All-New Captain America #2

by Kalem Lalonde on December 21, 2014

Written by: Rick Remender
Art by: Stuart Immonen 

Rick Remender’s last Captain America run was a pretty solid comic in spite of its flaws. However, I always felt that he was aiming very high and just not achieving an epic feeling of scope. All-New Captain America gets rid of this problem by providing us with a very fun and adventurous-plot while maintaining great character focus. Last month’s issue started the new volume off strong and Remender holds my interest with this issue. This Cap run is off to a strong start.

Remender builds upon his great understanding of Sam Wilson’s character here. He shows us why Sam Wilson was an apt choice to take on the mantle and he also differentiates Sam from his predecessor. Remender’s great handle on Sam’s inner monologue is an extremely efficient way of building his character without slowing down the action. The narration isn’t bloated or distracting, there’s a natural flow to it that certainly enhances the issue’s depth.

Even though Sam is the focus here, we’re treated with two great portrayals of villains from Cap’s rogues gallery. Crossbones is given the role of pursuer as he chases down Sam throughout the majority of this issue leading to an awesome fight sequence. I love that Remender is digging into the Captain America mythos with this run, giving readers a chance to get familiar with his various villains. We also get a twisted interpretation of Baron Zemo. I’m loving where this storyline is going with Zemo, he’s scary, cruel and imposing. Hydra is a great opponent for Captain America to face and Zemo could be considered as a human embodiment of Hydra’s concepts and ideals.

I do have one small problem with this issue, however. There are multiple twists and one of them involves a regurgitated idea from Jonathan Hickman’s Secret Warriors run. The concepts are extremely similar and the twist had no originality to it. I’m hoping Remender takes advantage of the opportunity to write some compelling drama but he will have to think out of the box to give us something unique this time around.

Stuart Immonen returns on pencils and my enjoyment of this book is greatly boosted by his wonderful art. Slick line work, impeccable action and sublime characters, Immonen draws a beautiful issue that I admired after having finished the issue. Immonen is a great asset to this series and I feel that without his pencils, the series would have the same incredibly fast-paced feel to it.

Plot twists, chase sequences, twisted villains and incredible action, this book has all the aspects of a great Captain America story. Sam Wilson is proving to be a perfect fit for the Captain America mantle leading us through an adventurous and fun comic. 

Our Score:

9/10

A Look Inside