Broken Frontier

With the aid of Spitfire and the Union Jack, Captain America continues tracking down the Winter Soldier’s movements in merry old England.

I can’t think of a better situation to find Captain America knee deep in while pursuing an old friend. This issue entirely exemplifies the glory days of Cap’s old team, the Invaders, and it’s nice to see these heroes return to the ranks in the modern era. I was always partial to a team like the Invaders so whenever old heroes are given the proverbial face lift and reinstated in the MU I am always happy as a pig in a sty!

When we last left Cap in the previous issue he was confronted by an old/new enemy in the form of the Master and his master men. The group of Nazi terrorists quickly comes to blows with Cap and his newly assembled group of new/old Invaders, but the confrontation is cut short when a bomb concealed onboard the ship is detonated by a remote. The ship explodes and the Tilbury docks are quickly engulfed in flames, so Cap and friends are forced to regroup at the headquarters of the British Security Service. The group gets chewed out for the debacle at the docks, and when it looks like our heroes will be tied up in political red tape, Agent 13 (Sharon Carter) comes to the rescue. From there the group (with Sharon now joining them) delves deeper into the connection between the bombing and the Winter Soldier’s activities, but they are unaware of the trap the entire affair is tuning out to become.

Now I will say the plotting here is a bit heavy, but that’s only due to the machinations of all the characters involved. Writer Ed Brubaker surely knows how toweave a fine web of political intrigue and it’s nice to see that sort of thing return in Captain America’s monthly adventures. I also like the fact that Ed has dipped into Cap’s illustrious past to bring back heroes like Spitfire and Union Jack and propagating them into the mix. I come from the 80’s generation when I remember reading many of those classic Mark Gruenwald tales, and I feel this current incarnation of Captain America is a throwback to that great era. This is a book that is hard not to like and much of that must be credited to the legitimacy of a writer like Ed Brubaker. He’s managed to make Captain America a hip and likeable character once again.

Of course Ed has benefited from having a strong artist like Steve Epting help out to round out an excellent creative team. Steve has been alternating with artist Mike Perkins on story arcs, so it is nice to see him back on the book for this pivotal story. I think the big advantage of having him onboard is that he’s strong storyteller, and many of his panels showcase high octane infused action sequences. This issue was no exception and there were several nice shots of Cap in action at the beginning of the story and about halfway through it. It’s like Steve never missed a beat being away from the book while Mike Perkins illustrated the previous story arc.

I think though in the end this is a book that speaks volumes in terms of story continuity and overall production. The stories are precise and thoughtful and the art has been superb throughout no matter what artist is brought in to illustrate a story arc. It’s great to see Captain America brought back to the top of the heap in the Marvel Universe, and I am sure it will only get better in the months to come.