A fun little episode of Captain Marvel's adventures. How I missed Carol!
'Rise of Alpha Flight' is basically an homage to 'Star Trek' and other sci-fi franchises. Specifically, it "borrows" its themes and character dynamics from 'Deep Space Nine' and 'Alien'. Captain Janeway - er, I mean Captain Marvel is clearly the Captain Kirk to Abigail Brand's Spock. Reading this was like watching a TV pilot in comic form, with more cheesiness than technobabble that even tries to make sense.
But it's a fun, celebratory homage. Helped along by the likable characters who bounce off each other nicely.
Carol Danvers is back, and is as brave, tough, impulsive but cunning and compassionate as ever. A new swagger to go along with her short haircut, too. Will this lady of fire and lightning cope with a desk job? Carol would certainly prefer to go out on missions in order to punch bad guys and asteroids - no grey areas, or boring meetings; just the deceptively-uncomplicated life of an action hero. Her past, alien powers, and new status as a starship commander and planetary diplomat are explored and challenged rather intensely. While I might miss Kelly Sue DeConnick's quick and witty dialogue, plus a personal, human touch, from previous issues, Tara Butters and Michele Fazekas manage to do a good job bringing Carol to life with a personality which shines like a supernova. She's had a lot of careers in her run, hasn't she?
How fantastic to have more female writers, from the 'Agent Carter' TV series (now things make sense), too - keep it up, Marvel!
Now onto Captain Marvel's crew, the Alpha Flight:
Abigail Brand, as already stated, is the Spock of the story about aliens and spaceships. She's cold towards Carol at first, seriously doubting her capabilities as commander-and-chief, and displays no emotion beyond barely-contained fury. But the defrosting ice queen warms up towards the end of the volume, as expected; and Brand and Carol slowly become trustworthy friends. I adored Puck, and the unassuming Aurora (who bears a striking resemblance to Asami Sato from 'Legend of Korra'). Wendy Kawasaki, the young scientist and lieutenant, is cute, and I mean that in the most uncondescending way possible. I admire her awkwardness, her youthful optimism, and sisterly relationship with Carol. Like the rest of the cast and crew, Wendy serves a very useful purpose to the plot and is treated with respect. Rocket Raccoon, Black Panther and Rhodey (the beginning of the first issue is so similar to that of 'Higher, Further, Faster, More' it's kind of funny) make cool cameo appearances, as well.
Can I just take a moment to praise the diversity in 'Rise of Alpha Flight'? About 75% of the cast is female, and there are more POC humans, space aliens, and even animals, than there are white people. Now here's a progressive starship crew I can get behind!
The artwork is colourful and expressive - I love the bright, contrasting palettes. It's delightfully serviceable for a comic set almost entirely in space.
The Bryan Adams reference, as well as humorous, brought me back to my childhood. I thought it'd be too obscure to end up anywhere like this! Incredible.
Of course there are glaring flaws in the comic. Like a few unanswered questions seemingly forgotten about as soon as they're spoken of; like why did Brand turn down becoming the captain of her own space station, yet is hostile to Carol for taking the same job? And when is Wendy's sick younger brother going to be mentioned again? A couple of times speech balloons come out of the wrong characters in the same panel - amusingly it made me think they had switched bodies for a moment. Some plot elements don't make a lot of sense, and are contrived: Things happen too conveniently and end too quickly, because the story needs to move on to the next point. Building up to a very predictable twist at a snail's pace. Though at least nearly every plot point and theme isn't abandoned, not entirely. 'Star Trek' fans also might not care for the overall homage to the franchise; seeing a "rip-off" easily.
But damn it, 'Captain Marvel, Vol 1: Rise of Alpha Flight' is so entertaining. Captain Marvel is amazing! Undeniably flawed, yes, but fun! Another colourful sci-fi chapter in the legacy of Carol Danvers - worthy of Captain Kirk, Biggles and Flash Gordon. Her presence alone makes me wish to see her and her crew and friends boldly go where no man or woman has gone before!
Final Score: 4/5
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