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CAPTAIN AMERICA #45
"America Lost Part I of IV"
Neutral (4/10)
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Marvel Comics
Writer/Pencils: Dan Jurgens
Inks: Bob Layton
Colors: Avalon Studios
Letters: Todd Klein
Editor: Bobbie Chase
Price: $2.25 US/$3.50 CAN |
The most interesting aspect of this particular issue comes on the last page, mostly because it hints that rumors surrounding Captain America might just be true. However, for the most part, this issue was about at the same level I've come to expect of Captain America recently, which is to say not terribly good. Some laughable dialogue, over-the-top emotional reactions and a fairly wooden portrayal of Captain America make for one of the more boring incarnations the book has had, which is a shame given how promising Jurgens's run started out.
I have to admit, I am curious as to what scheme the villain has going here. The union strike plot that Jurgens develops in this issue, leading up to orchestrated mass murder, is consistent with Cap villain the Hate Monger, but the revelations at the end about the nature of the murderers and the company they work for made me think more was going on than simply influencing men into actions based on their situations. At any rate, it's not a bad little plot, and is the most intriguing thing about the issue. Tying it into the long-lost Helicarrier is also a nice touch, and could give the story some legs.
The rest of the story is continuity clean-up, resetting a lot of the changes that have been made back to status quo. The departure of Connie Ferrari and Nick Fury's re-assumption of his old role quickly puts Captain America and SHIELD right back to where they had been, and while that's not necessarily a bad thing, it's hardly worth the number of pages spent on dealing with it when it was essentially just a quick finger stab on the reset button.
Probably the most noteworthy thing about the issue, though, is the framing sequence, which shows Nick Fury and Dum-Dum Dugan preparing for a somber event. This is somewhat weakened, however, by some painfully bad dialogue that fails to convey any real sense of loss or tragedy, and instead manages to make them seem mostly jaded and bored... just as this reader was.
Though I've often had problems with Jurgens's writing, I've rarely had complaints with his artwork on books like Booster Gold, Superman and Zero Hour. On Captain America, his work has been stiff and workmanlike, equal to the basic task of storytelling but lacking in visual excitement. Which, in fact, is the complaint I would level at the book as a whole.
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