J. Michael Straczynski returns to Marvel Comics to jump start Captain America with artist Jesus Saiz! Straczynski had a defining run on Amazing Spider-Man with artist, John Romita, Jr., from #30-58, including #36 (2001) focusing on the September 11th aftermath. The cover features the colorful Captain America in uniform in the background while we have the scrawny and defiant pre-Super Soldier serum Steve Rogers with a bloody nose in his old neighborhood! Saiz previously worked with Jason Aaron on Punisher. “Beginnings” by Straczynski and Saiz starts in darkness with Rogers’ narration about the beginning of a superhero story. We see the closeup of Captain America’s eyes. Saiz’s artwork reminds me of the detail, almost realism, of Steve Epting’s artwork on Captain America.
A robotic doberman climbs a building with its controller screaming out revenge on Anderson. We see a closeup of Cap’s boot as he starts his motorcycle, a Harley-Davidson Custom Special, which he guns on a rooftop! A medium shot, a snap shot of Cap leaping his bike mid-air!, and then smashing the window of the next building. The action is perfect with no speedlines so it feels cinematic. He apologizes to a staff as he rides through an office, love the surprised expression of the woman as the motocycle passes! Cap veers the bike as we see the mecha dog’s mouth opening with its operator at the controls. What looks like Anderson is on the floor before him! Captain America leaps the bike at the villain’s shocked face! The mecha doberman falls from the damaged building.
This moves to Steve Rogers’ Lower East Side building pointing out a hole in his apartment to the supervisor. The nebbish man with glasses says he is fired and that the owners are looking to sell the building. Steve notes that his family had lived in the building. This explains why he has stayed so long in the building, the history, love it. We hear on voice message to Tony Stark about getting an advance on his Avengers salary. One apartment tenant gets the eviction notice and then notices Steve, in shadow, and then closeup putting up a sign. On the message, Steve says he is getting into real estage. Then, we see Steve Rogers, arm crossed with the new ownership sign noting renovations. This is interesting because we had the scene in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier with Sam Wilson struggling to get a loan for his family’s boat.
Steve Rogers buying the apartment building, making it affordable, and restoring is one of the best ideas for Captain America! Then, we have Steve working on the renovations as his neighbor, Mrs. Rosen, brings him a meal. She also takes another meal for a family in a van and says that Steve’s mother would be proud of him. We see Steve with his mother, Sarah, at the grave of his father who died in World War I. Four panels show them as young Steve grows into a teenager, impressive artwork, as his mother talks to his father. Then, with the passing of his mother, a black and white scene of Steve in the rain. Powerful. The quiet, character moments are what makes Straczynski’s writing impactful. Mrs. Rosen asks his age and Steve replies she died in 1936 when he was 14. He became Cap four years later. She asks how he survived basically on his own.
We see a panel of Steve’s solemn face, he tells Mrs. Rosen, “I got by”, and then we see Steve with the bloody nose, backed against a face, with shadows of two bullies. Mrs. Rosen continues with he delivery. Steve looks up at the building, a panel where he is joined by young Steve, and young Steve alone as he is told by a supervisor, Mr. Mueller, that he is three months behind on rent for his family’s apartment. Mr. Mueller looks up at the apartment emembering when his mother watched him come home. I really like this new character who knew Steve and his mother. He offers to move her belongings into storage. Steve leaves as we see older Steve look up at the apartment. Steve wipes away a tear. This is one of my favorite issues of Captain America. He returns to work on his renovation.
Steve is interrupted by Sue Storm, Invisible Woman in her uniform. Straczynski had a run writing Fantastic Four starting on issue #527 (2005) with Mike McKone. Sue explains she is there by what must be a parody of complicated multiverse stories in comics and the MCU. The story has Psycho Man, old FF villain, kidnapping his daughter from the multiverse and raising an army in Sub-Atomica. Steve’s reaction should be everyone’s reaction. She says the rest of the team is taking on the villain and asks for his help. We have a splash page of the battle with Cap using his shield to stop the blasts of Psycho Man and Psycho Woman. This is while the Fantastic Four fight bat-like creatures with gaping, toothed mouths! Cap emerges from a portal and falls exhausted on his lawn. There is a police chase as we see a thief escape his crashed car. The family of Seung Kim is his business van behind the confrontation.
Cap’s flying kick strikes the jaw of the bald thief. His narration is that he has been away for two hours, but that is two days in Sub-Atomica! Still Cap fights with the thief even though he has been going non-stop. Seung watches the fight and warns Captain America about one of the thieves with his gun drawn behind him! Cap throws his shield knocking out the gunman! He starts to hear “Pack Up Your Troubles in Your Old Kit-Bag” (1915), a marching song from World War I by Felix Powell. He hears it at night while he tries to sleep in a condemned building. In the morning, he is back at work at a construction sit, washing cars, bagging groceries, and trying to sell newspapers. He is splashed by a passing car soaking his papers. He sees his childhood friend, Arnie Roth, who first appeared in Captain America #268 (1982). Arnie brings up the latest news about the Nazi leader in the Daily Bugle. Then, he notes that he found an apartment that is available, but expensive. Another splash page of Steve hard at work going through his jobs!
The older Steve, in regular clothes, taps on the window of Seung’s van and invites him for coffee. Seung explains that he is a handy man, but the mall he was working went bankrupt. He just has his van and Steve offers him a job to help with the renovations. This suddenly shifts to two years ago in a South American jungle. A billionaire, old with white hair and short beard, Travis Lane, is following a guide, Castillo. The guide knows about the Undying Ones and a temple that seems to move at random. Lane is searching for a way to be young again.
He earned his fortune “walking across an ocean of blood.” They take a rest and Lane brings up Asmoday the Immortal. Castillo brings up the Adversary. The Adversary is a demon introduced in Uncanny X-Men #188 (1984). He says that Asmoday may be one of the Lords of Chaos. Castillo says Asmoday is called The Undying because “when the need arises”, he moves from body to body. Asmoday is said to be a fallen angel in the handbook, Marvel Zombies: The Book of Angels, Demons & Various Monstrosities #1 (2007). A very H.P. Lovecraft-type horror! His evil may be tied to the evil Steve faced in his past! Captain America #1 has some dramatic moments in Steve Rogers’ current life and past along with hints of a powerful villain!
Five Shields out of Five!
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