Captain Planet Is Back and Better Than Ever (Review)

Captain Planet and the Planeteers was a beloved ’90s animated series. A lot of ’90s kids have fond memories of the cartoon, a cheesy action figure commercial of a show — as was common with animated series back then — with a pretty good message at its core. Captain Planet reboots have been teased over the years, but the comic industry has gotten there first. Dynamite announced a Captain Planet comic for Earth Day and put it in the capable hands of writer David Pepose, who has been killing it on Space Ghost, hyping fans up. After some unexpected delays, the first issue is out and it was worth the wait. It’s everything fans could have wanted.

So, right off the bat, we have to talk about how well Pepose did with reintroducing the mythos of Captain Planet. Captain Planet and the Planeteers ran for about two years in the early ’90s, but it doesn’t have the cultural footprint that other ’80s and ’90s cartoons have. Pepose realizes that, and lays out everything you may have forgotten about the Captain Planet mythos in this first issue. There’s something classic about the way that Pepose structures this issue; there’s a lot of old school comic feel here that works brilliantly. From the opening action scene to the introduction of the Planeteers, this comic feels like a comic that could have been published back in the day. This is a high compliment, because those old comics had an understanding of giving readers what they needed in one issue. Pepose pulls this off expertly.

However, while the book has a classic structure, Pepose doesn’t forget that we’re in the 21st century. Pepose isn’t just copying the old stories, he’s taking the cores of these characters and tweaking them for the present. I had completely forgotten who each of the characters were when I picked up this book, but Pepose’s writing not only reminded me of who these characters are, but gives them something new to make them intriguing. If this was the first episode of a Captain Planet show, it would definitely get fans interested in it.

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Penciler Eman Casallos and colorist Jorge Sutil do a wonderful job of rendering the issue. Pepose likes to jump right into the action with his work, and this issue is no different, kicking off with an action scene. Casallos captures the excitement of this scene and does a great job of laying the pages out for maximum impact. The art stays strong from there; each scene introduces our Planeteers in a situation that says a lot about who they are, and Casallos and Sutil’s art is does a lot of heavy lifting in that regard. The new design of Captain Planet is much better than what we had before; the added roots and rocks gave him a more a naturalistic feel than the original version.

Casallos also does a good job of modernizing the Planeteers. While it remains to be seen if they don outfits that mirror their Planeteer fighting togs, their appearances in the first issue are another example of bringing the concept into the 21st century. Linka, a Russian punk rocker with a heaping helping of the band Pussy Riot to her design and character, and Ma-Ti, the Brazilian holder of the Heart Ring, look the best, taking the original designs and vastly improving on them. If there’s any weaknesses to the art, it comes in the Gi part of the story. The detail of the art slips a little bit, not enough to call the art bad, but enough to be noticeable.

Pepose was able to reintroduce the Captain Planet mythos in the most entertaining manner possible, doing a great job of bringing a story that is over thirty years old into the present. This is an exciting comic with a lot of storytelling in its pages and does a wonderful job of getting people interested in the story. Casallos and Sutil’s art works well for the most part, taking the excitement of Pepose’s script and bringing it to life. Captain Planet and the Planeteers #1 is a great way to bring back a group of classic characters, giving readers some nostalgia while also introducing something fresh and new and very worth getting excited about.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Published by Dynamite Entertainment

Released on May 7, 2025

Written by David Pepose

Art by Eman Casallos

Colors by Jorge Sutil

Letters by Jeff Eckleberry

Captain Planet and the Planeteers #1 is on sale now.