Investigating the Crash
This review was originally posted on my website Imagination Centre (here).
The opening issue of this series was rather poor, which was a shame considering I was hoping for this to be an amazing series. I do however hope that it turns round, and fast as with it only being a four issue mini-series there isn't a lot of time to waste.
Plot
Following the crash of the D.E.U.S. space station Captain America goes to investigate.
Review
This was another good issue, though not a lot better than the disappointing opening issue. Andy Diggle does a fantastic job of continuing from where the first issue left off, as although the issue was still rather slow, it would still have some interesting aspects. I also enjoyed how Diggle would continue to make this story very mysterious, adding a lot of drama and suspense to the issue, as well as more excitement than the last issue had (even though it was near the end of the issue). I did however expect a bit more progression by now, given the fact that this is only a four issue mini-series, though it looks as though the series will be getting more exciting and entertaining from now.
The artwork on this issue would however once again be phenomenal and it's really the artwork that has made this series as good as it's been. This issue would see Agustin Alessio take over from Adi Granov, though due to Alessio having a similar style, as well as adding his own painted colours, it keeps the tone of the series the same. The detail of Alessio's artwork would also be to a very high standard, as although the facial expressions were a bit stiff throughout, the line detail would be near enough perfect for the entire issue. On top of that Alessio would also produce some amazing layouts that were very dynamic as well as make the extravagant sequences looked awesome.
Last issue would see the sudden crash of the D.E.U.S. space station, and due to this Captain America would travel to Siberia to investigate the crash. Now this wouldn't give much excitement until the end of the continuous sequence, but the interaction between Cap and Doctor Fox would be very interesting. I especially liked the tension between the two characters when it came to talking about the D.E.U.S. project itself, and how Cap plans to destroy any D.E.U.S. related stuff before the Russians can get it, much to Doctor Fox's surprise.
We'd also get to see more of Commander Volkov and the Russians attempt to land on the moon in 1968. Now I won't go into too much details about this sequence as to avoid spoilers, but I will say that it was a very creepy sequence, having some very interesting developments. I also felt that the interaction between the other astronauts added a nice tone to the sequence, and the way they reacted to the changes in Volov during this sequence was extremely entertaining and slightly exciting.
One of the things that his story has been focusing on is a sci-fi theme, with a mysterious alien entity affecting the development of this issue. I personally haven't been too sure whether the sci-fi genre suits Captain America, though this issue would show that it can be an interesting addition to Cap, even if it took most of this issue and the last to do that. The entity itself would also be a very interesting addition to this story, though the most explosive development wouldn't come till near the end of this issue. In saying that this development does have me very excited for the next issue.
Final Verdict
Although this series hasn't improved much in this issue it would be more exciting and show a lot of promise for the second half of the series. It would also have some interesting interactions, as well as keep a mysterious tone throughout. There would also be some extravagant art throughout this issue and although the series hasn't been as good as I hoped it would be, it is starting to grow on me more. Due to this I'd recommend the issue, especially if you enjoy amazing art, but for the patient reader it's probably best to see how well the rest of the series is rated.
