One Hero, Multiple Lives: Reviewing ‘Betsy Braddock: Captain Britain’ #4

Betsy Braddock is currently Captain Britain, the mystically powered hero of her homeland. In her life though, she’s done many things. Model. Spy. Agent. An X-Man. An assassin. A hero. Every single one of those things comes to play in a jam-packed issue that showcases a deep love for the character.

It’s been clear for years that Tini Howard has an affinity for Betsy as well as the Braddock Clan and the British side of the Marvel Universe as a whole. Through three titles we’ve seen Otherworld and various characters — both well-known and less known — popping up, all of them enriching this corner of the universe.

Every single bit of Betsy’s variety of past titles/professions comes into play here, but it’s all natural! None of it feels jarring or out of left field. Howard weaves everything right into the ongoing plot and it makes sense how it contrasts against the Morgan threat. One of the things that has never been in dispute is how much Howard understands the characters. She can find their voices and do them justice time and time again.

Also, the Rachel and Betsy relationship is freaking awesome and needs to stick around for as long as possible. There is, unfortunately, only one issue left in this series. Let no one say that Howard didn’t shoot her shot and jam-pack this thing with awesomeness.

Everything about this series is just delightful to look upon. Vasco Georgiev and Erick Arciniega are talented, amazing creators on their own but are fantastic together. Emotion and energy are radiating off everything under Georgiev’s guidance. It’s slick, smooth, and rife with tons of kinetic energy that makes every panel truly feel like it’s moving. Just gorgeously detailed and deep artwork that is also just fun in so many ways.

The same goes for Arciniega’s colors. They are very real and grounded in many respects, toned down to create depth. On the other side, there are plenty of bright, vivid, fantastic colors coming into play. It creates that world outside our window, but perfectly filled with unreal things. While I’m all for all vibrant, popping colors (some comics are meant for that) this is an approach I often appreciate in superhero comics; it makes sure that the fantastic elements are unique and stand out even more.

There is a ton of lettering to be found here — a lot of dialogue specifically — and Ariana Maher makes it all work per usual. Maher always has a great process that makes sure everything flows in a logical way but with such energy. It’s fun and pops as much as the rest of the artwork while helping inform us of so much. Emotion can be heard and felt in every single letter that graces the page.

Betsy Braddock: Captain Britain #4 is now available from Marvel Comics.