Comic Review: Captain Americe: Reborn #4

Quite a while has passed since we've seen heard anything about Captain America and his mighty shield in the comic universe. Besides taking up the costume of his partner and successor Bucky Barnes this past Halloween, I've had a bit of a dry spell in the Reborn front, and I was hoping that the latest issue would land in my lap before I donned the mask and wielded the shield for some All Hallow's Eve fun. Unfortunately, there was a bit of delay on the issue's front, so readers got it on the next week instead, which was this past Wednesday. The latest Marvel Previews and solicitations also delivered the news that the miniseries would be extended to six issues instead of five, making the definite return of Steve Rogers a little more anti-climactic than for what its worth. Rest assured, the original super-soldier's coming back, but will he ever be the same? That's exactly what Reborn's all about, and so far, it's a little more confusing than I expected.

Captain America: Reborn #4
Written By: Ed Brubaker
Illustrated By: Bryan Hitch & Butch Guice

Still trapped in a time lapsing limbo that's turning into an eternal nightmare, Steve Rogers faces moments in his life as Captain America that he only wished he could change for the better. Stuck and with no other means to escape, his only hope for salvation lies with the rest of his comrades in the present day, who have received the message he entrusted to the Vision during one of his brief time jumps. Meanwhile, The Red Skull arrives in Latveria, home of Doctor Victor Von Doom, to pursue unfinished business with the dictator and his trusted scientist, Arnim Zola. With the help of Norman Osborn, The Skull's plans to finally put one over his eternal enemy may just come to fruition, and the key to his victory lies in the unwilling hands of Cap's lover and killer, Sharon Carter.

In light of everything that's happened so far in Reborn, I really just want Ed Brubaker to end it all and bring back the espionage story telling many adored in the regular Captain America title. The fact of the matter is, it feels a too cliche already how Steve Rogers is going to come back to the land of the living. With the way he's being brought back to life after being gone for so long, it already deconstructs everything Bru achieved in making his death have such an impact in the entire Marvel Universe. As I stated in the previous issues' reviews, manipulating and writing around the concept of time travel/ displacement is a very touchy subject, and with somebody like Cap who's already been brought out of the ice and killed "realistically", it just cements his place among the many characters in comic book history who have eluded death through impossible means. Heck, if DC's Blackest Night were to hit the Marvel Universe now, it would probably make more sense than seeing Cap become a "Slider" who has "Quantum Leap" moments he has no control over. I'm a little too disappointed at the obvious storytelling Reborn is leading me to, and I just hope we see some sort of redeeming quality when the final two issues hit the stands in the next few months.

Looking at the other aspects of the book, Brubaker still has his A game in delivering the action and drama moments the Cap series has been known for under his tenure. We get into each and every character's head, especially Steve as he ruminates about his time displaced situation, wishing for a way out of moments in his life he wished he could change for the better. In certain ways, Reborn is more of a glorified refresher and jumping in point for those who don't know anything about Steve and his past during WWII and beyond. Aside from that, we also see more from the Red Skull and his minions, and a slightly expected guest appearance by the Fantastic Four's archnemesis, Dr. Doom. Doom's time machine figured greatly in the pages of the regular Cap book and Reborn, so it's no surprise the monarch makes his presence known to lend a helping hand to Herr Skull, upholding a deal he made with Norman Osborn. Cap's allies on the other hand get little screen time in this issue, still one step behind saving their ally and Sharon Carter from the bad guys. Speaking of Sharon, it seems her role in this entire conspiracy is finally made known, with the epilogue of this issue revealing an obvious plot device I knew that was coming since it was "carefully hinted" in the Cap books last year. It feels a little deja vu at this point since I've seen it happen to Cap before, but it's a given he's going to get out of this one alive and well. How that's done we'll just have to wait and see.

On the art department, Bryan Hitch lends some of his best work again which pretty much reflects the same dedication and style he used in the Ultimates years ago. Butch Guice helps him out with some of the pencils, and that guy's work is nothing to complain about either. Both men are good at what they do, and while it took me a while to accept this as Earth 616 storytelling, there's no doubt that Reborn has A list pencilers handling the art duties. Trust me, it may take a while to shake off the "Ultimates feeling", but once you get over it and look at this as a Cap book, it's all good and fine.

In the end, Captain America Reborn #4 is an issue fans of the star spangled avenger shouldn't miss and check out. If you've been collecting the book since the start, you owe it to yourself to finish it up since there's only two issues to go. Steve's return may be a little bit jarring, but there's no doubt that readers will be smirking and happy when we see the original red, white, and blue reclaim his title and shield and kick the living daylights of the bad guys who have been rampaging the Marvel Universe while he was away. This was a decent issue, but it lacked a little bit of punch at the surprise at the end. I just can't wait til this all ends, and we get Cap back in our corner.

Score - 6/10