Broken Frontier

The Captain America character was born in World War II and it is a fitting setting for the Loeb/Sale treatment in Captain America: White.

The mathematical mind in me never liked the idea of an issue #0 because the concept of zero is nothingness. In comics parlance it means a preview and has become a ubiquitous convention, so my mathematical mind must recover from the offense each time one of these appears. We are treated to a short story as well as some extra sketches, photos, and an interview with Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale about the project. The package is slickly produced, capturing the feel of the World War II era with black and white photos and weathered documents with a typewriter font.

The 17 page short story, narrated by Steve Rogers, takes place on the base prior to Captain America being shipped off to Europe to combat the Nazis. James Buchanan Barnes discovers his secret, and Rogers takes the 15 year old under his wing, and trains the intrepid Army brat to be his sidekick. The creative team recreates the mood of the times, and excitement of the G.I.'s going off to fight for country and freedom without cynicism toward war. The reality was probably different, but the Captain America comic was a kind of propaganda, and I am glad this portrayal is not revisionist.

Tim Sale approaches the artwork with definite Jack Kirby influence, both in anatomy and panel composition. I don't know if this prequel's art will be the exact representation in the mini-series as it maintains some of the pencil shading, which looks good, but has an unfinished quality. Whichever direction they choose for the finished product, Sale consistently proves why he is one of the most accomplished cartoonists of the modern age. He alters his style to suit the subject matter, and pay tribute to those who've come before him. In the interview, Sale talks about the piles of reference he has collected for World War II era technology, and though he humbly states he will not obsess about it, the actual artwork perfectly captures the look and feel of the period.

As with all the Loeb/Sale "color" books for Marvel, Captain America: White deals with the early period in the character's career. In this case, not only is Captain America green, prior to his deployment in the European theater, it is also the origin of Bucky Barnes and his relationship with Cap. Bucky is portrayed as sort of a little brother to Steve Rogers, deliberately avoiding the more usual father/son dynamic of superhero sidekicks. It makes me cringe when superheroes are deconstructed and all the fun is excised with a rusty scalpel by a shaky handed surgeon, but Jeph Loeb has proven himself adept at exploring the more complex psychology of his subjects without exposing them as sociopaths or worse.

As it is designed to be, this issue #0 is a kind of appetizer for a larger, more satisfying meal to come. It works in that capacity, so it is a little unsatisfying for its lack of "meat," in terms of plot and foreshadowing that typify a Loeb written comic, but I am convinced it is coming. Any fan of Sale artwork will appreciate the sketchbook extras, and homages to Kirby. The mini-series promises to be a worthy addition to the Loeb/Sale canon.