After a tumultuous few years, Captain America is back and he’s ready to be as American as ever. Jackson Lanzig and Collin Kelly first jump into Cap’s chainmail and drag Cap and his world into a conspiracy of international political intrigue, untold secrets regarding his shield’s origins, while trying to remind Steve and readers, about the man who wears the red white and the blue. If this all sounds familiar, that’s because it is. These are all very familiar themes we’ve seen in Cap’s comics over the years, some better than others, but it’s a trope we’ve seen with Captain America, and Steve Rogers in particular. So without further ado, let’s continue the show, okay.
When the series was originally solicited, Marvel gave the impression that it was going to be a spiritual story, where the creators focus more on the man behind the shield than the shield and what he represents, this which got many Cap fans into a bit of an uproar, but it’s been a pretty even mix between the two. One thing that has been an absolute delight so far is the development of its supporting cast, both previously established, and brand new. Although I caught a mistake, Cap didn’t actually grow up in Lower Manhattan, but in Brooklyn. I guess the realtor told Steve it was in lower Manhattan to get those Manhattan rental prices (am I getting a No-Prize?), but I really like the development that this team offers us so far.
Like I said, Lanzing and Kelly expanded on his older cast, including some of his WWII allies like the second Destroyer and the Winter Soldier, while giving us an all-new Destroyer, or more specifically, an agent for this new group, the Forge, with a young boy used as a pawn. The new Destroyer is part of this deeper conspiracy, which uses both terrorist organizations and international peacekeeping forces. They even got their hands on everything, even Bucky’s time as a brainwashed assassin for the Russian government has ties to this shadow cabal, so how far does this conspiracy go? What does young Peggy Carter have to do with all this? Do the disparate storylines that run through this book, as well as the Sam directed Captain America: Symbol of Truth, do you line up with each other as we make way for the Cold War event next year? So many unanswered questions.
The team also introduced a new cyborg-like threat called Reactive. They appear to be a less advanced version of the Furies from Captain Britain lore, so could they be involved with 616’s Jim Jaspers, who was introduced in the now classic Weird X-Men #200. All of these parts, with ties to so many things that aren’t even associated with Captain America, make this threat seem… more significant in the greater Marvel Universe, while giving some new faces that you wouldn’t associate with these stories. Cap standard.
On art homework is Carmen Carnero, and I couldn’t be more thrilled. Carmen has been on my radar since her time on Wonder Woman during James Robinson’s run, and became one of my favorite new artists after helping relaunch Captain Marvel with Kelly Thompson. His style here reminds me of Paul Neary’s run on Cap, with the scribe I most often associate with Cap, Mark Gruenwald, and I love it. Such a treat to read. Hopefully she sticks around longer than an arc or two, but we’ll see.
