Is It Good? Captain America: Living Legend #1 Review

Just hitting shelves now after being marketed as Astonishing Captain America almost four years ago, Andy Diggle and Adi Granov’s Captain America: Living Legend #1 shows its age when it becomes ridiculously clear that it was meant to exist in a pre-2012 Marvel universe. But is it good?

Captain America: Living Legend #1 (Marvel Comics)

Captain America: Living Legend #1 features a World War II sequence complete with Russian support, a tedious sequence spent staring at a S.H.I.E.L.D. holo-screen thingy, and a mysterious foe that’s come to bite the good Captain in his ass more than half a decade later. Sound familiar? Diggle’s story is predictable and vehemently Brubaker-esque in its tone and execution. After following Steve Rogers through Rick Remender’s crazy, 12-year romp in Dimension Z, reading such a bleak Captain America story is considerably jarring. Plus, it actually shines a spotlight on exactly why Remender decided to go for a more weird, less dark first arc.

And let’s not forget the logistical inaccuracies. Isn’t Sharon Carter dead? I know ‘continuity be damned’ and all that, but Sharon’s death was a big emotional hit and now it’s rendered less meaningful. This is an example of when wanton regard for the happenings in other titles can actually detract from both stories.

Adi Granov’s artwork is stellar with each panel looking like a hand painted canvas. Granov reaches some incredible depth with facial expressions and overall use of color and shading to convey a sense of coming dread.

6.0

• Fantastic artwork by Adi Granov
• Hearkens to a pre-Remender era of the Captain that many people immensely enjoyed.

• Because it feels like a pre-‘Marvel NOW!’ Captain America story, it doesn’t sit as well with the current goings on.
• Sharon Carter is alive with no explanation given.

Is it Good?

This is a decent Captain America story. Though there are some glaring flaws, those who enjoyed Brubaker’s take on the Sentinel of Liberty will love Diggle’s return to form with a tale that’s more spy thriller than dimension-hopping craziness.