Captain America, Please Stand Up
THE OVERVIEW:
You want to know something? I actually forgot to pick up this issue the week it came out onto the stands. That is usually never a good sign, mind you. You know it is a red flag when a book is meandering so much that you do not even remember its release schedule. Since issue #1’s release up until now, this book has not shown me the Captain America charm that Brubaker was able to capture in the title character’s previous run. Is Remender just holding out on the goods? Or is this series already worth dropping only four issues in… Well, let’s just say that if it were anyone else writing this book, I would not even be here reviewing this right now.
In this week’s issue we see Captain America still stuck in Dimension Z. After the last issue’s cliffhanger and the sparse hints sprinkled throughout the series, we finally see what the wasteland has in store for Captain America. Is he closer to reaching home? Or is he even farther than he thinks…
THE GOOD:
What I have enjoyed the most throughout this series is the flashback sequence we get in each issue that delves into Steve Rogers’ childhood. I love origin stories and I feel that Remender is exploring new territory within Cap’s lifetime that we as readers have never seen before. It just goes to show you that there is so much depth that is yet to be discovered in every comic book character, even ones that have been around for a long, long time. Utilizing life lessons learned in Captain America’s past, each issue has a specific theme; a value that defines who Captain America is and what he stands for, and uses that to create the central idea for the issue. This emphasizes the persona of the title character and it really brings home the tone of what a Captain America reading experience should feel like. It is just so patriotic and inspiring.
THE BAD:
Well, as much as I love the flashbacks, I wish they didn’t have to be rendered by John Romita Jr. It seems that the artist’s “Achilles heel” is drawing children. Many other reviewers have said this before, but the heads are just too damn big. I like to consider myself very liberal when it comes to artists’ art. I do enjoy eclectic and abstract styles, and I don’t need everything to be drawn in a classic comic book, Jim Lee style. That being said, I guess I kind of have to just come to terms with it; John Romita Jr. is just one penciler whose art I think I will never enjoy. I am sorry but that is just how it is. The coloring team of Dean White and Lee Loughridge does not really help either. I know we are in a bleak place, Dimension Z, but the colors are just so faded and almost monotone that I cannot help but get depressed just looking at it.
Lastly, I just do not think there is really anything that compelling about this book besides the flashbacks. It is just another rescue mission and for a character that I do not even really feel that invested in. What is worse is that this whole thing is taking place outside of the regular 616 universe so there really aren’t any high stakes on the line. It is out of continuity and in its own little world that it is really hard for me to even care what happens. I want a Captain America book with a mission that is actually captivating and so far Remender has just not been doing that for me. And to be honest, it really is a shame because I actually like Rick Remender as a writer and I just do not understand what he is trying to do in this book. Yeah, it is different I guess from anything else we have seen for the title character, but it is not necessarily better either.
THE VERDICT:
I really wanted to like this book when it came out. I quite enjoyed Brubaker’s run on Captain America and was hoping that Remender could keep my entertainment with the character going. Unfortunately, this is not exactly happening and it is disappointing that this sort of book is coming from a writer who I usually enjoy very much. There is just a long list of problems that this book has for me personally and most of those things are just too jarring to ignore. For example, the art team needs to be swapped out immediately. I feel that improving the art alone would make this book five times more appealing but still, like I said, the story still would not be all that compelling. In my honest opinion, this has got to be in the bottom tier overall of the Marvel NOW! lineup landing slightly above Gillen’s attempt at Iron Man. The book is not that bad for what it is, but comparatively speaking, it has got a long way to go. If you have liked the run thus far, then of course you have got to pick this up. You will get another really nice cliffhanger. For everyone else who just has not been jiving with this series from the start, I think we are dangerously close to approaching an appropriate point to jump ship.
3/5 stars. The flashback are really cool and could be a mini series all there own but everything else is just meh… not horrible, but not exactly great either. Captain America, you need to rise above this!
