Captain Planet #1: Go Planet!

Captain Planet #1 is a modern reimagining of the classic 90’s cartoon, Captain Planet and the Planeteers, where the spirit of Earth, Gaia, passed along five magic rings to teenagers with specific qualities that allowed them to manifest the heroic Captain Planet, when together. The show was centrally focused on environmental concerns, with each episode focusing on a specific socio-economic, or political concern that gave viewers a lens from which they could take action to become “part of the solution,” rather than “part of the pollution.”

David Pepose and Eman Casallos do a fantastic job reimagining this premise into a more modern sense. In today’s age, with the Trump Administration attacking environmental policies and programs that are in place to prevent further pollution, this premise coming back is more relevant now than ever. This issue doesn’t lean as much into the specific environmentalism of it all; however, it does serve as an excellent and concise setup for the world and the characters that will take readers on this new journey.

Related: The Comic Watchers – Episode 256: The Planeteers Unite To Summon David Pepose

The issue kicks off with Gaia on the run from a mysterious military force that are after her rings, which quickly evolves into an aerial combat scene where Captain Planet emerges and has to face off against oncoming helicopters and soldiers. Right away, the differences between this comic and the original cartoon become clear, with Pepose and Casallos showcasing the more explosive and aggressive take they can take on visualizing action, especially taking advantage of the comic medium.

The rest of the issue focuses on some brief introductions for the characters who will now wield the magical rings: Kwame, James Wheeler, Linka Aleksandrovina Sokolov, Gi Seung-Hyun, and Ma-Ti Yanez. Each character gets a proper introduction that highlights their individual characteristics, as well as why Gaia chose them to wield the rings. The way this is written makes these characters feel very fleshed out, with it never feeling like just exposition.