Comic Book Review: Captain America: Reborn #6

Finally, after months of unbearable wait and pain, the final issue of Captain America: Reborn is now in comic book stores everywhere. The mini chronicling Steve Rogers' return to life was originally a five issue limited series, but was extended by Marvel Comics to six as "the event was too big to contain on five issues only". The question is... was it worth the wait? With the end already a forgone conclusion and almost every other Marvel book heralding Steve back among their ranks, the surprise factor is pretty much absent at this point, and people already know the original Cap is back. However, what the faithful and those who stuck around til the end want to know is HOW he returned, and that is depicted in this final issue. Does the climax live up to its potential or does it "epic fail" itself miserably? Read on and find out.

Captain America: Reborn #6
Written By: Ed Brubaker
Illustrated By: Bryan Hitch & Butch Guice
Variant Covers By: John Cassaday and Joe Quesada

In the heart of Washington D.C, the battle between good and evil has reached its pinnacle. Deep within the recesses of his own mind, Steve Rogers, the original Captain America, wages a desperate war for control over his body and soul, currently possessed by his eternal rival, The Red Skull. In the real world, the Skull has overpowered the new Captain America, Bucky Barnes, and his forces are slowly overwhelming the rest of the Avengers, who are fighting a desperate fight to free Cap and his compatriots. Knowing the odds are against them tenfold, Steve and his allies still fight on, determined to win at all costs no matter what happens. By the time everything is said and done, the legacy of Captain America will be decided, and whether Steve Rogers will be the same or not remains to be seen.

After six issues of time travel nonsense and mind exchanging goop, this was the ending we get?

Honestly, I really dig Ed Brubaker and all, but this has to be one of the weakest ideas and wrap ups for a Captain America story throughout his time with the character. I tried giving the whole thing a chance, but let's be honest here - If this wasn't a Cap book, I wouldn't be around to see this series to the end. The whole point was to just bring Steve Rogers back, and to have an end result like this just doesn't justify a six issue mini that doesn't have firm substance to grasp and appreciate. I wouldn't be one to judge a book by its cover, but the feeling I got the entire time with Cap Reborn is that it tried too hard and too much to be Mark Millar's "The Ultimates", and add to the fact that Bryan Hitch is the artist on board, that's too much of a coincidence already. It just didn't work out for me, and to have an ending that shouts cliche all over it makes me feel things could have ended in a better light. Not to spoil those who are anxious to read this book, but everything is sorta deja vu with Millar's Ultimate wackiness and 80's crossovers, and those concepts have already come to pass that to bring Captain America back in a similar manner is such a waste of time and potential. So many characters were underused and out of proportion, and to serve up a narrative that felt more like one of those animated Marvel movies is not what you'd call the epic comeback of the century. Honestly, the 90's did better with "The Reign Of The Supermen", and bringing back the Man Of Steel there after his death was a nice touch. To use the "lost in time" concept for Cap as an explanation for his return totally knocks off the importance of his death a few years ago, and one can only wish things could have been done differently instead.

While I have my reservations about the script and all, I can't fault the artwork for doing a bang up job of presenting pleasant looking work. Fans of the Ultimates will still get a kick out of Bryan Hitch's pencils, and they serve well to display a tale that has more in line with his previous works than regular Earth 616 continuity. Fellow artist Butch Guice also lends a helping hand to assist Hitch when the going gets tough, and while both men may have similar penciling styles, it's the coloring that makes their works blend in together in a semi-consistent fashion. There's lots of fighting and chaos happening around here, so those looking for some sweet action scenes and spread shots may be satisfied with the results. Variant covers are also available with this final issue, and Hitch draws his version ala Ultimates (again) with Cap on the head. John Cassaday, Joe Q, and others draw two more covers as well, with Cassaday's (pictured above) standing out as a personal favorite among the variants.

To sum things up, Captain America: Reborn accomplished the job it set out to do - bring Steve Rogers back to the land of the living. However, the plot and pacing utilized in this series was just not in par with the classic tales and arcs Brubaker did in the regular Cap book, and it leaves a bit of a sour taste in the mouths of those expecting a big and epic return from the Sentinel Of Liberty. True, at least Steve's back, and I wouldn't call the series a fluke or a failure either. It's just that there were higher expectations coming from those who felt a great heartache over Cap's death a few years ago, and measuring up his return to that classic just doesn't hold up. Truth be told, you can skip this series and go directly to the aftermath one shot special, "Captain America: Who Will Wield The Shield", which surprisingly came out a month before this issue and told a better story that's more in line with Brubaker's style. In the end, Cap Reborn was not the rebirth I expected it to be, and a story that's easily forgotten than remembered.

Rating - 4/10