Kelly Thompson’s long run on Captain Marvel came to an end early in the summer. With the second MCU Captain Marvel movie coming out soon there was no way Marvel would hold off on giving Carol Danvers a new ongoing series. That’s exactly what we are getting as Marvel has given the new Captain Marvel series to Alyssa Wong and Jan Bazaldua as the new creative team. Alyssa Wong’s run on Doctor Aphra has been very good. If she can tap into that with Captain Marvel this could become one of Marvel’s gem of a series. Let’s find out how things start off with Captain Marvel #1.
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer: Alyssa Wong
Artist: Jan Bazaldua
Colorist: Bryan Valenza
Letterer: Ariana Maher
SOLICITATION
“HIGHEST, FURTHEST, FASTEST! The Captain gets a permanent glow-up designed by superstar artist Jen Bartel! And that’s not all that’s changed. Brand-new look – brand-new creative team – and a brand-new status quo. Carol Danvers is one of the powerhouses of the Marvel Universe, a woman capable of harnessing the energy of the sun. So if you’re coming for Earth? She’s the first one you take off the board. Someone’s figured just how to do just that. Introducing a new supporting cast and villains both beloved and dangerously fresh, Alyssa Wong and Jan Bazaldua’s exhilarating series kicks off here!” – Marvel Comics
REVIEW
If you are going into this new Captain Marvel #1 expecting major change then you’ll be disappointed. This is not a game-changer for Carol Danvers. What this first issue turns out to be is a fun start to the new Captain Marvel series. And that is exactly what it needed to be.
Given Carol Danvers’s current status quo as leader of the Avengers and other accomplishments, Alyssa Wong does not set out to deviate from that. Rather, we find Carol is in a spot where she is fully confident as a superhero, doing her thing as Captain Marvel. This allows Wong to focus on the cool, confident superhero that Carol is as Captain Marvel.
What especially stood out in this instance is that we never see Captain Marvel lose her cool. Whether it’s against the new villain, Omen, or the random teleporting situation, Captain Marvel takes things in stride. There is an air of confidence that’s created as neither situation is new to Captain Marvel. She has taken on so many cosmic threats that this latest situation is just another of the many weird things that go on in the Marvel Universe.
Captain Marvel being portrayed in this way allows Omen to establish herself as a new threat. Captain Marvel doesn’t have an extensive rogues gallery. So starting off by creating a new villain is a smart way to go. As a cosmic character, there are many unknown threats that Captain Marvel can take on. Wong leans into Omen being a complete unknown to make her a challenge for Captain Marvel.
Omen taking advantage of this fact quickly puts her over as a credible threat. She went into the fight knowing what Captain Marvel’s powers were. There was a clear game plan Omen had cooked up. This in turn makes how Captain Marvel continued to answer what her new villain threw at her more impressive.
The part of Captain Marvel #1 that was a mixed bag was the introduction of Yuna Yang. While Yuna has a cool design, using the character to start this new Captain Marvel series to have a similar plotline to the upcoming The Marvels movie just didn’t hit. It came across as Marvel’s editors gave Wong the directive to copy the story that’ll be in The Marvels movie but she couldn’t use Monica Rambeau or Kamala Khan. It doesn’t help that the way the story is handled buries Genis-Vell in the process. This made Yuna’s debut fall flat hopefully Wong can be creative with the story so I doesn’t just lean on the similarities to The Marvels movie.
Jan Bazaldua’s artwork throughout Captain Marvel was solid. The action all flowed well to show a great sense of fight choreography. There were moments where the art did appear rushed in certain action shots. But other than these few instances Captain Marvel #1 was a good-looking issue with artwork that will get better as Bazaldua as this run goes on.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Captain Marvel #1 was a solid start to Alyssa Wong and Jan Bazaldua’s run as the new creative team. Both Carol Danvers and her new nemesis conflict was established well out of the gate. As long as this tone is continued Wong and Bazaldua’s Captain Marvel can compete for Marvel’s most fun series.
Story Rating: 7 Night Girls out of 10
Art Rating: 7 Night Girls out of 10
Overall Rating: 7 Night Girls out of 10