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| CAPTAIN AMERICA: STEVE ROGERS No. 1, July 2016 |
Selling an impressive 99,768 copies in May 2016, Issue
One of “Captain America: Steve Rogers” caused so much controversy at the time
of its publication with regards to its surprise ending, that even nonagenarian
Stan Lee ‘weighed in’ on the “crazy” twist of the super-soldier being “a double
agent” of Hydra whilst attending a MegaCon panel; “It’s a hell of a clever
idea. I don’t know that I would ever have thought of it… But it’s going to make
you curious, it’s going to make you want to read the books…” Sadly however,
this thirty-page periodical never actually lives up to any of its hype, and
whilst Editor Tom Brevoort’s assurance that the Sentinel of Liberty’s dual
identity had “been in the works for more than a year” may have appeased some
fans, there is actually very little within Nick Spencer’s disappointing
narrative that makes any real sense.
For starters the comic’s rather straightforward central
plot of the Avenger thwarting a terrorist attempt to hijack “a train scheduled
for routine maintenance… and detonate an explosive device” lacks any real menace, as the star spangled S.H.I.E.L.D. operative beats his numerous
poorly-armed opponents so easily that it only takes him eight panels to reach
suicidal bomber Robbie Tomlin. Hardly thrill-a-minute stuff even for a “man out
time” who is still “learning” to use his new shield, and Rogers subsequent confrontation with
Baron Zemo’s New Masters (of Evil) doesn't provide much in the way of suspense either;
especially as the laughable Plantman, Flying Tiger and Firebrand are soon
all-too soundly thrashed by Cappy’s sidekicks Free Spirit and Jack Flag.
As a result of such deficiencies all that is arguably left to enjoy is the
America author’s entertaining, though perturbingly nonsensical flashbacks to
Steve’s childhood in 1926, when his drunken brute of a father is shockingly outfought by posh socialite Elisa Sinclair, and his mother wined
and dined by the female Hydra recruitment officer. Such a “trail of breadcrumbs”
in order to ensure “people will be able to connect the dots” seems rather
contrivingly choreographed, especially for a “Marvel Worldwide” character whose
origin story has already been (re)told so many times in the past.
Equally as disquieting as Spencer’s script is Jesus
Saiz’s somewhat cartoonish-looking breakdowns. “Best known for his work on
Manhunter and Brave And The Bold” the Spaniard’s audacious pencilling certainly
gives the comic a high-quality, almost glossy appearance. Yet his technique of
giving all his figures a thick black outline additionally makes the
characters look a little comical, and certainly doesn’t suit the reimagined
Sentinel of Liberty’s sleeker, more rubberised (head-wingless) costume.
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| The regular cover art of "CAPTAIN AMERICA: STEVE ROGERS" No. 1 by Jesus Saiz |
Sorry to disagree with you, Simon, but I like the artwork by Jesus Saiz. I like his thick black outlines. It may be that it is because it reminds me of my own figure painting technique, where I go in for a lot of black lining (sometimes too thickly, it has to be admitted!). I haven't looked at this comic but from the few panels of artwork you've shown here, I have to say it all looks good to me.
ReplyDeleteNo problems Bryan. To each their own. He is a Eisner Award-nominee after all. Spookily though I also like to black outline my minis (and cartoon characters). But I just don;t like the way Saiz does it in this comic. If you like the style then I think you'll love this comic as its very colourfully illustrated.
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