X-Men Monday #187 – Tini Howard Talks ‘Betsy Braddock: Captain Britain’

[JB]

https://aiptcomics.com/2023/01/16/x-...ptain-britain/

A few nuggets:

AIPT: And Betsy’s relationship with Rachel Summers is set to play a key role in Betsy Braddock: Captain Britain. Going back several years, what was it about Betsy and Rachel that made you think they’d be even better together?

Tini: Segue! So, there are definitely a lot of great examples in the text of them being there for each other and looking hot together, like any of the Great Ships, but most of it came about just naturally during the Krakoan era. I’d considered using Rachel in Excalibur from the beginning but she was first a big player in Jon Hickman’s X-Men book and then Leah Williams’ X-Factor.

I have to credit Leah with part of this, because as two queer women writing these characters, so much of the relationship came about from story planning, from being queer women and writing these characters who — for a lot of reasons (Rachel’s stories with Kitty, Betsy’s affair with Cluster) were adopted by fans as being into women.

I’m sure there are Discord conversations far enough back where Leah and I found the core of that relationship together, where I feel like we brought it up at the same time that they would be great together, and there was definitely a time where we were writing toward it together, what with Amazing Baby and all, and I want to give her credit there.

Anyway, to your original question — I don’t want to say too much because there is some good relationship juice in the story, but I’ve been really into the ethics of privacy when you and your girlfriend are both very powerful psychics, haha.

AIPT: Very juicy. The other major character in Betsy’s life is her brother Brian. What role will the former Captain Britain play in the current Captain Britain’s life moving forward?

Tini: Brian has two roles currently — he’s still Captain Avalon, but the role is a little different right now. The Kingdom of Avalon is ruled by a wounded King Arthur who is healing more than just his body — he’s healing his relationship with his son, Mordred. So Captain Avalon is sort of making sure that he doesn’t get a 911 (sorry, 999) call from the Kingdom.

And he’s also enjoying life with his family, running the house at Braddock Manor, being with his wife and daughter. We’ll see him in the lab again, we’ll see some of old school scientist Brian — I love that nerd.

AIPT: In Betsy Braddock: Captain Britain preview art, we see Betsy and Micromax on television, giving Betsy a chance to flex her PR muscles. Beyond superheroing, what other sides of Captain Britain might we see explored in this series?

Tini: Definitely her as a PR person, her as a girlfriend, a negotiator, a delegator of responsibilities, an auntie and sister, and a friend. She’s got some great scenes I love with some of my favorite Marvel heroes — folks you won’t see a lot of on Krakoa, I’ll say that much.

I'll stop here because I can repost the whole thing lol, so I'll chime in the respective Betsy and Braddock threads.

This week's eXclusive images!

[JB]

[Nicoclaws]

Charles is very very lonely right now, between Unlimited and the IXM preview. I wonder how that will shake up in Fall of X.
Nerd Brian is always a good thing, IMO.

[JB]

Charles is very very lonely right now, between Unlimited and the IXM preview. I wonder how that will shake up in Fall of X.
Nerd Brian is always a good thing, IMO.

Yeah I’m very curious about Xavier’s condition post SOS. He’s gonna need a self-imposed reboot of sorts.
Always love seeing Storm and Thor teaming up.

[CGAR]

Decent interview. I looked at the previous X-Men Monday and it didn’t mention that Toni Howard would be doing it OR to submit questions. So I wonder if they pushed this interview up or she just didn’t want to answer questions from fans.

The one thing I wish they mentioned is that she would have more introspective moments and that she would have more meaningful moments with A-List X-Men like Storm, Cyclops, Jean Grey, Emma Frost, and Logan.

[Nicoclaws]

The one thing I wish they mentioned is that she would have more introspective moments and that she would have more meaningful moments with A-List X-Men like Storm, Cyclops, Jean Grey, Emma Frost, and Logan.

From the interview it doesn't seem like it. She'll probably stay in the UK for the whole mini, with UK heroes as guests.

[JB]

I really like that it seems her prominence and importance will be building across the MU, I just hope it's shown how that also benefits mutantkind and Krakoa in general. I'd like to see the acknowledgment that yes she is a mutant and is respected at large.

"She’s got some great scenes I love with some of my favorite Marvel heroes. There are some great cameos in this book, and it all builds to a really satisfying position for Captain Britain in the Marvel Universe at the end of this book."

Who would you like to see her rubbing elbows with? My wishlist includes Captain America, someone representing the Spider-Verse, and Strange/Clea.

[Fokken]

Decent interview. I looked at the previous X-Men Monday and it didn’t mention that Toni Howard would be doing it OR to submit questions. So I wonder if they pushed this interview up or she just didn’t want to answer questions from fans.

The one thing I wish they mentioned is that she would have more introspective moments and that she would have more meaningful moments with A-List X-Men like Storm, Cyclops, Jean Grey, Emma Frost, and Logan.

I saw it advertised on Twitter.
And when they call for questions, they are then curated by the interviewer from the plethora sent in (though I would fully understand if any creators opted to dodge fans because we are an unnecessarily savage community)

[Frobisher]

I think I'm pretty over Betsy being Captain Britain now.

[Fokken]

Zero disrespect to the Betsy-heads out there, but I'm largely following this title for the Rachel and occasional Meggan of it all.

[JB]

Both Rachel and Meggan deserve to be in the spotlight more for sure. Someone suggested Meggan for the X-Men vote and I’m in love with the idea.

[Devaishwarya]

The most interesting part for me:

"But how long can you run from the source of your power? How long can you turn away from people who might need you and believe in you? And certainly, I don’t think you can turn away like that in your first solo title as the Captain herself. She’s coming back with something to prove to a country that isn’t sure about her getting the job.""...I think what doesn’t get old for me is that we’ve seen so little of her like this. Her in her own body, inside her own mind, in charge of her own life. I think we’ve gotten to give her a cause and a drive and a job, and it just all feels like fresh territory all of the time for Betsy."

One of my main issues with the previous runs was the fact that Betsy didn't seem central to the stories nor was she taking charge of situations and pushing the narrative This feels like it will be Betsy at the forefront driving the story along. (And I really hope she seriously fucks-up the Coven Twats...if not once and for all, for a good long while at least. Those shits need to pay!!!)

I'm here for Betsy (yes, after skipping KoX, I'll be giving it another go) hoping Tini will deliver...and this third time around will be charming.

[JB]

The most interesting part for me:

"But how long can you run from the source of your power? How long can you turn away from people who might need you and believe in you? And certainly, I don’t think you can turn away like that in your first solo title as the Captain herself. She’s coming back with something to prove to a country that isn’t sure about her getting the job.""...I think what doesn’t get old for me is that we’ve seen so little of her like this. Her in her own body, inside her own mind, in charge of her own life. I think we’ve gotten to give her a cause and a drive and a job, and it just all feels like fresh territory all of the time for Betsy."

One of my main issues with the previous runs was the fact that Betsy didn't seem central to the stories nor was she taking charge of situations and pushing the narrative This feels like it will be Betsy at the forefront driving the story along. (And I really hope she seriously fucks-up the Coven Twats...if not once and for all, for a good long while at least. Those shits need to pay!!!)

I'm here for Betsy (yes, after skipping KoX, I'll be giving it another go) hoping Tini will deliver...and this third time around will be charming.

Agreed, there's enough story in Betsy retracing her original steps pre-bodyswap to be very interesting. Excalibur suffered in part because it didn't have a clear direction for Betsy aside from being CB and then fighting a lot. KoX thankfully wrapped up the Merlyn mess and now this book can get back to what I've always felt is the most interesting part of the story, dealing with British/Krakoan relations and Betsy being a citizen of her nation as she once was so long ago.

Happy to have you onboard, Sibz.

[davetvs]

Fool me three times shame on me but whatever. I love Betsy, I'll give it a shot. I really hope this book is a better use of the talents Tini Howard is alleged to possess. I haven't read Catwoman, but I heard it's good so maybe solos are her sweet spot.

[xpyred]

I have a major backlog of X-Men issues to go through but i am curious about one thing; has the story between the last Uncanny X-Men volume and HOX/POX been explained yet?