I loved the first three issues of Marvels Project, but featuring Cap so heavily now is just killing the momentum for me. I shared the opinions of various internet posters, podcasters and pontificators who said that they hoped issue #4 was going to be THE Captain America issue. We hoped that featuring Cap last issue was just going to be like a "requisite" that Brubaker had to get out of the way before going back to tell more stories about under-utilized costumed characters of the era. But by the end of the previous issue it was obvious that Steve's story wasn't nearly done being featured in Marvels Project, and this issue confirms our fears. This might as well say "Captain America: Tales from the Early Days...AGAIN " on the cover. And, yes, a Captain America comic written by Ed Brubaker and drawn by Steve Epting is usually a very good thing. But to me this particular story, art and subject matter feel tired and disappointing when encountered here. Marvels Project could be doing something else than this same old routine, again.

The whole point of this series was for it to be about the unseen, little-known origins of the Marvel U, but it's just turned into ANOTHER big WWII-centric story about the origin of Cap, the threat of the Nazis, the cruelty of the Red Skull, the near-interchangeability of scientists, and the cagey Nick Fury. It's that same nostalgia train going down the tracks for the umpteenth time. That stuff doesn't move me much anymore. And even if you're one of those readers (nothin' against ya) who ALWAYS NO MATTER WHAT loves this particular, much-frequented trip down (our grandfathers') memory lane, wouldn't you at least want different focal points and primary storytelling touchstones than Captain America, the Skull, and these particular scientists?

This series started out so promising and so interesting. It made old little-known characters seem fresh and intriguing. But now the Angel and his narration are basically afterthoughts. He's almost a nonentity. Why is he even in the issue? The way he waxes poetic about Cap is the same way anyone would. It's the same way Brubaker (and many other writers) ALWAYS wax poetic about Cap. And don't misunderstand me, Cap is great...but he's had his time in the sun--Actually, he's STILL HAVING his time in the sun, and for these same exploits. WWII Cap nostalgia has been divvied out in heavy doses this past decade. In fact, there are other comics out right now in which this same brand of Cap nostalgia can be found. Marvels Projects was supposed to be significantly different from that stuff...at least, I thought so. Or maybe Brubaker found out, after three great issues, that there just AREN'T anymore interesting things to say about any of the OTHER early Marvel characters.

But hopefully the rest of the series will try to say something more about those early characters, about whom so little was ever said in the first place. Hopefully the rest of the series won't be so much about Steve fighting the Nazis, Steve fighting the Red Skull, Steve meeting Nick Fury, Steve meeting Bucky, Steve and Bucky fighting the Nazis, Steve and Bucky AND NAMOR fighting the Nazis, Steve and Bucky and Namor AND TORO fighting the Nazis, Steve and Bucky fighting the Red Skull, Steve and Bucky chasing after Hitler, Steve and Bucky being congratulated and thanked on every page by textboxes that exude the same (predictable by now) brand of awe and wonder for these...these...these Marvels.

Overall: 2/5

P.S. Epting's a good artist, obviously, but I have to judge the art in terms of what is actually on the pages of this issue, and what Epting had to work here in terms of subject matter wasn't anything interesting, in my opinion. Otherwise, the art is still the same high quality he's been giving us all along.