Captain America #37

There seems to be a mantra here at iFanboy concerning Captain America under Brubaker's pen: it's so hard to see an issue here as great or outstanding when the rest of the series has been so incredibly awesome.  In many ways, that's true.  You have to love a series where the problem is basically "It's too consistently good."  That's a good problem to have.

This issue keeps that going.  In a lot of ways, this is more or less a breather of sorts after the craziness of the last three issues yet still a lot happens that's very central to the plot and will doubtlessly be integral to the story as it get running towards its conclusion.

The issue opens with a very pointed character moment for the Red Skull via a flashback to the liberation of Paris by Captain America in World War II.  As the champagne flows and the lovers kiss, the Red Skull watches from afar, studying the "enemy in their glory."  It's clear here why the Red Skull hates America so much, seeing Cap and his compatriots as smug children unworthy of the pride they hold.  In the Nazi criminal's misery, the hope and happiness of others are poison in his veins, strong enough to forever vow to crush America and everything it stands for, a task he is very close to accomplishing.

This brings us to the major development (or at least one of them) of the story, the candidacy of Senator Gordon Wright, the Red Skull's political stooge and the rise of the "Third Wing" party (which sounds too suspiciously close to  the Third  Reich, but maybe I'm digging.) Regardless,  Wright's announcement coincides with his "negotiating" with Kronas to stop the house foreclosures and the oil spikes as well as bringing in Kane-Meyer to stop the riots, giving him a cinch to win the Oval Office.  It's clear the Red Skull's plan is a deeply personal vendetta.  It's not enough to cripple America, he has to do it with the two great monoliths of the American Way: capitalism and democracy to show America's way of life doesn't work.  To top it off, it's clear from the Red Skull's comments that he plans to use the Cap in the tank last issue as part of his plan to destroy the Land of the Free. 

The rest of the issue is mostly devoted to the reactions of the last few issues' events through the eyes of three major players in the Captain America mythos: the Falcon, Hawkeye (over Bucky becoming Cap) and Sharon Carter (over "Steve" in the vat.)  It's clear Falcon is upset at Tony Stark for not consulting him when deciding Bucky should be the new Cap.  I can understand Sam's wanting to be in on the process, yet Tony does a valid point: this IS what Cap would wanted and if Sam's so concerned, he should try to help the guy be the hero worthy of the mantle which Sam does.  Meanwhile, Clint Barton (aka Hawkeye aka Ronin) has decided to take it upon himself to try to punch Bucky in the face while visiting his new digs in Cap's old living quarters.  Other than proving that Bucky REALLY should think about moving out of there (coupled with Falcon's midnight visit), I'm not sure what Clint was hoping to accomplish but it's clear his respect for Steve Rogers runs deep and is not about let any man take lightly the mantle, not even Bucky.  It's clear Bucky isn't about to do so either, indicated by his rather oddly humorous nightmare ("Look out for the Internet!") that shows the former Soviet killer not entirely sure if he's worthy.

Meanwhile, we get to once again leave on a "Is that Steve?" cliffhanger as Sharon once again finds "Steve", bullet scars and all, now conscious on a table, unclear who Sharon is.  Whether this IS Steve, a clone, LMD, the Grand Director raised from the dead (my theory... heh) or what else, this is certainly a mystery that's going to keep Cap fans puzzled for a while.

This issue shows once again why Captain America has become one of the top books to beat
 in the Marvel Universe.  The writing is as sharp as ever and the art still manages to pull off all it needs to.  This run is clearly reaching the heights of runs like Mark Gruenwald's and Steve Englehart.  This series simply never fails in being one of the highlights of my month and I'm certain next issue and the next and so on and so on will be just as good.