When I heard that a new Captain America series was in the works, I thought big deal. When it was discovered that the new series would be under the Marvel Knights line (which is the mature line), I was skeptical. A superhero comic under a mature line? The line is home to darker characters like The Punisher and Daredevil, now comes Captain America?! Is DC going to follow suit by putting Superman in their Vertigo section?!…
But on the other hand, the MK Fantastic Four mini-series was a quality mini done by the guys that did the Sentry, so I decided to check Captain America #1 out.
The story, which initially deals with the 9-11 tradegy and how Captain America reacts to it, is probably the best way to introduce the character into the MK line. The super-soldier is not depicted as the confident, never-say-die superhero all cheery and smiling, but rather as a man whose confidence in himself and his skills is waning. It is a realistic portrayal of the aftermath of a devastating tragedy. The art style featured in the book is well done and is probably fitting for a book of this splendor.
The sad thing about this book is that it centers itself around a tragedy that occurred in the real world. Let’s face it; if 9-11 hadn’t happened, this series would either not have come into fruition or would not been anytime soon. I’m not saying that the book is bad because of it… it just seems wrong…
The new Captain America series is an excellent new title worthy of bearing the Marvel Knights banner. It’s the kind of story that I would like to see more often; the kind of story where the superhero is presented as a regular guy with a heavy burden. An excellent start.
dtm666 