Highlight On: Psylocke

Psylocke #1-4

Issue 1 cover - David Finch

Psylocke is a character that has a lot of baggage to her name, and this is before we even get to the stuff that came after Claremont revived her during his latest Uncanny run. She’s had her powers redefined, her original body has had its face burned off and was cremated, and she’s constantly used by Fraction as a walking psychic flashlight. What is it about this character that the current writers (excluding Carey) find so difficult to connect with? I’ve no real idea because her history isn’t playing a big part in any of the X-stories right now, but even though she’s all over the place, she’s usually not doing anything of importance. Enter Chris Yost and his Psylocke mini that he specifically stated would define what Psylocke can currently do with her powers. Did Chris Yost make a hit or another miss in a long line of failures for our purple haired psychic? Check it:

The idea behind this series is that Psylocke has been feeling a little empty since she’s returned from death (her stint as an Exile member is completely ignored, if you’re wondering.); and after that messy Uncanny storyline which told of her homecoming to the X-men, she needed to (re-)bury her old body (now Kwannon) after it was exhumed. Heading to Japan with Wolverine mysteriously in tow, Psylocke realizes that she’s lost her connection to her original body, and over the course of the series, realizes that she’s lost herself. You would think that heading to Japan to bury a body would be simple, but nothing is ever easy for this purple haired mutant.

Upon her arrival, Psylocke is instantly attacked by “The Hand” ninjas, who kidnap Kwannon’s body and set it ablaze. Pushed into a rage, Psylocke goes after the person that did this to her, Matsu’o Tsurayaba. After a series of battle with Yukio and another assassin with fire based abilities named Jinn, Psylocke discovers the real reason behind Matsu’o’s plan and why he has been antagonizing her; he wants to die and escape the wrath of Wolverine.

As I have stated before, the art by Harvey Tolibao reminds me of Aeon Flux with a little manga flavor thrown in. Overall, I thought it worked fantastically, especially for the close up shots of Psylocke and Matsu’o, but sometimes I found it to be a little rough and difficult to make out what was going on exactly during the fight scenes. The coloring really brought this book to life, and I’m speaking specifically of some of the scenes that involved Psylocke showing off her psychic abilities or Jinn throwing around his fire streams. It just really popped without being overwhelming or gaudy.

Writing wise, this is the strongest I’ve seen Psylocke written in years, as unfortunate as that may be to say. She definitely found her voice again, and Yost really propped her up as a force to be reckoned with. She stood her ground against several ninjas, Yukio, and Wolverine throughout the series and actually used both her psychic katana and knife. It’s nice to see her butterfly effect back in use, and I can only hope a writer eventually brings back her precognitions to help diversify her even further from the psychics still in the MU. The only issue I had plot wise with this series is that Wolverine and Psylocke’s relationship wasn’t utilized as much as I had hoped and Wolverine’s reason for being in the series wasn’t as strong as I wanted it to be, but there was a revelation or two that I hope is followed up on during or after “Second Coming.” Also, I liked that Yost used Mercury as a sort of bridge to the lesson Psylocke was learning. I think those two could make quite the interesting mentor/student pair if given the chance to interact more often. My overall rating for this series is a 3.5. This is an obvious grab for Psylocke fans, but it probably won’t hold water for those not into the character. On the plus side, it’s new-reader friendly and you don’t have to have a degree in Psylocke to appreciate the story.

Want to get a great Psylocke skope and skin into your game? Why not check out Afghan Ant’s version, which you can grab here. Don’t forget to check out the mod she was in recently, which you can get here.