Captain America, Vol. 1: Winter in America

Captain America (2018)

by Ta-Nehisi Coates (Writer), Leinil Francis Yu (Illustrator)

It's winter in America! For over 70 years, Captain America has stood in stalwart defense of our country and its people. But in the aftermath of Hydra's takeover of the nation, Cap is a figure of controversy, carrying a tarnished shield...and a new enemy is rising! Who are they? And how do they intend to co-opt and corrupt the symbol that is Captain America? Distrusted by a nation that seems to have lost faith in him, Steve Rogers is a man out of time - and out of options! Where can a now-unsanctioned Captain America turn for aid and assistance in order to stem the rise of the cabal of influence brokers known as the Power Elite? Join acclaimed BLACK PANTHER scribe Ta-Nehisi Coates for the next chapter of Captain America's life!

COLLECTING: CAPTAIN AMERICA 1-6, FREE COMIC BOOK DAY 2018 (AVENGERS/CAPTAIN AMERICA) 1 (CAPTAIN AMERICA STORY)

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

152 pages, Paperback

First published February 19, 2019

About the author

Ta-Nehisi Coates is the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Between the World and Me, a finalist for the National Book Award. A MacArthur "Genius Grant" fellow, Coates has received the National Magazine Award, the Hillman Prize for Opinion and Analysis Journalism, and the George Polk Award for his Atlantic cover story "The Case for Reparations." He lives in New York with his wife and son.

Reviews

[James DeSantis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is what I'm talking about. Captain America is BACK!

Little history on myself and cap (If you care enough to read this). I loved Captain America as a Superhero ever since I was in High School (I just turned 30...I'm fucking old). I actually own every single arc/trade since 2005 all the way to 2019. There's been ups and downs, but mostly he's stayed pretty solid (Still gotta read Rick's run) but I just felt nobody hit that high point that Brubaker did. He crafted a spy thriller like no other for our boy in blue and I kept waiting for someone to follow up with the same feels.

I have to say I believe Coates did it.

This starts off simple enough. Steve is helping break up rallies gone wrong when Nuke looking wannabes drop from the sky to make things worse. Repeating the same phases to Steve, saying he's the Captain of nothing. Steve is also dealing with the fallout of Secret Empire, which for some reason Waid's run kind of skipped over. I personally enjoyed the build up to Secret Empire (the event itself was okay) but I kept thinking how great a story would be to build off the ramifications of it all. Here, Steve does just that, and he can see that many still don't fully trust him despite him not being the leader of Hydra.

This book is pretty big in mythos and we get a lot of villains you might not have known about or seen in a long time. Hell, they even bring in a X-men villain I only ever read about but haven't actually read much comics with her, or if any at all if I'm being honest. The thing though is all these villains are linking up in a way that is foreshadowing Captain America's greatest threat yet, but they're fighting in a new way. A way to break a legacy. To break a man's public image. Because what's worse then when the people who trust you turn on you completely?

Good: The art is a great mix of heroic stance moments, easy to follow fight scenes, and some dramatic tuning to make the dialogue land even better. I couldn't really ask for a better art team since it hits all the highs of what I want with it's grit, but also hopeful coloring at times.

Coates NAILS Steve's inner monologue. Not ultra word heavy like the start of his Black Panther run, this is light enough but emotional and hard-hitting enough to relate and care about Steve. He's a person after all, and now he really does hold the weight of the world on his shoulders. From the strong dialogue, some nice overall twist, the tone of hope verses loss, and of course that goddamn ending, we have some big things coming in Captain America.

Bad: It is big, and so many character's being introduced you might have to look some up. A lot of scheming too, and building, so if looking for all the payoffs in this volume you might be disappointed. This is going for the long game.

Overall, fantastic. This is by far my favorite Captain America start since I first open Brubaker's comic almost 15 years ago. I hope it continues to be this good or even better, because I was hooked from page 1. A 4.5 out of 5.

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this almost exclusively because I like Coates’ non-fiction work on race in America. I did not like what I read of his Black Panther run: Wordy, preachy, dull. He’s a little better here than the early BP volumes, but it’s still a set-up volume for future arcs, so it is mostly expository, with rambling, pretty vague voice-overs/monologues, lots of posed questions, and less action than you want in a comic that hopes to engage the reader from the first page.

The artwork from Yu is what makes it engaging, and I am intrigued by the darkness of the world Coates creates here. It very much is a comic about contemporary America, where we see poverty-stricken townspeople who had been promised more by Hydra in his take-0ver of the USA. Cap is himself recovering from some evil done to him personally, so he’s angry and heart-broken. Not much story here yet, something about evil Russians (oh! I’ve never heard about that in comics before!). Cameos from Black Panther and others. But I’ll read the second volume to see if it begins to move into more than commentary.

The volume concludes with a Nina Simone reference about a new dawn and a new day:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHs98...

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a bit strange to finally deal with Cap's part in Secret Empire after a year of Mark Waid ignoring it, but finally we get it. Cap's back and trying to make amends for his face being the face of the Supreme Hydra Commander. Unfortunately for Steve, no one's happy to see him back. The rest of America just kind of wants to forget Captain America exists. Some even believe he's still part of Hydra. There's ultimately some kind of vague conspiracy going on, having to do with some Russians. Leinil Francis Yu does a bang up job on the art. I really like his action sequences. Plus he illustrated all 7 issues which is rare for the big 2.

I have to say Coates has gotten a lot better as a comic book writer. His Black Panther run reads like a text book. It's just plain dull. Coates has finally learned to edit himself here. The narration is sparse. The problem is it's also vague. It doesn't really say much at all. Same goes with his story. Everything is vague and hinted at, instead of just coming out and stating what's happening. Still this is MUCH better than Black Panther and I'm interested in where this is headed.

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think by the conclusion I had an equal number of likes and dislikes with Winter in America.

Coates did a good job tapping into the national zeitgeist and generating a certain amount of dread - like a 70's conspiracy thriller film - with the twisty storyline. The scenes of Cap working alongside Black Panther, the combat scenes with the formidable Taskmaster, and the villain 'reveal' were all good. However, at other times it veered into being a little too sanctimonious and, instead of being slightly plausible fiction, annoyed me with needless or obvious reminders that America is not a perfect nation. Still, Cap's under pressure and I'm curious to see how things go for him from here.

[Chelsea 🏳️‍🌈 · Rating 5 out of 5]

It took a while but we finally have another truly great Captain America series!

While I appreciate what Waid did, his series wasn't a super cohesive storyline. It was more a collection of small Captain America stories that were great at paying homage to what the character was. However, it didn't do much to show what the character can be. Coates is doing that.

It doesn't escape my attention that it took a black man to understand why some of the "classic" takes on Cap's image can run into issues. In some ways, this series combats some of what Waid posited in his series. He was all about the All American, apple pie Cap and here is Coates taking that and exploring what Cap should be when the rest of the world has become distrustful of him. It's kind of interesting in that, in my opinion, this is the first time Cap has been allowed to lose.

Even in Civil War, the rest of the superhuman world (and much of the fanbase) believed Steve was right. Here, after the mess with Spencer's waste of time Secret Empire, the world seems to no longer believe in Captain America. They still think he's the Supreme Leader (and believe me, I kept thinking back to Star Wars). We get to see what Cap does when he's no longer the living legend -- and what does he do? Continues to fight.

This series is a bit more gruff than previous ones. Certainly rougher than Waid's but not quite as rough as Brubaker's 2005 run. The art makes for a rougher feel that really works for the series. I'm enjoying Yu's art so far (I'm thinking there's less sexualized women in this one because he doesn't care to sexualize an older Sharon Carter). I love Cap's internal monologue. It's truly wonderful without being too one note like Aaron's in the Avengers run.

The arc took a while to get going but it reads a bit better when you read it all in one sitting instead of month to month. I was shocked to find that we actually have a villain that I can sink my teeth into. One in which I'm not bored during Alexa's interludes and just waiting for it to be over. I'm actually interested in seeing her motives and her planning in the background of everything else. I actually care to see where this goes.

And that cliffhanger??? Oh, I'm so glad I have the next few issues already. I can't wait to read them!

All of these thoughts may be clouded by the fact that I've found every other Marvel series I've read lately to be more than a little lackluster. Tony Stark: Iron Man holds my attention but it isn't a Tony centric book, despite the title. I haven't enjoyed Thompson's writing all that much. Avengers is just a nightmare that I'm bummed I ever spent money on.

But this -- this right here is a real book! I'm invested. I'm engaged.

... I'm excited.

[Artemy · Rating 2 out of 5]

The real, non-nazi-Hydra Cap is back! But did anybody want him back? Not really, apparently. The government and the people don't trust him, Thaddeus Ross is being a dick to him and his gilf girlfriend Sharon Carter is being set up by some shady government conspiracy! Oh, and there are some evil Russians with fake Russian names (always a staple) lurking in the background. Yep, it's a modern day Captain America comic alright!

First of all, kudos to Coates — he really improved his comic-writing skills since those dreary early days of his Black Panther run, just on technical level. Those panels crammed full of words are mostly gone, and he learned to let his artist tell the story. The book is very readable and flows more or less smoothly, the exposition dumps aren't as prominent and obtuse as before and his characters start to show a semblance of personality. That's the good part. But did he learn how to come up with an interesting story for a comic? Yeah, not really.

The plot of Winter in America is extremely thin. It keeps spinning the whole 'Cap used to be Hydra' crap, and while I understand that things like that should probably be addressed, I also just want it all to be over already, I want to forget about all of that Nick Spencer nonsense forever. Instead we get another volume of brooding Steve who switches between beating himself up and taking shit from others over the whole Hydra debacle, as if Mark Waid's recent short stint on the book wasn't enough. Marvel, stop beating that stillborn horse! It's over! Just give us back our Cap and tell a new, exciting story about him!

Unfortunately, it looks like the actual new Cap story of this run is going to be the one about the evil Russians. When will those stop being a thing in American media? I guess Americans are all out of other nations to vilify without any PC repercussions, because evil Russians are everywhere these days. I'm sick of that bullshit, and I find it ironic that Coates, the man who is so concerned with the problems of racism and nationalism in America, is completely fine with reinforcing that particular old stereotype. Sure, fine, whatever. It's not like Russians are actual people, right? Who cares what they think.

Leinil Francis Yu's artwork is fine. It looked better in other books, but it's not bad by any means, and at least he's consistent — every issue of this volume is drawn by him, which is exceedingly rare in superhero comics these days. It gets the job done and I had no problems with it.

Overall though, Ta-Nehisi Coates' first volume of Captain America is an extremely disappointing book. It tells a bland story filled with every single Cap comic stamp imaginable, resulting in an entirely forgettable read. Which is a shame, because Cap comics haven't been good for about a decade now, and the movie version of him has long since become the definitive one. And hey, at least there's that, but I just so miss the feeling of reading a great Cap comic. Oh well, fingers crossed for the next writer...

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed Ta-Nehisi Coates' first volume of Captain America quite a bit, even if the story did feel a little like it was re-treading old ground in places. When you've been reading comics as long as I have (forty years!) you get a lot of that, though.

Leinil Francis Yu's artwork was stunning throughout; it's the best work I've seen of his to date.

[Rod Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

As with his Black Panther: A Nation Under Our Feet, Book 1, Coates starts his run on Captain America mostly trying to deal with the big steaming piling of poop left by the previous writer. I have so far not read any of Nick Spencer's run or Secret Empire and based on this book dealing with the aftermath, I'd guess I'm better off for having skipped all that.

Anyhow, there are quite a few characters here I do not recognize, and for those that I do, I have little idea how they got to their present states. I found it hard to care about anything going on. I might have been willing to try a second volume of Coates' run if it weren't for the silly, ponderous and off-putting narration of Cap himself. Those blue caption boxes were a total drag to read.

[Malum · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had just got done reading Coates' terrible Black Panther run when I saw he was attached to this book, so my first thought was "uh oh" (he even managed to tie a bit of that book into this one). Luckily, however, Coates has come a long way since he first started writing comics, and both his new Star Wars meets Black Panther book and this book are both pretty good.

Here, Captain America is pretty worn down. The people don't trust him, the government doesn't want anything to do with him, his girlfriend is an old lady, pro and anti-American extremist groups are popping up left and right, and he is just generally feeling old, tired, and increasingly out of options. In other words, it sucks to be Captain America right now, but it makes for some great drama!

Also, I cheered out loud when I saw Red Skull.

[Gary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Coates and Yu bring back Nuke(s)! Frank Miller's classic 80s villain is now a brain-washed army of clones terrorizing the populace for betraying "our boys" in the fight against Hydra. But that's just the tip of the iceberg. This new creative tosses a lot of balls in the air in their first arc, and I can't wait to see where they land.

[Chris Lemmerman · Rating 4 out of 5]

After the cataclysm of Secret Empire, America doesn't trust Steve Rogers anymore - and he doesn't blame them. But when some of the world's deadliest villains begin to take advantage of this distrust to turn America against itself, Captain America must step up whether he's wanted or not.

This is what should have started right after Secret Empire - instead, we got 12 issues of Mark Waid doing weird alternate universe things. But this. This is what Captain America should be about right now.

Ta-Nehisi Coates isn't a comic writer I've read before - he's fairly new to it, but his Black Panther's meant to be great, so I thought I'd give this a shot. He knows how to pepper the inner monologue across a scene effectively without being overwrought, and he manages to play with Cap's continuity so well that this story becomes a sequel not only to Secret Empire, but also Ed Brubaker's run with a masterful twist I never expected. Coates uses villains like Selene and Ezekiel Stane to great effect, and he's not afraid of Cap's supporting cast either, with Bucky and Sharon Carter playing major roles in the proceedings.

Leinil Yu's artwork feels a bit more sparse than usual though - he skimps on the backgrounds quite a lot, and there's a feeling that he's...phoning it in is a bad way to put it, but not as committed as he usually is, maybe? It's possible that he didn't get enough lead time for this series, so that might be it. It's still great, but not as good as some of Yu's previous work.

Captain America's been a bit adrift since Secret Empire ended, but a new writer and a new direction are exactly what the doctor ordered - this looks like the start of something truly special.

[RG · Rating 3 out of 5]

Everything about this was ok but thats probably my biggest issue, that it was just ok. The art was nice, the plot pretty simple with some small twists but they weren't world shattering. It was also a little too preachy for my liking.

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think Coates is finally getting the hang of this comics thing. This is easily the best work he's done so far, a nice combination of philosophizing mixed with plenty of action. He doesn't have the characters all standing around, debating some political point. That's not to say there isn't plenty of politics here--this is very obviously a comic of its times, with pretty direct reference to the current state of America. Great follow-up to the Hydra takeover of America, as people aren't sure they can trust the Captain anymore. Leinil Yu's artwork throughout is at the usual high standard. Very much looking forward to the next volume in this series.

[Eli · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the best CA I've read, but I'm also very behind on Marvel and CA himself. I liked Coates's perspective and what he has to say subliminally in this (just because I know his social writing background), but I don't know I'll continue this series. It's definitely being written as if it's going to be a long series, though. Also didn't particularly like the artwork.

I would probably recommend this to people that are keeping up with Marvel comics and Captain America.

[Subham · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an epic volume!

I loved this one! It starts with the fallout of Secret empire and people after Cap but what happens when an army of Nukes attack and Cap defends it but is asked to stay away because of what he did in SE and its something and yeah heart-breaking too and then we have the coming of Alexa Lukin whose after Sharon aided by Selene and it makes for such a compelling drama of a story.

Alexa vs Sharon to revive someone big and then we have Steve teaming up with BP to take down covert cells and so much politics and what not, the coming of Strucker and then facing off against Taskmaster and finally trying to take down Selene's plan and save his lady love Sharon. And then the big revelations of what happens to someone big and what happens to Steve next.

Its a very political laced story and I love it, it harkens back to the days of Cap and is a aaron sorkin led drama and makes for a wonderful read and it expands on Steve's world and presents challenges in a way that will test what he stands for and his dream and the art is just gorgeous! Must recommend!

[Corey Allen · Rating 3 out of 5]

So apparently there was the whole event where Captain America turned bad or something.

And now, we are faced to deal with the fallout of all of that. The world has basically turned on Captain America which causes him to do some self reflecting. And when I say some, I mean a lot. LIKE WE GET IT. The world doesn't trust you, America is a great country at it's heart, blah blah blah.

That's really what dragged this down to 3 stars for me. The story itself is pretty good, even if it's mainly just hinting at what's to come. Overall, I liked it quite a bit and I would recommend it.

[Jesse A · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting Cap book. At the same time overtly political and also moving into more supernatural realms. Very curious to see where this goes.

[Rory Wilding · Rating 2 out of 5]

When I was getting into Marvel via the comics and the movies, Captain America was never one of my favourites, but as the Marvel Cinematic Universe went on, I have learned to appreciate Chris Evans’ pitch-perfect casting as the all-American superhero. Reading this first volume of Ta-Nehisi Coates’ run is my first dive into the solo heroics of Steve Rogers, who at this point has been through a lot.

In 2017, Nick Spencer wrote Secret Empire, a limited series event in which Captain America has been acting as a sleeper agent and covertly setting the stage to establish Hydra as the main world power. Although this ended up being an alternate timeline Hydra duplicate, the real Steve now has to adjust to his position as a figure of controversy in a nation that no longer trusts him. With the new threat rising known as the Power Elite, Steve has to save the day as the lone hero without the support of American forces.

Having read the very first volume of his Black Panther run, Coates is known to infuse political commentary into his comics. In a post-Secret Empire world, Steve is a man out of time in a country that, despite being ruled by an evil organisation, had an improved economy from restoring schools, universal health care and more job opportunities. As life has returned to normalcy, it hasn’t gotten better with protests from Hydra nostalgists to an army of Nuke clones causing havoc in the name of America. As for Steve, he even seeks the help of Black Panther during a chapter in the volume, which ends up causing an international crisis.

There are some interesting ideas going on, but much like what he had done on Black Panther, Coates’s approach to telling a superhero story can be so dreary. Steve Rogers is so brooding as his internal monologue can grow tiring. As for the villains, who are essentially evil Russians, you don’t really know what their goal until the last issue, which is all about backstory. And just for the hell of it, Taskmaster appears to fight Cap; why, I have no idea.

The only positive thing I can point out is Leinil Francis Yu, whose art is not very expressive when it comes to drama, but knows how to draw action, even if it gets repetitive with Cap fighting cloned hordes of Nuke, a character who originally appeared as a force of nature in Daredevil: Born Again.

Despite what Ta-Nehisi Coates is trying to say about what today’s America, the actual story about Cap’s mission of espionage is somewhat lacklustre.

[Christine · Rating 2 out of 5]

So I do not usually read Cap, and I didn't read Secret Empire, so take that into consideration.

Okay, Coates writing is on point. While Sharon Carter as old seems a bit, well sexist (I mean Cap is still young after all that whatever. Carter was not aged naturally), I do not think this was Coates' idea, and to be honest, he actually does a pretty good job with it (until Carter has to be the damsel in distress).

The political commentary was good. But I didn't find myself caring about the characters.

[Sesana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even better than most of Coates has written for Black Panther. He's actually dealing with the realistic fallout from Secret Empire, on a number of levels. There's a great espionage feel to the book, which reminds me of Brubaker's excellent run. The relationship with Sharon is solidly written. And bringing in an obscure X-Men villain like Selene just makes me happy. This is really good stuff.

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this. I haven't loved a Cap story in a while, but this one I loved. It had the feel of a Brubaker story but different. The art was also fantastic. I can't wait to read more. I may have to start buying single issues again.

[Shannon Appelcline · Rating 3 out of 5]

Coates is a writer that I always want to like more than I actually do, and that continues with his Captain America. Like his Black Panther it's too wordy and too dense. The wordiness is particularly notable because it's demonstrated through little prose poems about patriotism (or some such) in the first few issues. Fortunately, Coates breaks himself of the habit by the end of the book. The density comes through the large cast of characters, both protagonist and antagonist, and does slow down the story, just as it did Black Panther.

WIth all of that said, there's lots to like here. Coates is perhaps the only writer to recognize that Secret Empire happened. And he presents it as something that the average sheeplike, down-on-his-luck American may have liked! Meanwhile, Captain America is being derided for his role. These are all strong, interesting plotlines, so it's a bit sad that they seem to be abandoned after issue #4 or so, when Sharon suddenly needs to be rescued.

The other thing of interest is that Coates seems to be following up on Brubaker plotlines (I think! It's hard to keep track with the constant renumbering!). That was really Captain America at its height, so some continuity is well appreciated, especially when Coates is leaning toward the same espionage genre.

I was liking Winter in America more at the end than the start, so call it 3.5 stars.

[Blindzider · Rating 2 out of 5]

Similarly with his Black Panther run (didn't read all of it though), I see glimpses of intriguing ideas, but it just reads as disjointed and not clear. One point he is making clearly is how America isn't what it used to be, no real argument there. Cap is still struggling with what happened to him in Secret Empire, which I kind of get, but also he's been through this before where America doesn't see him as a savior anymore. In this book he seems to be almost selfish which feels out of character. Additionally, the story doesn't flow very well. The plot jumps from moments to moments sometimes without a clear understanding of what happened. This volume is primarily setup, but does include pages of Cap beating people up. Need to read more to see just where this is going and what Coates' message is.

[Emmanuel Nevers · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Ta-Nehisi Coates took over Captain America after Mark Waid I wasn't sure what to expect (Black Panther showing up for no reason had crossed my mind a few times since he was the writer). I found this to be an extremely interesting, intriguing take on Captain America. Coates blends the political intrigue of his Black Panther run with Captain America's "man out of time" dynamic to deliver a compelling characterization and a well done Steve Rodgers. For me, all the moral facets that make Captain America who he and one of my favorite Marvel Characters are are on full display.

His inner turmoil of not fully comprehending how to embrace modern-day sensibilities and politics is always interesting to me. I Highly Recommend this and so far like how everything is playing out.

[Frédéric · Rating 3 out of 5]

A promising plot set in a profoundly depressed post Civil War America. Cap's credibility has plumetted to somber abysses, treason is in the air, unexpected foes reappear... Maybe the Dream is dying after all.

Too bad this somewhat a bit long exposition is overstuffed with pompous monologues/dialogues. I remain doubtful of the mystics of the main female antagonist (Alexa) too but let's give Coates a chance to develop his story first.

[Nicolo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book hits you with the relevance.

Ta-Nehisi Coates' take on Captain America isn't afraid to ask the question of what America is to Steve Rogers. Is America its government? Its people? Its ideals? Because those three are not one and the same right now.

It's a good looking book with great writing, great-looking art by Leinil Yu and Gerry Alangguilan, and striking realistic painted covers by Alex Ross.

[Alex Sarll]

Ta-Nehisi Coates made his name writing on America and blackness, so impressive as it was for Marvel to hire him, as long as he was only writing a black superhero who was very much not American, really they weren't making full use of his talents. Getting him to write Captain America too? That's a good move. Good timing, too, off the back of the debacle into which Secret Empire eventually descended. Not that you need to be up on all the details of that, thank heavens. The basics, all subtly recapped here, are that America was taken over by a dictator who looked like Cap, and whom plenty of people supported. And even now, a lot of them aren't wholly sure it wasn't the real Cap, because heaven knows we get enough of that sort of confusion and conspiracy thinking running rampant in our own timeline, and we don't have Cosmic Cubes to worry about. And that's the keynote here: Coates is far too smart to go for simple allegory and 1:1 correspondences, but he assembles his pieces from a grab-bag of Marvel Universe elements such as to create powerful echoes and resonances, like the mass-production of Cap's old enemy and dark mirror, Nuke, “so that America may be strong again". Like left-behind people in flyover country who may not like what's going on, but are prepared to overlook it so long as the mine's open again and they can put food on the table. Like sinister ghosts of Russia past pulling the strings behind it all. And everything is beautifully depicted by Leinil Yu, who has just the right blend of tattiness and nobility to put across that sense of a great nation which has gone seriously, and perhaps terminally, wrong.
“Hydra conquered the people – that is the story they tell.
No. The people forgot. We forgot. I forgot.
And then we conquered ourselves."

Also, for reasons of my own, I found it hilarious that they should refer back to the old Cap villain Aleksander Lukin by revealing his wife, Alexa. I mean, of all the can't-be-arsed ways to name someone's spouse...oh, wait.

[Lukas Holmes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very torn on this one. Coates is just incredible, and you can see it shining through in parts, but other times the story felt muddled and rushed and then other times it dragged and the art didn't seem to be lining up with the narrative. I am assuming some heavy editing had to go in to setup some stories that are coming. I guess my biggest thing was the Russia stuff felt a bit heavy handed, especially the 'the American people would welcome us a liberators' stuff. I'm all for hidden political messages and commentary within a story, but this one felt just a little on the nose.

[Garrett · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is a terror, a chilling effect that happens when you put the words of Nina Simone in the mouth of a racist villain, and Coates knows this, and that is why he does it. In the aftermath ('cause let's face it, there's always an aftermath in comics) of the Secret Empire arc, where a villainous leader with Cap's face gave middle America everything it ever wanted in exchange for its freedom and its soul before being exposed by the real Cap as a fascist and a thug, Coates gives us the Cap story for the era in which we're living - questions about the American Dream abound, and Cap's up against secret Russians who already control government powers, who respect nothing, and who may already have won. This one's about the struggle, with as many introspective thought balloons as there are fight scenes, and a deep cut into Cap's past and the philosophy behind the character to remind those not paying attention why he is always relevant. Yu's art is angular and mean and pissed, and appropriate to the content, and together, an epic beginning is happening here.

[Liz · Rating 2 out of 5]

I honestly don’t know what to think about this. In one way I’m glad they’re trying to fix the dumpster fire that was Hydra Cap, but then at the same time... they could have done it a little better. I feel like the way they handled Bucky’s story line was much slicker and layered. Speaking of, Bucky is Steve’s best friend and yet he’s here for 2 pages at the start and like 4 at the end? Considering the similarities in story lines, you’d think they’d be able to have time to, oh idk, talk and bond and explore the emotional and mental stress that has just happened to him and the country?? But no, he has to go fight people and brood because he “doesn’t feel like a man” 🤦🏻‍♀️