Comics / Comic Reviews / Marvel Comics

Captain America #603

By Andy Frisk
February 17, 2010 - 18:21

Bucky continues his training in Crazy Cap’s (or “Bad Cap,” as Bucky calls him) militia. Bad Cap (the fill in Captain America from the 1950’s who is insane-not just because he’s a right wing extremist-he’s really nuts) knows all about Bucky and his plans though. When Bucky and The Falcon attack a Watchdog convoy in order to uncover and disrupt his WMD plans, they turn up empty handed. Bad Cap then makes his move and Captain America and The Falcon end up in real trouble…

There’s a lot less political humor and satire in this issue of Captain America as compared to the last, but the table’s been set. As readers, we’re well aware of Bad Cap’s right wing insanity and Brubaker’s obvious (and spot on) analogy of the real life insanity of certain elements within extremist groups like The Tea Baggers (who Brubaker parodied last issue). This issue, Brubaker gets down to some action as Cap and The Falcon end up battling Bad Cap and his minions. Bad Cap has plans for building a powerful WMD, and unfortunately, Cap and The Falcon are unwitting contributors to Bad Cap’s material needs. Brubaker does illuminate one political truth this issue though. Isn’t it ironic that extremist Bad Cap is revealed to be developing a WMD, and an extremist régime in the Middle East is as well, currently in the real world? Extremism is bad and dangerous no matter what the religion or nationality of the extremist is.

Ross and Guice’s work continues to remain a hallmark of realism in comic book art today, and it fits perfectly with Brubaker’s realistic storytelling. Something I’ve not really noticed before in their work is their lack, whether deliberate or not, of any type of iconic posing of the characters. Often times an artist can’t help but have their hero strike a pose. This isn’t always a bad thing. Cap and The Falcon never do though. The decision to leave out the posing whether conscious or not speaks volumes to the team’s outlook on the characters and their commitment to realism in their visual style. Captain America isn’t an icon, but rather a good man attempting to live up the best ideals of a great nation. He’s humbly yet determinedly going about his mission.

“Two Americas” is the type of storyline that is perfectly suited for Captain America, especially in this day and age’s contentious political climate. It’s relevant and insightful, if not too terribly subtle. It’s the type of story that we should expect thematically from this book.

Rating: 8 /10

Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12