Collin Kelly, Jackson Lanzing, and Carmen Carnero’s Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty has been a standout series in Captain America lore, solidifying itself as one of the character’s great runs. By teaming up with Tochi Onyebuchi and R.B. Silva’s Captain America: Symbol of Truth, Cold War has been an incredibly fun event for Captain America fans. The two Captain Americas, each in their own stellar book that converges in one epic event — dare I say this is one of the best eras to be a Captain America fan ever? This era may be short lived with the Century Game coming to a close, but It’s certainly going out with a bang and none of these writers or artists have missed a beat yet.
One great thing about Sentinel of Liberty #12 is how the two Caps interact with each other. Lanzing and Kelly’s love for Cap lore has shined throughout this entire series and Dimension Z playing a big part of this story was a fascinating choice — and one they’ve handled with brilliance. The flashbacks with Steve and Ian are excellent and they showcase the beating heart of this book: a father who wants to save his son. He’s willing to go up against Bucky Barnes for him and of course, Steve can be a bit reckless and is ready to just jump into the action because he can’t quite see beyond that yet. If Steve is the action, Sam is the brains and he’s level-headed enough right now to tell him to take a step back and think things through.
Two Captain Americas at once is a lot of fun and the great part of this dynamic is that they truly feel like equals. Misty Knight and Sharon Carter’s constant presence also provides something great to this series and seeing Sam/Misty and Steve/Sharon side by side as they make their way to Dimension Z is one of the best parts of this issue.
But we can’t talk about Sentinel of Liberty #12’s high points without talking about Bucky and Natasha. The two have that Mr. & Mrs. Smith back and forth that they’re so good at and have an entire confrontation while engaged in a fight. Neither is giving it their all, but it’s sexy and she can see right through him the entire time as she tries to reach his humanity — it’s so in line for these two characters. Natasha doesn’t know what Bucky is doing, but he is able to reach her and she trusts him enough to know it’s safe for her to leave and that she feels comfortable doing so. But she doesn’t do so without reaching out to his heart one more time, implying that she knows the lie he’s using and he can still find himself. It’s a wonderful interaction between the two that feels entirely worth the hype we all had to see it play out.
In Sentinel of Liberty #12, Alina Erofeeva takes over the art from Carmen Carnero and she is a worthy successor in every way. Just as I said above about how none of the artists on these books have missed a beat, Erofeeva joins those ranks and proves it further. Her art is expressive when it needs to be and the action sequences (especially that Bucky/Natasha sequence) are fluid and effortless. I praised Carnero’s artwork so much in the last 11 issues but if Alina Erofeeva is who will be taking over to close this chapter out of Cap lore, I have absolutely nothing to complain about.
Lanzing, Kelly, and Erofeeva provide another stellar chapter in the Cold War saga and Sentinel of Liberty remains a series that hasn’t had a bad chapter yet.
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