Post by goldenfist on Mar 20, 2008 7:55:29 GMT -5
Here's a review from ign.com about Captain America #36.
As far as Buck-as-Cap goes, there are drooling lovers and rabid haters. Yes, on some level he's a bastardization of what Captain America stands for, but on another he's a more practical and Marvel-esque update on their most DC-ian hero. Personally, I wasn't in love with the idea but was firmly prepared to be won over by Ed Brubaker, who can seemingly do no wrong in the pages of this book. As far as Captain America #36 goes, it's a great issue with solid characterization that takes great strides in selling the titular character to me.
Issue #36 sees James (I'm still not comfortable calling him Captain America) face down Sin's Serpent Squad and Crossbones. It's especially meaningful because, duh, they sort of killed Steve Rogers and caused his supporting cast general misery. And in that, you find a prospective problem: it's got the potential to be a damned-if-you-do... moment. If you have James beat the Serpent Squad, it's the equivalent of rendering Steve Rogers irrelevant and crowning Winter Soldier the Best Thing Ever Dreamt Up. If you have him lose, the Serpent Squad rises in a power level roughly between Dark Phoenix and Galactus, capable of besting two title heroes. As Dan Phillips mentioned in last issue's review, this volume of Captain America has always been about Winter Soldier, and Brubaker finds a brilliant way to sidestep those pitfalls and demonstrate exactly why James works on levels where Steve failed. At first glance the battle seems underwhelming but there are levels of depth to it, both literary and visual.
My favorite part about Winter Soldier has been the retconed history with Black Widow. That's done more to humanize the character than anything else so far, and their awkward but familiar camaraderie is a focus here. The brief scenes together really shine. The fill-in art matches Steve Epting's work almost flawlessly. James's body language is actually improved this issue -- the fight scene is near perfect.
My lone complaint is the dubious ending. Sharon Carter has really been a back seat character for the past few months, and her discovery at the end of this issue can play out a couple ways, none of which immediately inspire excitement in me. Brubaker has more than earned a bit of trust as far as this title's direction goes, I just don't see many interesting possibilities coming from the revelation.
A solid issue of a reliably solid book. Brubaker seems aware of the fact that James is potentially a tough sell and is immediately addressing that.
Review Score: 8.9 Great
As far as Buck-as-Cap goes, there are drooling lovers and rabid haters. Yes, on some level he's a bastardization of what Captain America stands for, but on another he's a more practical and Marvel-esque update on their most DC-ian hero. Personally, I wasn't in love with the idea but was firmly prepared to be won over by Ed Brubaker, who can seemingly do no wrong in the pages of this book. As far as Captain America #36 goes, it's a great issue with solid characterization that takes great strides in selling the titular character to me.
Issue #36 sees James (I'm still not comfortable calling him Captain America) face down Sin's Serpent Squad and Crossbones. It's especially meaningful because, duh, they sort of killed Steve Rogers and caused his supporting cast general misery. And in that, you find a prospective problem: it's got the potential to be a damned-if-you-do... moment. If you have James beat the Serpent Squad, it's the equivalent of rendering Steve Rogers irrelevant and crowning Winter Soldier the Best Thing Ever Dreamt Up. If you have him lose, the Serpent Squad rises in a power level roughly between Dark Phoenix and Galactus, capable of besting two title heroes. As Dan Phillips mentioned in last issue's review, this volume of Captain America has always been about Winter Soldier, and Brubaker finds a brilliant way to sidestep those pitfalls and demonstrate exactly why James works on levels where Steve failed. At first glance the battle seems underwhelming but there are levels of depth to it, both literary and visual.
My favorite part about Winter Soldier has been the retconed history with Black Widow. That's done more to humanize the character than anything else so far, and their awkward but familiar camaraderie is a focus here. The brief scenes together really shine. The fill-in art matches Steve Epting's work almost flawlessly. James's body language is actually improved this issue -- the fight scene is near perfect.
My lone complaint is the dubious ending. Sharon Carter has really been a back seat character for the past few months, and her discovery at the end of this issue can play out a couple ways, none of which immediately inspire excitement in me. Brubaker has more than earned a bit of trust as far as this title's direction goes, I just don't see many interesting possibilities coming from the revelation.
A solid issue of a reliably solid book. Brubaker seems aware of the fact that James is potentially a tough sell and is immediately addressing that.
Review Score: 8.9 Great
