Captain Britain #15 pg 8 (Trimpe art, Kida inks, Friedrich story) Betsy and Jamie Braddock tied up, CB unmasked, enter Red Skull

“Once Upon a Deathwish”

My second page from this original Captain Britain series, this page being the cliffhanger piece of issue #15. It’s labeled as pg 8, but really only pg 7 of the interior work, the last story page of the issue (since most of the stories in this series were fairly small, around 7 - 10 pages each issue). This UK series (created by Chris Claremont, Herb Trimpe and Fred Kida) came out in October of 1976, 1st issue featuring the first appearance of Captain Britain, Brian Braddock. It was a fairly short series, as it only went to issue #39 (July of 1977). A second round of the series came around 1985 - 1986 (issues #1 - 14), by creators Alan Davis and Jamie Delano.

This series, even though it was very short lived and each issue being very small in page count, featured some really fun character history. Issue #1 has first appearance of Brian Braddock as the original Captain Britain, issue #8 has the first appearance of Betsy Braddock (his twin sister, who later becomes Psylocke and the next Captain Britain), issue #9 has the first appearance of Jamie Braddock their older brother (Monarch) and issue #19 is the first appearance of S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Lance Hunter.

It is no secret that a favorite character of mine is Betsy Braddock, getting this early appearance of her from this issue (#15, January 1977), only a month after her creation (#8, December 1976), art by the very artists that created her Trimpe and Kida. This page also features an early appearance of Jamie Braddock as well and the idea behind the cover which has Captain Britain finally getting unmasked and his identity revealed, ending on a cliffhanger of will they or won’t they. Another really fun extra element is that this story page perspective is being told by the robed Red Skull hiding his identity and soon to be revealed. Love seeing the art in person of Betsy and Jamie so weak and vulnerable well before they became such power-houses in the Marvel universe.