In Betsy Braddock: Captain Britain #1, our titular heroine is at war with her most fearsome foe yet: the British media.

The latest entry in writer Tini Howard’s Captain Britain saga, this new series picks up where Knights of X left off, with Betsy and the CB Corps now operating independently from the Starlight Citadel to protect the multiverse at large. With the aid of her immediate family, the reinstated S.T.R.I.K.E. Psi Division, and her girlfriend Rachel Summers —not to mention the aforementioned Corps— Betsy is arguably in the best place she’s been in a while. There’s just one tiny problem: the British press hates her. This means there’s an opportunity for a certain nefarious sorceress to swoop in with her own candidate for the Captain Britain mantle and control the UK’s beloved protector from deep within the shadows…

If you’ve been following Howard’s extended Captain Britain run, you may expect more of the same this time around, specifically leaning into the mythic aspect of Otherworld and the Corps. Cleverly on Howard’s part, however, this title pivots slightly away from that to explore the Britain part of Captain Britain, incorporating her namesake nation’s fickle attitude towards her and the British media’s ruthless nature. The UK has a notoriously toxic tabloid scene, which is cannily utilized here through a few info pages styled to resemble them.

But if you’re someone who can’t totally appreciate the social and political commentary offered here, there’s still plenty of the mythical sword-clashing that’ll leave you satisfied; any issue featuring Britannica Rex, the dinosaur Captain Britain, is one worth reading. (Betsy/Rachel shippers will also be well-fed with this one, that’s for sure.) But most of all, the issue builds to an intriguing cliffhanger that I won’t spoil here, but implies an incoming clash between Betsy and another UK-based character that is incredibly genius. (You can glance at the solicits for the next issue if you really want a heavy hint as to what I’m alluding to.) With a new perspective but retaining everything that has made Howard’s time with the character so much fun, Betsy Braddock: Captain Britain #1 continues this era of the Captain Britain with a new lease on its life.