Captain America #17 – Review

by Rick Remender (Writer), Nic Klein (Artist), Dean White (Colorist)

The Story: A groovy new villain called Dr. Mindbubble makes himself known, spelling insane doom for S.H.I.E.L.D.

The Review: Introducing new elements has got to be hard. Presenting new characters, new concepts and making them stick for new readers must be ready, with plenty of them always ready to be cynical when approaching new things. Not all newer elements to large continuity are appreciated, with words like Midi-chlorians, Romulus and other such ”nice” ideas being conveniently forgotten by many.

However, it can be achieved if done right, with some of the ideas that Rick Remender injected in the larger Marvel continuity being particularly sound. What he brought to the character of Apocalypse, to Wolverine and to some older concepts like Deathlok and the four horsemen are really nice extrapolations combined with new interpretations that did give something exciting to read.

However, just because he did something particularly good once does not mean that he is infallible, with his run on Captain America being an example of this. While packed with some ideas that are decidedly not bad at all, there is a certain shyness in the presentation and elaboration of some of the implications that some concepts have. While it is a traditional storytelling technique to slowly reveal new elements as the story progress, it is never a good thing to make readers wait too long either when it comes to surprises.

In this issue, Remender finally presents readers the character of Dr. Mindbubble, a character that has been teased since his Uncanny X-Force run as a statue in the background. With a rather amazing concept behind his creation, that of injecting a super-soldier serum inside him along with LSD, this creates for a troubled, yet groovy types of villain that could prove to be interesting if handled right. However, while the personality of the villain proves to be a tiny bit fun, there are several problems that don’t exactly make him as good as he very well could be.

Winter Soldier: The Bitter March #1 – Review

by Rick Remender (Writer), Roland Boschi (Artist), Chris Chuckry (Colorist)

The Story: As Nick Fury and Ran Shen tries to save a couple of Nazis from Hydra, they are visited by a myth from Soviet Russia…

The Review: The last time we saw the rather beloved Winter Soldier in a title of his own, he was written by Jason Latour and drawn by the very talented Nic Klein. Now, however, with the imminent release of a movie in which he is part of the title, it seems that Rick Remender has the audacity to write a miniseries about the character, tying it to his overall narrative that started in his Captain America run. However, with Remender not being in his general element with his depiction of Steve Rogers and his adventures as the sentinel of liberty, does he have what it takes to write a story featuring Bucky Barnes?

The answer isn’t exactly easy on this one, however, as the writer subvert expectations a bit with a tale that is somehow a homage to older Steranko issues featuring Nick Fury, mixing things up with a bit of Brubaker along with his very own style. Pushing forth Ran Shen, the man who will become the Iron Nail, as the protagonist here along with a setting straight from the 60’s.

In many ways, this is a story that use storytelling sensibilities from the past and present, using a setting very well-known for kooky devices and lots of action, yet those very ideas are delivered in a way that are more in line with what modern readers might expect. Presenting a setting straight from old action and spy movies, a castle in a snowy mountain side, Remender never stops with the use of cliché in a way that feels referential, yet fresh at the same time. Femme fatales, Hydra acting like the big evil organisation they are, two agents that are friends and rivals, gadgets, rookie mistakes and a lot of other conventional ideas are presented here straight, without any bitter irony or sarcasm, letting the fun of this issue speak for itself.

Captain America #13 – Review

by Rick Remender (Writer), Nic Klein (Artist), Dean White (Colorist)

The Story: The past of the Iron Nail is known to us, as Captain America is sent against Nuke, with Falcon in tow.

The Review: Inconsistency is a killer. Many readers, including me, always expect the best when it comes to books, characters and the like, with each having a certain vision of how things could be done. With this in consideration, writers have to play up with expectations, but also exceed or subvert them, creating something better in the process. However, long form stories need these things in a constant manner, which can be achieved through characterization, action or the story itself. If a bunch of issues begins to feel predictable or simply weak, it can lead to disinterest as the quality drops.

This series had an unfortunate down with the previous issue, who tried to present new ideas yet didn’t do much to insert originality into them. The plot was a bit jumpy too, yet Remender did seem to have plans. With a fill-in artist and those elements now inserted in his narrative, does Remender put his series back on track?

It does seem that the previous issue was a one-time deal, as Remender picks up on some of his newly introduced elements and deepens them. The Iron Nail is one of them as the readers are shown a flashback featuring him as an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., providing more complexity for the character while Remender plays with a few older ideas, some of them being more akin to Steranko era’s Nick Fury: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., albeit in a more sinister way. Putting some more background while providing context to Ran Shen, he becomes a bit more interesting as some other players are also introduced in his story, one that the fill-in artist is definitely in touch with. It also provide a neat contrast with the latter part of the book, with plenty of dark secrets and spy action.
The other part of the book focus a bit more on Steve Rogers, with the Falcon and Jet Black getting a good deal of interaction and characterization before the meatier part of the book. The way Remender shows the importance of Captain America as a positive representation of America in this scene, combined with the concern Sam Wilson has for Steve and the way Jet Black analyze the whole thing makes for some nice moments. It’s bit on the short side, though, as the rest of the issue is dedicated to something else.