To begin I have to say that I have been completely out of the loop regarding the happenings in the world of comics for nearly five years until recent months. Thus seeing a Captain America first issue I did not hesitate to give an old favorite a fresh start in my resumed comic book collection.
That decision was made even easier when I saw the names of two great talents across the top of the cover. Ed Brubaker is a good writer and Steve McNiven is one of my top five favorite artists. The cover looks majestic as it showcases Captain America against a backdrop collage of black and white hued World War 2 scenes surrounding a star filled with the bright colors of a fast moving modern world. The solemn expression on Caps face is one earned by a man with the history of modern America on his back, and today he carries his ideals in a world whose irony and consumer based celebrity means it might not even realize how much it could use those ideals again. The cover gets a solid A+ for conveying what I feel is most important about Cap, and creating anticipation within me about the creative team.
Next up, and let's get this out of the way, is the art. As I said McNiven is one of my favorites so it should come as no surprise that I enjoyed every panel. I could see, however, that some might take issue with his regular use of speed lines and his tendency in this issue to skip out on backgrounds sometimes. I love the guys pencils so much that it seems flawless to me. Mark Morales does a fine job inking. No complaints there either.I count the coloring as part of the art and Justin Ponsor gives the issue great hues creating a cinematic feel. Art grade: A+
The story itself begins with Steve Rogers, Dum Dum Dugan, Nick Fury, Sharon Carter and a few unknowns attending a funeral for Sharons Aunt Peggy Carter. To start there's a nice career recap by Steve that informs the reader this man has lived through deep history. It bothers me that no where in the story are we told why Peggy Carter died or how. There are enough background flashbacks in this issue that some information regarding her death could have been included and would have made it a better story.
During the funeral there is a brief ambush by a character I have never heard of called Codename:Bravo. I assume he is a new design. He looks fantastic. Through flashback we learn a bit of his history and his connection to Cap, and Peggy. I wont spoil any of that for you. I will say it looks like more thought has been put into Codename:Bravo's creation and back story than we often see from characters. I hesitate to call him a villain, despite his actions and associations in the story thus far because he looks so cool and his name will probably eventually end up on the cover of his own limited series as a Winter Soldier style vigilante/agent/anti-hero.
We also get Hydra agents and that is to be expected since they are featured in the movie that corresponds with the release of this relaunch. Hydra has never been especially interesting to me and that hasn't changed. I can only say I would rather see Hydra goons than ninja goons in a comic book story, but just barely. I do love the villain redesign we see on the last page.
Between flashbacks and a contemporary visit to a hospital facility to check on the status of an elderly man that ties into the flashback in his younger days, plus a nice center page spread of cap in action the first chapter of a new story begins to unfold. It is not without faults however. Didn't Bucky just die in Fear Itself? Isn't this Steves return to being Captain America after an extended absence? This is an uncluttered relaunch but the story itself suffers from not acknowledging any recent history whatsoever. Story Grade: B-.
Overall I enjoyed Captain America #1 and I intend to collect each new issue. I hope Ed Brubaker will begin to include recent history in his stories after getting past this "Let's not confuse brand new readers that see the movie and check out a first issue for the first time." syndrome. Captain America #1 gets an overall grade of A.