An Iconic X-Men Character’s First Appearance Was Actually in This Rare, U.K-Only Magazine

Even in the company of her fellow X-Men, few Marvel characters have as convoluted of a history as Psylocke. In her fifty year history, she’s been mind-controlled, body-swapped, and even killed more times than most readers can recall without double-checking the Marvel wiki. The confusion stems all the way back to Psylocke’s “first appearance,” which, depending on the mind, body, and identity you’re talking about, could be any one of at least five issues. In 1986, Betsy Braddock came to mainstream Marvel continuity for the first time, and made her debut as “Psylocke.” But for a decade prior, she had already been a regular character in a comic most American readers didn’t even know existed, and even fewer could get their hands on. 

Beginning in 1972, Marvel launched at United Kingdom-only publishing arm, “Marvel UK,” to reprint American Marvel titles for the British market. In 1976, they launched Captain Britain, the first title published exclusively for British readers. Issues only made it to the United States through the secondary market, turning them into highly sought-after collectors’ items – especially when Captain Britain writer Chris Claremont brought the titular hero and his twin sister Betsy across the pond and into mainstream Marvel continuity. Rare in any condition, the CGC (Certified Guaranty [sic] Company) reports only 804 graded copies of Betsy’s true first appearance in Captain Britain #8 in existence, and only 68 in the 9.8-graded near-mint condition of this sample on eBay now.

How Marvel Comics Came to the U.K.

In the immediate post-war years, the British government banned the direct import of American periodical publishers in an effort to stimulate domestic industry and the national economy. The ban was lifted in 1959, and DC was able to gain a decent market foothold in the U.K. during the sixties. Marvel struggled to do the same, having several short-lived arrangements with distributors who either went bankrupt or declined to renew their contracts with Marvel. 

Marvel took matters into their own hands in 1972, forming Marvel UK. Initially, Marvel UK published only anthology reprints like The Mighty World of Marvel and The Super-Heroes comprised of stories originally published in U.S. issues of Fantastic Four, The Incredible Hulk, and The Amazing Spider-Man. These failed to make a significant impact on the U.K. comics market. Marvel concluded that the Marvel UK range needed an original comic centered around a new, British character to serve as a flagship title. 

Captain Britain was born, with writing duties given to London-born Chris Claremont, selected on merit his background with English culture. The comics were further anglicized by Marvel UK’s London-based editorial staff, headed by Neil Tennant, later vocalist and front man of the Pet Shop Boys. Claremont would leave the title after ten issues, but not before introducing Captain Britain’s twin sister Betsy Braddock, who was revealed to have psionic abilities.

An Overview of (Some of) Psylocke’s Long & Confusing History

Claremont brought Captain Britain to American readers in 1978, battling the villain Arcade alongside Spider-Man in a two-part Marvel Team-Up storyline. Betsy would have to wait much longer, not appearing in an American comic until 1986’s New Mutants Annual #2. In the intervening decade, Captain Britain writer Alan Moore and artist Alan Davis had reimagined Betsy Braddock as a spy for S.T.R.I.K.E. (Special Tactical Reserve for International Key Emergencies), heavily inspired by Emma Peel of The Avengers. Claremont was a fan of this direction for the character, and when collaborating with Davis on the New Mutants annual, Claremont suggested Betsy’s inclusion in its story. 

The result was “Psylocke,” a brain-washed cyborg Betsy Braddock abducted by Mojo to appear in one his Mojoworld television series. After being rescued by the New Mutants, Betsy recuperates at the X-Mansion, where she is drawn into the events of the Mutant Massacre storyline, culminating in her joining the X-Men. 

Psylocke remained with the team as a largely non-combatant telepath until 1989’s Acts of Vengeance, when the villainous Mandarin abducts Psylocke and puts her mind in the body of a comatose Hand assassin called Kwannon. Rechristening her “Lady Mandarin,” Mandarin brainwashed Psylocke and sent her to destroy the X-Men. Though she broke free of Mandarin’s mental domination, Psylocke remained in Kwannon’s body, retaining Kwannon’s assassin training. This was later explained as a fault of the body-swapping, which mixed Psylocke and Kwannon’s spiritual essences, giving each some of the other’s abilities and memories. 

What Makes Psylocke’s First Appearance So Valuable to Collectors

As a part of the X-Men during the iconic Jim Lee-drawn era, Psylocke has maintained fan-favorite status for the past thirty-five years, boosted by her appearances in non-comics media. Psylocke is a perennial in Marvel video games, a part of the roster for Marvel vs. Capcom, Marvel Snap, Marvel Rivals, and even Fortnite. She appeared briefly in the original 1992 X-Men: The Animated Series, as well as an episode of Wolverine and the X-Men. Her most recent appearance in animation is also her most prominent: Psylocke is now a member of X-Men ‘97’s X-Force team, alongside other fan favorites like Cable and Archangel (her comics’ love interest). 

Though Captain Britain #8 has always commanded high prices, the renewed enthusiasm for Psylocke that her X-Men ‘97 appearances have generated has driven demand up significantly: two of the other sixty-eight 9.8-graded copies have changed hands on eBay in the past two weeks, with one selling for $3.5k. Another collector had the bargain of a lifetime when they bought a lot of nine issues from a charity shop’s online store for less than fifty dollars – including issue eight. Somewhere in the middle of these two extremes is the $2.9k asking price of this sample. With this issue, the buyer will get more than they bargained for: a decades-long, bizarre history that’s surely one of the most fascinating backstories of any comic in an X-Men fan’s collection.

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