A Solid But Unspectacular Debut: Reviewing ‘Psylocke’ #1

In terms of being the first issue of a new series, Psylocke #1 gets the job done. It provides a brief snapshot of where the title character is at — mentally, physically, and narratively — as the series begins. It introduces at least the beginnings of the arc the character will go on in the course of the story, and sets in motion the plot which will drive the action. It begins the formation of a supporting cast for the book. This being the first issue of a superhero comic, it contains a couple of action sequences.

Psylocke #1 does all these things, and does them as well or somewhat better than the typical first issue of a series. Yet at the same time, while getting the necessary work done, it’s doing it in a way that lacks a sense of style, of verve, or “rizz” (as the kids might say). It’s lacking a spark to elevate it from “solid” to “spectacular.”  

The issue opens in the style of a James Bond movie, with a mostly self-contained action setpiece which both sets the tone of the story and, in retrospect, sets up the plot. Here, Psylocke performs a “for hire” rescue of a prominent politician’s mutant daughter. Then, back in Alaska (with the rest of the X-Men from Jed MacKay and Ryan Stegman‘s X-Men book), Cyclops forces her to take a vacation. And, credits! 

The forced time away from the X-Men is the vehicle writer Alyssa Wong uses as a springboard for the setup of the series. We meet her romantic partner, fellow mutant with a dark past and former Hellions teammate John Greycrow (kudos to Wong for keeping this deeply fascinating relationship going). We meet Devon, her “person in the chair”, a college student she rescued in one of her earlier (off panel) missions, who has set themselves up as, essentially, Psylocke’s handler.

And before long, Psylocke is off a new mission despite her “vacation”, infiltrating a swanky auction hosted by AIM to sell off a new form of Mutant Growth Hormone, the drug that briefly grants its users superpowers. 

Again, this is all solid, necessary stuff. It effectively establishes the world of the series and Psylocke’s emotional state. But it all feels a bit workmanlike, as though Wong is just running down a storytelling checklist. What spark Psylocke #1 does have comes from artist Vincenzo Carratù and colorist Fer Sifuentes-Sujo. Carratù has a particular knack for facial expressions and body languages — one could skip reading the dialogue or captions and it would still be clear from the art how a given character is feeling (Carratù also deploys a favorite device for action, the “ghost effect” of showing the same character in a series of fuzzy images across the page before landing on the “solid” representation of the character).

Meanwhile, Sifuentes-Sujo drapes the whole thing in a sort of cool purple palette, appropriate for the character, which leads to the moments of warmth — such as the setting sun behind Psylocke as she enters the auction or the grotesque effects of MGH on a particular character — pop on the page even harder (Sifuentes-Sujo does fall into the increasing-common trap of rendering Psylocke’s hair so dark that it’s almost black, burying its distinctive purple hue). 

The combination of strong art and effective storytelling is enough to make Psylocke #1 a successful start to the series. There’s enough good here to make for a satisfying reading experience on its own while also priming the pump for future issues. Yet still, it feels like something is missing, a little pop of panache or narrative twist or character hook to elevate the issue from “solid” to “spectacular”. Hopefully, that’s a spark that the creative team will be able to find as the series goes on.