This marks the end of the only Captain America story I'm likely to buy from Marvel for quite a while, given that the next issue is most likely going to try to slip back into the "relevant" mode that for so long has translated into "ponderous and dull." So it's a relief that Dave Gibbons, along with artists Lee Weeks and Tom Palmer, have had four issues in which to do a good old-fashioned action story full of references to the Marvel Universe at large, stunning action and Captain America fighting bad guys instead of ennui. The ending puts the book pretty much smack dab into the "imaginary story" realm, but does a clever reveal as to its place in continuity as well and winds up having more impact for Cap fans than most of the stories we've seen in the book thus far.
I have to admit, a lot of what I really loved about this story was the artwork by Lee Weeks. It's a travesty that this guy isn't an A-list artist with his choice of juicy assignments, because every time I see his work I'm more and more impressed by it. His work has a dynamic, traditionalist quality that reminds me of John Byrne or Neal Adams in their heyday, and Tom Palmer's inks and Dave Stewart's colors complement the pencils perfectly. And the action sequences here are fantastic, really giving a sense of the life and death stakes and conveying the excitement of a big gun fight, a chamber filled with "temporal energy" and other such super-hero tropes.
Which isn't to say that Gibbons doesn't deserve any credit. Though this story is undoubtedly of a traditionalist nature, it's a solid construction of super-hero fiction. For every gimmicky wink at the audience that induces groans (Bruce Banner going into a rage, Victor Von Doom again proving that there isn't a reality in existence where his face doesn't get ruined) there's another that inspires smiles, such as Sue Storm's terrific turn as a femme fatale and righteous avenger of the fallen Fantastic Four members. There's also a very clever take on the Cap/Bucky exchange that ended their relationship at the close of World War II, which gives the book a little poignancy for long-time Marvel readers.
There are also some terrific heroic moments to be found in these pages, the kind of super-hero action that can all-too-often be found lacking in New Marvel books. The takedown of the Iron Men is a fantastic sequence, using both Stark's sacrifice in the previous issue and the imposing visual of an army of Nazi armored warriors to good effect. There are also strong heroic moments for Sue Storm, Henry Pym and James "Bucky" Barnes, and of course plenty of heroic moments for Captain America.
"Captain America Lives Again" is a departure from the tone of the current Captain America series, and not coincidentally, the only Captain America trade paperback I plan to put on my shelf from the Marvel Knights title. Though I wouldn't want to see Marvel return wholeheartedly to the safe, stock super-hero mold for all of their titles, this style fits Captain America to a tee, and I hope that we'll see more of this kind of thing in the future. If nothing else, I hope we'll see Lee Weeks turn up again soon after the excellent performance he turned in on this arc.
