- Written by: Alyssa Wong
- Art by: Vincenzo Carratú
- Colors by: Fer Sifuentes-Sujo
- Letters by: VC’s Ariana Maher
- Cover art by: Mahmud Asrar, Matthew Wilson (cover A)
- Cover price: $4.99
- Release date: November 13, 2024
Psylocke #1, by Marvel Comics on 11/13/24, delivers a one-and-done story that puts Psylocke in the middle of a mercenary mission to infiltrate an AIM auction.
Is Psylocke #1 Good?
Writer Alyssa Wong’s stab at the X-Men’s psychic-bladed mutant is, on the whole, not bad. If you know nothing about Psylocke, Wong covers the basics and spends considerable time with the character in action. That said, X-readers who have some passing familiarity with Psylocke may wonder what’s the point.
Psylocke #1 begins with the titular character showing up late to an X-Men briefing meeting. Without telling everyone why, we see in a flashback that Psylocke was hired to recover a kidnapped girl on behalf of her wealthy, politician father. No explanation was given as to how Psylocke was contacted for a recovery mission, why she accepted it, or what this flashback has to do with the rest of the issue (SPOILER: it doesn’t).
During the briefing, Scott explains the X-Men are heading to Ohio to investigate possible 3K activity, but Psylocke is benched for a forced vacation because Scott believes she’s been running too hard without sleep for too long. Psylocke has no choice but to accept, so she decides to visit John Greycrow for some spicy relaxation.
The next day, Psylocke receives a call from a broker who got her the kidnapping rescue gig with a new job. AIM is throwing an auction for a new kind of Mutant Growth Hormone (MGH) that gives humans temporary mutant powers, so Psylocke goes undercover as a guest at the party in Phoenix, Arizona.
During the party, Psylocke learns AIM has created a more potent version of MGH, and they’re selling young mutants who just came into their powers on the auction block. Psylocke leaps into action once she sees the kids, defeats the Reaver bodyguards, and saves the day.
And that’s it.
What’s great about Psylocke #1?
If you wanted to get a close-up look at one of the X-Men’s popular mutants, this issue serves as a good enough job as any. Alyssa Wong clarifies bits of Psylocke’s backstory to give her motivation and meaning behind her choices, and the resolution to the mission is reasonably well done.
What’s not great about Psylocke #1?
You get what’s happening well enough, but Alyssa Wong skips a whole lot of context and purpose to this issue. Why did Psylocke agree to participate in Dark Web mercenary missions brokered by Devon Di Angelo? Doesn’t she have enough on her plate with the X-Men? What was the purpose of the opening flashback? What was the purpose of this issue?
Yes. We know Tom Brevoort has a mandate to stuff the LCS with as many X-titles as possible, but that doesn’t mean you should resort to pointless one-shots that go nowhere and do nothing. Psylocke is a B-tier character at best, so if you’re going to give her a one-and-done story, the least Marvel could do is tie it into the other X-Titles to make it more important. In effect, this issue is nothing more than a generic character introduction for a character we already know.
How’s the Art?
Vincenzo Carratú’s artwork is Grade-A stuff. The plentiful action sequences shine with Carratú’s fight choreography, and the figure work looks amazing.
About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com, a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers.
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Final Thoughts
Psylocke #1 is an energetic, action-packed, one-and-done story that introduces readers to Psylocke. Filled with strong emotional beats and even stronger art, new readers who know nothing about Psylocke will enjoy this issue. That said, this story lacks much context and doesn’t connect to anything happening with Psylocke’s place among the X-Men.
7/10
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