Quick review: Captain America #5

By Rick Remender, John Romita Jr., Tom Palmer, Scott Hanna and Dean White

I was not sure what kind of Captain America comic book to expect from Rick Remender, the guy behind the madness of Uncanny X-Force, Frankencastle and of course Fear Agent. Five issues in and I am overjoyed by its weird, wonderful approach that feels like part B-movie, part Kirby’s Fourth World. I have noticed that for the relaunches of Captain America, Hulk, Iron Man and Thor, the comics have all felt unique, taking the characters in new directions that place the heroes in all new environments to face new threats.

Captain America has become stranded in Dimension Z, brought there by the mad scientist ad part-time TV screen, Arnim Zola. Escaping capture, Cap managed to bring one of Zola’s clones with him.

Trapped in a weird world of monstrous creatures, Cap is no longer alone in a war against its ruler, Arnim Zola. His adopted son Ian stands by Steve Rogers as they brave the natural dangers of the environment and the ever present Zola who has been hot on their heels. Twelve years after finding himself in Dimension Z, Rogers has decided to take the battle to Zola himself.

Unfortunately, he has become infected with a kind of viral form of Zola’s genetic manipulation. A leering video screen image of Zola commands Rogers to give in to his control and reminds him that escape is impossible.

But Steve Rogers will never stop fighting, even against impossible odds and a never-ending sea of genetically created terrors hatched from Zola’s lab. Distorted super soldier clones, Doughboy and Ian’s amazonian sister Jet aim their attacks straight at Cap and Ian as they near the only way out of dimension Z, and then things get worse.

The monthly Captain America book has worn a lot of hats over the years from political thriller to high suspense drama. However, Remender’s vision is so otherworldly and alien that it leaves everything else behind. True, this book is not for everyone and the abstract art by John Romita, Jr is an acquired taste. I have to say that speaking personally, I am attracted to stories that raise the stakes for the hero, often stacking them so high that there is no way s/he cam overcome them. That is definitely the case in this revamped Captain America comic where at one point he is using his shield as a kind of wok to cook moss for food. There really aren’t too many things going for him.

I am unsure how this comic fits in with the regular time line of Captain America, but I figure it will all line up at some point. I had noted the influence of Jack Kirby’s Fourth World and it is in full effect in this issue. Jet looks almost exactly like Big Barda and Dimension Z isn’t unlike Apocalypse. But rather than imply that Remender and Romita Jr. are stealing ideas, I instead feel that they are paying homage to the King.

If you are a big fan of the Ed Brubaker run, this may not be your kind of Captain America comic book… but it’s like nothing you’ve seen before and I am deeply enamored by it.

What a ride!

(click on the images below to enlarge)

Captain America sequel lands Anthony Mackie as the Falcon

Somehow this story got past me, but apparently Captain America’s long-standing crime-fighting partner the Falcon will be joining him in the highly anticipated sequel, The Winter Soldier. The first African-American super hero, The Falcon was introduced in the pages of Captain America by Stan Lee and Gene Colan, prompting a reaction so strong that for a time the series was renamed Captain America and The Falcon. He has appeared in animated form and also served in the Avengers and Defenders during his long career since his introduction back in 1969.

I’m very happy to see Marvel using another of its superb characters in film and I’m also pleased that anon-white hero is getting the motion picture treatment because not only is the Falcon a great hero, he is also adds more diversity to the comic book movie world. The origin of the Falcon is rather confusing (he started off as a social worker and later turned into a former pimp and drug dealer), but… I’m hoping that the movie avoids some unsavory aspects of the comic book creation, especially if the movie is directed at children.

In the comic, the Falcon was duped by the Red Skull using the cosmic cube into assisting his band of Exiles against Captain America. When he came to his senses, the Falcon joined Cap in his crime-fighting career. Later, writer Steve Engleheart added some extra notes to this story and caused the cosmic cube to not only fuse the Falcon and his bird Red Wing, but also introduce a new back story involving a forgotten life of crime. I’m all for the concept of societal reform, but found it weird to see actor Mackie talking about the Falcon being an ex-pimp and later mentioned how happy he is that kids will be dressing up as the hero for Halloween.

Anthony Mackie will be joining another co-star from the Hurt Locker, Jeremy ‘Hawkeye’ Renner, in the Marvel Comics Universe on film.

Back in July, it was reported that Anthony Mackie was in negotiations with Marvel Studios to play the role of the Falcon in the upcoming Captain America The Winter Soldier. Now, comes the first official confirmation that we’re aware of that he landed the role via an interview on Newsday.

When asked about his recent casting in the new Captain America movie, Anthony Mackie said, “I’m playing the Falcon. He’s this guy in Harlem who moved to California and became a drug dealer. His plane crashed, and he was genetically altered, and he can fly, has telepathic powers. He’s the first African-American superhero. It makes me feel all the work I’ve done has been paying off. I have a son, nephews and nieces, and I love the idea that they can dress up as the Falcon on Halloween. They now have someone they can idolize. That’s a huge honor for me.”

-Via Comicbook.com

While he was prominent in print during my childhood, I still recall the Falcon mostly from the excellent Mego doll based on him that I owned. As such,  I am looking forward to seeing the high-flying Falcon on the big screen.

The Falcon (from the Mego Museum)

Remender and Romita Jr. take over Captain America

Captain America has been a major hit with comic book readers since Ed Brubaker and Steve Epting reinvented the monthly series at a time when most fans had little to no interest (yours truly included). In the intervening years, even I have to admit that the quality has wavered some (especially after the comic was relaunched last year).

With the many announcements of creative team changes accompanying the mass relaunch of the Marvel Comics catalog, it is surprising to see that there are so many pleasant lineups, including Captain America. Romita Jr. is a staples of the industry who has earned acclaim from comics too numerous to name (anything from Kick Ass to Wolverine, the Punisher and more). Rick Remender has made quite a name for himself on Uncanny X-Force, Secret Avengers, Frankencastle (Punisher) and the under-rated Venom series. His unique combination of tight plotting, dark comedy and strong characterizations make him one of the luminaries of the modern Marvel bullpen.

In short, buy this series.

Marvel has already confirmed Kieron Gillen and Greg Land’s “Iron Man,” and Jason Aaron and Esad Ribic’s “Thor: God of Thunder.” Yesterday, CBR had the first word with Mark Waid and Leinil Yu on their upcoming “Indestructible Hulk” launch. Thursday saw two more pieces fall into place, as Brian Posehn, Gerry Duggan and Tony Moore dished on “Deadpool” while Matt Fraction and Mike Allred talked about “FF” and Fraction and Mark Bagley’s “Fantastic Four.”

The latest Marvel NOW! confirmation is Rick Remender and John Romita Jr. taking over “Captain America” in November. iFanboy has the first word on the series, speaking with Remender about his plans for Marvel’s Sentinel of Liberty, from creating a “Year One”-style story arc focusing on pre-super soldier serumed Steve Rogers to building up Cap’s rogues gallery with names like the Green Skull and a reinvigorated Arnim Zola, all while balancing his take on the character with the version appearing in Jonathan Hickman’s “Avengers.”

“One of the mandates I have to myself is, I don’t want to touch the World War II stuff,” Remender told iFanboy of his plans for the title’s first major story arc. “I think that that has been done, now, and it’s been done perfectly. To go back and to keep focusing on Cap in World War II at this point, again, would be following too closely to what Ed has already done. What I’m doing is spending a lot of time in the Lower East Side of Manhattan in the 20s and 30s, showing Steve grow up. The first arc is 10 issues, and it’s called ‘Dimension Z.’

“I don’t want to give away too much, but a big portion of it is Cap dealing with Arnim Zola in Dimension Z. I’m trying to take Zola and do with him, what we did with Apocalypse over in Uncanny X-Force. Where we take what’s there, re-imagine it, build a new mythology and really expand Zola, and try and build Zola into a very, very big and important character.

“The other half of it is going to be a lot of flashbacks to a young Steve Rogers growing up in Depression-era Lower East Side, and getting to know his family and his friends, and how this 98-pound weakling became such a tenacious, strong person; focus on the fiber and the integrity of who he is, and really develop that for the first time.”

Via CBR.com

Captain America: Winter Soldier and Thor: The Dark World, Ant Man revealed at SDCC

Captain America director Joe Johnston’s Winter Soldier story continues without him, Thor enters ‘the dark world’ and the Edgar Wright Ant Man movie, rumored for almost a decade, is close to becoming a reality! All this plus a look at the line-up for the Guardians of the Galaxy film.

Late breaking news from the Marvel Entertainment panel at CCI yesterday…

Via Hollywood Reporter:

If there’s two things Marvel Studios lives by, it’s putting on a show and knowing its audience.

The company behind the biggest movie of the year and the third biggest movie of all time, started off by making a reel tying the success of its movies to Hall H, Comic-Con and fandom. “In this room” read one frame, cannily tethering the company to the crowd assembled, and “thank you” read another before finally proclaiming “Phase Two Begins…” and then simply “Now.”

Guardians of the Galaxy concept art

Marvel Studios’ Kevin Feige also knows the audience is hungry not only for footage, but for actual news, so he revealed the full titles of the sequels to Thor and Captain America (Thor: The Dark World, Captain America: Winter Soldier) plus unveiled the characters who would be in the Guardians of the Galaxy movie.

Captain America versus former ally Bucky, now the Winter Soldier

The Thor sequel is scheduled for release on Nov. 18, 2013 followed by the Captain America sequel on April 4, 2014.

Then Edgar Wright made a surprise appearance and showed off test footage, unfinished, of his long and still-in-development Ant-Man movie.

Hank Pym- the original Ant Man

Perhaps the topper was introducing Iron Man 3 by having Robert Downey Jr. appear unexpectedly in the back of Hall H, then to the tune of a Luther Vandross song, skip to the front of the hall and onto the stage, with occasional stops with fans along the way.

The goodwill generated was off the charts.

And it’s some goodwill that Marvel, despite Avengers’ success, actually needs to a certain extent. While Iron Man 3 will no doubt be a success, there was some bitter after-taste among the studio’s fanbase after the lackluster Iron Man 2, and the fact that after helming the first two installments, Jon Favreau wasn’t returning to direct the third. (Those duties were handed off to Shane Black, who directed Downey on Kiss Kiss Bang Bang.)

The gang assembled sold the new movie as a return to the roots of the Tony Stark character. Downey painted a picture that Black had always been involved, at least tangentially, with the Iron Man series.

He said Marvel execs watching Kiss Kiss Bang Bang was his “screen test before the screen test” and that even when making the first two films, if they had some issues, a call to Black wasn’t out of order.

Favreau, meanwhile, made it clear that even though he wasn’t directing Iron Man 3, he was cool with his role as an actor and executive producer.

“Shane made me feel very, very comfortable. As did Kevin and Robert,” Favreau said. “As far as executive producing, as opposed to directing, I feel like a proud grandfather who doesn’t have to change the diaper but gets to play with the baby.”
Iron Man 3 armor from the floor of CCI and more

Black too was on point, saying “We have Favreau. He’s back as an actor. I get to talk to him all day long…This is the same Iron Man you’ve always liked.”

How much of that subtext the crowd got is hard to tell since they were having too much fun with Downey and the gang riffing.

And of course, Marvel trotted out footage from the still in-production movie, which was not surprisingly well-received by the already primed audience.

After an amazing run, Captain America loses Ed Brubaker

When I was first getting into comics, I was attracted to the underdog, the misfit. I liked the X-Men because nothing ever went right for them. There were no successful romances. their house got blown up every month and they were often freakish mutants.

When I looked at the Captain America comic, below is an example of what I saw.

I just could not relate to it. He was very white-bread all-American and drove a van around the suburbs in full costume. It was absurd (and not in a good way). I’m not saying that there were no good stories in there, but the safe pastel image kept me from getting interested.

That all changed when the series was handed to Ed Brubaker and Steve Epting, two men who catapulted Captain America into the realm of the coolest most exciting monthly book out there. Steve Rogers was a man out of time, taken out of one war and revived into a world at war where the enemy could be anyone. What was worse, his own enemies were far more powerful and numerous than he could anticipate. Frustrated and isolated, he fought a seemingly un-winnable war against a sea of troubles. Now THIS I could sink my teeth into!

A comic book creator most commonly known for his independent projects and Scene of the Crime for Vertigo, Brubaker seemed like an odd choice for this series. It had also been relaunched not that long before he penned a new #1. But he soon showed that he was a closet Captain America fanatic and brought such vitality to the series that I was surprised it hadn’t always been this good.

To add gusto to the new high impulse tone of the book, artist Steve Epting graced each issue with eye-popping visuals like the one below.

Captain America By Steve Epting

The Ed Brubaker run ranks up there with Brian Michael Bendis’ Daredevil, Matt Fraction’s Iron Man, Dan Slott’s Amazing Spider-Man and Greg Pak’s Hulk. It’s so iconic and modern, giving the reader a feature film’s worth of entertainment in each and every issue. I’m very sad to see this era come to a close, but I am interested in what is next for both Cap and Mr. Brubaker.

Of course I am grateful that Winter Soldier is sticking around with Brubaker involved and recommend that with highest accolades.

Via comics xaminer

In an interview with Tom Spurgeon, Ed Brubaker confirmed he is stepping down as writer for Captain America.
Here’s an excerpt.

Now, you told me that you’re wrapping up on Captain America.

Yeah. By the time this interview comes out, I will have written my last issue.

Congratulations. And that’s… eight years on Cap?

A little less than eight years. I think I started in August or September of 2004 writing my first issue, which came out in November of that year.

So why now?

Partly, it’s the beginning of a shift from work-for-hire to books I own, instead. I hit a point with the work-for-hire stuff where I was starting to feel burned out on it. Like my tank is nearing empty on superhero comics, basically. It’s been a great job, and I think I found ways to bring my voice to it, but I have a lot of other things I want to do as a writer, too, so I’m going to try that for a while instead.

Now are you keeping Winter Soldier?

Yeah, I am. That’s going to be my only Marvel book soon. I’ll do The Winter Soldier as long as it lasts… or, I’ll do it for as long as I can. [Spurgeon laughs] Because I don’t know if it’ll last, but I’m really proud of that book and the second and third storylines on it are some of my favorite stuff I’ve done for Marvel, ever.

What do you like about it? What do you think is laudatory? Are you in that place where you can say, “I did that, and I did that very well.”

I think I got to tell a long story. In the early days, I got to create a big soap opera about Steve Rogers and Bucky and Sharon Carter and keep this thrilling adventure ride going. And each arc bled into the next. Then we did the “Death of Cap” thing and I go to really do an 18-part story that still didn’t end with Cap coming back to life yet. [laughs] I got to do some stuff that was really challenging. I got work with some great artists. Steve Epting, he probably drew 35 issues of my run in the early days. I think we developed a really great collaboration. And I always liked that kind of epic storytelling.

Don’t they team you up with a writer to transition out of these titles? Like baton pass it to them?

BRUBAKER: That’s not on purpose for this one. That was a situation with scheduling. Marvel is trying to do this thing now that with some of their better-selling books they want to get out more copies per year than 12. They want to get out 15 or 18 issues. Amazing Spider-Man’s been doing more than one a month for a while now; someone I know does Uncanny X-Men or one of those books, and that comes out 18 times a year.

I couldn’t keep up with that schedule, honestly. I knew I was getting to the end of my run. I wanted to wrap up my run earlier. And [Marvel Senior Vice President Of Publishing] Tom [Brevoort] was like, “Well, you’re going to leave a bunch of plot lines dangling… do you want to go out like that? It’ll seem like you threw up your hands and said ‘I can’t keep up with this schedule.’” I was like, “No, I don’t want to go out that way.” So we brought in Cullen Bunn to write an arc with me. I gave him a list of a bunch of stuff. “Here’s all the dangling plot threads and here’s where we need them all to be by the time I get to my last issue.” And then we figured out a storyline together.

It’s strange. I did all these issues as an uninterrupted run. Then there’s four issues co-written by someone. Then there’s a last issue. [laughs] It’s a little odd.

Brubaker’s last issue will be Captain America # 20

Via The Comics Reporter

Get ready for the Winter Soldier

Bucky Barnes as the Winter Soldier

Exploding from the pages of Captain America comes a third ongoing Cap monthly book. Since Ed Brubaker (Deadenders, Scene of the Crime, Criminal) started writing the star-spangled Avenger, the character has become a major success. Finding himself in the modern world of global terrorism, Captain America faced the threat of the Red Skull in a very new way and a secretive assassin, a relic of the Soviet Empire known only as the Winter Soldier. To Steve Rogers’ (and the reader’s) surprise, the identity of the villain proved to be none other than former side-kick James ‘Bucky’ Barnes!

This struck many as a cheap shot at bringing back a dead hero, but to Brubaker it was overdue justice from a young reader’s perspective. It is accepted now that Bucky died while attempting to stop an explosive-laden drone plane launched by Baron Zemo, this was actually a bit of clever retro-active continuity to explain away the fact that Captain America and Bucky were running about fighting injustice in the 1950′s whereas it was established that Rogers was frozen in deep sleep from the 40′s until the 1960′s.

The new story established that while many believed Bucky had been dead, he was in fact retrieved by the Soviets and turned into an expert assassin sent to perform deadly deeds against the free world. Finally coming face to face with his former mentor, Bucky finally broke his programming and returned to a life of superheroics.

The new series will follow the adventures of Barnes as he operates as a black ops agent in the global theater. Brubaker supplies the words and the astounding artwork comes courtesy of Butch Guice who remains one of the finest delineators in the business. Already hailed as one of the finest new comics of the year (before it has even hit the stands), this one should be a winner.

Make sure to reserve a copy today (do people still do that?) from your local retailer.

Deleted Captain America scenes and M.O.D.O.K.

With the arrival of Captain America: The First Avenger on DVD and Blu-ray this week, there’s plenty of buzz about cut scenes and plans for the upcoming sequel.

There is already talk about Sebastian Stan returning as Bucky Barnes, this time as a mind-controlled assassin named the Winter Soldier.

Bucky Barnes as the Winter Soldier

Also, there may be a team-up with the Falcon, one of Marvel’s high-flying African American crime-fighters.

A classic cover from Captain America and the Falcon

But the production team is most excited about the return of the evil Arnim Zola so wonderfully played by actor Toby Jones. The villainous scientist was a cohort of the Red Skull’s in the feature film, but in the comic book world, he was the guinea pig for a special experiment by a dastardly group called A.I.M. (Advanced Idea Mechanics) to create the perfect killing machine. Bizarrely, this resulted in a massive floating head in a chair.

“There wasn’t a sequence with Master Man (one of Captain America’s classic villains) that ended up on the cutting room floor or anything,” laughed Markus. “But there was an endless array of scenes we could’ve drawn from, and may draw from in the future. I’m not being cryptic when I say that, either – I’m just being a comic book geek. For example, some day, whether it be in an ‘Iron Man’ movie or a ‘Captain America’ movie or any other Marvel movie, I want to see M.O.D.O.K. float down the hall.”

For those who aren’t familiar with Captain America’s rogues gallery, M.O.D.O.K. (Mental Organism Designed Only for Killing) is a recurring villain whose appearance is that of a gigantic head encased in a cybernetic suit with miniature arms and legs and rockets that propel it around. The character is a fan-favorite nemesis for Steve Rogers that debuted in a 1967 issue of Tales of Suspense and was created by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee.

Asked whether M.O.D.O.K. really is the character they’re most looking forward to seeing on the big screen, the pair couldn’t be more enthusiastic about the giant, floating head facing off against the iconic supersoldier.

“Yeah, I’m voting M.O.D.O.K.,” laughed Markus.

“You know what? ‘Vote M.O.D.O.K.’ is a t-shirt I would wear,” agreed McFeely.

However, while M.O.D.O.K. was never actually included in their original “Captain America” script, there were a few classic villains that were planned for the first film, only to be removed in subsequent drafts. The pair previously revealed that evil despot Baron Zemo was in an early draft, but he wasn’t the only sinister side character in those versions of the script.

“Baron Strucker was in there for a while, but he wasn’t doing enough to justify wasting him in the film,” said McFeely. “We certainly tried things, and ended up settling on the more useful Red Skull and Arnim Zola.”

“But they’re all still on the table,” he teased.

Finally, the pair offered up some insight regarding one particular character who did make the cut, and was introduced in a nice tip of the hat to his incarnation in the comics world.

In the comics world, Captain America villain Arnim Zola often appears as a large, humanoid robot with a large monitor in his chest that depicts Zola’s face. In the film, actor Toby Jones plays Arnim Zola, who is first seen in the film staring through a large lens – a nice nod to his comics counterpart.

“That was in the first draft, too,” said McFeely of the comics-friendly angle to Zola’s introduction. “As soon as we knew it was going to be Zola, we wanted to make sure his intro was on a screen like that.”

“We wanted to tip our hat to his later incarnation without including it in the film, because when you have a guy with a red skull for a head who’s supposed to be the most horrifying thing in the story, you can’t have a robot man walking around,” laughed Markus. “So yeah, Zola had to be a person in this movie.”

“Captain America: The First Avenger” arrives on DVD and Blu-Ray this Tuesday, October 25.
(Via IFC)

Captain America: The First Avenger (Three-Disc Combo: Blu-ray 3D / Blu-ray / DVD / Digital Copy)

Captain America: The First Avenger

Captain America / Captain America II: Death Too Soon

Captain America (1990)

Make Way for Captain America (1979)

Do you think that Captain America made his big screen debut this Summer in The First Avenger? Think again. Aside from the 1991 feature film and the Republic Films serial, there is another lesser known live action project spotlighting the shield-hurling hero. In 1979, Reb Brown (star of the MST3K -lampooned ‘Space Mutiny’) starred in a pair of Captain America TV movies that have remained in obscurity since they originally appeared.

Here’s a taste…

Captain America 1979

Finally (?) both Captain America and its sequel Death Comes Too Soon, co-starring Christopher Lee of Hammer Horror and Star Wars fame, will be released by Shout! Factory in deluxe digital editions.

Captain America (1979) Trailer

The TV movies take a healthy amount of liberties, from the super soldier serum being called FLAG—Full Latent Ability Gain to the details surrounding his origin (Rogers receives the injection after surviving a car crash). As a kid, I remember being a fan of both the Amazing Spider-Man and Incredible Hulk TV series (heck, I even watch a bit of Wonder Woman), but recall being very confused by this one.

Working with a a team of experts, Rogers is a cut-rate Bionic Man fighting villains who pose a threat to the country. A customized motorcycle, van and shield complete the hero’s arsenal, but his own enhanced abilities serve him best in his missions. Utilizing the tried and true ‘special effects’ very familiar to Wonder Woman, Captain America can jump great heights, is capable of feats of strength and runs remarkably fast. It’s all very schticky, and Reb Brown’s acting gives a new meaning to term ‘wooden,’ but if you are in need of a fun retro flick, this could be worth a look.

Pre-order Captain America / Captain America II: Death Too Soon

Quick reviews -Uncanny X-Men and Captain America

Captain America #2

by Ed Brubaker and Steve McNiven
I have to admit that I am still not entirely sold on the new Captain America series. Brubaker thoroughly revived the character for the modern age back in 2004 with stunning storylines that not only challenged the limits that the comic could reach but also incorporated its legacy. The action was more realistic at times (when not featuring a massive Nazi war robot walking about in Manhattan) and the emotions charged from issue to issue. The move from Steve Rogers to Bucky Barnes as leading man was a bit jarring but if anything it amped up the danger as Barnes was hardly a super soldier and therefore up against greater odds.

The new relaunch seeks to more firmly set Rogers back in his role as Captain America in the wake of Barnes’s death but it seems that a more fantastic and oddball approach is being taken. The new series began with a funeral for Peggy Carter a character who hadn’t been seen in ages (outside of the feature film) and the return of a characters that (to my knowledge) came out of nowhere. It’s not a bad idea, but it’s a bit confusing. A squad of Hydra agents wearing redesigned uniforms led by Bravo, a white-haired WWII operative out of action for decades. The ensuing back story involves reality manipulation, the interference of dreams by a young boy and more. It’s all very bizarre and for a series built on a more realistic approach, it comes from left field.

Nick Fury provides ample back story to Agent Carter regarding a young operative during WWII named Jimmy Jupiter who had the unusual ability to open doorways to imaginary realms. These doorways existed in dreamscapes and could be used as shortcuts between locations, allowing squads of commandos to appear from out of thin air. Unfortunately, Jimmy was attacked during one operation, stranding Agent Bravo along with Hydra agents that acted as the other end of the doorway… for sixty years. Now free somehow, Bravo has teamed up with the Hydra agents, armed with highly advanced weaponry and is back for revenge.

Brubaker and Niven are setting out to establish a new look and feel for Captain America, no doubt taking advantage of the popularity obtained by the movie and the reshuffling of the Marvel Universe due to Fear Itself. It’s all very weird and dream-like in its logic (the issue ends with a massive Captain America attacking the real one) and I wonder how it is impacting longtime readers. The scripts are still solid, the action intense and exciting and the artwork outstanding… but it’s all very weird.

A sister series ‘Captain America and Bucky’ is much more approachable by comparison. That’s not a slight on the regular monthly comic, but I can’t even guess what anyone just walking into a comic shop from the cinema would make of this.

Uncanny X-Men #542

by Kieron Gillen and Greg Land

The latest issue of Uncanny X-Men has accomplished what no other writer has since 1975.

Juggernaut continues his unstoppable approach toward San Francisco and the mutant refuge Utopia. A throng of devoted followers in his wake, he demands the destruction of Utopia itself, even offering leniency through his mouthpiece to everyone else if they get out of his way. This places the Mayor of San Francisco in a very delicate position. She has worked very hard to cultivate a cooperative relationship with the mutant population of X-Men yet she is also being pressured to protect the citizens of San Fran. Cyclops has led a valiant assault on the Juggernaut using all of his resources.

The previous issue and this one is pure role playing game logic. Each pairing of powers and skillful activation of key players has unfortunately resulted in no success. Gambit, Rogue, Magneto, Emma Frost and even Hope Summers are all set against the foe with no result at all and the Juggernaut gains still more ground with each passing moment. Even removing the very ground from beneath his feet does not halt the Juggernaut’s advance.

Finally, Cyclops calls upon the incarcerated Illyana Rasputin (in the brig for risking her friends’ lives in a war in Limbo) for assistance. Against a magical threat, she is their best option. Colossus and Kitty Pryde accompany Illyana to the realm of the Cyttorak, the source of Juggernaut’s power. In a recent issue of Thunderbolts, a similar quest was attempted with no success. In this case, Illyana is successful in obtaining a council with the great Cyttorak. Illyana informs Cyttorak that its servant Juggernaut has abandoned it and is serving the Asgardian god the Serpent.

Outraged, the Cyttorak rescinds its power from Cain Marko (Juggernaut), but coyly demands a new servant. Illyana steps forward but is interrupted by her brother Peter…

Colossus takes up the mantle of the Juggernaut

I have been very patient with Kieron Gillen’s run on the Uncanny X-Men and so far it has been a great success. The fact that so much has been done with a tie-in speaks volumes for Gillen’s skill as a writer. In the editorial at the back of the book, it is confirmed that Colossus’s change in status will not be undone in one issue and has longer lasting implications than one would expect. Despite the fact that so much time has passed since his first introduction, the character of Colossus hasn’t progressed at all. Even his death and return in the pages of Whedon’s Astonishing X-Men saw him return to the point he was at in the late 70′s! I have always enjoyed Colossus, but no one has ever really done much of anything with him. Even in battle he hardly makes an impact and is often knocked clear out of combat into the next county. Hopefully, this power shift will see him take a more active role in the comics.

Unfortunately, there is a mega even called Schism still in action that will call for the end of the current X-Men books and a reshuffling of the status quot. So we’ll have to wait and see if any of these changes are as long lasting as they should be or if Colossus will simply fade back into obscurity when the new books are released.

Captain America: the First Avenger (review)

Captain America poster by Eric Tan

“I don’t want to kill anyone. I just don’t like bullies.”

Two frustrated cartoonists in 1941 created a hero to deliver a punch to the jaw that Hitler would never forget. Joe Simon and Jack Kirby’s creation went on to become an icon of comic book history and a rallying point for the soldiers serving in Europe. An awkward teenager desperate to enter the service, Steve Rogers was transformed through science into a paragon of physical perfection. With his unbreakable shield slung on his arm, he battled through World War II and beyond. Falling out of favor in the 1950′s, he met cancellation only to return in a flash of color in the pages of the Avengers thanks to Stan Lee and Jack Kirby (now a member of the Marvel Comics bullpen).

In the comic book world, Captain America was a man out of time, a soldier from the past defending a world that he no longer understood. Fighting alongside colorful heroes, he was regarded as an ideal to strive toward. An elder statesman in tights, Captain America lacked the power of the Hulk, the technological abilities of Iron Man and the God-hood of Thor, but he made up for it in strength of character. How would a modern motion picture capture all of this while also appealing to an audience unfamiliar with his fame?

In the first Iron Man film, Nick Fury appears with an offer for Tony Stark to join the Avengers, in the Incredible Hulk, General Ross is visited by Tony Stark regarding his problem with the jade giant, Iron Man 2 is rife with appearances and references to the Marvel Comics stable of characters (often distracting from the main action). One of the most anticipated comic book movies of the Summer, Captain America: The First Avenger firmly embraces these steps toward establishing a unified Marvel Universe.

From the 1940′s to the present day, this is the most definitive imagining of a world populated by superheroes to date. Whereas other efforts have resulted in cluttered results, Johnston’s movie provides the solid base for a world that could produce Tony Stark’s genius and the sheer destruction of the Hulk. By combining real world elements and fantastic imagery, the First Avenger is the Marvel Comics movie we’ve been waiting for.

Mark Johnston, familiar to many as the director of the Rocketeer, expertly depicted the world of 1942, complete with period accurate architecture, hair styles, fashions and mannerisms. Steve Rogers struggles to get through the application process into the Army. Seeking to shake his friend out of his mad mission to enlist, his best friend James Buchanan ‘Bucky’ Barnes insists on Rogers joining him on a double date to the World’s Fair where everything from Howard Stark’s flying cars to a real synthetic man (the original Human Torch) are on display. Despite the wondrous atmosphere, Rogers gravitates toward the Army enlistment base on site.

Barnes stands by him but can’t understand why Rogers would be so ready to risk his life in war. For Rogers, it’s simply the fact that he cannot stand bullies. He cannot draw a distinction between a lifetime of standing up to the regular beatings in numerous alleyways and the Allied Forces against the Axis Powers.

It’s a quaint way to inform Roger’s character regarding courage as a given. For the scrawny young man, there’s no other way to live. If you start running from trouble, your troubles will never stop chasing you down. Johnston’s film uses this trait as the centerpiece of his film as he builds up an opposing force far greater than anything we had seen before. Johann Schmidt, operating as the Red Skull, has a dream more horrifying than Hitler’s. A superhuman being with abilities far beyond an ordinary human being, Schmidt is an incredibly brilliant scientist with a dark twisted mind to match his scarred face forever distorted in the form of a Red Skull.

Searching the ancient buildings of Sweden, the Red Skull and his team of Hydra goons unearth a vessel of vast power straight from the Asgardian armory of Odin. With the cube, Red Skull’s organization known as Hydra is finally able to make a bid for global domination. With the brilliant engineer Arnim Zola at his side, the Skull builds a an engine of destruction capable of carving out a new empire.

Captain America Hydra poster by Eric Tan

Unknown to the Red Skull and the Nazis, a young Steve Rogers has been chosen as part of a program designed to single out a soldier ideal for Dr. Erskine’s Super Soldier formula. Led by Colonel Chester Phillips and Peggy Carter, the Strategic Scientific Reserve hopes that Erskine’s formula will turn the tide of the war. A German refugee, Erskine bonds with Rogers, both are frustrated men who yearn to take part in the conflict against the Nazis but are betrayed by their frail bodies. Erskine tells Rogers of his encounter with Schmidt who stole an earlier version of his formula and became physically superior but deranged. Realizing that the serum enhances what is within a person, he realizes that it will make a good man like Rogers all that more remarkable.

Sadly, the Doctor is murdered after the procedure, leaving Rogers as the only one of his kind. This also leaves him as an oddity to the military who are unsure of his abilities in combat and refuse to risk losing the only specimen that they have. As a compromise, Rogers dons an absurd costume and takes to the stage drumming up support for the war. Reluctant at first, he eventually warms to the role of ‘Captain America’ and even enjoys the silly tights. It’s only when he travels to the front lines and encounters the soldiers fighting at the front that he realizes how much of a fool he has been and how he has been cheated of his desire to fight alongside them.

Reunited with Peggy Carter and Colonel Chester Phillips, Rogers is horrified to learn that a platoon including his childhood friend Bucky has gone missing and there are no plans to mount what would be a doomed rescue attempt. His insistence to help out is laughed off by the Colonel who sees Rogers as a glorified cheerleader. However, once he is in action, it is clear that Rogers is the hope that the Allied Forces had been waiting for. Singlehandedly, he rescues his comrades, destroys the base and strikes a blow to the Red Skull’s plans. With a brief glance of the Skull’s war room, Rogers can see that Hydra has goals above winning the war and even seeks to destroy Berlin.

Returning to the camp Rogers is no longer a joke, he is regarded as Captain America, the Sentinel of Liberty who bravely faces impossible odds. Arranging a crack team of Howling Commandos (mainly consisting of soldiers that he liberated from the prison), Rogers begins a systematic assault on Hydra’s operations.

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Leading his Howling Commandos, Rogers faces off against the impossibly advanced weaponry of Hydra. Drawing power from the Asgardian cube, the Red Skull’s forces are able to disintegrate their enemies with a single shot. Yet Rogers manages to lead a small squad of men against these odds armed with conventional weapons and nerves of steel. There are of course casualties in his attacks. During a raid of a high speed train carrying Arnim Zola, Bucky is lost, deeply wounding Rogers’ resolve.

Undeterred, Captain America storms the very mountainside fortress of Hydra and comes face to face with his enemy, the Red Skull. In the comics, the Skull was a normal man wearing a mask, acting as a rallying leader to the troops on the field, but with ambitions beyond his station. Kept alive by science, the Skull returned in the modern age to continue his battle with Captain America. In the film, the decision to make the Red Skull the recipient of an earlier version of the Super Soldier serum is ingenious. It makes the two men polar opposites in many more ways than they are on the printed page.  For the Red Skull, their superiority to all others should make them allies, but to Rogers, his superhuman abilities are more of a reason to help and defend others rather than rule them.

The Red Skull and Captain America just do not see eye to eye.

The final battle between the Red Skull and Cap is incredibly thrilling, ranging from the hidden fortress to a flying wing and even into a dog fight in the skies. This level of high adventure has not been seen before in film and matches the comic book sensibilities and style with the technological advancements of film making.

Captain America: The First Avenger is a very long film (clocking in at just over two hours) but it every moment is used economically. Characters are developed well, scenarios are well established and the action is pitch perfect. Johnston’s movie learns from previous comic book films and builds on those lessons to create an exciting high adventure epic that is grand in scope.

The fourth Marvel Entertainment film, Captain America: The First Avenger was a roaring success at the box office. Fighting against the most financially successful movie to date, the final Harry Potter film, it garnered significant profits and scoffed at those who felt the comic book movie genre was finished.

Reuters: Superhero movie “Captain America: The First Avenger” triumphed at the U.S. and Canadian box offices with $65.8 million in weekend ticket sales as the magic faded from the final “Harry Potter” film’s record-breaking debut.

The film’s total ticket sales now stand at $274.2 million in domestic theaters and $560.4 million internationally, for a combined total of $834.6 million.

The conclusion of Captain America: The First Avenger saw the first images of the big screen Avengers team that will premier next Summer. Donning a redesigned uniform, Rogers will join forces with Iron Man, Thor, and the Hulk along with special agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Nick Fury, Black Widow and Hawkeye. An attendant of the 2011 San Diego International Comic Con got some up close photos of the new costume.

The seeds for a sequel were sewn into the First Avenger very well. Comic book author Ed Brubaker met with director Joe Johnston to make sure that his favorite character maintained the high level of attention that he received on the pages of his epic ‘The Winter Soldier’ and beyond:

“That scene with Bucky and the rifle? That was all me,” he said after the credits rolled. Earlier in the night, I had sat down with him for dinner and an in-depth chat about Steve Rogers, James “Bucky’ Barnes, the Winter Soldier and other matters of the red, white and blue chronicles, both on the page and on the screen. A central theme: the salvation of Bucky, Marvel’s most famous martyr, and the Winter Soldier who just might enjoy his own season in the sun in Hollywood.

“It’s amazing to think what Bucky has become and what he was. For years the only thing that was important about Bucky was the fact that he was the thing that Captain America lost. And that remains important — in fact it’s the reason the Winter Soldier story worked. Cap still lost. If I was going to take away the tragedy of Bucky being killed in action, I had to replace it with something worse. Cap couldn’t save Bucky and because he couldn’t, Bucky became his own worst nightmare. And then in trying to save Bucky again — by giving him his memories back — Cap tortures Bucky by making him realize everything he did as the Winter Soldier too. Bucky is such a great tragic character and that tragedy has different sides to it now.

“For me, when I watch the movie tonight I’ll be judging the Bucky a lot more than the Cap.”
Via LA Times

Close-up shot of Captain America's redesigned costume from The Avengers 2012 image from http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/MarvelFreshman/news/?a=42807

While the Red Skull appears to have met his end by handling the Asgardian tesseract (AKA the cosmic cube), it is likely that we will see him again. His final moments featured a glimpse of the nine realms, and as another blogger pointed out, the cube is one of many secret paths between Midgard and Asgard.

Via ComicBookMovie:

The biggest egg in my eyes is a simple phrase Loki says to Heimdall, “There are secret paths between the worlds to which even you with all your gifts are blind.” This phrase set up the route to which Loki arrives on Earth for The Avengers. Yet after seeing TFA we know that the Cosmic Cube is a path between worlds, whether or not Heimdall can see these paths does not matter. What does matter, is the fact that now we have a way for Thor to get back to Earth in The Avengers. When the Skull was sucked into the World Tree, the cosmic universe looked very similar to a scene in Thor, meaning he could have ended up close to Asgard. At the end of Thor we see that Shield has the Cube in custody with the idea that it has unlimited power and it is hinted that Shield may know that the Cube is a gateway to another dimension. Now with Cap unfrozen, he will be able to explain what happened to the Skull, which could lead to someone using it to get Thor back on Earth. Although, I would assume that Loki will have obtained the Cube somehow before Thor is brought back to Earth which would become the day unlike any other.

As a teenager, I was more interested in the anti-heroes of comic books such as Wolverine or tragic heroes such as Daredevil. Captain America was too ‘apple pie’ for my taste. However, it took Jim Krueger, author of Earth X to clue me into what makes the character so great. His singular fortitude and belief that all people should be free is so noble and indefatigable. There’s nothing the man cannot do and he firmly believes in the best of people.

The supporting cast of Captain America; The First Avenger was just astounding with Tommy Lee Jones and Hugo Weaving adding the right amount of star power presence to remind you why they are so successful. Dominic Cooper as Howard Stark nearly stole the film, depicting an earlier version of the sly and brilliant Tony Stark played by Robert Downey Jr. The most successful actress to date in a comic book film, Hayley Atwell was remarkable as Peggy Carter and I have to believe that she will return as Sharon Carter, the granddaughter to Peggy.

Johnston’s film captures several aspects of the character of Captain America that make him so appealing. At a time when politics are a dangerous subject, he managed to make a patriotic movie without making it jingoistic or patronizing. Chris Evans, an actor many worried was too cocky or young for the part of Captain America proved that he was born to play the role. I look forward to seeing him in the Avengers and subsequent Cap sequels.

To order prints of the retro posters, please visit Mondo.