Captain America #601 – Review

By Ed Brubaker (writer), Gene Colan (pencils, inks), and Dean White (colors)

The Story: At the end of WW2, Cap and Bucky must not only confront the natural ravages of war, but also the supernatural as a vampire enters the ranks of the troops, spreading chaos and death.

What’s Good: I was originally going to pass on this issue, but then I learned that it was a vampire story illustrated by the great Gene Colan. When I found about this, I couldn’t resist buying this issue.

Let’s start with the art. I’ve never seen Captain America drawn like this. It’s like Cap meets EC horror. The whole story unfolds like a fuzzy nightmare. Characters are hidden in shadow, ghouls explode from phrenetic action, while the violence is gory and brutal. I never say this, but you should buy this issue for the art alone.

In addition to the great art, Brubaker has a great minimalist script here that relies on Colan’s art to do the heavy lifting. That being said, I loved how he put a sense of panic, remorse, and fear into Cap. As always, Bucky remains cool and aloof. I also really enjoyed the scene where Steve rehashed his origins to a dying solider. I am so sick of his origin story being told over and over again, but here, spliced with his humility and kinship with his fellow solider, it was notably effective and warming.

What’s Not So Good: Nothing to report here as this is a one-shot done to near perfection. If you were looking for insight into Captain America: Reborn, you will be disappointed, but that’s a matter of expectation, not quality of this comic.

Conclusion: Captain America fighting vampires in WW2… That says it all. I love that Brubaker mined the Cap mythos for characters like Baron Blood and based a story on it. I also enjoyed this story being rehashed between Bucky and Nick Fury as Fury watched Civil War battle footage and noticed something amiss, i.e. the Skrull presence. There is also something great about Bucky and Fury’s relationship, how they served under General Patton together and how they are still contemporaries. I’d like to see more of these “X-Files” type stories that took place during Cap’s past.

Grade: A

-Rob G.

My Day With Gene Colan & Friends

Today, I had the honor of meeting artist Gene Colan and legendary inkers Steve Leialoha and Joe Rubenstein at Lee’s Comics in Mountain View, California. As many of you may or may not know, Gene Colan is one of the key artists behind the early runs of Iron Man, Daredevil, Howard the Duck, and Tomb of Dracula.

It’s been troubling over the last decade with the loss of many golden and silver age artists. And we almost lost Gene this year when he fell very ill. In fine fashion, however, the comic industry rallied around Gene and raised money to get him through his time of need.

Well, I’m very happy to report that Gene not only appeared healthy today, but energetic as well. I can’t begin to convey how great it was to see him around adoring fans and peers. Steve Leialoha and Joe Rubenstein have both inked over his pencils in the past and they had nothing but great things to say about him. Many thanks to the Lee’s Comics staff, Lee Hester, and Chandler Rice for coordinating a fun-filled event. It’s one I won’t soon forget.

– J. Montes