Timhyot Callahan of CBR.com called Captain Britain and the MI: 13 #1 a "very strong debut issue," saying, "Paul Cornell's "Wisdom" mini-series from 2006 to 2007 was one of my favorite Marvel comics of the past couple of years. It was full of wit, energy, and madcap ideas, mashing superheroes with faeries and Jack the Ripper duplicates. It had a vast sense of scale, and it was one of the few comics in this decompressed era that felt packed with events. So when it was announced that Cornell was going to take over as writer of "Excalibur," I was enthusiastic. This series, "Captain Britain and MI:13" is his version of "Excalibur," I guess, and I'm glad Marvel decided to launch it under this new name. It's a bit more unwieldy, but it's more appropriate. This is not "Excalibur." It's better." Bryan Joel of IGN gave Captain Britain and the MI: 13 #1 a grade of 9 out of 10, writing, "Following behind the Avengers titles, Captain Britain And MI: 13 #1 continues the string of surprisingly good Secret Invasion tie-ins. But unlike Bendis's flashback work, Captain Britain succeeds by doing the complete opposite. It doesn't hurt that it's a fantastic book on its own terms, either. [...] What's important to note is the degree of black comedy that pervades these pages. Make no mistake: for all Captain Britain's posturing about in immorality of killing Skrulls, the characters (and, by extension, Cornell) seem to be having a grand time. It's surprisingly awesome to watch the John Lennon Skrull fly around the battlegrounds, or see Spitfire rip a Skrull's throat out with her teeth. And there's a brilliant retool of Black Knight's personality that is nothing short of perfect. Suffice it to say, there are things going on in Captain Britain And MI: 13 #1 you can't find anywhere else. I don't know if I've made this clear enough: this book is crazy. But it's crazy in all the right ways. Captain Britain And MI: 13 #1 is as good a debut to a superhero story as I can remember, and if the quality continues, this is going to be a stellar series long after the Skrulls have been beaten back."