Captain America #2 Drops Cap into Latveria as the Mission Turns Into Something More
Witness the rise of one of Marvel’s most infamous villains as Captain America comes face to face with DOOM for the FIRST time! This is Latveria like you’ve never seen it before… Also: Who is David Colton, and can Steve trust him to have his back as they infiltrate a hostile country with the new Howling Commandos? Captain America #2 is an interesting issue that shows off the complexity of Steve Rogers waking up during modern times.
Written by Chip Zdarsky, I’ll admit I’m still having issues with the history of Captain America sliding to meet modern times but in the large scope of things, it almost has to. But, Zdarsky is using this new-ish take on Captain America’s defrosting to examine the world of the last two decades. That includes a new temporary Captain America driven to service by 9/11.
We’ve seen temporary Caps and ones that have eventually gone insane. The latest, David Colton, is an interesting one who seems to capture the feeling of post 9/11 and the subsequent wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. There’s an underlying racism to Colton’s nobility and service that Zdarsky captures. We see Colton in Afghanistan taking credit for the sacrifice of others to justify his service and actions and then there’s talk of an invasion of Iraq and Weapons of Mass Destruction. Where Zdarsky goes with this will be interesting and especially to see if Coulton remains a true believer or we see cracks in the facade as the lie of that invasion and the issues many soldiers experienced since are explored.
But, where the comic gets interesting is Steve Rogers’ Captain America and his attempting to adjust to the present. He’s on a mission to free hostages in Latveria, newly ruled by Doctor Doom. This new timeline for Cap has ripple effects we see here as Doom has no only been in charge of Latveria for a few decades by the time of “One World Under Doom,” and of course that would also impact the Fantastic Four’s origin. There’s also Steve reflecting on his mission to stop Hitler and if Doom might be the same. With the recent “One World Under Doom,” that gets all the more interesting.
The art by Valerio Schiti is solid. With color by Frank Martin and lettering by Joe Caramagna, the comic looks really good as it bounces back and fourth between time periods. The way it’s clearly delineated is great with coloring difference for the past and a color choice that’s rather fitting based on the location. My only gripe is the odd symbol on Steve’s Cap outfit chest. It just looks kind of odd like someone tried to draw his actual star but doesn’t quite get it. But, the issue is packed with action and exciting moments that really stand out and the end page is really dynamic and interesting.
Captain America #2 is a solid second issue that really focuses on the two Captain Americas and their different outlooks based on different experiences in war and what drove them to enlist. The first issue showed a lot of potential and the second builds on that beginning to explore complicated issues with unclear answers.
Story: Chip Zdarsky Art: Valerio Schiti
Color: Frank Martin Letterer: Joe Caramagna
Story: 8.0 Art: 8.0 Overall: 8.0 Recommendation: Buy
Marvel provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
Purchase: Zeus Comics – Kindle



