Captain America Returns

While the media is all up in a huff over the his return, the real awe-inspired gasp is over Captain America’s ‘new’ side-arm, a handgun.

Any comic book fans who have been following the fantastic Captain America series by Ed Brubaker would know that the stakes have been raised in the past two years.

The Red Skull, hiding inside of the mind of Russian businessman Alexander Luskin, is waging a war that the ‘good guys’ cannot fight. Steve Rogers, the original Captain America, was gunned down by the love of his life. Cap’s former best friend Tony Stark (alias Iron Man) has assisted in the wholesale arrest of any and all super powered individuals who will not abide by the new ‘Super Hero Registration Act.’ The Avengers are now two teams, one praised by the public and housed in a gleaming tower, the other operating in secret out of Doctor Strange’s Sanctum.

Cap’s former teenage sidekick from WW2 Bucky Barnes, thought dead for decades, is actually a former KGB super assassin known as the Winter Soldier. With the newest issue, Barnes has taken up the mantle of his former partner and assumed the title of Captain America.

In short, things are worse than bad, they’re crazy.

While many who have not been keeping up with the various events of the Marvel Comics Universe are shocked that Captain America is back and he’s packing heat, for any Marvel Zombies, this is hardly a surprise. And if you really want a ‘return to the good old days,’ just look at how whacky Cap was back in the day!

This is a new Captain America confronting new threats and terrors that require the character to have an edge. While it’s a sign of the times and a wake up call to some, to others the writing has been on the wall for decades.

Hell, anything that brings an increased readership to this series is a good thing. Not to pass judgment on the great work by his predecessors, but since Ed Brubaker’s arrival, the series has been one of the best action comics out there.