Broken Frontier

One can only wonder what it must be like for Ed Brubaker to wake the morning after handing in the script for Super Soldier #2 knowing full well that he has just schooled every other writer in the industry. Brubaker has once again shown that a simple idea, executed perfectly, can breathe an untold and sometime-unknown depth and complexity into a character and story – this is exactly what he has achieved with Super Soldier.

The idea really is so simple that it’s surprising that Brubaker hadn’t explored it within the pages of Captain America years ago. The tale he is weaving is one full of so many twists and turns that from the moment you open the book to the second after you close it you’ll be in pure awe. It’s both a touching story about how Steve Rogers’ very first failure as Captain America has returned to haunt him, as much as it is a story showing how far the man has come since Brubaker killed him and brought him back.

If at any point you have enjoyed the Captain America ongoing, especially pre-Civil War, then you will be happy to know that the detective element of the character is in full effect here. It’s exhilarating to follow Steve as he tries to piece together the clues, with the first reveal of the villain accomplished in a wonderfully Scooby Doo-like fashion (pull the mask back to reveal something completely unexpected).

Luckily, the art is up to the standard of the writing, Eaglesham is more than up to the task and completely knocks this issue out of the park. His pencils carry detail and depth that most other artists would struggle to achieve. How he manages to bring the charisma, charm, and an almost forgotten innocence of the Golden Era to the characters I will never know.   

That really is what defines this book. Brubaker and Eaglesham have created something that feels and reads like a Golden Age book, but with modern sensibilities. The dialogue and inner-monologue from Steve is a bit corny, in an 80s superhero kind of way, but that’s just one part of its charm.

You won’t find a better comic on the shelves this week. I would take this as an ongoing over Secret Avengers and maybe even Captain America any day. The curveball at the end looks like it’s setting up the greatest Cap story never told. As said, a simple but perfectly executed idea is often killer.