Morgan le Fay is looking to have her way with the U.K. England’s greatest hero has thwarted her recently, so she’s calling in the emperor of Latveria to help her out. There’s no question that their mutual interest in magic gives Morgan and Doctor Doom a great deal in common. How will Betsy Braddock defend England against the dual threat? Time will tell in Betsy Braddock: Captain Britain #4. Writer Tini Howard continues her journey with the Captain in an issue drawn by Vasco Georgiev and Erica D’Urso. Howard is moving quite a lot around on the page in an issue that appears to be setting up for bigger showdowns that lurk down the road for the young series. 

Betsy is having a duel with Tony Stark. They’re fencing. There would have been a time in the not-so-distant past in which the good-natured fight would have been over WELL before it even started, but there has been a lot that’s happened since then. And anyway...Betsy Braddock isn’t there to fight. She’s there to ask for Stark’s aid. There are problems across the ocean that she’s dealing with, and anti-mutant sentiment in the U.K. is going to keep her from securing the aid of the X-Men. Of course...this is just one minor problem for Britain’s greatest hero. 

Howard has advanced the politics of life for Betsy considerably for a series that is only now in its third issue. It would appear as though she was trying to cram too much story into too small a frame were it not for the fact that Howard is pacing the plot points in a way that gives them all more than enough time to rest contemplatively on the page before the action and the intrigue burst out across the panels from odd angles. In places, it feels as though there’s really no reason why any of it should work, but Howard’s crisp dialogue and clever delivery keep things moving along beautifully.

Georgiev and D’Urso hold style and form loosely enough on the page that it feels as though anything could happen from panel to panel. The mood and atmosphere of the issue feel quite firmly in place regardless of where the story takes place. Tony Stark’s place is as comfortable as a massive library or some sinister, shadowy place populated by dark magic. It all has its place. It all has its space. It all seems more or less perfectly tuned to the drama that Howard is bringing to the page.

Betsy’s been through a lot. She’s been many different people since she debuted back in the 1980s. Braddock’s latest incarnation as Captain Britain has proven to be an appealing one. Howard’s writing has moved Betsy into a remarkably satisfying place that balances drama with action, mystery, and magic. It really is the perfect mixture for a decent Captain Britain story. Georgiev’s art fits the overall presence of Howard’s writing quite well. 

Grade: A