Betsy Braddock: Captain Britain #5 - Review/Spoilers

[mattsarchamp]

Finally, it's over! I know I made a point that TH's story is not for me or everyone else. But thanks for the ride. Now, we can hope and dream again for Betsy's future. I just wish Rick Remender would come back to write her again because I think he's the best writer for her especially during the Uncanny X-Force Vol.1 era.

Imagine if Remender would have started the Excalibur series instead of TH, it would have been so much better. I know because I liked how he handled the Otherworld story arc. All I can say is, "Will the real Betsy Braddock, please stand up?".

[JB]

I loved most of Remender's Uncanny X-Force but he likes to torture his characters and I'm glad that phase in Betsy's development is behind us. While I liked the drama portion of his Otherworld story with Jamie's death, I was greatly against Brian's characterization with him viewing the X-Men as a "self-involved clan". Remender's biggest offense imo was making their father a scientist with Weapon Plus (started in Remender's Secret Avengers) and responsible for countless murders. That made no sense as he was chosen by Merlin to go to earth to bring a hero into the world. Thankfully as Hickman recently said, continuity isn't necessarily what's on the page but what stays in the overall readers' consciousness and I'm happy to forget his take on the Braddock family as a whole.

The expansion of Otherworld by Howard has allowed it to be used across several books and I like that many elements of her world-building are coming into play now and in Fall of X. Along with the content by the writers of the core books since Krakoa started, I'm glad that Howard's ideas have also remained a fixture of this era. With Apocalypse's return, the coming reintroduction of mutant magic, the External Gate, Coven Akkaba, and the return of several of the Arakkii characters she co-created, it's nice that her imagination continues to weave itself into the line.

[Mutant X]

The letter at the end makes everything very clear.
Howard wanted to write Apocalypse (or that stupid -[A]- thing) but got stuck with Betsy.
So she made the unwanted character bleed for almost 4 years.
Betsy had better stay in limbo for a while, until some good writer gives her a worthy story.

[mattsarchamp]

I loved most of Remender's Uncanny X-Force but he likes to torture his characters and I'm glad that phase in Betsy's development is behind us. While I liked the drama portion of his Otherworld story with Jamie's death, I was greatly against Brian's characterization with him viewing the X-Men as a "self-involved clan". Remender's biggest offense imo was making their father a scientist with Weapon Plus (started in Remender's Secret Avengers) and responsible for countless murders. That made no sense as he was chosen by Merlin to go to earth to bring a hero into the world. Thankfully as Hickman recently said, continuity isn't necessarily what's on the page but what stays in the overall readers' consciousness and I'm happy to forget his take on the Braddock family as a whole.

The expansion of Otherworld by Howard has allowed it to be used across several books and I like that many elements of her world-building are coming into play now and in Fall of X. Along with the content by the writers of the core books since Krakoa started, I'm glad that Howard's ideas have also remained a fixture of this era. With Apocalypse's return, the coming reintroduction of mutant magic, the External Gate, Coven Akkaba, and the return of several of the Arakkii characters she co-created, it's nice that her imagination continues to weave itself into the line.

Yes, RR is not a perfect writer, as we know that he has flaws in his writing too, but you can't take away his superb storytelling, the way he handled every character, whether the protagonists or antagonists, they were fleshed out beautifully and the story itself was well structured and executed. Remember the time IGN had an article about the Top 10 Superheroes and Top 10 Supervillains? Betsy was Top 2 heroine and Warren was Top 1 villain, that's how good RR was when it comes to characterization. We know his X-Force was the kind of grim and gritty with so much violence, but when it comes to the ending, there was so much feels that it caused so much heartbreaks. Especially, the Dark Angel Saga and Final Execution gave us that kind of story. That's the standard of storytelling the X-Men title or Marvel as a whole need right now to make up with their readers/audiences to make a comic book sell. This is why I find TH's storytelling very lacking, so many ideas but very weak in execution. Just my humble opinion.

[JB]

Yes, RR is not a perfect writer, as we know that he has flaws in his writing too, but you can't take away his superb storytelling, the way he handled every character, whether the protagonists or antagonists, they were fleshed out beautifully and the story itself was well structured and executed. Remember the time IGN had an article about the Top 10 Superheroes and Top 10 Supervillains? Betsy was Top 2 heroine and Warren was Top 1 villain, that's how good RR was when it comes to characterization. We know his X-Force was the kind of grim and gritty with so much violence, but when it comes to the ending, there was so much feels that it caused so much heartbreaks. Especially, the Dark Angel Saga and Final Execution gave us that kind of story. That's the standard of storytelling the X-Men title or Marvel as a whole need right now to make up with their readers/audiences to make a comic book sell. This is why I find TH's storytelling very lacking, so many ideas but very weak in execution. Just my humble opinion.

I'm a fan of that run so you're definitely preaching to the choir. Should Betsy ever take a darker turn again in the future I'd be interested in what Remender would do. What I like most about what Howard has done is she built a world around Betsy and the Braddocks that can be used in various ways. That's what I always look for in runs but I understand all readers are different. When I think back to older runs in general I tend to forget specific dialogue and such details but I always remember the bigger picture and what's been added to the characters' world. RR's Uncanny X-Force was a great arc and I enjoyed how he ended it.

[Thievery]

Well, now that it's over I'm going to have to say that Betsy Braddock: Captain Britain was the worst of the three series that Howard wrote involving Betsy. The dialogue was really dodgy. The plot wasn't all that interesting. It's usually not a good sign when the villain is more interesting than the main character in the lead character's monthly. I honestly found Morgan to be more interesting than Captain Britain, Rachel, Strike, and the Braddock Family.

I know that it has it's fans, but Betsy/Rachel felt like a dull and writing by the numbers romance. It's to bad seeing that there was a lot of work that was put into setting it up in Excalibur, X-Factor, and KoX. I wouldn't mind if these two split up off panel and were never mentioned again.

This final chapter was just so disappointing to me. It's kind of to bad that Howard's time with Betsy is going to go out on a low note.

Just my opinions.

[mattsarchamp]

I'm a fan of that run so you're definitely preaching to the choir. Should Betsy ever take a darker turn again in the future I'd be interested in what Remender would do. What I like most about what Howard has done is she built a world around Betsy and the Braddocks that can be used in various ways. That's what I always look for in runs but I understand all readers are different. When I think back to older runs in general I tend to forget specific dialogue and such details but I always remember the bigger picture and what's been added to the characters' world. RR's Uncanny X-Force was a great arc and I enjoyed how he ended it.

Well, I wish for the new writer to pick up what TH had left for Betsy and her family, to maximize the potential of the ideas she had and with good characterization, because that's what is missing in her stories. The more action the better, not focusing on some relationships that becomes so bland and boring. What the fans need is an entertaining read, focus on the overall audience. IMHO.

Now, looking forward to a writer who tells a good story first and then execute it well. Just to name a few, Cullen Bunn's Uncanny run was good, also, Kieron Gillen's time was very interesting as well.

[JB]

Well, I wish for the new writer to pick up what TH had left for Betsy and her family, to maximize the potential of the ideas she had and with good characterization, because that's what is missing in her stories. The more action the better, not focusing on some relationships that becomes so bland and boring. What the fans need is an entertaining read, focus on the overall audience. IMHO.

Now, looking forward to a writer who tells a good story first and then execute it well. Just to name a few, Cullen Bunn's Uncanny run was good, also, Kieron Gillen's time was very interesting as well.

I'm hopeful for what comes after Fall of X. The line is in an interesting place with the incoming collection of minis and it feels like they're setting up another big status quo change after the event. We'll hopefully find out sooner than later where Betsy will land. (I loved Bunncanny).

[Saithor]

I know some people loved Tini Howard’s run, but I’m glad it’s over in the hopes that Betsy might be taken over by another writer. I still can’t believe Howard got as many chances as she did. I gave up on her run early and have started reading back through it on Marvel Unlimited. I’m at the midway point of Excalibur. It’s not quite as bad as I remembered but it really feels like there were lots of missed opportunities for Betsy in this era.

On a separate note, Betsy heaping praise on Apocalypse on that final page…oof. I know it’s the fashionable thing in this era to pretend villains’ pasts don’t exist, but this is one of the most glaring recent examples. Are we just forgetting that Apocalypse is a genocidal maniac? And for Betsy particularly, that he maimed, tortured and inflicted psychological scars on the man she loved? But no, he’s “one of the most hopeful mutants”.

You give a villain a tragic backstory, they can get forgiven for any number of attempted genocides. Hell, they’ll even get their own private pit to beat people to death /s. Just don’t try it in real life. Honestly there’s a missed opportunity there since Apocalypse’s actually successful genocides are either in AUs or fail at the killing phase. Just imagine a survivor asking Magneto how he would feel about Hitler being given amnesty for political expediency.

The issue was fine? I was mostly just following in case anything really out there happened since I lost interest first at the slog of X of Swords then at Knights of X, now it’s just a mostly okay thing that exists. I still think Jamie being given such a light hand is equally stupid and that Jaspers was jobbed but whatever.

[Nicoclaws]

All this talk about Remender makes me wonder if he isn't the next "big X writer". Didn't he have plans for the franchise before we learned that Hickman was coming ?

I kinda dislike Remender, I think his execution is kinda muddled and I remember several small but irritating issues that I passed over mainly because DEAN WHITE (+stellar illustrators).

[JB]

All this talk about Remender makes me wonder if he isn't the next "big X writer". Didn't he have plans for the franchise before we learned that Hickman was coming ?

I kinda dislike Remender, I think his execution is kinda muddled and I remember several small but irritating issues that I passed over mainly because DEAN WHITE (+stellar illustrators).

I feel like I did hear something about plans prior to Hickman but my memory is foggy on that. I liked his Uncanny X-Force so that made me try his Uncanny Avengers and I couldn't get through it. When the Apocalypse twins forced Shiro to burn Logan over and over that was my last issue. I can't see the X-Men tortured so much and that felt like something I'd see in Wolverine and not a book with Avengers in the name. I haven't read anything of his since so I don't know what his current style is.

Agh, Betsy would have fit right in with Fall of X. With the mutants scattered and her standing with the British public improving, I'd have been curious to see how exactly the British government would have responded and how she would have navigated it.

[Uncanny X-Man]

All this talk about Remender makes me wonder if he isn't the next "big X writer". Didn't he have plans for the franchise before we learned that Hickman was coming ?

I kinda dislike Remender, I think his execution is kinda muddled and I remember several small but irritating issues that I passed over mainly because DEAN WHITE (+stellar illustrators).

They already tried to make Remender head X-writer twice: he was supposed to write Extraordinary X-Men (see X-Men Drama: Former Marvel Writer Throws Shade at Publisher for 'Mandated Inhumans Story') but in the end he decided against it due to the forced Inhumans storyline; and then apparently he was also asked to be Head of X before Hickman came in.

He's clearly an X-fan and Marvel would love to have him, but I don't think he has the patience for corporate comics these days and he's more content with his creator-owned books. Someday perhaps, I for one would be very happy to read anything mutant from him again.

[Cerridwen]

I love the Askani thingy, but this Rachel suck

[Micabe]

I love the Askani thingy, but this Rachel suck

I concur... Rachel's current personality feels like it belongs to someone else entirely... Why the hell she'd willingly want to keep a Warwolve as a pet when she knows firsthand where they were created and what they're capable of is beyond me.

[JB]

They already tried to make Remender head X-writer twice: he was supposed to write Extraordinary X-Men (see X-Men Drama: Former Marvel Writer Throws Shade at Publisher for 'Mandated Inhumans Story') but in the end he decided against it due to the forced Inhumans storyline; and then apparently he was also asked to be Head of X before Hickman came in.

He's clearly an X-fan and Marvel would love to have him, but I don't think he has the patience for corporate comics these days and he's more content with his creator-owned books. Someday perhaps, I for one would be very happy to read anything mutant from him again.

You always have great behind the scenes info, friend. That IGN article is interesting and good for him for deciding not to deal with the Inhumans' push.