|
CAPTAIN AMERICA VOL. 4 #1
(Best of the Week!)
"Enemy Chapter One: Dust"
Highly Recommended (10/10)
|
Marvel Comics/Marvel Knights imprint
Writer: John Ney Rieber
Artist: John Cassaday
Colors: Dave Stewart
Letters: Comicraft
Editor: Stuart Moore
Price: $3.99 US/$6.50 CAN |
Wow. I'm a
Captain America fan from way back, but even with all the hype, I didn't really
expect to be drawn back into the book this quickly. Of all the heroes in the
Marvel Universe, it's Captain America, not Spider-Man, who seems like he would
be most affected by the real-life events of Sept. 11, and this first issue
addresses that notion. It teeters on the line of being inappropriate, and some
may feel that putting Captain America into that real situation to assess how he
would react is insulting to the real heroes and real victims of the day. I would
disagree, though, largely because Ney Rieber does such an effective job of
showing just how ineffective Captain America feels in the wake of the event, and
how it has brought out a new sort of ferocity that the somewhat staid hero has
been lacking.
For me, Captain America has
always been interesting as a man, not just a symbol. He represents the American
dream (not the American reality, an important distinction that many detractors
of the character miss), but he also represents a good man trying to do what's
right and sometimes failing. Rather than seeing Captain America just suck it up
and do the right thing, we're seeing him react in grief and anger, like a human
being, and not unlike America in the wake of September 11, and it's an
interesting parallel.
There is a sort of hopeful
optimism in this book despite the dark tone, and some may find it a bit
unbelievable in the context of the rest of the story. However, I found Cap's
ability to deal with the understandable anger and paranoia, as well as the
rallying effect he had on the spirits of a misguided angry man, to be a very
effective demonstration of what makes him a hero. Beyond simply being strong,
fast and powerful, he has an inner strength that inspires others.
What really makes the book
shine, though, and the reason this type of story works so well, is John
Cassaday's artwork. His pictures of the devastation of Sept. 11 are
heart-breaking, and he does an equally solid job on Steve Rogers, both in
costume and out. When we first see Captain America, in costume, leaping from a
helicopter and towards an enemy, you can feel the determination and righteous
anger. Dave Stewart's colors are also a big part of that, with a graywash effect
that sets the tone and makes for a very strong contrast when Cap flashes back to
the days before the attack, or when we see the fiery remains of an American town
under attack.
Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch sort of raised the bar for Captain America with their take on him in the Ultimates. Ney Rieber and Cassaday, while staying
within the bounds of continuity, have reached that same sort of redefining level
for the character, and I look forward to seeing where they take the character
from here.
Email Randy Lander comments about this review, or discuss it on the Fourth Rail message board. |
