Captain America: Steve Rogers #1 Review

By D. Goodman | May 26, 2016

The original Captain America is back with a new mission, a new costume, a new shield and unfortunately, a recycled storyline.

Captain America: Steve Rogers #1
Written by Nick Spencer
Art by Jesus Saiz
Colored by Jesus Saiz
Published by Marvel Comics

Warning! The review contains SPOILERS for the first issue of Captain America: Steve Rogers. If you haven’t read the issue yet, go read something else and come back. We’ll still be here.

Two words.

With just two words, writer Nick Spencer and artist Jesus Saiz have turned the world of every Captain America fan upside down. They have caused everyone to question exactly what Steve Rogers stands for and what he has been fighting for over the course of the last 75 years.

That is the hook for the first issue of the new Captain America: Steve Rogers series, which sees Steve back in action with a new costume and shield. If follows him and Sharon Carter as they pursue the escaped super-villains from the Avengers Standoff event and a new, improved Hydra that has apparently taken lessons from Donald Trump.

And the big revelation on the last page? The two words that Cap says that has everyone in a tizzy?

“Hail Hydra.”

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Of course, the media has gobbled it up and are running with the story that Captain America may have been a part of Hydra since day one thanks to flashbacks to Steve’s youth that see his mother being recruited into Hydra. And anyone who’s not a regular comic book reader and is coming in after watching Captain America: Civil War will likely have to pick their jaw up off the ground.

But if you’re like me and have been reading comics for longer than you will admit? The whole thing will seem very familiar.

Before I go any further I want to say that the art in Captain America: Steve Rogers #1 is stunning and more than worth the price of admission. I had seen and appreciated the work of Jesus Saiz before but this is something altogether different. Maybe it’s because he’s coloring the book as well as drawing it, but every page just breathes like it has a life of its own. Really amazing work on display here.

But that doesn’t change the fact that for me, Captain America: Steve Rogers #1 was very much a “been there, done that” type of reading experience.

If you are unfortunate enough to remember the Avengers event “The Crossing”, then you know what I’m talking about.

Essentially, Marvel tried to convince their readers that Tony Stark was a bad guy that was working for Kang the Conquerer and always had been. It involved him killing a bunch of Avengers and then being replaced by his teenage self.

And yes, “The Crossing” was as stupid as it sounds.

But eventually, everything went back to normal and the entire thing was erased from continuity for the most part. And that’s my main problem with Captain America: Steve Rogers #1.

While Spencer writes a great, if overly wordy first issue, we all know that this just isn’t going to stick. There is just no way that Marvel is going to permanently make Captain America an agent of Hydra.

At some point down the road, we’ll all find out that these are memories that have been implanted in him by the Red Skull or Baron Zemo or someone else. Or he is being mind controlled. Or this is an android. Or something. The point is that this isn’t going to last and it isn’t going to have any lasting ramifications for the character. It reeks of shock value and nothing more.

Will I still read the second issue? Sure. Like I said, Captain America: Steve Rogers #1 is a well-written and beautifully drawn comic that I really enjoyed. I just wish it could have been a bit more original.

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The Bottom Line: If you are relatively new to comics, then Captain America: Steve Rogers #1 will give you enough shock and awe to last for a while. But if you’re like me, you’ll love the first issue but definitely feel like this is something you’ve read before.