This is a very interesting and exciting time for Captain America fans, with Sam and Steve both having the mantle at the same time. Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty #1 is Steve’s story and it’s a very down-home, back-to-basics take on the character that feels like it’s exactly what he needed.
The book takes Steve back to his roots, placing him in the house and town he grew up in. It reminds me of Mark Waid taking Steve on a tour of the country, getting to know the people in order to center himself again after the mess that was Secret Empire. It’s so quintessentially Steve that it’s a joy to read, watching him interact with the people of his hometown and helping them any way he can.
It’s great to see Steve just be a regular guy, engaging with the community and truly being “one of the people.” That’s the best part of this comic and it does a lot of great work to show who Steve is as a person and why he’s such a good hero: he cares about other people with all his heart.
Marvel Comics
The book also sets Steve up to ask important questions about himself and his role as Captain America. The title opens with Steve declaring he’s a symbol and that the shield isn’t his, it’s “theirs” — meaning the American people. He knows he stands for something greater, and he has pride in helping the American people. But when a terrorist attacks, he turns those words on their head, asking the question “do you work for the people or the government?”
It’s clear this book is going to have Steve back to his basics, proving what makes him such a good hero and why he’s endured all these years. But it’s also making Steve ask some tough questions about himself, looking into what it really means to be Captain America and what he wants Captain America to be.
This run feels like the perfect story for Steve and it’s clear Lanzing and Kelly have a lot of love for the character and the lore. Carmen Carnero is one of the best artists at Marvel right now and having such amazing talent on this book for art and writing makes this one a “can’t miss” title, especially for Cap fans.
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