In Review: Betsy Braddock: Captain Britain (2023) #1 (of 5)

Synopsis: Betsy Braddock is back. And she’s got a whole new mission! With Otherworld settled, Braddock Manor restored, and her brother Captain Avalon at her side, you’d think things look pretty good for Betsy Braddock. Only it turns out, good ole Britain doesn’t want her back. No one wants a mutant menace carrying the shield of Captain Britain, and Betsy’s made more than a few enemies along her way. Quest-less and country-less, Betsy must define a role for herself.

The Story

Following on from events seen in the War against Merlyn. Betsy Braddock is now the new Captain Britain, but the people of the UK and the hostile right-wing media do not want her. If that isn’t enough Morgana Le Fay is back and she has hatched a plan to replace Betsy with a new Captain Britain that she and her allies can control. And added to all of that. We have the Furies attacking all of the parallel worlds in their attempts to get the other Captain Britain’s to bend the knee to them and their cause. Whatever that might be.

The Artwork

Vasco Georgiev produces some fantastic work for this book and hits the ground running. The issue starts with some talking head panels in which we see Betsy as a guest on a rather right wing TV channel, which is obviously aping the newish GB News channel, which launched in the UK last year. In the show Betsy is being asked a series of questions, but the host is talking over her before she has the chance to answer. It is a very Piers Morgan-style interview when Morgan is interviewing someone that he does not agree with and makes it obvious by talking over them. The artist does a brilliant job with the micro-expressions on the character’s faces throughout this opening segment.

But the best is when we see Britannica Rex and Betsy fighting a fury later in the book.

Overall

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.