I had been a bit down on this series because the last few issues seemed too Cap-centric; we’ve seen so much WWII Cap stuff already, and I was afraid this series was going to be overwhelmed by the presence of Steve Rogers. This issue was excellent, though. The voice of the Angel’s narrative is as solid as ever, leading the reader through this historical Golden Age. Next to Cap, the characters I had already seen the most from in that era are Namor and the original Human Torch; the sides we see of these two throughout most of this issue are quite original, however, especially since they are rendered by Steve Epting, whose work here is perhaps the best of his career.

I was afraid this issue was going to consist of routine adventures of the Invaders and Nick Fury fighting the Nazis, but Brubaker’s script focuses instead on much more fertile subject matter. With the appearance of Toro especially, what I’m stuck by is how very human and introspective all of the characters seem; from the heroes (including an android), to the humans who come in contact with them, to the people on the street, there’s a real sense of depth. This isn’t just old-time mystery men posing for the cameras with big smiles on their faces.

A big part in providing this realism is the art of Steve Epting. This period piece is given to us through a sharp lens: it feels like we’re seeing 1941 as it actually looked. That might sound like an obvious point, but I think it’s important to note that Epting chose NOT to rely on a sense of “nostalgia”. This is a period piece from a well-known era, but it is NOT nostalgia; it is not a quaint newsreel, or a portrait of some sort of “good ol’ days” of the “greatest generation”. No heartstrings are pulled. Rather, realism is stressed.

A touch of realism is also there in the way that Brubaker has his Nazi villains note that one of their scientists must be taken away as a traitor. The scientist is Jewish–and the Nazi prejudice is on full display–but it is noted that the character is deemed a traitor not so much because of his heritage but because he FAILED TO TELL THEM that his mother was Jewish. Maybe I’m reading too much into this, but to me the line seemed to indicate that Brubaker’s Nazis (like the real ones) actually employed and made use of certain Jewish people, providing that these people admitted their heritage but then swore allegiance to the Fuhrer instead. I’m not an expert in WWII history, so I’m not sure to what extent this was happening in 1941, or whether any Jewish scientists were involved, but if this line of dialogue indicates that Brubaker knows his stuff and wants to touch on the intricacies of the exploitative Nazi science war machine, then that’s impressive.

All in all, a great issue and a return to form for this mini.