Before I start let me just state
that I have grown to love Ed Brubaker over the last couple of weeks. I actually
read issues 1 through 51 (or 601 as they’re calling it now) of Captain America
over the span of about a month so its fair to say that I’m becoming somewhat of
a fan of both the book and the writer. Now, over those 50 some odd issues, I
also came to appreciate Steve Epting’s art. Seeing as he was the artist for the
majority of the Captain America I read, his rendition of the Cap universe is
the one I am most accustomed to which brings me to my first point.

I did not appreciate Bryan Hitch’s
art in this issue. I could pick out a few nit picky bits such as awkward poses,
strange or even inconsistent facial expressions, or average layout design but
what it really comes down to is that it wasn’t the look I’d grown to love.  That’s not to say there weren’t some good
elements to the art because there were. The coloring seemed to have retained
the same dark and gritty tone the book has had from the beginning, Cap had a
redesigned helmet (or at least one that I’d never seen before) that was pretty
cool, and the Red Skull seemed a bit more menacing than usual, possibly due to
the inclusion of an eye in his socket, but overall it just disappointed. I
don’t want to sound like I didn’t like the art because its not done by the
artist I like because that would be an unrealistic way to read comics. As the
audience, we can’t only read a book when our favorite artist is on it because
we would never be exposed to new, and possibly better artists. The problem with
Hitch is that he delivered a serviceable work that possessed few, or possibly
even none, of the panels that stand out as great art like in the Epting books.
The bottom line is that the art in Cap 601 was average.

I think I’ve made my love for
Brubaker abundantly clear so, with that in mind, lets examine the story. Anyone
with the internet (or even the ability to read the title of the issue) can
probably guess what this issue is about. Having known that the day would come
when Steve Rogers would be brought back, I still feel as if its come too soon.
I’ll say that I have no real attachment to Rogers because I started reading Cap
from the Winter Soldier story line and always thought Bucky was a complete
badass. When he rose to take the mantle of Captain America I was completely on
board. I loved the new outfit, I loved the metal arm, I loved the fact that he
carried a gun, I just ate it up and that’s why this issue came a little to soon
for me. Bucky never had the chance to really come into his own. It seems like
right when he came to terms with the loss of Rogers, Marvel decided it was time
to bring him back. But, lets put that aside for now and examine this issue on
its own merits.

The issue starts with an
examination of the myths that surround Steve Rogers’ life and death. Its told
through a narration between two characters who aren’t revealed in the issue
which gives another little mystery to tie us over to the next book which is a
nice touch. The dialogue is all top notch, which is what has come to be
expected from Brubaker, but unlike his other work, the events in this book fall
somewhat flat. The reveal as to how Steve survived his assassination, the truth
behind Sharon’s role in his death, and the final explanation as to where Steve
is now just aren’t as powerful as they should be. Now, I know that my feelings
towards Bucky and Rogers probably colored how I felt about all the reveals in
the book, but I like to think I could appreciate good story telling no matter
who it concerns but that just didn’t happen. Nothing felt special or incredibly
interesting. The only thing I can hope for is that this is just a set up and
that what will follow will be the typical Brubaker fair I’ve come to love.

There was a nice little co-feature
at the end of this issue written by Brubaker with art by Epting called The
Marvels Project. I think I’ve made abundantly clear how good this team is so
I’ll just say that its an intriguing story. It centers around a Doctor who
spends a lot of time with an elderly man in a hospital listening to stories of
heroes and the future that he assumes are symptoms of the old man’s dementia.
The story seems to hint, by taking place in 1938 and through the old man’s
tales of the future,  that the book will
concern itself with the origins of specific heroes or the metahuman population
as a whole. This small preview doesn’t reveal much but if those hints are right
then the book, which is scheduled to come out in August, has some potential.

Overall, Captain America 601 is
decent, if only for the set up for what will most likely be the new standard
for the book. The art is average or maybe slightly below depending on your
personal preference. Nothing spectacular happens in the story but you do get to
see the paradigm begin to shift as Rogers is thrust back into the main story.
We can only hope that now that the preliminary work of establishing this new
standard is done we can go back to the great Cap we’ve been getting for so long
now.