Captain America (2004-2011) #6

Captain America (2004) (Single Issues)

by Ed Brubaker, Steve Epting (Artist), Frank D'Armata (Colorist)

"OUT OF TIME" Finale
Who killed the Red Skull? Who is the mystery assassin we have yet to see? This issue answers those questions and more! The hunt for the killer of the Red Skull takes a bizarre turn and Steve Rogers' life turns with it. Shattered fragments of Cap's past are called into question by new memories that keep flooding his mind. Is someone playing mind games with him, or has he been in the dark about certain events for years? Only a trip to the scene of his most devastating failure will answer that question. Part 6 (of 6).

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

21 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 25, 2005

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

[Daughter of Paper and Stone · Rating 5 out of 5]

Warning: I lump my reviews based on their respective storylines. This review follows the storyline of Out of Time (Issues 1–6). I post all of these lumped reviews on the last comic of the storyline (in this case, Issue 6). Therefore, if you are reading this review, you have (probably—I hope) read the previous issues (1–6).

I’m back in my Marvel (comics) era.

I don’t know if I can rewatch all the movies without becoming an emotional mess over how terrible the new MCU phase is and how it has essentially erased one of the best cinematic universes to ever exist. I’m still glad the comics exist. (The new Captain America movie was fair, not as bad as people are making it out to be. It had the same feeling as the Phase One movies).

Primarily, they ground me. I’ve been through plenty of bad runs by different authors who have mishandled my favorite characters (and I have survived them!!). Secondarily, the source material just hits differently. The MCU brought the movie versions of our screams, but the comics have something special about them.

The older comics, anyway. (Like anything nowadays, the newer stuff just lacks SOUL.) I don’t have a deep love for every Captain America issue or even comics as a medium, but Ed Brubaker is one of my favorite (if not my absolute favorite) comic writers. Heck, writers in general. His plot twists are amazing.

He brought Captain America to life—made him complex yet still compelling. Before, Steve was more of an ideal than a man. His comics were fun, but he was a caricature. Brubaker makes him both. And by doing so, he forces both Steve and readers to ask: How can anyone ever balance that?

Then there’s the invention (or best characterization) of my favorite character: Bucky Barnes.

Ed Brubaker created the Winter Soldier (not Bucky Barnes)—the single most complex, badass, and haunting character in Marvel. (I might be biased, since he’s one of my favorites.) He also launched one of my favorite ships (Black Widow x Winter Soldier, anyone?) and wrote some of the best plot twists and storylines. So much so that the MCU used most of them (and continues to do so, in a way).

Okay, I’ll stop fangirling and go back to reading now.

Maybe this issue also gets bonus points for following the structure of a murder mystery instead of just being an action-packed container of explosions. It makes getting invested a lot easier.

—————————————————————————
RATINGS:

Plot : 4 📚📚📚📚 A lot of plot.
Art: 4.5 🖼️🖼️🖼️🖼️💫 Impressive. Nearly perfect with only minor flaws.
World Building (Immersion): 4.5 🌎🌎🌎🌎💫 I
Angst: 3 👹👹👹 Getting slapped.
Funniness: 1.5 🌝💫 Amused
Scariness: ❎ Not scary.
Romance: 1 💖 There was some, if you squinted
Spice: ❎ No spice. Marvel tries to keep it PG.
Goriness: 3 🫀🫀🫀 Someone died, and I got to see what happened
Sadness: 1.5 🥲💫 A twinge
Overall star rating: 4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Highly enjoyable.

————————————————————————-
🚨🚨🚨 SPOILERS 🚨🚨🚨

——>>The Good Chapters:
Issue #1
▫️The beginning? Brutal. ✋🏻😭 I had to witness the Red Guardian get killed just like that (Not that I’m a big fan of him, ESPECIALLY in the comics.) At least the ending (and the glimpse at our honorable Steve) makes up for it.

Issue #2
▫️The end of part 2 can be summarized by the feeling of sitting up and staring at the camera.
What do you mean [redacted] is dead?
Who even is the main villain now???
And the last, most important question: Who the [bleep] killed him??

Issue #3
▫️Union Jack was a jumpscare because why do I always forget about him? 😭🤣
Plus, that ending:
“Do I know you?”
“No.”
BAAM.
That is cold. 🥶 But then, given who is dishing out the bullets, it makes sense. 😏

Issue #4
▫️All the memories rushing back to Cap… and the metal arm at the end. 👀

Issue #5
▫️Fury’s secretary being into the gossip is so real.

Issue #6
▫️The worry for Sharon grows and grows, which means MY worry for Steve is through the roof. (They do have great chemistry in this run, though.)

—>>The In-between Chapters:
• I have never been a Sharon hater. I like her. The thing is, she is mostly the love interest. Here, Brubaker doesn’t make her useless, though—he gives her agency and a character arc. I just don’t remember how it goes (to be honest, I don’t think I ever finished these Captain America comics. I dropped them right after [redacted] comes back). Then I proceeded to the Winter Soldier comics (I was 16 and very much in love with Bucky Barnes’ character 😫 and 110% invested in his backstory with Natasha, okay?). After that, I read most of the Black Panther comics and Doctor Strange. It’s time I finish them.

——>>The Bad Chapters:
• Some of it was rather slow at times.

____Romance Information:____
~~For my romance girlies who might want to dive into comic romance:
It’s (usually) a side plot. Some of the slow burns are good. Also, it’s best to treat different runs as alternate realities, or else you’ll be driven crazy with all the different (and sometimes random) pairings, lol. The writer(s) usually tell you which exes you need to care about (if any).
Here, Sharon and Steve have a past. She is his ex-girlfriend and also his S.H.I.E.L.D. handler. Things didn’t work out between them—no details on why.
Sharon is currently dating another guy who is also an agent. (Things don’t end well for them.)

[Liz Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 bc i think this is a great starting point as a reader going in blind to comic knowledge but also i have to wrap my head around the differences between mcu and comics bc the way everything happens is very different

[Jack · Rating 5 out of 5]

Looking back on it with Bucky being such a big character in pop culture, it's crazy to think that his death lasted nearly 40 years. This issue is such a historic moment and maybe the most important addition to Captain America's mythos ever

[maksi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Estos números han estado muy interesantes y me han gustado mucho.
Las últimas páginas me han dejado completamente en shock, que el Capi. se haya enterado de que Bucky está vivo, la muerte de Tapper, y que el Cubo haya recuperado su poder.

[Ellie Hope · Rating 3 out of 5]

56/100

[Cris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dios mío, lo dolorosa que es la historia de Steve y Bucky en todas sus versiones