Writer: Ta-Nehisi Coates

Artists: Jason Masters, Bob Quinn & Lucas Wernock 

Letterer: VC’s Cory Petit

Cover: Alex Ross 

Release Date: February 19th, 2020

Price: $3.99 USD

Warning: Spoilers! 

We finally get some answers in this issue as Cap takes a most excellent tour through time with Agatha Harkness, and boy oh boy. If you think the Russians meddled in the 2016 election, you haven’t seen anything yet! Let’s jump into the action and see what answers we get. 

Cap meets up with Agatha Harkness- magic-user, self-proclaimed cougar and cat person to take a fun trip through time (no Delorean needed!) to witness the birth of the Daughters Of Liberty- in a time of powdered wigs and uncomfortable corsets, they were founded to keep men from killing each other, presumably because if men can’t be trusted to ask for directions or out the toilet seat down, you definitely can’t trust them with nuclear weapons. As time ticks on, a distraught Peggy Carter is enlisted by Alexa Lukin (née Volkoff). Her job? Keep an eye on Cap! We get a flashback (way back) to the invaders days, and then Agatha takes Steve in the present day to meet… Peggy Carter. Isn’t she dead? Well, now in the “Captain America-verse” death is now laughably irrelevant, as we learn that Alexa is a necromancer and can bring people back to life. That’s a handy power to have on your side! Next answer: Why is Sharon the same age as one of the Golden Girls? They extracted part of her soul. Conveniently, however, this particular spell left a stone behind. As long as it’s not a kidney stone, I say! 

The country seemingly overnight loves Cap again, despite that whole Hydra thing, thanks to his tracking down the somewhat underwhelming Scourge and saving some immigrants. As it turns out Falcon, Bucky and Sharon were all in on the plan. Now that we’re all friends again, Cap gets his shield back, and now it’s time to go after the actual big bad of this whole arc: Aleksander Lukin, and presumably The Red Skull. 

FINAL THOUGHTS: 

After essentially stalling for several issues, we finally get some answers. While some were choreographed from the start, at least we get an explanation that makes plausible, comic book sense. It’s good to see what’s essentially a “greatest hits” reunion of Cap’s friends, and even though it seems we’ll be going back to the well for The Red Skull (next to the Joker, one of the most overused arch-villains in comics), it will be nice to see Cap acting heroically again. It’s certainly been a long time since we’ve seen that.

7.1/10