Post by goldenfist on Nov 23, 2007 0:09:38 GMT -5
Ed Brubaker's Captain America has never been a particularly upbeat series, but things have grown progressively more bleak for Cap's allies ever since he was gunned down in issue #25. With a resurrected Red Skull moving at least 6 or 7 steps ahead of out heroes at all times and numerous key players under the influence of the diabolical Dr. Faustus, it's a wonder Bucky, Sharon Carter, Falcon, and the rest haven't simply thrown in the towel. But surely things have to get better at some point. Right?
Slowly, almost inexorably, the heroes start to regain the upper hand this issue. That's almost surprising considering last month's cliffhanger. On the other hand, I don't think anyone really thought Brubaker would allow events to play out exactly as they seemed. This issue sees Black Widow and a deliciously retro-clad Falcon launch an offensive against our villains. This means one thing right away - plenty of glorious fight scenes courtesy of artist Steve Epting. Other than the Bucky/Black Widow scuffle a few months ago, this series has been fairly devoid of action sequences. Now, I'm well aware the true strength of Captain America lies in other areas, but it's still nice to see bad guys get punched in the face now and again.
If this issue doesn't rank quite as highly as recent ones, it's only because the focus on action makes it stand out from the crowd a little less. As the issue wears on Brubaker's story feels more and more like it could have been cribbed from any number of James Bond movies. It's hard not to make the comparison when Dr. Faustus makes his escape from his secret underground lair by blasting off in his spy plane while the heroes do battle with a legion of faceless, uniformed henchmen. Maybe I'm just cranky because I was hoping the storyline would have progressed a little farther in the past seven months. The new Cap is due to make his first appearance in a mere two issues, and I worry Brubaker will have to rush the rest of this storyline to get there. Still, it would be wrong of me not to have faith in the writer. He didn't turn this series into an absolute gem by his disappointing readers.
Review Score 8.7 (Great)
Slowly, almost inexorably, the heroes start to regain the upper hand this issue. That's almost surprising considering last month's cliffhanger. On the other hand, I don't think anyone really thought Brubaker would allow events to play out exactly as they seemed. This issue sees Black Widow and a deliciously retro-clad Falcon launch an offensive against our villains. This means one thing right away - plenty of glorious fight scenes courtesy of artist Steve Epting. Other than the Bucky/Black Widow scuffle a few months ago, this series has been fairly devoid of action sequences. Now, I'm well aware the true strength of Captain America lies in other areas, but it's still nice to see bad guys get punched in the face now and again.
If this issue doesn't rank quite as highly as recent ones, it's only because the focus on action makes it stand out from the crowd a little less. As the issue wears on Brubaker's story feels more and more like it could have been cribbed from any number of James Bond movies. It's hard not to make the comparison when Dr. Faustus makes his escape from his secret underground lair by blasting off in his spy plane while the heroes do battle with a legion of faceless, uniformed henchmen. Maybe I'm just cranky because I was hoping the storyline would have progressed a little farther in the past seven months. The new Cap is due to make his first appearance in a mere two issues, and I worry Brubaker will have to rush the rest of this storyline to get there. Still, it would be wrong of me not to have faith in the writer. He didn't turn this series into an absolute gem by his disappointing readers.
Review Score 8.7 (Great)
