Book of Doom: Captain America #22

I was never a huge Captain America fan, but I picked up issue #1 almost two years ago. Maybe it was just out of curiosity, and figuring if I was going to give a new series a try, #1 was a good time to do it. Maybe it was a slow week and I didn’t want to just put 1 or 2 comics on my card. But for whatever reason, I bought it, and I was immediately taken by the tone of the book. It was dark without being that ’90s kind of dark for the sake of dark. There was a realistic tone to it, balancing Captain America’s larger-than-life super-heroics with the fact that he is a soldier in the military.

I’ve bought every issue, defending the book when Bucky came back, assuring people that the man in red-white-and-blue spandex wasn’t as lame as he’d always seemed, and this Ed Brubaker guy was someone worth reading.

So it was with no hesitation that I chose Captain America #22 as the Legion’s Book of Doom. I knew it was the beginning of a new arc (though I forgot it was a Civil War tie-in), so it seemed like a way to push a book on my friends with no strain on the conscience.

The Legion’s thoughts follow…

I wasn’t crazy about this issue, but I have to say, I didn’t write out my review until I read the others’. And having read their reviews, I feel pretty differently. I loved the recent Captain America solo issue of New Avengers, and I think I was hoping that this 3-part Civil War tie-in would be more of that same type of solo-Cap awesomeness.

So I was a little bummed that this issue was mainly talk, no fight. I was worried that my Partners in Doom would think Captain America was boring. I wanted them to see the intelligent balance of true crime / military / superhero action that has made the book one of my favorite regular series.

That really wouldn’t make a lot of sense, though. There are plenty of other Civil War books telling Captain America’s story. And I now present to you the rest of the Legion.

Fin Fang Doom:
If had to describe Ed Brubaker’s run on Captain America in one word, it would be “action.” If I had to describe Civil War in one word, it would be “action” (well, there are a lot of other words I’d probably use first, but then this intro really wouldn’t work). So when you put Ed Brubaker, Captain America and Civil War all together in the same book, it’s bound to be action-packed right? I guess not, but that turned out to be a great thing.

You see, Captain America is the star of Civil War (the series) already, so why would his story need to be told in his own book? It wouldn’t, and thankfully Ed Brubaker is a good enough writer to realize that. All the best Civil War crossover titles focus on how the war affects the people behind the superheroes or beneath the masks instead of the heroes themselves. That’s why the Luke Cage issue of New Avengers worked so well (Bendis’ attempts to make Cage sound black aside). That’s why Frontline is so great. That’s why Amazing Spider-Man is the best Civil War book Marvel has put out.

This issue actually reminds me a lot of Captain America #10, the House of M crossover issue. Both issues feature the characters in the midst of the giant company crossover, yet each issue is a small, personal story that reads well completely independent of the crossover. I thought Cap #10 was the best single issue of the House of M crossover (which I realize isn’t saying much), and that was before I even started reading Cap monthly.

Instead of some random “between the panels” adventure starring Cap and his Secret Avengers (honestly, I love that name), Captain America #22 features a story focusing on Agent 13 and her relationship with Cap. This book is action-packed, just not the kind of action I was talking about before. Maybe I’m dense or maybe it’s because I haven’t read the entire run, but I didn’t even know Cap and Sharon had rekindled their personal relationship. I’ve got to give credit to Ed Brubaker for turning what could have easily been a hackneyed “love conquers all” story into something I actually got emotionally involved in. And I’ve definitely got to give him credit for making this issue part of his overall arc when it could have so easily been a throwaway crossover issue to attract new readers.

Jean-Claude Van Doom:
I haven’t bought any Civil War tie-ins, but after reading this and flipping through Amazing SM #535, I’m almost convinced the event has some worth.

After the over-the-top action of last issue, I’d say CA was due for a breather, and this one (though definitely slow) still managed to move the plot forward quite a lot. It’s also nice how the Red Skull has been returned to status as a sort of nefarious baddie pulling all these strings, secretly maneuvering to crush Cap and gain power.

I really liked the line about how Nick Fury wouldn’t have let any of this mess happen, which implies that there’s an explanation to his disappearance, and that he’ll return to restore order.

Doom DeLuise:
Trade-a-Tape was sold out of Captain America when I went to go get it. So, if you need a review, here’s mine:

It stinks!