CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIGHTING AVENGER
July 3rd 2011 02:17
Category: Graphic Novels/Comics
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Production Team: Brain Clevinger – writer, Gurihiru – art/covers, Tom Orzechowski – letterer, Barry Kitson & Dave McCaig - covers
Cost: AU$9.95/US$4.99
Apparently around late July the Captain America flick is due to be released in cinemas and judging from the trailers I’ve managed to catch either at the cinema or online it looks rather impressive. And there using a piece of music produced by Tool as a backing track to the clip which just adds a little bit more oomph to the whole affair, but not to be someone who rests on their laurels Marvel are not only focused on the film but on reprising the whole affair it seems in the medium for which they made their name…that’s right comics which is why this particular issue has appeared.
Cost wise then this particular comic is frankly a very expensive pleasure, the story might be good but at the end of the day was it a story worth paying ten dollars for? Answer – sadly no, not when you can spend say thirteen dollars and get at least four times more content with a single volume of manga. Granted it’s not glossy and it’s not colour but frankly in my opinion it’s definitely better value for money. And frankly I cannot understand that with the Australian dollar being the strongest it’s ever been why this comic cost so much; it’s still almost twice the price you’d pay for it if you bought in the US? As Julius Sumner Miller would say “Why is it so?”
A man who at his nation’s time of crisis volunteers to stand up and be counted at such a potentially catastrophic turning point, Steve Rogers is like so many others of his generation representative of values and ideals that are cherished the world over. A relatively ordinary guy from Brooklyn he volunteers to join the US Army and becomes part of the Super Soldier program eventually ending up as Captain America. When the events open on this particular comic though we see that Steve Rogers is already the super solider the only problem is that he hasn’t become known by his iconic moniker, in fact the top brass in charge seem to have some kind of problem deciding what to call him.
Even though he has undergone basic training he has yet to actually gain experience in the field. Thus he is assigned to a team of commandos who are frequently employed to engage in sabotage operations deep in the heart of enemy territory, usually their jobs are focused on knocking out armaments plants controlled by the Third Reich, plants vital to their continuing war efforts. Naturally when this team of hardened veterans learn they are going to ‘babysit’ the poster boy of many names; All American, Star Spangled Soldier and Agent Shield being some of them, they’re not exactly happy. In fact the only member of the team who takes things in his stride is the sniper Bill Riley.
What then ensues in this comic is a classic buddy type scenario whereby the new guy is gradually accepted by his comrades as he helps them out of a particularly dangerous situation on a mission into enemy territory. In fact it is by the efforts of all the members of the team that a major plot initiated by the infamous Baron Von Strucker and Johann Schmidt, the man who would become the Red Skull. Riveting stuff and neatly tied up with no loose ends although at forty three pages and ten dollars it’s a rather expensive light weight experience. It isn’t helped by the fact that the title character is often placed in a supporting role rather than actually driving things along and engaging the main enemies of freedom and justice.
Captain America: The Fighting Avenger is somewhat of a letdown as a comic, it’s over priced and the story just doesn’t do the character any real justice. Let’s face it Captain America is an icon and granted everyone has to start out somewhere somehow though this just doesn’t work, I sure hope that this doesn’t prove to be the case with the film that is due to be released. Be disappointing if it is…
| 23 |
| Vote |
subscribe to this blog
