Captain America #34

Marvel Comics

Writer: Ed Brubaker

Pencils: Steve Epting

Inker: Butch Guice

Cap + Liberace = new costume!

So it begins.

Now that Cap has been laid to rest for almost a year, Marvel’s rolled out its brand spanking NEW Cap. Reading Captain America #34 is like greeting a somebody’s post-divorce trophy wife-- you try to be happy, but it just feels wrong.

In Captain America #34, a “mortgage crisis” threatens America’s economy, and Bucky Barnes dons the suit and becomes the new Captain America. This is a surprise in the same way the early 90s Buffalo Bills losing the Super Bowl was a surprise. At least Bucky gets to wail on a bunch of A.I.M. flunkies in a well choreographed fight scene.

Writer Ed Brubaker includes enough hackneyed political dialogue and shady financial dealings to make sure older readers won't feel ashamed to be reading a comic book. It’s a cheap way to keep the “adult” reader hooked, but keep in mind Brubaker killed an icon to make a statement (and sell comics).

Speaking of statements, the new Cap is EGDY! Bucky reluctantly dons the symbolic costume, commenting on the fact that he’s “painted a red, white and blue target” on himself. ALLRIGHT! Cynicism! Rough-around-the-edges! Now THERE’S something that hasn’t been done in comics! It’s not like Spider-Man’s worn a black suit, or the Punisher’s gotten absurdly violent lately! Thank goodness for originality!

Meanwhile, Red Skull and Cameraface Mahoney are giggling evilly in their lab o’ mad genius stereotypes. Flanked by devices that probably have suffixes like -otron and -ometer, they wring their hands and prepare for Ginger Santa to instigate his master plan: a troupe of baddies, dressed as SHIELD agents, opens fire on protestors.

Steve Epting’s art is up to its usual quality, and Cap’s shiny new tin foil costume is rendered impressively by colorist Frank D’Armata. No complaints art-wise, except for the fact that they’d look better if they weren’t getting dragged along by Ed Brubaker.

Worth the money? No.