Captain Carter SHIELD MAIDEN
Dive into an alternate reality in which Agent Peggy Carter was the one to take the Super-soldier Serum
Political shenanigans and dark conspiracies are a major factor in these first issues
Format 1-3 Writer Jamie Mckelvie Artist Marika Cresta Publisher Marvel Comics
The Multiverse is a hot concept right now, and Captain Carter provides further proof of that. An alternate-universe version of Peggy Carter who took the Super-soldier Serum instead of Steve Rogers, her popularity has exploded following a slew of appearances in different media, and she’s now netted her own five-issue Marvel miniseries.
It’s an enjoyable remix of Captain America’s arrival into the modern era, as Peggy is abruptly reawakened nearly 80 years after World War II. Returning to the UK and struggling to adapt, adventure is the last thing on Peggy’s mind, but when evil organisation Hydra re-emerges, she doesn’t hesitate to leap into action.
Political shenanigans and dark conspiracies are a major factor in these first three issues, and while Jamie Mckelvie is better known as an artist than a writer, he does a good job of keeping this lively and fast-paced. The biggest strength is his portrayal of Peggy, with Mckelvie giving her some interesting nuances and making her both good-hearted and a little oldfashioned in her outlook.
It’s hard not to wish that Mckelvie was handling the interior art as well, rather than just the covers, but Marika Cresta pulls off some engaging and characterful visuals, channelling the energy of artists like Stuart Immonen in kinetic set-pieces. The political subtext briefly tips into preachiness, and the story hasn’t yet managed any genuine surprises, but there’s still enough potential here to suggest there’ll be plenty more Captain Carter adventures to come.