Writer: Derek Landy
Artist: Angel Unzueta
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: December 8, 2021
Captain America/Iron Man #1 puts the Avenging duo on the trail of a convicted former Hydra commander, Veronica Eden. When Eden escapes custody with the aid of a former member of the Paladins, the chase gets real messy real fast.
Was It Good?
I had absolutely zero expectations going into this title, and I was pleasantly surprised. It’s not perfect. There’s some disbelief you have to suspend about 200 feet off the ground, but I was entertained, and that is (or should be) the goal of every comic.
As the blurb already lays out, Veronica Eden has a past (*ahem*) relationship with Tony Stark who helps her get a job with SHIELD. Years later, we learn Eden was playing both sides of the fence and was using her SHIELD access to amass an offshoot army out of HYDRA. We catch up with Eden after her conviction. When her prison transport is attacked by Fifty One (form member of the Paladins) and a cadre of former Hydra goons to break her out, Cap and Iron Man arrive on the scene to put the Hydra genie back in her bottle.
Veronica Eden is an odd villain to wrap your brain around. She’s not a two-dimensional moustache-twirling megalomaniac bent on taking over the world. She is, as she puts it, a small-town girl with a plan and a gift for networking with the right people. It’s completely unclear (truly not even a hint) what her plan is about or what motivates her, but the fact she’s so down-to-earth and resourceful while still planning something that could be incredibly violent and destructive makes her a curious and complicated character. I want to know more about her and her plan. If Landy can make the plan (whatever it is) pay off, we may have a winner here.
The second plus in this issue is the great characterizations of Tony Stark and Steve Rogers. Landy nails the characters’ voices, particularly in the little verbal vernaculars Cap uses when addressing Tony and the public during a rescue scene on a bridge. Landy rightly adds in little outdated turns of phrase that make Cap seem like a man brought up in a different time, and it fits the character perfectly. Likewise, Tony is incorrigible and likable all at the same time. The two heroes couldn’t be more different, yet they pair together well by enhancing each other instead of being at odds.
The third plus is Unzueta’s art style. The action scenes are strong enough to be exciting without getting too brutally violent. The choreography and outcomes fit right within the PG-13 MCU sweet spot for a pleasant visual experience with plenty of energy. Also, the character designs and anatomies look solid and sufficiently superheroic.
The down point is the suspension of disbelief required on some of the plot points. Cap and Tony are tailing the prison transport for unrelated reasons, so how would Fifty One get the drop on them? Once a passenger bus is rescued, how on Earth did Eden manage to get away in a passenger vehicle when tony effectively has the entire planet under satellite surveillance? Lots of nit picky things start to show up that are barely annoying on their own but start to become distracting as they pile up. Otherwise, the major plot beats make for an engaging story.
You can check out our latest Podcast episode to hear us talk about Captain America / Iron Man #1 in more detail – Click here or search “Weird Science Marvel Comics anywhere you listen to podcasts.
Final Thoughts
Captain America / Iron Man #1 is a fun and engaging first issue with the top leaders of the Avengers chasing down an unassuming villain whose little plan may be more dangerous than anyone realizes. The art is great, and Landy perfectly captures the characterizations of Cap and Tony. However, a few of the minor plot points don’t quite add up, relying on the reader to turn a blind eye to get the best experience out of the issue.
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