Legion World Forums LEGION COMPANION Dr. Gym'll's Cultural Rarities Marvel's X-verse

Ah, Psylocke...remember the whole Revanche mess?

The last time I liked Psylocke, she was in some New Mutants annual, agonizing over whether or not to tear out those bionic Mojo-eyes (while totally nekkid, and being comforted by Doug Ramsey).

Asian ninja-Betsy never did it for me, since that's where I wanted Xian to go, after spending time working for her crime-lord uncle (and finally recovering her long-lost siblings, Leong and Nga). Psychic ninja-esque enforcer. Psylocke totally stole that.

Although if they'd split her back into her British body, and Kwannon / 'Revanche' back into her Asian body, it might have been cool to have *both* characters still around, an upper-class British telepath who is part extradimensional alien (and had the attitude and poise to be everything that Emma Frost became as an X-Man, only with a *real* British accent, and not a fake one) and a high-kicking Asian ninja whose only lingering power is that psychic knife business.

You're so fickle, fickles*

I first saw Betsy back in Captain Britain. I enjoyed the hunted operatives with psychic powers subplot. While it didn't turn out at all well for her, trying to take on the mantle of Captain Britain, it was a powerful story. The downside, of course, is it left her a bit of wreck, and there are few enough strong female characters out there as it is.

I was a little surprised at her appearing pretty in pink in the X-Men. I recall she had a small plot of trying to prove her worth to the team (possibly with Davis art). I imagine that this was part of Claremont's homage to Moore's work.

I didn't mind the armoured Silvestri look either. It does make some sense to armour up if you're a telepath in the team.

I really couldn't stand the mojo stuff though.

I dropped Excalibur somewhere in the cross time caper. It was just endless, and seemed possibly plotless...



*months I've been waiting for that one.... months!...:)

LOL

What really ruined Betsy for me was X-Men Annual 11, the one where everybody gets their heart's desire. Her desire, according to Claremont, was to be a killing machine. Bleah.

The race-change only made things worse, and when Fabian Nicieza tried to change it back with the Revanche thing, editorial ineptitude turned that story into the pointless mess we all know and loathe.

I was really on my way out when that was going on. Was it Lee on the art? That was decent, but the story for me was really, really poor by that point.

I recall them all being plot pushed into the siege perilous that would change them forever >cough< While the change of cast was interesting to start with, I didn't expect it to go on so long, and then merge into a scorecard of other X-characters.

I do remember the last one I read (before Morrison's run). It was Gambit deliberately catching a piece of shrapnel in the leg. Because that's just the sort of thing you'd be able to deliberately do. He then used it to free himself from his locks later on. Because he just knew having a piece of shrapnel in his leg would come in handy.

A giant Brood shark appeared and the cast of x-thousands jumped over it right there.

That annual was drawn by Davis. One of the few things he's drawn that I got rid of, because the story was so bad.

I thought the Betsy/ Ramsey possible romance was a little creepy.

That was actually New Mutants Annual 2, also drawn by Davis. And despite the creepiness of what you just mentioned (which, weirdly enough, was an echo of the Lila/Sam romance in NM Annual 1) I love everything else about that particular annual.

Sheesh, I'm surrounded by heretics.

As the much-missed Kid Chaos once said in a Legion of Super-Heroes thread, imagine how boring things would be if we all agreed on all things comics.

I'm getting my X-annuals conflated, and issues too. I don't think I've read the davis one where they get their heart's desires.

I was thinking of an issue with Phoenix, just after stabby psycho had got to her. She encounters spiral and presumably mojo and some practicing shark jumpers. I think it might be one of Claremont's recurring writing ticks. I seem to remember something similar with Psylocke too.

Don't read it, it's really bad (and now that I've thought about it, I believe it's actually X-Men Annual 10 -- Annuals 9 and 11 were drawn by Art Adams).

it must be really rubbish if you're warning me off something with Davis artwork.

Wait, are you talking about the annuals where Mojo kidnapped the X-Men, deaged them, and they fought the New Mutants who were in their "graduation" uniforms?

(As in Warlock looking like Superman)

I actually liked the costume Psylocke had in that issue.

Even the worst-written thing illustrated by Alan Davis can be viewed without reading the words, the same way you'd turn off the sound to watch a visually stunning movie you don't want to hear the terrible dialogue for.

He overdoes the big emotionally shots, with face devouring grins and looks of anguish that seem to go all the way to a characters toes, but I love it. It's a very comic-book-y style, and resonates with me more than some attempts at 'hyper-realism' (like in the earlier Ultimates books) that spend so much time attempting to look 'realistic' that they don't really look *good*.

No, Sarky, what happened what Thoth got the Annuals mixed up. The bad Annual with Alan Davis art is X-Men Annual 10. I love New Mutants Annual 2, it might be my favorite Claremont script of all time.

Set, even Alan Davis art can't save X-Men Annual 10, unless you get your jollies from watching Psylocke skin herself alive to reveal the "iron warrior" beneath.

I've not enjoyed any X-issue with any of mojo/mojoverse/longshot/deaged x-men/x-babies in it.



Claremont's definitely used this elsewhere with another artist - a siege perilous thing perhaps?

Claremont's done the skin-shedding thing so many times with so many different artists that it's downright disturbing.

I'm actually rather fond of the Mojo stories.

^As I said, I love New Mutants Annual 2.

That annual is great, even for someone who isn't really much of a New Mutants fan like myself ( I read it purely for Psylocke).

Bendis is leaving the X-Men soon. Full story here:

http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=59025

I remember really liking his first issue of X-Men, with the time-travelling young original X-Men, but then I thought it got so bad so fast that I was gone within about six issues.

The big question is, who's going to replace him?

I'm a little surprised, as Bendis was on the Avengers books a LOT longer before he left them.No skin off my butt either way, though, as I'm not reading them. Cobie has had nothing but good things to say about his X-stuff, though.

Yeah, this kinda sucks. Bendis' X-books have been the only readable X-books in like 15 years. For the most part they've been fantastic, with Bendis giving special attention to Kitty & Illyiana, and pretty much restoring Cyclops to greatness after 15 years of being shit on.

I'm dreading who they'll announce next. Just about all Marvel's other main writers feel like nightmare choices for the X-Men. Here's hoping its not Remender, Gillen, Hickman, PAD, Jason Aaron, Ales Kot, even Fraction & Deconnick.

The only real writer that would have me jumping for joy is Mark Waid.

Mike Carey?



G. Willow Wilson?