Marvel NOW begins for Steve Rogers in the pages of Rick Remender and John Romita Jr.’s ‘Captain America’. I’ve been looking forward to this book for a while now because Cap is my favorite hero, so naturally this one was one of my highly anticipated books of the relaunch.
In issue one, Cap comes face to face with an old foe in the form of Arnim Zola, but finds himself in a whole new world of trouble. Literally. However, before getting into that, he does battle with someone named “The Green Skull” and contemplates starting a family with Sharon Carter. And all on his birthday no less.
Before I get into the pros and cons, I’d like to quickly point out that I like JRJR’s work in this issue. Some of my favorite pieces from him are from ‘Kick-Ass’ and I’d say that his Cap stuff is just as good as his best work on Hit Girl or Kick-Ass. I also like some of the things that Remender included in this issue like the flashback and Agent 13, but there were more things that I disliked than liked.
To begin with, Steve Rogers would never have walked into a trap so easily, and definitely not without some sort of disguise and weapon. I found that instance to be out of character for the Super Soldier. Then, there was a moment in Zola’s lab where Cap just pulls out his uniform and shield, both of which he didn’t have on him when he tried to enter the base unnoticed because he changed out of the hero gear before starting the mission. The lack of continuity bothered me a whole lot and things like that tend to take a reader out of the story.
There’s some potential for some interesting stories in this title if some things are pursued properly, so I hope things get better from here, especially since Captain America is my favorite and I don’t want to see him get the short end of the stick, especially since he has such talented people behind him.
Final Score:
CAPTAIN AMERICA #1
Written by RICK REMENDER
Art by JOHN ROMITA JR., KLAUS JOHNSON, & DEAN WHITE
