The Good
I'm actually quite the fan of the "hero trapped in an ideal alternate dimension" storyline, as it allows us to get a look at the inner workings of the person who's trapped. Seeing Captain America in a utopian USA where he's "not needed anymore" makes me question Steve's feelings about the return to the role. Does he really want the shield and wings back?
The action in this book is wonderully-illustrated, as Fury, Carter, Falcon and Cap all look great. McNiven's art is a highlight here; there's not a David-Aja like fluidity, but there's a reason for that. The fights that Iron Fist and other kung-fu heroes have are fundamentally different from the ones that Fury and Steve find themselves in. They're knock-down, drag-out brawls with a good dose of gunplay; you can feel the force behind each punch, and that's a good thing.
The Bad
There isn't much bad in this book; the writing is superb and the art follows it. For those of you wondering why I only gave it a four-out-of-five, I have to say that there wasn't that moment in this comic that blew me away.
It's definitely one of the better books that's been released this week - I just felt that it lacked that "oomph" that would have slid it into the perfect score territory.
The Verdict
What I like most about this book is that it was balanced amazingly. We got a lot of exposition from Steve in the dream world, and a greater explanation of the motivations of the arc's bad guys. I found Steve asking the same questions I had: this is a good thing, because it means the writers have planned for the audience's curiosity.
It works against the book's favour when the opposite happens, and readers are left asking questions that the writers have no intention of answering. This week's issue of CAPTAIN AMERICA is strongly written, well-balanced and looks to be part of a wonderful Brubaker arc.
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