Trained to be an assassin since birth, Kwannon chose to be an X-man. But there are still some jobs too dirty for the X-Men. And some paths have to be walked alone. Psylocke #1 is written by Alyssa Wong, drawn by Vincenzo CarratĂč, colored by Fer Sifuentes-Sujo and lettered by Ariana Maher.
Everyone knows (even if they wonât admit it) that all the best X-Men are women.
I mean just look at the names on the roster. Storm. Rogue. Jean Grey. Psylocke. Kate Pryde. Magik. Emma Frost. Polaris. Betsy Braddock/Captain Britain. Mystique. Jubilee. Laura Kinney/Wolverine. Dani Moonstar. Rachel Summers. Monet St. Croix.
The list is so long that it would take up this whole article if I kept going. Suffice it to say, one could build (and has built) an entire X-team that is all women and it would wipe the floor with most of the Marvel Universe. The whole X-line is rich with so many varied, deep, fun and all-around awesome characters.
Unfortunately, that doesnât always mean their stories will be the best.
Solo titles in the X-line have long been a hard sell outside the likes of Wolverine (Logan or Laura) or Cable. Nightcrawler, Gambit and Storm have dabbled here or there, but generally most solo books fizzle out or never come to be. A large part of that is because the characters are so inherently wrapped around the idea of found family and soap opera that seeing them alone just doesnât feel right.
Additionally, the pitch and execution of it just doesnât hit. Thatâs where we are with the first issue of Psylockeâs new solo series.
On paper, the idea of Kwannon running around on her own using her ninja/assassin skills to save lives and take down the worst seems solid. This is a character that spent decades just being wiped out to provide a body for a British white woman to cosplay as a Japanese assassin/ninja. One of the best things done before Krakoa and then amplified during that era was making Kwannon a fully fleshed out character with her own motivations, goals and connections.
We see some of that continued here as Alyssa Wong highlights many of those aspects for the character. Even the continuation of her romance with the former Marauder John Greycrow (begun in the awesome Hellions series from the Krakoan era) features here and is given a bit of reasoning for why it can work.
Unfortunately, like most of the current From the Ashes era of X-books, the overall effort just kind of feels paint-by-numbers. Weâve got AIM and the return of mutant growth hormone but stronger (âcause remember, this era is âextra hated and fearedâ or whatever) as well as the easy-to-insert Reavers as villains to beat on. Too much of this era is focused on âbusiness as usualâ and turning back clocks while also trying to run into some ânewâ future, while lacking any real direction to do any of it.
At the end of the day, the issue is pretty much fine, which puts it a step or two above many of its fellow books in the line.
Having Cyclops of all people whip out the clichĂ© âYouâve been working too hard, go take a vacationâ before said vacation turns into more work had my eyes rolling. It just felt like a lackluster way to pull her away from the X-Men for these missions, while Wolverine books always have Logan in 15 places at once away from the X-Men, with any on-page explanation often nonexistent.
Visually, I do like Vincenzo CarratĂčâs art. There is a great level of depth, fluidity and roughness within his style to fit the character and her part of the overall world. There is a heaviness to the world, and itâs boosted by what Fer Sifuentes-Sujo brings with the darker, yet still vibrant, color palette. Not to forget all the energy Ariana Maher delivers time and time again lettering-wise, continuing to cement her status as one of the best around.
Enough is here to potentially lead to more engaging stories, but as it stands there is mostly just a shell. With solo books in this line, to come out any less than firing on all cylinders just hastens the march toward early cancellation. Not that I want this book to end as such, but as I said at the beginning, with the X-line, any book that isnât the main flagship or doesnât have claws/big guns has a ticking clock from the moment itâs announced.
Trust me, Iâd love to be proven wrong, but so far thatâs not the way things go with the history of this line. Thereâs a first time for everything, but right now Psylockeâs journey to solo-stardom isnât even ready to breach the atmosphere, let alone light up the heavens.
Buy Psylocke #1 here. (Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, ComicsXF may earn from qualifying purchases.)
Scott Redmond
Scott Redmond is a freelance writer and educator fueled by coffee, sarcasm, his love for comic books and more "geeky" things than you can shake a lightsaber at. Probably seen around social media and remembered as "Oh yeah, that guy." An avid gamer, reader, photographer, amateur cook and solid human being.
