A horde of Nuke-soldiers is attacking, but after his foray with Hydra, nobody trusts Captain America to stop them. Your Major Spoilers review of Captain America #2 awaits!
CAPTAIN AMERICA #2
Writer: Ta-Nehisi Coates
Penciler: Leinil Francis Yu
Inker: Gerry Alanguilan
Colorist: Sunny Gho
Letterer: VC’s Joe Caramagna
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: August 1, 2018
Previously in Captain America: Distrusted by a nation that seems to have lost faith in him, Steve Rogers is a man out of time and out of options. Where can a now-unsanctioned Captain America turn for aid and assistance in order to stem the rise of the cabal of influence brokers known as the Power Elite?
A COUNTRY THAT’S SEEN TOO MUCH
This issue start in mid-battle, with a horde of soldiers in the mode of Nuke (the American Flag-face-painted cyborg from ‘Daredevil’ back in the day) attacking the mayors of all the major America cities. Captain America is there to defend the conference and the city of Chicago, all the while ruminating about how different things were when he enlisted back in 1941. The juxtaposition of the current battle and Captain America’s worries that he is responsible for all of this fills out the action sequence, only for Captain America to be confronted by General Thunderbolt Ross afterwards, ordering him to stand down and let the government handle this one. Captain America refuses to follow the orders of the administration, still bothered that the general public isn’t sure that he wasn’t the head of Hydra, including an InfoWars style conspiracy theory that they were the same man all along. Even Sharon Carter can’t raise his spirits, and the issue ends with Steve once again making a deal that he’s not sure about, all in the name of continuing to fight for his country.
GOOD TO HAVE THE CLASSIC COSTUME BACK
It is hard, in the current climate, to do a story with political overtones without it somehow feeling… off? Recent events in ‘Savage Dragon’, for instance, feel really awkward and tacked on, and when Ross announces that he is working directly for the President, it’s hard not to feel a little bit of existential distress that the book might be about to enter a into some sort of topical reference for which this kind of escapism should serve as relief. Thankfully, Coates balances things well, using Captain America’s WWII experiences to make a statement about modern attitudes rather than an overt discussion of the current political situation. Yu’s art is really strong throughout the issue, especially a couple of full-page shots of the classic Captain America look in action and even quiet discussions between Steve and Sharon maintain the tension of the story well.
BOTTOM LINE: STILL NOT FEELING THE COVERS
As with issue #1, I feel like there is a huge mismatch between the painted Alex Ross covers and the interiors of the issue that could be really damaging to a potential reading experience, but that’s not a deal-breaker so much as an annoyance. Captain America #2 makes logical use of the fantastical story points to underscore our hero as a man-out-of-his-era, adding enough complications and personal entanglements to make it all feel very authentic and real, earning 4 out of 5 stars overall. I am not sure what the last page surprise cameo is all about, but I’ll definitely be back next time to find out…
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