CAPTAIN AMERICA #2: Brace for Impending Doom

Captain America #2: Captain America has been out of ice for a week and finds himself deep behind enemy lines in Latveria. Can he trust David Colton and did Cap make a mistake not joining the Avengers?

This is a joint review by Matt of the weekly podcast Hops ‘Geek’ News and Josh of the podcast “The ODPH Podcast.” Make sure to check us out for more reviews and enjoy!

Creative Team:

Chip Zdarsky: COVER and STORY

Valerio Schiti: ARTIST

Frank Martin: COLORS

Joe Caramagna: LETTERS

*SPOILERS AHEAD*

Story:

Matt: Chip delivers on the story as he hits us with flashbacks that, for me, come close to home, dealing with the war in Iraq and Afghanistan in the past tense. He’s found a way to modernize Captain America. He shows that he still is Steve Rogers that we know at heart.

At the same time, he just might be out of his depth and have much to still learn at the same time. His meeting with Doom in the final pages was not what I was expecting, showing that Chip has some tricks up his sleeve.

Josh: After the first issue, I had VERY high expectations for this issue. And Chip met, and exceeded those expectations. Captain America is a very well known character these days, and Chip has managed to add a unique twist with the story. It’s a scenario that I’m familiar with in what I saw on tv and read in books, but it’s putting Cap in a very out of time place in his history. The tension builds so much throughout the entire issue but it doesn’t explode at the end. It’s gonna be very interesting to see how things develop in the next issue.

The Art:

Matt: I continue to love the detail and different look of Captain America’s suit that Valerio and Frank have given us. They capture the sandy and dusty details of the desert landscape as someone who has been there. Their artwork brings back the smells and the grime right away. Doom is drawn with finesse him as his movements are sleek and swift. Frank’s color palette is both dark and soft in this issue, which stands out to me immensely.

Josh: Valerio & Frank continue to amaze me with just how good their work is in this series. There’s a grittiness to each panel that really comes through each page that shows this isn’t your standard, run of the mill, Captain America story. Frank’s color choice is also a stellar choice, because let’s face it…this isn’t going to be a happy go lucky story. We’re dealing with Doctor Doom after all! It’s gonna get dark, it’ll probably get twisted and the color palette reflects that.

Overall Grade: 10/10

Matt: 10/10 Captain America #2 takes what we thought would be a regular story and turns it on its head in the final moments, leaving us with a massive, breathtaking cliffhanger.

Josh: 10/10 It’s still early, but Chip Zdarsky is penning one of the more memorable runs in Captain America history we’ve seen lately. A tremendous story, together with phenomenal artwork make this an issue you absolutely DO NOT want to miss!