Comics / Comic Reviews / Marvel Comics

Captain America #604

By Andy Frisk
April 8, 2010 - 20:46

Bad Cap, as Bucky Cap calls him, forces Bucky to don his old War World II outfit and accompany him on a mission, a mission of homegrown terrorism. If Bucky doesn’t comply, the Crazy Cap (as I call him) will have Bucky Cap’s crime fighting partner, The Falcon, murdered. Bucky and Crazy Cap(s) underestimate The Falcon though…

In “The Two Americas Part 3,” Brubaker treads lightly around the political (and polarizing) commentary, but goes heavy on the action. There is some political banter between Bucky Cap and Crazy Cap, but Crazy Cap is a clear cut wingnut so there’s nothing shocking here. Brubaker does make further comment on the parodied Tea Baggers that stirred up so much controversy with their portrayal in Captain America #602. One of the Tea Baggers is the engineer on the train high jacked by The Watchdogs that they’re using to transport The Falcon (and eventually plan to carry out an act of terrorism with). He isn’t there by choice though:

“Those bastards tried to recruit me from the rally last week in Boise…When I said no, they kidnapped me. Threatened to kill my family if I didn’t drive for them.”

“So you didn’t want to join up? That’s refreshing” replies The Falcon.

“God no…I may be mad as hell ‘cause Washington’s forgotten main street…but I ain’t gonna blow up my own country.”

Whether or not this little exchange between the Tea Bagger and The Falcon was predetermined as part of Brubaker’s script or hurriedly concocted and inserted in order to balance out his presentation of them in issue #602, it covers all the political bases and makes Brubaker appear more politically correct (or at least “fair and balanced,”) He gives his readers a more fair picture of the Tea Bag Movement.

Anyway…the real meat of part 3 of Brubaker’s latest Captain America tale is the battle between The Falcon and his captors, a group of Watchdogs. Falcon charges head on into battle and does a great job of busting their right wingnut heads. As usual, Ross does a great job choreographing and penciling a great nine page hand to hand battle across the cargo cars and rooftops of the runaway Watchdog train. The realism Ross puts into his work still astounds, and the authenticity, right down to the pallet propped against the wall of one of the cargo car walls, really gives Captain America a real world feel.

Captain America has been one of Marvel Comics’ hottest books over the past few years, and with Brubaker, Ross, and Guice still at the helm, it doesn’t show signs of cooling off anytime soon. It’s a book with some serious themes and ideas acted out and commented upon in it, but it never loses its fun as a superhero action book. I for one still love it.

Rating: 9 /10

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