When in 1941 Jack Kirby and Joe Simon created Captain America as the great icon of the fight against Nazism, no one could imagine that this propaganda comic, whose popularity declined after the end of World War II and even disappeared, would become the saint and Marvel’s signature in the so-called Silver Age of Publishing (1964-1971). The cap became the leader of the star collection, The Avengers, and evolved with the times. As a result of the 9/11 attacks, the character regained a more social aspect and became darker. He was fully immersed in Civil War, an event that involved all the superheroes of the Marvel universe and that was a reflection of the laws passed by Bush to fight against terrorism and that limited civil rights. Rogers led the rebel side that refused to register with the government.
This is the context in which the five numbers (Captain America Vol5 # 25-30 USA) that make up the volume that Panini is now reissuing within its Must – Have collection and that focus on death and the consequences that the death of Steve Rogers brought to the superhero community (April 2007).
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A teacher to the script
Ed Brubaker is the scriptwriter in charge of carrying out the ‘assassination’, the author, who had taken over the collection in 2004, had endowed the character with a darker aura thanks to his staying out of the law and recovering Bucky as the Winter Soldier. The idea of abruptly ending Civil War came from Joe Quesada, Marvel’s Editorial Director, who explained to Brubaker that he wanted “something really big for the end of that story, that something had to happen to Captain America.” Ed Brubaker convinced him to separate that story from Civil War and create an event of his own. He also imposed his theory that it shouldn’t be Red Skull, Steve Rogers’ nemesis for seven decades, who pulled the trigger. Thus he built a story of intrigues that has the characters closest to Steve Rogers as involuntary actors in the murder.
It is inevitable to find parallels between the JFK attack in Dallas and that of Steve Rogers when leaving the Palace of Justice. Both represented the American dream, they were shot down by several shots, the confessed perpetrator may be a decoy, they leave the crime scene alive and die in the hospital, their partners (Sharon Carter and Jacqueline Kenndey) are present and are honored by it way with a state funeral in which a white horse pulls the cart that carries the coffin.
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World echo
The event had such an impact thate spread to the world of comics and the world’s main media reported the news. The story of Brubaker became an event of the same magnitude as that of the death of Superman in 1992, another of the great icons of the world of comics. Unlike this, Steve Rogers’ departure shook all the foundations of the Marvel universe and ushered in a new era, The Initiative, in which Tony Stark, leader of the pro-government faction in Civil War, would become director of Shield.
As a cushion between the two events, 5 specials were released (Denial, Anger, Negotiation, Depression, Acceptance) under the common title of Fallen Son in which Jeph Loeb, creator of what is probably the best Batman story (The Long Halloween), it described how those closest to Rogers coped with loss. The level of all of them is exceptional and they are recommended reading.
In 2010, Ed Brubaker, the same one who took his life, is in charge of returning Steve Rogers to the Marvel universe in a limited series that was originally going to have five issues, but which was extended to 16. Although that does not mean his return as Captain America, who during this period had been Bucky Burnes.
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Dark style
The drawing of the series is in charge of Steve Epting, a recognized figure who started with the First label (Nexus, Dreadstar and Whisper) and who after the disappearance of this publisher joined Marvel (1991) to draw The Avengers until 1994. From there he went to the mutant world until his departure to DC (1999) where he takes care of Superman and Aquaman. In 2001 he returned to the House of Ideas and in 2005 he formed a creative partner with Ed Brubaker to shape one of the most brilliant stages of Captain America. its style stands out for the intensive use of shadows and prevail dark colors and black, which favors a more dramatic plot line.
As a curiosity this fact has been one of those eliminated in the cinematographic universe Marvel and that it should have been framed within the film Captain America: Civil War (2016) of Phase 3, but the writers preferred to keep it alive and that it could participate in both Infinity War (2018) and Endgame (2019).
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FEATURES
Date: 04-11-2021
Pages: 168 color
Size: 17×26
Format: Hard cover
Contains: Captain America Vol5 25-30
Price: 15 euros
Editorial: Panini
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