The ongoing Captain America series from the Marvel Knights imprint hasn't been cutting it for me lately, so I was intrigued when I heard that Bruce Jones -- the writer who's brought new life, mystery and menace to Incredible Hulk -- was offering up his own Cap tale. Aside from one element that I found to be a fascinating bit of characterization, the book didn't click for me. Jones's script, mature in tone, seems to be in direct conflict with the art, which is clearly trying to elicit a simpler atmosphere from days gone by.
Steve Rogers pays a visit to an old friend, and he ends up making a promise to go out and enjoy life, to do the things his friend can no longer do. Rogers does just that, but in his own unique, gallant fashion, and it ends up drawing the attention of the men in the employ of a tycoon with a personal problem. The wealthy man tasks Steve Rogers with a mission in Las Vegas, to retrieve the family he lost to an evil man, and though he has no stake in the situation, the Sentinel of Liberty finds himself unable to refuse a plea for help.
Rude's style -- heavily influenced by the late, legendary Jack Kirby -- takes on an even greater Kirby-an tone when inked by Mike Royer. Together, they manage to deliver the look of a SIlver Age comic book today. Sotomayor contributes some exceedingly bright colors that are in keeping with that Silver Age riff as well. Unfortunately, the tone of the script doesn't really work with that yesteryear visual quality. The story calls for a darker look to instill a tense atmopshere, but it just doesn't happen.
The greatest strength of this book is the exploration of the embittered Sal Letcher and his perceived challenges in his relationship with his wife. Letcher's anger and cynicism makes for an interesting contrast with the title character's idealism and clean-cut personality. I found wanted to know a lot more about Sal and the shared history between him and Steve. I wanted to know what drew Kate to Sal, and how she reacted when he was hurt.
Unfortunately, a rather ordinary -- and not entirely plausible -- plot gets in the way of those new characters. I just don't buy into the notion of Captain America deciding to traipse across the country to retrieve a rich man's daughter who's not being held against her will. The notion stretches credibility so far, one of the characters -- Sal, actually -- points out how strange it is.
