Blog-It Llama!

By Nick - June 29, 2009

As mentioned in a previous article, Captain America #600 came out recently. Filled to the brim with content, they made you really feel like this issue was a celebration. Instead of one, thick story, the issue is comprised of many different stories setting up for stories to come and give some extra perspective on how the world has been dealing with the death of Captain America.

This is clearly the direction it was meant to go in all along. Though I agree with Papa Llama that he should have stayed dead longer, I also feel it is important that the overall vision that was originally intended has its integrity retained.

There’s also the cultural responsibility that Marvel has. Captain America’s death had impact far outside of just comic book fans. It was covered in the news. Heck, Joe Quesada came on the Colbert Report to talk about it. His death was a commentary on the Bush administration (the entire “Civil War” story was actually) as Steve Rogers being assassinated was the death of freedom and the American Dream. Political commentary isn’t the usual fodder you’d expect from superhero comic. Now that we have a different president in office and everyone is trying to look forward to a brighter future, keeping Steve Rogers, America’s comic book icon, dead might feel like Marvel thinks that America could never recover. But there is a Captain America right now and it’s Bucky. And it works. Not only is he a man out of time, he’s filled with guilt from his time as the brain-washed Winter Soldier and regret from never having gotten the chance to talk to Steve before his death. Not only that, he has the pressure of taking up the mantle of Captain America, which is a pretty hefty torch to have passed on to you. Bucky fascinates me and he works as Captain America. Just because Steve is getting brought back doesn’t mean he has to return to work as Captain America. I think that can wait for another event. Let him be an Obi-Wan to Bucky for awhile, give him something different to do.

I think they could have waited at least another year, but this whole Dark Reign setting makes a good backdrop for this story to take place in. It also delays the inevitable uprising against Norman Osborn. Marvel has also always been one to really try to do some promotional work with their comics when it comes to their movies. You have to have Steve Rogers alive when his movie comes out.

This issue is a great purchase (even at the extra pricey five bucks) especially if you plan on checking out “Reborn”. While it does feel like an issue of remembrance of the life of Steve Rogers, it also has the feel of an issue zero for “Reborn” because of some of the plot it sets up. The reprinted Red Skull story was a very interesting choice and one that I imagine Ed Brubaker is going to pull a lot from for the stories coming up next. I feel like that bow and arrow is definitely going to show up again.

I can’t help but be excited for “Reborn”. After the huge mess that was Final Crisis, it will be nice to read a well written story with content that is a little more grounded (not that superhero resurrection isn’t far removed from reality, just more grounded than Grant Morrison’s wackiness). I feel very confident in Brubaker as he’s probably Marvel’s best writer at the moment.

Seeing Red Skull in that robot suit is just goofy. Dude has GOT to get a real body.

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