Captain America #14 – Review

by Ed Brubaker (writer), Patrick Zircher & Mike Deodato (artists), Paul Mounts (colorist), and Joe Caramagna (letterer)

The Story: Captain America tries to put down Scourge, not knowing that it’s an old friend under the mask.

The Review:  Who the hell is D-Man and why should I care?

I suspect that’ll be the reaction of most readers to this issue.  Brubaker never tells us who exactly D-Man is, what the nature the nature of his friendship with Cap is, or why we should feel even remotely attached the character (who, thank you Comic Vine, has only appeared twice in Brubaker’s 8 year run).  For some reason, Brubaker has decided that it would make good sense to write an issue, and by extension an entire story-arc, that was contingent on a reader’s being familiar with Mark Gruenwald’s run on Captain America 20 years ago.   Unless a reader has working knowledge of those early 90s stories, he or she is going to be totally in the dark about why D-Man is important.

The result is an issue that I can’t help but feel apathetic about.  Brubaker hasn’t given us a reason to care about D-Man or his fate and never really even seemed to try to.  The HYDRA elements were never explored.  Worse still, this entire issue is basically just one extended punch-up between  Cap and Scourge.  Making the issue feel even more phoned in is the fact that said punch-up ends up being yet another return to the tired old “mind control” comic book trope.  I half expected Steve to cry out to D-Man to “fight it.”  As talented a writer as Brubaker is, it really didn’t seem like he was trying very hard here.  D-Man’s motivations and insane rambling were entirely vapid and trite and we were basically just given a bunch of pages of punching.  And when the tragic ending strikes, who cares?  Maybe those two readers who fell asleep last night hugging onto their twenty-year-old Gruenwald comics, but that’s about it.

Captain America #11 – Review

by Ed Brubaker (writer), Patrick Zircher (art), Paul Mounts (colors), and Joe Caramagna (letters)

The Story: Someone’s leaking SHIELD intel to a vigilante who’s taken to killing reformed criminals in SHIELD’s witness protection program.

The Review:  As another arc of the relaunched Captain America begins, the same problem rears its head again.  Put simply, the story here is far from high concept.  In fact, it’s pretty unoriginal and unimaginative.  At surface level, it’s another story about a Punisher type villain, this time Scourge, who’s KILLING the bad guys and, as such, the heroes have to stop him.  It’s just an extremely basic, familiar premise, much as the core concept behind last arc’s plot (Steve loses his powers) was also extremely basic.  I’m not sure if this is a sign that Brubaker is running out of steam for Cap, but it’s a bit disconcerting how simple the core plot is.

It’s not all bad news however; while the plot may be familiar, there are enough elements and mysteries to it to keep you reading.  The identity of Scourge is completely up in the air and unknown and Brubaker also lets us know that HYDRA is, somehow, involved, but literally tells us no more than some yelling “HAIL HYDRA.”  At the very least, these teases will keep you going and keep you interested in what would otherwise be a fairly by the numbers plot.

Moreover, I’ll admit to being a sucker for “superheroes do detective-work” storylines.  Hell, Batman made a career of it.  There’s always something smart and extremely down to earth about these sorts of stories that I appreciate.  Cap isn’t battling cosmic entities here, nor is he protecting or avenging the deaths of any big name heroes.  Rather, Scourge is killing former criminals under SHIELD’s protection, guys who are either random AIM thugs or D-list, forgotten villains.  The result is a story that feels much smaller, more contained, and hence more focused.  There’s a sense in which the heroes have to put their brains to work here.  There’s also a great scene where Diamondback and Dum Dum visit a crime scene that had a very “Gotham Central” vibe to it.  There’s something innately satisfying about seeing superheroes, particularly in plain clothes, visiting a crime scene, exercising jurisdiction, and looking for clues.  At the very least, it makes for something a little different.

Avengers: The Initiative #25 (Dark Reign) – Capsule Review

By Christos N. Gage (Writer), Humberto Ramos (Art), and Edgar Delgado (Colors)

Some Thoughts Before The Review: I’ve been enjoying the transition that’s taken place as Avengers: The Initiative heads full force into Dark Reign. That said, I’m pretty glad that the latest issue of the series finally marks the end of the transition…it’ll be interesting to see how the series fares with a new status quo.

The Story: The Initiative program is reborn under Norman Osborn. The new bosses? They aren’t the same as the old ones! Avengers: The Initiative #25 is all about establishing the future, if there is a future, for many of the regular Initiative cast members.

What’s Good And What’s Not So Good: The latest issue of The Initiative, while a bit slow and wordy, packs more of an emotional punch than I had expected. And that’s because of the tricky situations the Initiative members find themselves in. Thanks to the strong handle that Christos N. Gage has on the various personalities that make up his large cast though, Avengers: The Initiative #25 reads very well for a comic that’s so heavy on text. Norman Osborn’s scenes (one of which could be seen as very controversial) are a particular highlight as the character’s chilling dialogue is written in a way that feels just right.

As for the artwork, Edgar Delgado’s muted color choices go a long way towards helping Humberto Ramos’ lively, animated style fit the story being told. Considering the tone of most of Gage’s script, Ramos’ work could have easily come across as completely inappropriate. Instead, the visuals in Avengers: The Initiative #25, while not perfect, work far better than you might think.

Conclusion: The creative team behind The Initiative handles a necessary transition in a natural, entertaining, and surprisingly emotional manner.

Grade: B

-Kyle Posluszny