Captain America, Vol. 1

Captain America (2011) (Collected Editions)

by Ed Brubaker, Steve McNiven (Illustrator), Giuseppe Camuncoli (Artist)

Collects Captain America #1-5. A funeral for a fallen friend turns into a race against time as the original Captain America makes his explosive return! Find out the secrets of the mission that went wrong in WWII, and why old friends are now old enemies! It's all-out Cap action and history the way you like it, in a cage match for your comic reading pleasure!

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Marvel, Comic Book, Superheroes, Graphic Novels Comics, Fiction

120 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 8, 2012

About the author

Ed Brubaker (born November 17, 1966) is an Eisner Award-winning American cartoonist and writer. He was born at the National Naval Medical Center, Bethesda, Maryland.

Brubaker is best known for his work as a comic book writer on such titles as Batman, Daredevil, Captain America, Iron Fist, Catwoman, Gotham Central and Uncanny X-Men. In more recent years, he has focused solely on creator-owned titles for Image Comics, such as Fatale, Criminal, Velvet and Kill or Be Killed.

In 2016, Brubaker ventured into television, joining the writing staff of the HBO series Westworld.

Reviews

[Sam Quixote · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cap’s being targeted by another blast from the past. This time it’s a fellow soldier and former ally called Bravo that got left behind on a WW2 mission and has somehow survived to the present day - and is now allied with Hydra!

This is a decent Captain America book but I think Ed Brubaker’s gone back to the well of WW2 and brought back a new forgotten character/nemesis of Cap’s one too many times at this point. It’s also hard to care about the latest person from yesteryear with a grudge against Cap for this or that - we’ve just met the person but we’re instantly meant to be invested in their revenge scheme? Hmm.

I liked some of Brubaker’s flourishes like the Inception-esque dream states in Jimmy Jupiter’s dreamworld, and the 18-foot tall android in a Cap uniform, Ameridroid, was amusing in a campy way. It’s also cool to see some elite Hydra soldiers causing trouble for Cap - somebody in that organisation’s gotta be dangerous, otherwise they’re just (even more of) a joke!

Steve McNiven’s art is once again a highlight - basically every time this guy’s on a book, his artwork becomes the best part about it. He has a very appealing cinematic style that’s really clean, making it look like you’re watching a bright HD screen - lots of wide-shots and big panels show off the action superbly. And I liked that this was still when they were using the classic Cap outfit with the scaly chainmail, the wings on the helmet and the bitchin’ corsair boots. I like the modern Cap uniform too but the classic look is classic for a reason!

Ed Brubaker is still the best writer to read on a Captain America book but this one came out some 7-8 years after Winter Soldier and it feels like his inspiration for the character at this point is running low. It’s not Brubaker’s most engaging effort but it’s not bad and Steve McNiven’s art is always worth checking out. Cap remains the man out of time who can’t escape his past no matter how much you wish he would and deal with present dangers instead!

[Kemper · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a bucket of original recipe Captain America with Steve Rogers back in his old uniform and teaming up with Version 1.0 Nick Fury instead of V2.0 Ultimate Samuel L. Jackson.

Rogers, Fury and Sharon Carter are attending the funeral of an old friend when they’re attacked by a man that Steve recognizes from his World War II days. A botched mission from back then has come back to bite them, and they find themselves up against a former ally as well as elements of Hydra.

It’s getting seriously hard to imagine anyone but Brubaker writing Cap from now on. He delivers satisfying stories that regularly delve into the past of the character while always keeping him moving forward into the future. I especially liked the undercurrent of dissatisfaction that develops with Steve starting to question what America has become.

[Donovan · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first Captain America comic ever. And it was awesome!

Brubaker is known for his crime comics, and this is no exception. Well, with the exception of alternate dimensions. I guess that's new. But Cap is a time traveler, so that's not a stretch. At any rate, this is action packed. There are great twists and moments of suspense. And the dialog is top notch. Most of all, it made me care for Steve Rogers' character and his complex history.

Steve McNiven is cinematic. His illustrations are from the school of realism like Brubaker's indie cohort Sean Phillips. They're bold, sharp, with fluid action.

Overall I was surprised. This was an exciting read. I'm not a big Marvel fan. But if anyone could convert me it's Ed Brubaker.

[Chelsea 🏳️‍🌈 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Originally read 12/27/2018

Reread 04/06/2022 - Better than I remembered, but still pretty bland.

This was just okay. A little bland. The art was drop dead gorgeous.

One thing I appreciate about Brubaker's Cap, he really gets the supporting cast. Dugan, Fury, Sam and Sharon are here and they all have a role. This is probably the most I've seen Sharon get to kick ass and fight. It was greatly appreciated.

There isn't a ton of introspection in this volume but, the set up at the end makes me think the next one will have some.

[Subham · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was fun I guess!

So Steve is back and when he is attending a funeral of his known friend he finds an old foe attacking him and then we earn who it is aka Agent bravo and we have a flashback to '44 when Steve and him teamed up to take down some common enemies but how Bravo and some others got trapped in that dimesnion operated by some Jimmy jupiter and then seeing how in the present how they have returned and their new ally and when they attack Steve and his close ones, what he does to stop them?! Its a very escape from dreamworld, man from the past attacks and a new change for Steve happening and its quite fun.

Its very fast paced and I like that about it and Brubaker uses the trope of villain from the past again and does it well and introduces a new threat in Bravo which was awesome and then the thing he has been doing with "super soldier serum" is coming to a fun head and some interesting changes in the status quo, great fight sequences by the artist and a promising future for this run ahead! A must recommend!

[Benji Glaab · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5🌟 I read this in bits and pieces so hard to rate. I always enjoyed Brubakers noir indie stuff, but what I really remember him for when I first got into comic books was his Daredevil run in the 2004 range. So decided to turn back the clock a bit and see some winter soldier/death of captain America and see where this run gets such a great reputation from.

[Drew Canole · Rating 4 out of 5]

With Bucky now in a Russian prison... we bring you Captain America the Steve Rogers version back in action. With some more skeletons in the WW2 closet coming back into the show.

The highlight is certainly Steve McNiven cinematic artstyle. It's a bit inconsistent in the final couple issues, but overall it's fantastic and a perfect pairing for this multi-dimensional action romp.

[Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yet another reboot of the Captain America franchise, a book you will most likely read in one sitting, for the 2 following reasons: (1) the story is good, albeit with the by-now-overly familiar Brubaker touch of yet-another-hidden/forgotten chapter in Steve Rogers' life, this time with a hint of Christopher Nolan's Inception thrown in; and (2) the book looks absolutely amazing - in fact that is what elevates it to four stars.

Check it out if you like, but I would advise not getting too drawn in to the story arc, because (to date) there have been no less than THREE subsequent reboots of the Captain America comic book series. It's hard to keep up!

[Peter Derk · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think...the story was good, but I'm having a problem with Captain America.

Reading this guy is like dating a lady who's really not over her ex. Everything is about the past.

It's always, "Um, by the way, I forgot to mention something..." or "When will these ghosts from my tumultuous past stop haunting my present!?"

With the girlfriend, it's not stuff that's as exciting as a giant Captain America android wrecking up the city. But still, at some point we need to start living in the present, making decisions about the present, wrapping up the past to a degree that we don't worry about what the hell is going to come up next and start worrying about being present.

[Frank · Rating 3 out of 5]

Being out of comics for decades, this was recommended as a nice start to Captain America without going back to the Siler Age books.
In any event i enjoyed the introduction to this long story which as I understand goes through five volumes of omnibus which I plan on trying to find to read the remainder of the story arc.

[Brent · Rating 4 out of 5]

McNiven is a fine superhero comics artist. The collaboration with Brubaker on this set of stories is quite good. Still ends on a cliffhanger... I had read these stories in individual issues and still enjoyed rereading them.
Recommended.

[Richard Kenneth Conde · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just finished reading Captain America. At the time, Ed Brubaker wrote fantastic Captain America stories whether it was Steve Rogers who wore the uniform, or James "Bucky" Barnes who wore the uniform. This was around the Marvel era when editorial mandate had Steve Rogers apparently "die." The way Ed Brubaker wrote his Captain America stories, it was like a love letter of respect and admiration to the character of Captain America.

Ed Brubaker has been the regular Captain America writer for Marvel for the decade of 2000's. Prior to that, Ed Brubaker was on an exclusive contract with Marvel's primary competition, DC, where he was the regular scribe for Catwoman and Detective Comics that featured Batman. He received a phone call from one of Marvel's hottest writer at the time, Brian Bendis, who was a friend of his. Brian talked to Ed about joining Marvel also known as the House of Ideas. Ed still continued to stay at DC. At which point he was asked which Marvel character he wanted to work on so that he can be persuaded to switch to Marvel. Ed resoundingly answered, "Captain America." Ed then received a call from Marvel Editor in Chief Joe Quesada, and they talked about Captain America, wherein Ed's idea coincided with Joe wanting someone to do a story where Captain America's dead sidekick would be brought back to life in the Marvel Universe.

Ed always wanted to do a Captain America story because he grew up a military brat, or a Navy brat specifically. He travelled from base to base, and he even went to school in the U.S. Base in Guantanamo Bay, which is in Cuba. He was surrounded by the military and intelligence personnel, and just loved reading Captain America in that setting. The character "spoke" to him because he was a super soldier, and fought in an actual war, World War 2. He wasn't a superhero with superpowers flying around and fighting aliens and space invaders. He wanted to do a Captain America story because it appealed to him, but he wanted to write it his way, a modern version, more like a James Bond type of genre, spies, and espionage. A thriller. Ed brought back Bucky to life in the Marvel Universe, to the negative uproar amongst Marvel fans. That was about early 2000's, around 2004. Around 2012, Jim Barnes, either as Captain America or as the Winter Soldier, was one of the most popular characters in the Marvel Universe thanks to the fantastic written work of scribe, Ed Brubaker.

And now that I've dispensed a little history on the writer of Captain America, I will get to the story. This story was a departure from Ed Brubaker's work on the Captain America series. His majority of Captain America stories, Ed's style was more of a noir espionage feeling. The mood was a thriller in the sense of a James Bond atmosphere. This story departed from that and was more of an adventure. Don't get me wrong, there were still traces of that espionage/thriller mood , but the atmosphere was not noir-ish. It's more superheroic based than reality based, so the reader will need to have that suspension of disbelief.

The story opened up with Captain America dressing up and getting ready to attend a funeral of friend, wartime colleague, and former lover. He was joined at the funeral by his current love, Sharon Stone, Nick Fury, and Dum-Dum Duggan. Someone attempted to snuff Duggan's life as they left the funeral, but Captain American saved Duggan's life. Captain America snapped into action as a Living Legend always does, bigger than life. He darted toward the shooter, but the adversary is as quick as Captain America and made his getaway. They do a cat and mouse routine, and in the highway, Captain America was shocked that it was someone from his past that he hasn't seen since 1944. The story then proceeded with flashbacks in World War 2 action with Captain America, Nick Fury, Peggy Carter, Jimmy Jupiter, and Agent Bravo, who was another super soldier. According to superspy legend, Colonel Nick Fury, Jimmy Jupiter had a superpower that allowed him to access to a slipstream space, a dimension between layers of reality that Jimmy called, The Land of Nowhere. Jimmy had the power to enter the place and shape it with his imagination. That was how Nick Fury and his team back in World War Two secretly entered hidden enemy bases. Jimmy would hone in on enemy forces' dreams and accessed them. But one mission went awry, where the agents and soldiers entered The Land of Nowhere to go to a hidden enemy base and got stuck there, because a Nazi spy amongst the Allied Forces ranks hit Jimmy in the head sending him to a coma. And those men were trapped along with the enemy whose dreams were accessed by Jimmy. Fast forward to the current time, Jimmy snapped out of his coma, and those who were trapped in the Land of Nowhere who were still alive, came out of the Utopia they created in that world, and ended up on America's reality of the current timeline. The vengeful adversary put all the blame on Captain America.

The aspect of "Man Out of Time" is repeated throughout the book. It was prevalent in Steve Rogers's mind almost throughout the book. His childhood was the depression era which was back in the 1930s America. His first five years of being Captain America was as a soldier in World War Two.

At the same time, his main adversary kept reminding Steve that the current world was worse than he and Rogers's World War Two world. The adversary blamed Steve Rogers for what has happened to America, that Congress was bought and paid for, while Captain America just stood by holding the flag, and let it all happen. Furthermore, the adversary added that America has lost its ways. the robber barons have bought the whole country. They owned the press and the general populace believed the lies they told. Even at the end of this book, he blamed Captain America and denounced the Star Spangled Legend has failed America.

The surprising part about the book that made me smile, was the genuine love that Sharon Carter, Agent 13 of SHIELD, had for Steve Rogers. Steve McNiven, the illustrator, captured the emotions, and depictions of thoughts in the characters' faces. He captured Sharon's feeling of comfort next to Steve in bed, depicting her reassurance that she was next to the love of her life. And at the end of the book, when Captain America was trapped in the Land of Nowhere with the adversary, with no hope of bringing him back except from a dying Jimmy Jupiter, she spoke to a comatose Jimmy Jupiter and pleaded with him to hear her, tears and all, to help her bring Captain America back to the real world. The pain and anguish on her face was really captured by Steve McNiven. He captured her raw emotion of someone who has just lost her most precious possession, the love of her life, that you as the reader, wanted to comfort her, and reassure her that you were pulling for a miracle for her.

Steve McNiven's clear lines enhanced the book. He drew the scale mail, the flag colors of Captain America's uniform as if he were having a great time. He had some great visual designs of Captain America's movement and aspects of his character. There was a part in the book where Captain America jumped out of the plane because their secret attack was compromised, and the hero sprung to action was captured perfectly. He captured the intensity of Captain America in that scene perfectly. The Star Spangled Hero leaped into action, no pun intended.

Finally, it's not Ed Brubaker's best work, but it was much better than many stories around. Ed took Captain America on a different direction with this story, but he still nailed storytelling at its best with this one. You can read this and be entertained enough to read it over and over. I did.

[Quentin Wallace · Rating 3 out of 5]

Captain America has always appealed to me because while he is a super hero, he's not Superman. He's faster, stronger, smarter than the average person, but he's still human. He doesn't fly around, and he's not invulnerable. His stories have always had a more realistic feel to them than some superheroes for that reason.

However, Cap just isn't made for this type of story, at least in my opinion. This is a really far out science fiction type tale, and while it was entertaining, it just didn't seem like a Captain America story to me. The story is very well done, and they did a good job of fitting it into the Cap universe so to speak, but still, it was just not Captain America. (To be fair, he has had some very far out stories in the past such as the Cosmic Cube, Infinity Gauntlet, etc and those stories worked well, but something about this one just felt a little off to me.)

The art from Steven Niven was great, so no problem there. And the story itself wasn't bad, it was well written, I just didn't think the premise fit Cap very well. I'm sure some loved the story, just wasn't for me. I would still recommend it for any die hard Captain America fan because it's not terrible, and if you like heavy sci fi in your comics, this may be the story for you even if you aren't a huge Cap fan.

[joana · Rating 3 out of 5]

My first Marvel graphic book!!! I basically know nothing about Marvel other than the movies so this has been nice. I didn't even know there was a Sharon Carter in the Marvel universe haha
Okay the reason I gave it 3 stars is basically because the book is kinda confusing, with all the flashbacks and stuff. Other than that it's great.
I have a few more to read so hopefully they won't be as confusing :)

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really good Cap adventure that was like a throwback to an issue from the 70's or 80's. I'm not sure what I liked better - the melancholy references to his time in WWII or having Howling Commando vets Nick Fury (the original two-fisted, cigar-chomping, salt-and-pepper / five o'clock shadow, Hell's Kitchen native version of the character - not that I have an issue with Samuel L., though) and 'Dum Dum' Dugan along side him in action.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven't read a Captain America book that was this good in quite a while. It is action packed, and fast paced with out a lot of pointless dialogue that doesn't have anything to do with the story, which I have found some wordy comics to have. Dimension hopping kid creates portals for Allies to transport and sneak up on Hydra, but something happens and they get trapped in this world.

[Ivy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yay. Steve is back as Captain America. Poor Jimmy Jupiter. How is Dum Dum able to stay young? Or not look really old. Isn't he around the same age as Peggy? RIP Peggy Carter. It is weird seeing a white Nick Fury not a black Nick Fury.

[Allan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not bad. I'm not a follower of the Captain America franchise, but I love Ed Brubaker. Unsurprisingly, the writing is great--matched by gorgeous art. Looking forward to Volume 2!

[Sik4 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sidekicks plutôt cool, mais un captain sans profondeur, avec une histoire sans inspiration et des méchants sans.... Rien. Les méchants n'ont rien. Le dessin est correct though

[Chris Lemmerman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Do I really need to describe how good Ed Brubaker's Captain America stories are? He has been writing the character for over 5 years, and shows no sign of stopping yet - and thank god for that.

This is Cap at his best - action, intrigue, the supporting characters you know and love, a compelling plotline and inventive new villain (though I do wonder how many more friends/foes they can drag up from the Second World War), and not only is this a great opening arc to a new series of Cap, but it serves as a springboard for what looks to be an exciting new set of storylines too.

Aiding Brubaker is the fantastically lifelike Steve McNiven, who excels himself with each successive page. With these two around, there's never been a better time to start following Captain America.

[Krista · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my first Captain America comic, and I really enjoyed it. I was first introduced to Cap's character in the MCU movie, "The Avengers"; I'd been infatuated with Robert Downey Jr. and Iron Man (um, still am), and hadn't given Cap much notice. It wasn't until the Winter Soldier movie came out that I decided to go back and watch the first so I could see them both. Somehow my Chris Evans/Steve Rogers infatuation was latent, but here I am! And to think I was missing out all this time... (Truly a tragedy.) Really recommend this for anyone who loved Cap in the movies and want more adventures from him. Speaking of, I already have the second volume in hand...

[sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars
I really enjoyed this. The story was action packed, interesting and easy to follow for someone who hasn't read a ton of Captain America comics before.

The art was really nice, it matched and flowed with the story nicely.

I've enjoyed everything I've read by Ed Brubaker so far and I will definitely be continuing on with this arc as well as picking up more by him.

[Arlomisty · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this one... lots of classic Captain America action with a little bit of a twist in the storyline... he's not exactly where he thinks he is... and an old comrade in arms who has been lost for decades returns for revenge....

[Shelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Villains from Steve's past in the 1940s have appeared in the present, leaving pretty much everyone in danger. I loved the WW2 flashbacks with Peggy, I love Sharon and her kickassness, I love the Queen and Codename: Bravo plot. Fun stuff.

[Mike · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story was ok, but the sudden change in art during the last issue knocked the book down a bit I felt.

[velma · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay, it was a good adventure and all, but why the flippity frick frak is Cap doing romance with Peggy's niece?!!!!!!!!!!!?????? hOW IS THIS NOT CREEPY

[Katy · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

[Brandt · Rating 3 out of 5]

It seems that when Ed Brubaker first began his run on Captain America the first thing he might have done was to go back and read all of the "Golden Age" adventures of Cap and the other Timely Comics heroes that predated the "Marvel Age." While constant collaborator Jack Kirby was an artist on the early Timely Captain America stories with Joe Simon, Stan Lee didn't make his mark until the "Silver Age" of comics and I am going to assume that Stan was the one behind linking the old Timely heroes to Marvel Comics (since Timely became Atlas which became Marvel) in Avengers #4. Since most of Brubaker's run concerns itself with the multitude of retcons that were necessary thanks to Lee conveniently "forgetting" that Atlas published their own Captain America title into the mid-fifties, leaving a giant gaping narrative hole to explain how all of those Atlas stories could have happened if Cap was stuck in ice until the Avengers found him (hello 50s Cap and Bucky) which Brubaker began to address with the classic Winter Soldier arc.

However, if there was some story element that Brubaker felt he could exploit in a Cap story arc, he would run with it. The Old Wounds arc is a prime example of this--Brubaker takes a What If? story and uses it as the basis for a story occurring in the Marvel 616 continuity. However, most of Brubaker's Captain America, when not dedicated to resurrecting Bucky from the dead, is dedicated to linking contemporary Captain America to the old Timely and Atlas comics, even if they didn't directly impact Captain America. In this collection, we are re-introduced to an old comatose man named Jimmy Jupiter, who has the ability to send people through an alternate dimension, which is used a method of transport to cut the distance between point A and point B when the power is used during World War II special operations. This is where Captain America comes in, being part of a retcon where he has a rival for Peggy Carter's affections in the form of another super soldier called Codename: Bravo. During the special op flashback we find out that Jupiter is attacked in the middle of sending Bravo to his destination and going comatose, traps Bravo in that dimension (called "Nowhere".) The story picks up when an aged Jimmy Jupiter wakes up from his coma, freeing a now insane Bravo from his prison, along with some friends.

From here, the story is fairly bog standard superhero fare. Brubaker uses the opportunity to introduce some new Captain America adversaries while returning to some of the old standards. Of course, everything I laid out in the previous paragraphs indicate that the building blocks for this arc are very clever on Brubaker's part, but the problem I have is that I had to research all of the history of this arc myself. I accidentally stumbled on the Timely Comics link with Jimmy Jupiter to figure out the name of one of the new adversaries in this arc. I have a feeling that an editor's note making the connection would have been helpful and probably would have accentuated my enjoyment of this arc, but I never got that. At this point, perhaps Brubaker has gone to the well so many times on Marvel's pre-history that I should just expect it? Shame on me, I guess.

[Dmitry Yakovenko · Rating 4 out of 5]

Captain America, Volume 1, Volume 2, Volume 3, Volume 4

Именно Эд был тем человеком, что вдохнул в Кэпа вторую жизнь в далеком 2005. Он сделал персонажа человечным, он добавил в историю не только экшена, но и шпионские интриги, политические заговоры, невероятную драму, плюс именно он был тем, кто вернул в комиксы Баки и представил его в новом свете, создав одного из самых интересных героев Marvel. То был том 5, что же нам несёт 6?
⠀
На самом деле, нельзя сказать что тут что-то кардинально изменилось. Всё тот же Кэп, всё тот же Брубейкер, всё та же драма, однако исчез Баки и шпионский триллер, оставив место в большей степени для типичного супергеройского экшена. В некоторых сюжетах этого тома история и драма преобладает над экшеном, как в истории про убийцу преступников, но в некоторых, к сожалению, бессмысленное действие в чрезмерных количествах затмевает собой историю. Скажем, сюжет про зомбирование населения и последующую анархию является жуткой банальщиной, что на 90% состоит из экшена. Экшена красивого и зрелищного, да, но не за этим обычно идёшь к Брубейкеру.
⠀
В целом, достойная и крайне нестыдная работа, но местами её качество разнится от стерильности до великолепия, поэтому и итог чуть похуже, чем был у прошлого тома.

[Ian · Rating 3 out of 5]

At the funeral of his one-time lover Peggy Carter, Cap is attacked by another face from his wartime past; the long-lost super soldier Codename: Bravo. He, Agent 13, Dum Dum Dugan and Nick Fury then have to foil an attempt by Bravo and agents of Hydra to remake the very fabric of reality.

This is a solid adventure for Cap and his allies, with the added emotional punch of having Steve Rogers confront the fact that the America of today (when 'today' was 2011) is not the culmination of 'the American Dream' that it was supposed to be.

I have to say, however, that having another man-out-of-time face from Cap's past show up in the present feels a bit derivative at this point, especially considering Brubaker's own work in bringing Bucky Barnes into the modern continuity.
It's not done badly, mind you, it just feels like we've tread this ground before.

Also, the implications of Steve accompanying his lover Sharon to the funeral of her great aunt who was also his lover, then preceding to discuss said relationship, is just a bit too uncomfortable for me.

* More reviews here: https://fsfh-book-review2.webnode.page *