April of 2022 saw the release of Captain America #0, which was a great introduction to what the new era of Captain America comics would look like. Since then, we’ve been getting two Captain America monthlies showcasing Steve Rogers in Sentinel of Liberty and Sam Wilson in Symbol of Truth. This trade paperback will collect the zero issue and then continue with Steve Rogers’ adventures with the first six issues of his series. There’s a lot in store for you as this creative team is doing some world-building that goes deep into the history of Captain America.
In the opener, we are treated to Steve and Sam going up against Arnim Zola, and the action starts on page one. Writers Collin Kelly, Jackson Lanzing, and Tochi Onyebuchi team up with artist Mattia De lulis for an issue that reminds me of Mythos Captain America one-shot with the art style. With the fantastic cover by Alex Ross and the continuation of realistic art, this feels like a comic movie adaptation of a blockbuster film. De lulis takes this script to a new level of hype, as his panels and pages are not something you can do on a movie screen. It’s a fantastic start to a dynamic era of adventure for both Captains. For further details on that issue, check out David Brooke’s review.
The rest of the trade collection is comprised of Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty #1-#6 by writers Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly with artist Carmen Carnero. Tochi Onyebuchi continues the adventures of Sam Wilson in Captain America: Symbol of Truth, and the group will reunite for the Cold War event crossover coming in April of 2023. Since that is coming soon, I highly recommend this trade collection as it contains a wild story that will introduce you to the origins of Captain America’s shield, the elusive group Outer Circle, and change Bucky Barnes’ mission.
The writing team has created an entertaining set of problems for Steve Rogers. They play with the whole “man out of time” element, but it is done in a fun way that recognizes that people have the same issues in modern times. This is also excellent character building as you start to care for Steve outside of the mask, which is vast as he has been dragged through the mud after Secret Empire. Kelly and Lanzing were wise to make Steve likable again, which helps to invest you into the character – you’ll want to see how things play out. Steve isn’t the only one who gets attention, however – Bucky Barnes has also been a character that Jackson and Lanzing have been focused on since Devil’s Reign: Winter Soldier.
There is a bit of an ode to Ed Brubaker’s run with a flavor of Ta-Nehisi Coates, which is a great foundation to build on. Once again, Captain America is a spy book with a bite to it. Steve knows nothing about the Outer Circle and finds himself in their world of high stakes and deadly drama with his first encounter with the new Destroyer. As you read that encounter, watch Bucky because you’ll notice that he is taking this entirely differently than Steve, which is great as that gives us two thrilling adventures to follow.
Speaking of thrilling, Carmen Carnero’s art is blockbuster level. She provides some fantastic pages jam-packed with eye-catching art that you need to slow down and savor each panel. When Steve starts to face Redacted, those fights pop right out of their panels. Carnero does a great trick in issue #3, where their fight has no panels, but as you follow the shield, you’ll be able to track the action’s movements. Carnero is such a breath of fresh air on Captain America, and her art alone elevates this book. Pair that that with Lanzing and Kelly’s writing, and you have a hot-ticket book.
The trade paperback is an excellent deal for the price point, with a SRP of $19.99 – the first two issues were at $4.99 each on the shelf. You’ll get a complete story that will beg you to continue the action and drama into the next volume or possibly encourage you to get this series as it comes out, which I strongly recommend. Like most modern trade collections from Marvel, this has very little in the way of extras; you get the standard cover gallery, and here you’ll get the code for the messages in the back of the original issues. Sadly, those messages are not included in this trade, which I think is a huge miss. I know I had a fun time breaking them as they were coming out, and this time, a new code in the comics is even trickier.
Kelly, Lanzing, and Carnero are making Captain America exciting again! In this trade paperback, you’ll get the start of Sam and Steve being Captain America along with the first arc of Sentinel of Liberty. Top-notch writing and art make this series a blockbuster you don’t want to miss. Get in on the action here and stick around for Cold War, as this series does Cap justice!
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