Cotati have been hunted down by the Skrulls and Kree and now they seek revenge! However they don’t just want to defeat Skrulls and Kree; they plan to wipe all non-plant based life starting with Earth! Come check out the fight with EMPYRE: CAPTAIN AMERICA #1 by Marvel!

EMPYRE: CAPTAIN AMERICA #1 (OF 3)

Writer: Phillip Kennedy Johnson
Artist: Ariel Oilvetti
Colorist: Rachelle Rosenberg
Letterer: VC’s Ariana Maher and Joe Caramagna
Editor: Darren Shan
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: July 29th, 2020

Previously on Empyre: The Kree and Skrulls have united under Emperor Hulking to fight the Celestial Messiah Quoi and his Cotati. Quoi has claimed Earth’s Moon and are using it as their new base of operations. But instead of just seeking justice against the Kree and Skrulls they plan to exterminate all animal life! Captain America is now planning to stop their deadly campaign before the Kree/Skrull Empire can react.

PREPARING FOR ANOTHER WAR

Arlington, Virginia is under attack by the Cotati! Luckily Captain America is here to save the day. He engages with Shi Qaanth, the leader of this invasion, and is able to defeat him with his men but not before Shi is able to infect Specialist Bennett. Captain recruits some of the army, including Bennett, and heads to the Pentagon to talk to General Woodley. Cap petitions Woodley to send men to Mexico and South America to help them fight. Unfortunately, General Woodley disagrees and orders Captain America to stay and defend the United States. Cap immediately breaks that order and sends his men to the south. Before they leave, Specialist Bennett meets with General Woodley and kills him with a vine that came out of his body.

SAME OL’ PLOTLINE

So this story feels like a classic Cap storyline. We see a Howling Commandos reference with Captain America breaking orders for the greater good. This is an overused trope and I hate that it is featured so prominently here. It makes this Captain America title feel secondary to the action sequences going on and the villain is frankly much more interesting than our red, white, and blue hero. And then what is the theme here? To disobey when you have the moral high ground? We had the whole Civil War storyline to explore this idea, I don’t think we need it here.

The art was what you would expect from a Marvel Comic. I thought it was good but the backgrounds felt a little static a lot of the time. I understand that you don’t want the background to overshadow the characters but I think more details could have been given. What I thought was cool was how the plant people look. It is aesthetically very appealing while also having a sense of terror. Watching these vines come out of the ground (and Bennett) is a very provocative image.

BOTTOM LINE: NOT FOR ME

I really have been enjoying the Empyre comics and think that it is a very good crossover. But I don’t think that this particular comic is going to be remembered in a couple of months. It is also possible that this comic just wasn’t written for someone with my particular tastes and aesthetics. WIth that in mind, I give this 3 out of 5 stars for Empyre: Captain America #1.

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