Tini Howard’s continued exploration of Betsy Braddock and the storied linage of Captain Britain has been a curious recuring component of the X-line since its relaunch with Hickman’s House of X nearly five years ago. I’ve been lukewarm on some of the Overworld plotting in previous incarnations of this storyline (first in Excalibur and then Knights of X), but the Captain Britain: Betsy Braddock miniseries collection is where I finally grasped the vision Howard has for the character, making this miniseries both enjoyable while also promising rousing avenues for future exploration.
Collecting Betsy Braddock: Captain Britain #1-5 from 2023, finds Braddock firmly fitted with the Captain Britain mantle and a settled Otherworld. With Rachel Summers at her side, Howard is able to explore the multiverse of Captain Britains, all while Betsy struggles to be accepted as our earth’s representative of the order due to her mutant lineage. Nods are made to the character’s rich history, with Morgan Le Fay, Gloriana, and Captain Avalon, all making an appearance as the Askani mythology is deepened within the title’s lore.
It’s rare in the current publishing environment to see one creator mold a single character in the way Howard has with Betsy. To say Psylocke has been through a convoluted history is an understatement, with Braddock struggling to find an identity following the whole Kwannon split. Howard narrows in on the key elements of Betsy’s character while giving her a purpose in keeping with that history. I’m excited to see what this character’s future escaped will be, which wasn’t something I could say before Howard’s tenure with the character.
One of the most remarkable aspects of Howard’s work with Betsy has been on the ongoing relationship between her and Rachel Summers. Being old enough to remember the fanfare around the first Marvel character to come out as gay, the romance between these two lynchpins of the X-line demonstrates just how far mainstream comics have come. The growing relationship between the two women feels real and earned, while keeping true to their individual histories. In less formidable hands, one could see the queering of these characters as nothing more than a publicity stunt meant to garner press, but Howard breathes life into their relationship, charting a course for future writers to explore established characters.
Vasco Georgiev and Erick Arciniega do very strong work bringing the storyline to life with their focused linework. The visual style of this title closely matches what came before in previous incarnations of this book, giving its five-year run a clear tone and vision that is hard to find.
The Otherworld focus of previous Braddock adventures felt tailor made for a select audience of readers, but with Captain Britain: Betsy Braddock, Howard effectively charts a new course for these characters while commendably building on the layered lore she toiled to establish. It’s a fun, lovely collection that walks a delicate line between character relationships and continuity.
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