Psylocke: Ninja #1 Is a Fine but Mystifying Comic (Review)

Psylocke has long been one of the X-Men’s most popular, but confusing, characters. Readers were first introduced to her as Elizabeth “Betsy” Braddock, the brother of the first Captain Britain, and she was marginally popular, acting as the X-Men’s resident telepath. However, she body-switched with the assassin Kwannon, a Japanese ninja, and became even more popular because of her sex appeal. Eventually, they were put back in their bodies, with Elizabeth falling in popularity as the new Captain Britain and Kwannon taking the name of Psylocke and getting more popular than in years. Psylocke got a solo series in 2024 that some fans enjoyed, and led to Psylocke: Ninja #1, by Tim Seeley and Nico Leon, a book that feels to confusing to come together, but is fine.

The ’80s were the X-Men’s best decade, and this story takes place during that period, when Elizabeth Braddock and the X-Men walked through the Siege Perilous, leading to her being body-swapped with Kwannon. Seeley does a good job of capturing the characters of the era, but if I’m being honest, this feels like a weird time to set this story. Fans love Kwannon Psylocke, and she eventually takes the helm in the story, but this is a very early version, one who doesn’t remember her life or Betsy’s. Her fans begged for her to get another series after the last ended, so it feels weird to give her a book starring a version of the character that isn’t completely the one that readers want.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5

Psylocke: Ninja #1 Struggles To Justify Its Existence

A lot of the focus of the book is on Matsuo Tsurayaba, a member of the Hand who played a big role in late ’80s/early ’90s X-Men books, but hasn’t been important in years. The entire time I was reading this issue, I kept questioning everything about it. The issue is well-paced and works from the standpoint of it being a story that makes narrative sense, but it feels more like it’s for older fans than the current Psylocke fans, many of whom like her because of Marvel Rivals.

It doesn’t really look like it’s going to connect to the character’s current status quo, and I found it kind of hard to get into the book. Seeley does do good work, so the series might end up good in the long run, but as far as first issues go, jumping into the most complicated time in the character’s history was a choice. There’s a way to do this issue that ignores explaining the whole Kwannon/Betsy thing and gets to the story faster than this one, and that honestly would have been better.

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Nico Leon’s Art Fits the Feel of the Book

Nico Leon’s art, much like the book’s writing, has its pros and cons. The line work can feel kind of inconsistent at times, but it’s not to the deal-breaking level. There’s a really cool action scene in the middle of the book that looks good (although the way it’s set up, with loads of dialogue, kind of hurts it from a story standpoint), and Leon draws a gorgeous Psylocke. There’s a bit of T&A that can feel kind of gratuitous, but it’s a Psylocke book set in her most titillating costume, so that’s to be expected.

As someone who owns Uncanny X-Men (Vol. 1) #256, where readers were first introduced to Asian Psylocke, I like that Leon did his research and made the Hand base look like the one from 36 years ago. He’s also pretty good at drawing Japanese people and making them look Japanese, which has sometimes been a problem in American comics with Japanese characters. The art isn’t amazing or anything, but it does fit the tone of the comic and gives readers some cool imagery.

Psylocke has been a confusing characters at times, so in that way, it fits that this book is so mystifying. However, I don’t think that’s the best way to do a series for a character like Psylocke. Marvel Rivals made her popular, and the game does drive comic sales, so putting out a series like this, with so much focus on old lore, seems weird. As a long time X-Men fan, I know all of this issue’s lore, but I can imagine how newer readers thinking they’re going to get a cool ninja comic starring a character from a video game they love are going to feel about the book. After reading the issue, I don’t really know the audience for it; it’s not for fans of the Kwannon books like Hellions, X-Men (Vol 7), or Psylocke (Vol. 2) and it’s not for Marvel Rivals fans. These are the people who would want this book, and I don’t think it’s going to land for them.

Psylocke: Ninja #1 is on sale now.

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