Writer: Jamie McKelvie
Art: Marika Cresta and Erick Arciniega
Letters: VC’s Clayton Cowles
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Price: $3.99
Release Date: April 13th, 2022
Enter Batroc! Captain Carter #2 continues Peggy Carter’s battle against Hydra terrorists, who are now rampant in England. But in the midst of her war with Hydra, she discovers a new threat to her country that’s even more insidious than Hydra, and pits her against the villain Batroc.
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The Story
Captain Carter #2 kicks off with Peggy’s skirmish with a few Hydra terrorists attacking a mall. The fight scene is dazzling, and we get to see a bit of this world’s version of Betsy Braddock also, who’s a Maria Hill-type agent and a great right-hand woman to Peggy Carter.
Much like Steve Rogers on good old Marvel Earth-616, Peggy is an expert combatant. As she flips, kicks, punches and hurls her shield, we see that she has a different, more acrobatic fighting style than Steve Rogers, but it’s equally effective, and it’s fun to see her decimate the Hydra soldiers, despite the fact they’re wielding powerful offensive technology.
Outside of the great action scenes, what makes the book so interesting is seeing how Peggy adapts to the modern world, specifically the changes in her country. Britain in 2022 is far different from the Britain of the 1940s. Churchill is long gone and she begins to question the current government, seeing the cracks in what she once thought was a bright shining institute that cared for its citizens.
As she wrestles with that, Betsy Braddock encounters her own personal dilemmas. With her father being high-up in the government ranks, many of her male peers accuse her of using nepotism to get her agent status, rather than getting where she is through hard work. It’s something that seems to hurt her to her core, and I hope eventually she shares her frustrations with Peggy. She and Peggy have a great relationship, a “buddy cop” dynamic, and I hope they’re paired up for a long time to come.
This Earth’s Batroc appears in this issue too, and he seems less of a bulky bruiser than the Earth-616 version. Here, he’s more lithe and acrobatic, but still packs a powerful kick. It’s a great first face-off between him and Captain Carter to round out the issue.
The Art
Marika Creta’s art on Captain Carter #2 brings the character to life, with her posture, stances, and facial expressions, Peggy’s drawn to look very similar to Hayley Atwell from the MCU films.
Characters are drawn with great detail and facial expressions, enhancing the dialogue and adding another layer to the story.
The fighting scenes are drawn very stylishly, and the action is fierce, with Captain Carter somersaulting off walls before slamming into opponents, and her shield looks like it’ll come flying out of a panel at any second.
Final Thoughts
Captain Carter #2 ratchets up the action and tension from the previous issue, as Peggy deals with terrorists, as well as comes to grips with her government and the modern world. It introduces new threats and ends on a great cliffhanger that I can’t wait to see resolved next issue.