Captain America (2005 Series) #34

January 29, 2008

Quick Rating: Very Good
Title: The Burden of Dreams Part Four

Meet the NEW Captain America!

Writer: Ed Brubaker
Pencils: Steve Epting
Inks: Butch Guice
Colors: Frank D’Armata
Letters: Joe Caramanga
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Cover Art: Alex Ross (Cover A); Steve Epting (Cover B)
Publisher: Marvel Comics

Steve Rogers is dead. The Red Skull may be dead, but his plots are already undermining the American economy. AIM is on the move. Time for a new Captain America.

Where to start reviewing this issue? Well… simply put, I liked it. I thought it was very good. But I still hate the costume. Just hate it. And not because it’s not Steve’s (the reason for him not wearing Steve’s costume is given here as well – well… the in-story reason, not the “so we can make more action figures” reason), but because I just think it’s ugly, and that Captain America should never, never wear black, no matter who is using the name. (The gun, oddly, doesn’t bother me at all.) Still, bad costume, but still a good story.

I don’t suppose I can outright say who’s wearing the costume, even though last issue pretty much made the answer set in stone. What I can say is that the reasoning behind him taking over the role is well-constructed and makes very good sense. There’s a lot of action here, which is good, and a lot of the new guy worrying about living up to Steve’s legacy, which will be good if it doesn’t go overboard.

The writing this issue is very solid, but I see two pitfalls that Brubaker needs to avoid. First, the main threat here is largely economic. That works for a prose novel, but not for a visual medium like a comic book or a movie (see the Star Wars prequels for an example). It’s fine to use this as a backdrop, but hopefully, there’s a more visceral danger in place to show up down the line.

Second… let’s just admit it here, we all know Steve Rogers will be back. Brubaker himself said that this is about the “midpoint” of the Death of Captain America storyline, and I’d lay Vegas odds we’ll see Steve again by issue #50. That’s okay. But the next 16 issues can’t be all about a character who keeps trying and failing to prove himself. That works at the beginning, but it won’t work for a year and a half.

I may sound overly critical here, but that’s actually because I was pretty impressed. I’m pointing out what I think are the traps the story could fall into. But as long as it avoids them, I think we’ll have a strong story overall before this is all over.

Rating: 8/10

Red Circle: The Shield #1

August 30, 2009

Quick Rating: Very Good
Title: The Shield

How Joe Higgins became the Shield – and what does he have to do with the other Red Circle heroes?

Writer: J. Michael Straczynski
Pencils: Scott McDaniel
Inks: Andy Owens
Last Page Art: Tom Derenick & Bill Sienkiewicz
Colors: Tom Chu
Letters: Sal Cipriano
Editor: Joey Cavalieri
Cover Art: Jesus Saiz
Publisher: DC Comics

The Red Circle closes with the introduction of the Shield. Lt. Joe Higgins, a soldier stationed in Afghanistan, is nearly killed while trying to save one of his comrades. His injuries are so severe his only chance at survival is to undergo a process that will transform him from being an American fighting machine to the greatest American fighting machine.

I’ve always felt the Shield is undervalued in comic history. True, Captain America is the greatest flag-draped superhero of them all, but most people tend to forget that the original Shield was the first, so while there are similarities between his tale and Cap’s, you can hardly call him a rip-off. The twist in this incarnation of the Shield is a pretty clever one, something that sets the new Joe Higgins apart from any of the characters who have used this name in the past, while still keeping him as a spiritual successor. There’s also plenty left unresolved, plenty to build on in the new ongoing series, which is nice to see. This is a worthy version of a classic character… and I will admit, I’m glad to see his uniform, unlike the other Red Circle heroes, remained relatively unchanged. It’s just too classic to start mucking around with.

Scott McDaniel does the art here, and he does okay. While he’s certainly more suited for a book like this one than the cosmic stuff he dabbles in from time to time, something about his Shield looks a little off – he’s kind of squat, almost squished, and that’s just weird to me. It looked a little bit too funky.

It’s a good launch for the character, and it ties off this month of one-shots pretty well. I’ll be anxious to see what the new creators do when the ongoing series launches soon.

Rating: 8/10