A secret chapter of X-Men history is revealed this January in the pages of Psylocke: Ninja, a five-issue limited series written by Tim Seeley (Rogue: The Savage Land) and illustrated by Nico Leon (Marvel Rivals: Infinity Comic).
Following recent hit series like Rogue: The Savage Land and Emma Frost: The White Queen, Psylocke: Ninja further explores and adds startling depth to a character’s most defining era, taking place shortly after Betsy Braddock’s transformation by the Hand in the early ‘90s that turned the X-Men’s posh telepath into a deadly psychic ninja.
Before she rejoins the X-Men, Betsy’s new body and skills are put to the ultimate test when she’s targeted by Marvel’s most lethal assassin: Elektra!
If you're still not sold on the premise, then we're not sure what to say. So, here's the official description for the series:
BETSY BRADDOCK: MUTANT, X-MAN...NINJA!
Flashback to a time when Psylocke was reborn into the ultimate killing machine. What sacrifice did Betsy make to save the X-Men? Why did the Hand choose Psylocke to be their weapon? And what does it have to do with their former assassin...Elektra?! Discover the answers to these questions and more in a lost story from the X-Men’s past!
"Psylocke: Ninja is a sort of spiritual successor to Rogue: The Savage Land," Seeley said, "essentially, taking an iconic moment from X-Men history, finding unexplored avenues, plots, and character relationships to dive deep into--and then dressing it up in the sexiest art and X-uniforms."
"For Psylocke, the story of her forced servitude to the Hand, and how that might tie nicely into concurrent Daredevil stories from the same era was real interesting, because my God, it all fits."
Leon added, "As soon as I saw the subject Psylocke: Ninja in my inbox, I was all in. I've been a ninja fan since forever. Most artists love drawing for fun, but for me, the real joy is in the study: breaking down poses, action, rhythm, backgrounds. Apply that to anything with the word 'ninja' on it and it's the perfect recipe to make me feel like a kid with a brand new plastic katana."
"Diving into the martial roots of Psylocke and Elektra is going to be a blast, there are so many visuals to explore and so far I'm loving every panel in this project," the artist shared. "Huge kudos to Tim and Darren."
Check out the main cover for Psylocke: Ninja #1 by Derrick Chew below, along with variant covers by Juan Frigeri and Nogi San, and a special foil variant cover by Dike Ruan.
PSYLOCKE: NINJA #1 (OF 5)
Written by TIM SEELEY
Art by NICO LEON
Cover by DERRICK CHEW
Foil Variant Cover by DIKE RUAN
Variant Cover by JUAN FRIGERI
Variant Cover by NOGI SAN
On Sale 1/21