Captain America #2 Review!

 Captain America #2 continues the re-launched title with J. Michael Straczynski guiding Cap’s story dipping into his past while a threat grows in his present! Re:cap Captain America #1: Cap takes ownership and repairs on the apartment building connected to his family. Exhausted after an adventure in the Negative Zone with the Fantastic Four, Cap gets a warning to stop a bank robber. He is warned by Seung Kim, an out of work repairman whom he hires to work on the building. In the past, Steve Rogers is given a place from a tip by his friend, Arnie. Two years from Cap’s time, wealthy weapons dealer, Travis Lane searched for Asmoday, one of the Lords of Chaos. It corrupts him and in Bangkok, Thailand, the possessed Lane hires Arianna Walters from Advanced Idea Mechanics (A.I.M.).  

The young Steve is in the park saving his money for a place to stay when he hears about a rally giving out free food and drinks. He gets a sandwich and then in a splash page sees a rally for the German American Bund that also has the Nazi flag! “Taking A.I.M.” features the writing of Straczynski and the art of Jesus Saiz. It sports a cover by Saiz with Cap and Spider-Man leaping across the New York skyline. It picks up from the end of the first issue at the rally, “New York, 1938.” Steve Rogers knows about the hate he has heard over the years. We see in the clouds, the faces of Steve and Cap, below we see the speaker and his uniformed members of the German American Bund. Steve interrupts him mentioning the war crimes. The speaker, smiling, says that it is all propoganda. He says the concentration camps are really work camps. 

Steve speaking out gets the attention of two, uniformed bullies. One mentions that he should go back to his mothe. Steve rolls up his sleeve and then we see an elderly man sitting on a bench. Steve walks past him, bloodied and bruised, pointing out the bullies who are unharmed. Is it Asmoday in diffeent forms checking on Steve?  On a dock of a private island, a contractor is speaking to Travis Lane and Arianna Walters. He has set up labs, computers, and facilities to support a “small army.” He just needs the last payment and Lane says it is in his acount. The man is headed back in a small boat that explodes! In the past, Mr. Antonelli shows Steve the place to rent, a supply closet. Still, it has heating and is cheap so Steve takes it. One of the tennant, Tiffany, tries to ask Mr. Antonelli to fix the toilet, but he walks away.

Steve is left with Tiffany and mentions that he can repair the toilet. He mentions that he is sixteen. Back in the current apartment, Seung Kim brings up the standards his father had working in North Korea and then escaped. Seung says his father taught him to “work with a pure heart” and appreciate beauty. I do like the “Day in the Life” moments with Steve at the apartment, there isn’t superhero action, but there is dramatic scenes. They are interrupted by Spider-Man. Straczynski had an impressive run on Amazing Spider-Man starting with issue #30 (2001). Steve says he has a problem with the eyes of spiders!, funny joke! Spidey is there to ask for help from Cap and Steve bings up that he has a movie date with Sharon Carter. In a series of panels Cap and Spidey wait for the meeting of the Sinister Six. Spider-Man gets a call from Black Cat and finds that Captain America left him. 

At the unknown island base, there are a number of data entry workers, one is a middle-aged man who is concerned about the data; magical symbols and texts on necromancy, the death magic! He thinks they look like shadow equations. This triggers something in him and the man steps off the edge of the building! There is a pinkish possibly a purplish hue on all of the workers. A power of the Lords of Chaos or something like the Purple Man? A parade of the German American Bund walks through crowds angry at them. One them is Steve who sees the two bullies. Inside is the meeting of the host, Rolf, and two well known men; Baron Zemo and Baron Strucker. Zemo is a long time foe of Cap introduced I Avengers #4 (1964) Strucker first appeared in Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos (1964). Strucker mentions the incident that led to Hitler’s rise to power. 

He wants to do something simliar to incident, innocents killed to create sympathy, and not oppose the war. Rolf brings up a place to start the chaos; Madison Square Garden! A sinister meeting of super villains. Rolf may be another form of Asmoday? The mystery of this evil force is like a magician’s trick. I sense that Asmoday might bring in a cameo of Doctor Strange; another character whom Straczynski wrote in the 2004-2005 Strange limited series. Possibly a team up of the Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, and Doctor Strange? The appearance of the villain reminds me of the Twilight Zone episode, one of my favorites, “The Howling Man” (1960). Mr. Antonelli meets with Steve at his new room and notes his immigration story like Seung Kim. He knew Steve’s father and gives Steve his father’s medals. Later, Steve’s attention is taken with a cry for help. Two Jewish men are confronted by the German American Bund men. This includes the two bullies, but Steve’s defiance has also inspired others. In the present, the danger of Captain America to the villains is made clear. Captain America #2 is a challenging story covering Steve Rogers and a danger that he encountered in his past!

Five Shields out of Five!  

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