Post by goldenfist on Apr 17, 2008 9:20:02 GMT -5
Here's a review of Captain America #7 from Ign.com
It's now been four issues since the unveiling of the new Captain America. Given Steve Rodgers 60 year legacy, the pressure on Ed Brubaker to deliver something that befitted the great history of the character was immense. With the exception of some gnashing of teeth over the updated costume, Brubaker has come through with another strong story that also continues to advance the series long plot.
This issue is actually a much more relaxed outing compared to the last few issues. Bucky Barnes is recuperating after his first mission as Cap, and takes more of a back seat this month. The focus is more on two-person interactions. Bucky, Falcon, Tony Stark, and Clint Barton spend some quality one-on-one time with each other in various combinations. The scenes with Falcon/Barton are especially significant, since they were also names rumored to be in the running to replace Steve Rogers. Even though he's quite a departure from the original, I have to say that I've already reached the point of full acceptance of the switch after only 4 issues, which I was thinking would take a much longer time.
The credit for the easy transition obviously goes to Ed Brubaker. He has crafted an extraordinary tale that not only fits seamlessly with what's happened previously, but also with the current geopolitical climate. Outside of the interpersonal scenes, Brubaker shows how the Red Skull is progressively consolidating his power in the country. Nothing is off-limits. The mortgage crisis? Oil prices? The presidential election? They're all used by Brubaker to further the storyline. Maybe it's just the Economist-reading dork in me, but I absolutely love that. While there's still brainwashing and riots causes by spiked water, I like that I don't have to suspend my disbelief as much as I used to. Instead of being an anachronistic caricature, the Red Skull is a truly menacing and legitimate threat that I never felt him to be in the past. Using real world fears and conspiracies have allowed that change to happen. At the same time, Brubaker doesn't use currents to make a political statement, so it doesn't feel like you're being preached to.
Steve Epting makes his return this issue and is as solid as ever. His replacement (Butch Guice) did a remarkable job of replicating his style. I'm happy with the level of artistic continuity between the two, but I really don't know if it's a good thing or bad thing that I can't always tell Epting's work from his compatriots (Perkins and Guice).
After all that praise, I do have one nitpick about the issue. Bucky has a weird flashback/modern dream sequence that really felt out of place. I understand what Brubaker was going for, but it feels like it could have been handled a little more smoothly. Really though, four paragraphs of praise compared to three sentences of criticism is quite the lofty ratio.
Review Score: 9.3 Outstanding
It's now been four issues since the unveiling of the new Captain America. Given Steve Rodgers 60 year legacy, the pressure on Ed Brubaker to deliver something that befitted the great history of the character was immense. With the exception of some gnashing of teeth over the updated costume, Brubaker has come through with another strong story that also continues to advance the series long plot.
This issue is actually a much more relaxed outing compared to the last few issues. Bucky Barnes is recuperating after his first mission as Cap, and takes more of a back seat this month. The focus is more on two-person interactions. Bucky, Falcon, Tony Stark, and Clint Barton spend some quality one-on-one time with each other in various combinations. The scenes with Falcon/Barton are especially significant, since they were also names rumored to be in the running to replace Steve Rogers. Even though he's quite a departure from the original, I have to say that I've already reached the point of full acceptance of the switch after only 4 issues, which I was thinking would take a much longer time.
The credit for the easy transition obviously goes to Ed Brubaker. He has crafted an extraordinary tale that not only fits seamlessly with what's happened previously, but also with the current geopolitical climate. Outside of the interpersonal scenes, Brubaker shows how the Red Skull is progressively consolidating his power in the country. Nothing is off-limits. The mortgage crisis? Oil prices? The presidential election? They're all used by Brubaker to further the storyline. Maybe it's just the Economist-reading dork in me, but I absolutely love that. While there's still brainwashing and riots causes by spiked water, I like that I don't have to suspend my disbelief as much as I used to. Instead of being an anachronistic caricature, the Red Skull is a truly menacing and legitimate threat that I never felt him to be in the past. Using real world fears and conspiracies have allowed that change to happen. At the same time, Brubaker doesn't use currents to make a political statement, so it doesn't feel like you're being preached to.
Steve Epting makes his return this issue and is as solid as ever. His replacement (Butch Guice) did a remarkable job of replicating his style. I'm happy with the level of artistic continuity between the two, but I really don't know if it's a good thing or bad thing that I can't always tell Epting's work from his compatriots (Perkins and Guice).
After all that praise, I do have one nitpick about the issue. Bucky has a weird flashback/modern dream sequence that really felt out of place. I understand what Brubaker was going for, but it feels like it could have been handled a little more smoothly. Really though, four paragraphs of praise compared to three sentences of criticism is quite the lofty ratio.
Review Score: 9.3 Outstanding