Comics / Comic Reviews / Marvel Comics

Captain America #1-#9, #11-#14

By Al Kratina
March 1, 2006 - 00:24

More Action, Less Colour, Same Funny Costume.

I never saw myself reading Captain America. In the hierarchy of comic book cool, buying Captain America ranks somewhere between Duck Tales and Archie Double Digest. If you were going to be caught reading comic books in a coffee shop, you’d be better served with a Dark Horse title, or better yet something from Oni or SLG. That way, you might catch the eye of a girl with black nail polish, and if you play your cards right you could get to see her Lenore tattoo. Captain America, on the other hand, usually gives the same general impression as reading a recruitment pamphlet from the Canadian Armed Forces.

However, I couldn’t resist picking up the first issue of Marvel’s recent re-launch, once I saw that Ed Brubaker was writing it. Best known for hard-boiled crime comics like Sleeper, I hoped that Brubaker would bring a darker, more mature outlook to one of Marvel’s more simplistic books, like if Mickey Spillane wrote Sesame Street. I was not disappointed. Much more adult in tone than previous Captain America runs, Brubaker’s take on the quintessential Marvel hero doesn’t shy away from the darker underbelly of Cap’s past and his current work as an agent of SHIELD, but doesn’t venture into the excesses of, say, Garth Ennis’ Punisher. While it does occasionally seem as if Brubaker is pulling his punches, going for a solid PG-13 instead of the dreaded R rating, there’s been a radical shift in the way the book is being written, and enough major shake-ups to justify Captain America’s selection as Wizard’s Book of the Year in 2005. Without giving too much away, the first year’s worth of comics deals with the Cosmic Cube, the Red Skull, and a mysterious new villain with links to Cap’s past known only as the Winter Soldier. Comprised of two major story arcs, Out Of Time and The Winter Soldier, the first fourteen issues of the re-launch are tightly written and well-paced, bringing to mind crime fiction more than traditional superhero comics.

The art, from Steve Epting, reflects the tone of the writing. No longer does every panel look like an American flag on a bright summer day at noon. The art is darker, muddier without being unclear, and certainly befitting of a more mature Captain America. Epting renders many of the flashback scenes as if we were watching World War II newsreel footage, an effective choice that gives the book a grittier feel. Combined with Brubaker’s writing, they help make the first year of the series a surprising and captivating look at a familiar hero, and provide an excellent jumping-on point for new readers.

Last Updated: November 29, 2025 - 16:51