. She’s got a rich and complicated history and she provided stuff that no one else on the team had in terms of character, power set, and the complications her return brings about. Those complications made for an intriguing problem and I’ve got a lot of affection for the character. When she first came into 'Uncanny' was sort of my prime era of reading the book as a fan.”

Uncanny X-Men #509 Cover Revealed!

As Fraction mentioned, Psylocke brings with her a complicated back-story that involves switching bodies with a Japanese woman named Kwannon, a death, a resurrection, and a stint protecting alternate realities with her former teammates the Exiles. “Our mission with her is really to simplify as much as possible,” Fraction said. “We’re trying to bring her back in a way that satisfies people who know who she is and where she’s been, but at the same time present this character to people who don’t have any idea of who she is. Without blowing where the rest of the arc is going things become clearer in issue #509. She is a very important canary in the coal mine. She’s a test run if you will. What they do with Psylocke, they want to do to someone else.”

An Uncanny Update with Matt Fraction

Newsarama spoke with Uncanny X-Men writer, Matt Fraction, about his upcoming plans for the Marvel’s “Mutant Mothership”. Apparently Marvel is trying to keep Psylocke's return a surprise for now hence Fraction couldn't even mention who was the friend coming back as a foe.

In terms of exactly who the Sisterhood would be adding to their ranks, Fraction acknowledged the obvious notables: Spiral, Lady Deathstrike, and Madelyne Pryor but was quick to correct, “The Red Queen—is a member. Whether or not she’s really Madelyne Pryor remains to be seen. She certainly seems to think she’s Madelyne Pryor.” Marvel’s solicits for April also indicate that a former friend would be returning as a foe—to which Fraction could only comment, “Wait and see, wait and see.”

Check the whole interview on Newsarama.

WonderCon 2009: Uncanny X-Men/Dark Avengers

Uncanny X-Men/Dark Avengers: This summer, Matt Fraction will write a crossover between his own Uncanny X-Men series and Brian Michael Bendis' Dark Avengers. Beginning in July, both titles will begin a six-part crossover storyline. The crossover begins in a one-shot special called X-Men/Dark Avengers Alpha. The story continues in the pages of Uncanny X-Men #513-514 (art by Terry Dodson) and Dark Avengers #6-7 (art by Mike Deodato Jr.), before finishing off in another one-shot called X-Men/Dark Avengers Omega. Both Alpha and Omega one-shots will be drawn by Marc Silvestri.

What brings the two teams together? Fraction answers: "I don't want to blow it. You should read it. But Emma is a part of the Cabal. We all know what Emma and Norman's agreement is, and something happens. The long and the short of it is – Norman says to Emma, "You need to control your people." That's the origin of it. Without giving too much away, something happens, and it's something we've been building towards in the X-books. There's an incident in San Francisco, and suddenly the human and mutant populations come to a head. Norman has to get involved because he's the face of law and order in the Marvel U. now. Wackiness ensues."

For more information about this crossover, read Matt's interview on CBR, IGN, Newsarama and Marvel.com.

X-Men Panel: Fraction took the opportunity to hop in at this point to shed some light on what's coming up in Uncanny X-Men before the Dark Avengers crossover. The series will be moving into the Sisterhood arc, with some old favorites returning and current favorites "taking a dirt nap". In talking about the tone of the arc, Fraction said, "I wrote the biggest fight scene of my career. Sisterhood kind of flows into the crossover after a standalone #512. This is dealing with who the Sisterhood are, what they're up to, and why they want the X-Men not in San Francisco. Some old favorites come back, new favorites get the chance to shine." He also mentioned that issue #512 of Uncanny X-Men will be a standalone, 38-page story dealing with heading a long ways back in time to find a set of parents about to give birth to a mutant.

For more X-Men Panel announcements in WonderCon, read Newsarama's description.