Broken Frontier

Ever since Steve Rogers’ return at the end of Captain America Reborn and the result of the Who Will Wield the Shield One-Shot, it’s been understood that Bucky would remain Captain America.  Since then, because of Siege, Steve Rogers has once again taken up the shield and the title.  As a result, there are now two Captain Americas.  No one has really dealt with the ramifications of this… until now. 

While the Captain America monthly title remains exclusively focused on the new Cap, readers haven’t yet been able to see what Steve Rogers’ return really meant.  This is strange, as his death shook the Marvel Universe at its foundations.  Rogers is, and has always been, the flag that heroes rally behind.  He is the symbol of an ideal America from the past: strong and courageous, moral and kind.  Bucky, on the other hand, is the former Winter Soldier.  He’s a former assassin and espionage specialist.  He wields a gun and wears a shiny new costume.  When he took up the mantle, it was like Marvel was updating Captain America, and as a result, America for the modern age. 

In this issue of Siege: Captain America, we finally see the old Cap and the new Cap working side-by-side towards the same goal.  This allows us our first look at how different their perspectives on heroism are.  When they first find that there are civilians in danger, Steve assures the man that he will help him and together they will find his family.  Bucky already considers them dead because that’s a realistic assessment of the situation.  This approach, while efficient and solution-oriented, is missing its compassion and humanity.  For Bucky, it’s about defeating the villain, while for Steve, it’s helping the people.  When Razor-Fist threatens civilians, Rogers goes off to help them while Bucky Barnes goes to fight the villain.  He begins to notice the difference between him and Steve and realizes the weight that comes with his actions.  As the fight progresses, he finds that his approach isn’t wrong, just different.  In the end, Bucky realizes the value of the different approaches and both Caps unite to defeat the enemy.  Writer Christos N. Gage establishes a balance between the two Captain Americas’ roles in the Marvel Universe in this issue.

While there are a few large action shots in this comic, the main focus is on the people.  In the end, the heroes, the civilians, and the villain are all just human.  They don’t have spectacular powers or insane gadgets; just blades, a gun and a shield.  Artist Federico Dallocchio’s style is great for this.  His realistic style carries the relevancy of this issue across.  He doesn’t use outrageous proportions or dramatic foreshortening.  He keeps the fights gritty, as they’re meant to be. 

This Siege one-shot was incredibly well constructed.   The storytelling, art, and character development were right on target with what I think this issue was trying to achieve, which is striking the balance between old and new Captain Americas.