Read All the Comics!: Waid/Garney Captain America

Barnes and Noble’s having a buy 2 get 1 free graphic novel sale, plus an additional 15 percent off code. This is on top of Amazon-level discounted prices. I got the entire Bendis Avengers collection for mega cheap. So much new reading to do now.

Anyway, we now move from Black Widow to Captain America.

Captain America 250

A newspaper starts a rumor that Captain America is running for President of the United States, which starts an uproar among the public and the Avengers. Pretty much everyone is in favor, while Cap wonders why no one cares if he’s even qualified for the position. (Oh Cap, you naive thing, you.)

Roger Stern spins it into a nice conversation about civic duty and serving your country to the utmost of your ability in the best way you can. (Which leads, obviously, to Cap announcing that he’s not running. Also surprising: No one knows who he is underneath the mask, and no one cares.)

Heh, Cap facepalm.

Regret buying? No

Would buy again? Yes

Would read again? Yes

Rating: Nice

Captain America 1-3

John Ney Rieber and John Cassaday teamed up for six issues. I stuck around for three, entirely for the art. Cassaday is so good at what he does. (Planetary is still his peak. Uncanny X-Men is a close second.)

This was published in June 2002, and directly addresses the attacks on 9/11; The first issue starts with Steve Rogers digging through the rubble of the World Trade Center, looking for survivors. His narration runs through each issue. He talks about the need to be strong, he rails against the people who did this, He reaffirms the strength of the American Dream and the horrors of war. He struggles with the neverending clash of global cultures, then reminds himself to focus on the people he’s trying to save. His thoughts are all over the place, and I’m not sure if it’s poor writing or an intentional reflection of the swirl of emotions and confusion that was sweeping through the nation at the time. And although the prose frequently brushes up against platitudes, I can’t fault it for the intent. At the end of the day, Rieber (through Cap), is preaching the unity of all Americans, across all cultures. Something everyone can stand to remember.

Regret buying? No

Would buy again? Yes

Would read again? Yes

Rating: Fine

Captain America 444-448, 450-454

The much-lauded Mark Waid first run. I’ve always liked these issues, but not so much this time around. The stories felt a little more far-fetched this time around - Captain America fighting Nazis in the Cosmic Cube? Bill Clinton strips Cap of his US citizenship? It borders on silly when I stop to think about it, and I’m sorry that I stopped to think about it. This is a fond memory that I would like to keep that way.

I am flummoxed by Ron Garney’s art. There are few artists who bounce around so much in quality, let alone from panel to panel. I suspect the inkers - he goes through four in the first arc alone. I’m going to focus on all the stuff that looks good. When he’s on, he’s on.