Steve Rogers is on his way back but he needs to face inner demons like the Red Skull.
Captain America: Reborn #5 of 6
Publisher: Marvel
Writer: Ed Brubaker
Artist: Bryan Hitch
Inker: Butch Guice
Colorist: Paul Mounts
Letterer: VC’s Joe Caramagna
Summary: Steve Rogers is back…or is he? This is the action-packed finale of the best-selling series as the Avengers try to rescue their best and brightest from the Red Skull’s darkest designs. Find out the fates of Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes and what their futures hold in store!
Review: Ed Brubaker will get all the credit for bringing Captain America back to life as if fans forgot he was the one who killed him off in the first place, but the artistic direction of Bryan Hitch should not be ignored. Issue #5 of Reborn takes another bold leap in design. Previously readers have been astounded by beautiful retrospectives as Steve Rogers bounced through time. Now the perspective of the world is altered and shows readers how Steve isn’t really time traveling but more or less mind traveling and he’s stuck in his own body with the Red Skull as a mental companion.
In this mental prison, Steve sees a world with the Red Skull in power, even in America. There’s a vast crimson blanket for a background dappled in swastikas. The layout of the pages uniquely displays small rotated panels overlaying large backgrounds in a style similar to DC’s Detective Comics #854 under the pen of J. H. Williams III. Even the small panels provide significance in the storytelling rather than being distractions. There are times when the illustrations aren’t as appealing as the robust layout and coloring. Facial expressions are still where Hitch excels in the visuals of the storytelling.
Personally, I hate the wraparound cover and recommend the John Cassaday instead which is more elegant and simply a better illustration of Captain America, even if it is the Red Skull trapped in Steve’s body.
While Steve deals with the inner battle, Crossbones is leading an army of MODOKs against the Avengers. This brings the two Captains America head to head in an modern day gun-fu brawl. The Skull knows Bucky won’t let loose if there’s any chance he can connect with Steve. The fisticuffs continue in front of Abraham Lincoln who witnessed America at war with itself when he lived and now his monument gets to oversee the imagery of two red, white and blue fighters at each other’s throats.
The penultimate issue of Reborn brings great action and a lot of hateful feelings. All that remains is the one-shot “Who Will Wield the Shield?” and issue #6.
January 2nd, 2010 at 3:57 pm
I read this one! It’s amazing.