Friday, January 7, 2011

Ultimate Captain America #1

Well, I'm really torn over this issue - there are things about Ultimate Captain America that I really like, and things that I really didn't like.

First, the good news: the art is terrific. Artist Ron Garney has tackled Cap before, and he always does a terrific job. His style is unique - rough-edged and kinetic, with great layouts and stunning images. I can see a touch of Kubert in there - but it's mostly Garney's own, ever-evolving style on display.

But the art is the only reason to buy the book - the story by Jason Aaron really falls flat.

That's mostly because it seems like a direct copy of the recent confrontation between Cap and the Red Skull over in the Ultimate Avengers comic. Once again, Cap is up against an opponent who seems unstoppable.

It's one thing for Cap to get defeated occasionally, but this guy is the ultimate soldier - yet every time we see him he's getting his head handed to him.

There's some fun bits of dialogue on display here, but otherwise, it's just more of the same.

It would be nice to see a writer try to do some more with Cap as a person - surely he's not the ass-kicking soldier 24/7.

Give him a life - and then we'll be getting somewhere new, instead of visiting the same old territory over and over again.

Grade: C+

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