Review: Captain America 32

Captain America 32
The Death of Captain America Act 2
The Burden of Dreams: Part Two

Ed Brubaker – Writer
Steve Epting – Artist
Butch Guice - Inker

Synopsis:

As the title suggest, the story continues the ramifications of the death of Captain America. Dr Faustus has Bucky and Sharon in his clutches, as he continues to work on breaking the Winter Soldier’s will. Part two begin with Bucky fighting the Doctor’s commands to shot Sharon by firing at Faustus himself. However, the gun is loaded with blanks.

Meanwhile the Black Widow and the Falcon recovering from Sharon’s treacherous trap last issue, follow her trail into the sewers and to a secret but guarded entrance to an A.I.M hideout.

On board a S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier, Tony Stark learns that Agent 13’s pregnancy. In response, he all electronic records deleted, all hard copies destroyed and no word of this to be spoken to anyone.

Bucky manages to escape as the Black Widow and the Falcon attach the base in search for Sharon Carter. Mistaken that Sharon will join him in his attempt, Bucky is instead apprehended by Agent 13 and returned to Dr. Faustus’ control; however, during Faustus’ retreat Sharon tosses Bucky out of their plane to keep the Falcon from continuing his pursuit.

Review:

As you can see from the synopsis, Ed Brubaker has crammed a lot into the story and it reads at a brisk pace, engrossing the reader in every page and in every player. Even though Captain America is nowhere in the story, and hasn’t been since issue 25, his present permeates every panel – it’s all about Steve Rogers and his legacy.

Rarely can a writer capture so many strong personalities in a single issue and maintain a focus on each individual’s plight. Even supporting characters, such as Tony Stark, are gifted with a richness that even their own series may not afford. This is comic writing at its best.

The art by Steve Epting and Butch Guice is fantastic, striking just the right mode and hitting all the right marks in its action. Not as flashy as more high-profile artists, Epting’s art is at his personal best. The pacing is fantastic and he captures all the right mode to accent the story.

This is a modern classic. If you’re not reading Captain America, you should be.

Rating:
4.5 out of 5