Marvel’s Peggy Carter takes on the superhero mantle in Captain Carter #1, a charming but not flawless beginning with strong potential.
After the rousing success of the What If…? series, Captain Carter is debuting in her own titular comic. One of the breakout icons of the anthology, Peggy Carter replaces Steve Rogers in the super-soldier program. Penned by Jamie McKelvie with art by Marika Cresta and colors by Erick Arciniega and letters by Clayton Cowles, the new story follows Captain Carter’s exploits after becoming a superhero. Having starred in alternate universe teams like The Exiles, super-soldier Peggy Carter is finally making her move into the Marvel mainstream in Captain Carter #1.
Captain Carter #1 opens in the modern-day as international representatives arrive to discuss what to do with the recently discovered Captain Peggy Carter, who disappeared after a plane crash in the arctic circle in 1945. Despite their expectations and attempts to treat her as an unsecured property, Carter is alive, well, and would like to go home now, thank you very much. Settling back into London after eighty years, Carter adjusts to smartphones, EDM music, and a new Prime Minister who is keen to get her — and Britain — back onto the international stage. Her reflective journey is interrupted by a freak traffic accident, which is quickly revealed to be a targeted attack. Carter must leap into action once more, putting her life on the line to protect the civilians of London. However, her bravery may come at a higher price than she ever imagined as she plunges into the terrifying world of being a celebrity in the 21st century.
Jamie McKelvie’s writing does excellent work setting up the rest of the run, both in terms of the wider conflict and themes. Rather than the unambiguous clear-cut lines of war, Carter is now thrust into a world of PR, politics, and publicity. She is appropriated as a political figurehead, spoken over and about by powerful men as if she were not there, and hounded by the media. All the celebration surrounding Captain Carter is underpinned by objectification, which could be a fascinating thread to tease out over the run if executed well.
Peggy’s narration is genuinely charming, both in tone and content. It contrasts with the modern world in a way that is equally funny and heartbreaking, adding to the depth of her character. Overall, the characters are vivid and interesting, including new characters such as Hayley, Lizzie, and the Prime Minister, Harry. McKelvie does an impressive job introducing these characters, establishing their personality in bold and convincing ways, while keeping enough about their past and motivations mysterious that they feel enticingly unexplored.
Marika Cresta’s art is bold and energetic but occasionally lacks subtlety and clarity. Cresta captures action sequences with dynamic flair, including novel details like Carter losing a heeled pump in the commotion. The art struggles in slower scenes, however, where it is outshined by dialogue and character anatomy is inconsistent to the point of being distracting in some panels.
Erick Arciniega’s colors do a terrific job of capturing the different settings of the story and imbuing them with a particular tone, whether that’s the cold foreboding of the arctic or the monochrome crush of modern London. The colors also really lend themselves to some of the more sensitive moments in the comic. The evening sky that frames Peggy as she visits the graves of her family acts as a soft and beautiful counterpoint to her grief. Clayton Cowls’ lettering is solidly impressive, adding clarity and pace to longer parts of dialogue with great use of bold text. The choice to set Carter’s narration apart using text boxes that utilize the colors of the Union Jack is a lovely visual twist that demonstrates the comic’s great attention to detail.
Although not a flawless first outing, Captain Carter #1 has strong fundamentals, great thematic promise, and charm to spare. It does a terrific job of setting up the premises of the run, not just in terms of plot but also characters and their dynamics, overarching ideas, and the seeds of conflicts yet to come. If it can build on this strong foundation, the Captain Carter series is sure to be a success.
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