Betsy Braddock: Captain Britain #1has me truly thrilled for what comes next. It has threats, both present and insidious that feel real and viable, coupled with amazing character writing and a gorgeous visual presentation. If the creative team can keep this up it looks like the X-Office's current run of hits will only continue. Read Full Review

Filled with a deep understanding of its characters and its mythology, Betsy Braddock continues laying foundations for its own wonderful corner of the Marvel Universe. Read Full Review

Once again Tini Howard gives us a rather complex and nuanced storyline, which has multiple twists being set up. I love the fact that we are likely to see a bit more of S.T.R.I.K.E. as Betsy has called upon them in order to help here get to the bottom of what is going on with the Furies. Read Full Review

Betsy Braddock: Captain America #1 crams appealing characters, history and mythology, and lush, gorgeous art into a highly-enjoyable issue that feels more like a graphic novel. While you'll probably need a break after reading this beautiful and involving story, you'll have met lots of interesting characters and be itching to watch all the X-Men movies over again. Read Full Review

Overall, Betsy Braddock: Captain Britain #1 is a fun story that shows why everyone loves Betsy Braddock. The story by Howard is wonderful. The art by the creative team is gorgeous. Altogether, a story that shows off a different side of the X-Men's world that has endured for decades. Read Full Review

Betsy Braddock: Captain Britain #1 is a love letter to the badass, queer psychic superhero that Tini Howard has nurtured for the past 3+ years while also shows the strain that taking on the role of Captain Britain, protecting the multiverse, and dealing with Otherworld has taken on her. The comic is a meditation on burnout and being spread too thin, but with killer robots, evil plans, and shrinking Tory-friendly podcasters. Read Full Review

"Betsy Braddock: Captain Britain #1 gives Betsy a focused series that her character needed all along. Read Full Review

After becoming a significant and beloved part of the Krakoa era thus far, Betsy Braddock's Captain Britain is finally leading her own solo series, and its debut installment proves to be an entertaining, albeit slightly-overstuffed, kickoff. Read Full Review

With BETSY BRADDOCK: CAPTAIN BRITAIN #1, the second issue will determine if the series is a must-buy. Read Full Review

But if youre someone who cant totally appreciate the social and political commentary offered here, theres still plenty of the mythical sword-clashing thatll leave you satisfied; any issue featuring Britannica Rex, the dinosaur Captain Britain, is one worth reading. (Betsy/Rachel shippers will also be well-fed with this one, thats for sure.) But most of all, the issue builds to an intriguing cliffhanger that I wont spoil here, but implies an incoming clash between Betsy and another UK-based character that is incredibly genius. (You can glance at the solicits for the next issue if you really want a heavy hint as to what Im alluding to.) With a new perspective but retaining everything that has made Howards time with the character so much fun, Betsy Braddock: Captain Britain #1 continues this era of the Captain Britain with a new lease on its life. Read Full Review

Its a new chapter in Betsy Braddocks life as Captain Britain, but unfortunately it seems like its just more of the same. Not much has changed for Betsy since taking on the mantle, despite being under Howards control for the last four years, and the only thing new is her relationship with Rachel, which came at the ending of the Knights of X mini. Im not sure if Howards got anything new to say about Betsy and her world, but Ill keep waiting patiently. Read Full Review

There are so many of these series now but I am sure this character will turn up in your favourite one if you wait long enough depending on the storyline. Read Full Review

More of the same

What a mixed bag.

On one hand, it's loaded with sapphic romance, fits a fair amount of stuff in without feeling garbled or rushed, and features lots of Excalibur characters I love but don't see much like Pete Wisdom and Faiza Hussain.

On the other, it really doesn't feel like Howard has anything new to say about everyone being a skeptic of Betsy and the other plots are starting to feel like they're spinning their wheels as well, the romance is decidedly mid and never really gives us a clear idea of what these two love about one another, and though the Fury is a concept that was always going to deliver diminishing returns if it was used more than once, turning it into a thing that can be defeated in two pages begs the question of why one is even using the Fury in the first place.

Vasco Georgiev, whose art impressed me on last year's Voidsong, turns in some fine panels, particularly of Rachel, but also some slightly off-looking mouths that bothered me a bit.

This issue doesn't offer much that we haven't already seen and failed to convince me that there's another series's worth of stuff to do here — but despite that I enjoyed it enough that I'm going to stick with it and see if it goes anywhere from here. more

+ Like • Comments (5)

• Likes (2)

• Mike
• Psycamorean

Show all comments

Psycamorean - Feb 26, 2023

The romance here bothered me. I had forgotten that Rachel and Betsy were an item by the end of Knights of X, but even after remembering, I was left a bit unconvinced. It seems like so often, gay romance in comics is made lacking by an unwillingness to give these relationships real depth. The slightest bit of conflict would do wonders in making this relationship feel real and compelling but instead, it seems like these characters will stay stuck in their honeymoon phase indefinitely.

Mike - Feb 26, 2023

I think the problem here is that, as with everything in Tini Howard's writing, the most interesting things happen off-panel. Same goes for the Betsy/Rachel relationship. We went from their first kiss to living happily ever after as any ordinary couple within the span of one issue.

Psycamorean - Feb 26, 2023

I have read a lot of Tini Howard's work, and I think she's a good writer.

KittyNone - Feb 26, 2023

In all fairness, a lot of this feels like stuff that was meant to be spelled out in later issues of Knights of X, so this issue is saddled with the task of hitting the ground running with the relationship so as not to make new readers feel overmuch like they're starting in the middle, so I can see why there wouldn't be space to show us the process of them falling in love. But we also don't get to see much of what specifically they like about one another, what makes their personalities click.

KittyNone - Feb 26, 2023

And I agree, a little conflict would do wonders for that. Hopefully we'll get some as we go along

Sign in to comment

My problem is that the author doesn't seem to know of any other way to establish a plot point than have at least 2 characters talk about it for at least 2 pages. And then, once they have all that space to fill, why not pour in several hundred words of recap, exposition, character opinion, digression, and/or speculation?

It's about time Brian reclaimed "Captain Britain". This drivel with Betsy has been going on far too long - and is going nowhere.

Tini Howard hyped up this book as a thrilling new adventure for Betsy, promising to take her “on her greatest ride yet” and “introduce her to the wider Marvel Universe”. Sadly, the book falls far short of these promises.

Instead, we get a predictable continuation of the cancelled previous series, with the tired plot of “Britain hates the new mutant Captain Britain” dragging on for the fourth year. Even making it a solo book doesn’t change much, as Excalibur and Knights of X were always the Betsy show, with the supporting cast serving only as plot enablers for her.

The interactions between Betsy and Rachel are flat and awkward, with cringey dialogue. We’ve jumped from their first kiss to their happily ever after as a married couple in just one issue without any interesting development in between.

The Marvel UK-related callbacks and cameos feel like shallow fan-service, lacking any real significance. The Reflector datapage is particularly telling, as it shows that Howard isn’t as familiar with Braddock lore as she claims. Brian was always the one keeping a low profile, while Jamie, a popular car racer, and Betsy, the fashion model, were the family celebrities. A British tabloid would have more juicy stories about Betsy’s modelling days than simply labeling her a “shady” character who happens to be Brian’s sister.

Overall, this book seems more like an attempt to tie up loose ends from previous runs rather than a new chapter in Betsy’s journey. It feels like the end rather than the next step forward. more

Stagnant and bland. The same tired story about whether Britain should accept their new Captain Britain dragging on for four years. A cheap #1 to boost sales when this is actually Excalibur #27.