Written By: Alisha Weinberger
With an all-new creative team, Carol Danvers returns as Earth’s first line of defense in Captain Marvel #1. Kelly Sue Deconnick and David Lopez pass on the Captain’s stellar adventures to writers Michele Fazekas and Tara Butters, and artist Kris Anka. The Captain’s newest story arc picks up where Deconnick left off, making this issue a great springboard for any new fans.
Captain Marvel is now Commander Danvers, having accepted the reigns of Earth’s defensive space fleet, Alpha Flight. Fazekas and Butters carry on Deconnick’s wittier and adrenaline-seeking Captain Marvel, rather than returning to her more serious and dramatic roots. The first issue starts readers at a decent pace; there is no lengthy exposition or required knowledge for new readers to hop on board either. Dialogue is light-hearted, and the action is immediate. However, the artwork of Captain Marvel #1 disappointingly leaves a lot to be desired. This is surprising coming from artist Kris Anka, a now rising star with his work in Uncanny X-Men. The overall color palette is bland and the inking is inconsistent, leaving some characters’ facial expressions awkward and indistinctive. But blame can’t solely rest on color artist Matthew Wilson. For a title set in the cosmic side of the Marvel universe, Anka’s more action packed space sequences are reduced to small and compositionally boring panels. Flipping through the pages alone, first time readers may be detoured by the lack of eye-catching art and miss out on hopefully better work from Anka and Wilson.
It’s satisfying to see Deconnick’s fun light-hearted Captain Marvel live on, rather than an entirely serious revamp of the character. However, with a $3.99 price tag, Anka and Wilson’s artwork felt rushed and lackluster, not nearly as striking as its cover, leaving plenty room for improvement.
Rating: 7 out of 10
