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- Issue: 26
- Authors: Ed Brubaker, Steve Epting, Frank D'Armata, Mike Perkins
- Publisher: Marvel
- Price: $2.99
Captain America # 26
By
Kurt Amacker
May 30, 2007
Captain America # 26
© Marvel
Steve Rogers, Captain America, died last issue. Crossbones (perhaps) shot him with a sniper rifle as he ascended the steps of the courthouse. Hypnotized S.H.I.E.L.D. agent and Cap’s former lover Sharon Carter finished him off with her service pistol (possibly). After witnessing the fallout in every other Marvel series in print and three issues into the Fallen Son: The Death of Captain America miniseries, Ed Brubaker’s 26th issue finally arrived last week, almost three months after the 25th issue. Hooray for delays. I won’t fling accusations of withholding the book to drag out the event, but this issue should have come out on time, if only to sustain outside interest in the event.
As you can probably glean from my parenthetical remarks, the culprits behind Captain America’s death remains suspect. The Red Skull, his daughter, Sin, Crossbones, and Dr. Faust supposedly organized the sniping and hypnotized Carter to finish him off. But, Brubaker strongly hints that more revelations await. Carter’s hypnotized mind won’t allow her to confess to her role, but that doesn’t stop her from slapping S.H.I.E.L.D. Director Tony Stark and resigning. Stark has his own problems, as several of the unregistered heroes – and one good friend of Cap’s, in particular – want bad things for the new director. All the while, Sam Wilson – the Falcon – has to walk the thin line that separates his friends in the unregistered superhero underground and his life as a registered hero. And, not forgetting the series’s cabal of nihilistic villains, it seems that with the help of Arnim Zola, the Red Skull, Sin, and Faustus have a device that might make time something of an issue.
This 26th issue offers a lot of story in its 22 pages, and Brubaker balances all of the plot threads relatively well. He still manages to treat some on-their-face ridiculous ideas with surprising gravity, which allows him to reinvent a few tired comic clichés and keep the reader interested past the initial shock. Once you accept the idea of a retconned death or a ridiculous villain, Brubaker drags you into a world where the bad ideas mean business and act with logical consequences. Steve Epting’s art more than meets the standard set by Brubaker’s writing, bringing a washed-out, almost photorealistic visual flair to one of the darkest moments in Marvel history.
This is good stuff, but it should’ve been out two months ago. You’ll feel the impact a bit more acutely in the trade.
Questions? Comments? Let us know what you think at comicscape@mania.com.
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