Review: Captain America 40s Newspaper Strip
The Story
Cap, Bucky, and Agent Ross continue to investigating Dr. Smythe's disappearance. With all the evidence pointing to the Red Skull as the perpetrator behind it, an Agent Flynn the FBI's Red Skull expert has been brought into the fold to authenticate the theory and crack the case. While Agent Flynn is almost certain that the culprit behind the kidnapping is absolutely not Red Skull, but Cap however isn't so certain. The kidnapper strikes repeatedly in attempt to cover their tracks, which eventually leads to some pretty big reveals farther into this issue .
The Good
Let's see... Kesel really delivers in this second issue as the story significantly begins to unfold, and in comparison to the first issue which was really a lot more set up. This issue also felt a lot more centered as far as plot goes, considering in the first issue it was one part origin, one part 40s comedy , and one part 40s Golden Age adventure. Nevertheless everything about this title is extremely period, and that being said it really adds to the overall enjoyable experience when read it. It really gives you a sense of what kind of message an "actual" 40s comic strip might of wanted to portray during War time. Now let's get to the art, first the striking timeless cover is really cool. Then we've got the period's slightly cartoony interiors, which really help in conveying the old-timey comic-strip dialogue. Overall dialogue and art aside this title is very well done in a plethora of factors and is all tied together with it's incredibly fun format.
The Bad
There really isn't much, I only personally think that the title appeals to only a certain demographic and might not be very well received all around. Mostly considering some hardcore fans of Golden Aged comic strips might not necessarily believe it lives up to original 40s strips in comparison.
The Verdict: 4.5/5
This is a really striking title, great for anybody who wants to enjoy the Cap mythos without taking on one of the more open-ended elaborate titles. It's Fun. Well worth a pick up, especially for the casual reader looking for a intriguing title. Oh and the twists in this issue, I totally didn't see them coming but I'm sure some people could guess ahead of time but they're incredibly well handled throughout.
