Marvel’s experiment in re-numbering delivers a new Captain America story. Does the man out of time get a chance to shine, or does Marvel NOW fail on its promises with Captain America #1? All this and more after the jump!
CAPTAIN AMERICA #1
Story: Rick Remender
Art: John Romita Jr., Klaus Janson
Colors: Dean White
Letters: Joe Caramagna
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
Previously in Captain America: I am not quite sure. This arc seems to keep the general Captain America canon as its backstory, though there is very little indication one way or the other. One thing it does make clear is that, at this point, Captain America is ninety years old. So we can assume he has been frozen in ice since World War 2 and has recently been unfrozen.
A BLAST FROM THE PAST
Captain America #1 hits the ground running with its story. Giving us a bit of personal backstory on Steve Rogers, in the form of a childhood memory, and the tale end of an escapade with the newest villain, Green Skull. After that we jump straight into the new arc, which involves genetically engineered children, secret trains, and Dimension X! This new Captain America title seems to be part of the recent trend, thanks in part to Grant Morrison, of bringing comic writing away from the grim and grittiness of late 90s/early 2000s comics, and instead going back to the crazy and fun stories from an earlier age. Part of this new wave of writing is treating these zany stories seriously, something that is very prevalent in Captain America #1. And I love it. I love the surreal aspect of superhero comics that this issue embraces wholeheartedly. This comic looks to be a tonal shift away from Captain America the soldier, into Captain America the superhero. A change I welcome wholeheartedly if it continues to be this fun. On top of all this wonderfully story we get some insightful character moments between Steve Rogers and his girlfriend. This issue looks like the start of a truly fantastic arc to come, and I will definitely be reading the next issue.
WELCOME TO A WORLD OF COLOR
Normally I am not a fan of John Romita Jr.’s art, but the colors by Dean White compliment the style so well that it comes off as the best Romita art I have ever seen. The squarish stylization of the characters with the dark and layered colors invoke the classic Captain America feeling circa World War 2, while still feeling modern. It just fits the tone of this issue, what I feel is the core to Captain America, really well. This being said, there are still some awkward proportions in a panel or two, but these are easily forgiven.
BOTTOM LINE: PICK IT UP LIKE AN AMERICAN FLAG
So far Marvel NOW has give a good share of fantastic comics, and Captain America #1 is among them. If you have any love for Captain America or superhero comics as a genre, then you are doing yourself a disservice by not picking this comic up.
DID YOU READ THIS ISSUE? RATE IT!
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5 Comments
If they handle this correctly this could be Cap’s “Planet Hulk” run. The idea of the super hero stranded on a strange planet and his adventures there.
Yeah, I have never been the biggest Cap fan, but I am really hooked on this series.
That cover art is absolutely horrible. And Green Skull? Really?
I agree about the cover. There’s something… off… about the perspective. His head is tilted all weird. And that shadow on his face…
I mean, it’s not Liefeld Cap but still.
Or is that shadow a full-face mask? I didn’t read the issue, is hea wearing a mask?