Thursday, July 2, 2009

Captain America: Reborn #1 (of 5)

We can be thankful that fiction isn't bound by the same rules as the real world.

In the world of imagination, death is overturned all the time, and characters who had gone to join the heavenly choir are often able to make the trip back to join the living.

After a couple of years, Marvel is finally doing just that to our pal Captain America.

It's hard to imagine any fans out there believing that Cap's death was any more permanent than Superman's was or Batman's will be - but the true test of a story is how the dramatic twist is resolved.

Spinning out of issue #600, we have a special Reborn mini-series explaining just how Cap could still be alive - quite a trick, since we saw his cold dead body.

Thankfully, they're not copping out with a silly explanation (Cap was a Skrull/Clone/LMD/etc.) - the reveal provides a story that has a good science fiction legacy (paging Mr. Vonnegut), and has the comic's entire supporting cast working to solve the mystery and bring Steve back from the "other side."

As always, writer Ed Brubaker provides an outstanding script, and the book features top-of-the-line art from Bryan Hitch, one of the best in the business, and Butch Guice, an artist who used to be really good, but now I'd categorize as nothing less than great. His recent work has reflected his growth as an artist, and his work packs a powerful, realistic punch. The styles of both artists mesh very well, as each one tells a different part of the story - they're the perfect team to work on this book.

Not to give anything away, but this issue makes me very happy indeed. Recommended!

Grade: A

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