Carol Danvers’ profile has been steadily increasing in comics since Marvel made her the new Captain Marvel, and for her new ongoing series, she’s stepped into an elevated position of power by serving as the commander of the Alpha Flight Space Station. Captain Marvel writers Michele Fazekas and Tara Butters are the showrunners for Marvel’s Agent Carter, and they’re taking advantage of the skills they’ve honed on that TV series by using Carol’s new status quo to turn the book into a workplace action dramedy. Their first issue did excellent work setting up Carol’s motivations for taking the job, establishing the work environment, and developing the book’s supporting cast, which now includes characters like Abigail Brand and various members of the original Canadian Alpha Flight, but the stakes get higher in Captain Marvel #2 as Carol and her team investigate an alien vessel that may have a personal connection to the hero.
The art team of Kris Anka and colorist Matthew Wilson delivered vibrant, spectacular visuals for the first issue that highlighted the grandeur of the space station while giving the book a brighter tone, but the atmosphere considerably changes as the group ventures into the ominous alien ship. Intense shadows and dramatic angle create a suspenseful, foreboding mood that matches Carol’s uneasy narration, which points out how similar this situation is to the movie Alien and how badly that story turned out for the explorers. Despite this dark turn for the narrative, Wilson still incorporates flashes of vivid color to add some visual flavor, and his palette blends beautifully with Anka’s linework to heighten the script’s impact.