• Written by: Jackson Lanzing, Collin Kelly
• Art by: Carmen Carnero
• Colors by: Nolan Woodard
• Letters by: VC’s Joe Caramagna
• Cover art by: Carmen Carnero, Alejandro Sánchez
• Cover price: $3.99
• Release date: June 15, 2022

Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty #1 follows Stever Rogers acclimating to civilian life in NYC when a mysterious transmission spells trouble for this year’s Fourth of July celebration. A new face with an old name arrives to set off a different kind of fireworks and starts Captain America on a hunt to uncover a grand conspiracy.

Was It Good?

Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty #1 is not bad. It’s too early to say if it’s a true winner after only the first issue, but the story is told well enough and the mystery is intriguing enough to find out where Cap is going next.

There is no single high point in this issue. The contents are all good to very good, and all are on par with each other. Carnero’s art is excellent, the writing is well-paced, and the dialog/narration feels authentic to the characters.

The plot involves Steve Rogers settling into civilian life in NYC in the apartment where he grew up. While he takes up time reacquainting himself with the neighborhood and taking classes at the local community college, he finds keeping busy is not as easy as it looks. One evening, he hears a coded message sent over the ham radio channel he uses to stay in touch with friends from WWII. Soon, he enlists the Winter Soldier to help him uncover a cryptic threat to partygoers during the Fourth of July celebration. The threat turns out to be real and may be the start of a bigger threat connecting Steve’s past to his present.

There are a lot of standard Captain America tropes in here. Enemies speaking of plots to overthrow the “fascist” American government. Hurling insults at Captain America for being a tool of an oppressive regime. Shadowy meetings between power brokers with a grand scheme in play. It’s all here, but it’s presented well enough that the contents don’t feel too familiar, and a tease is introduced to make it seem like Winter Soldier is more aware of the conspiracy than Cap suspects.

Again, it’s too early to tell if this series is a winner, but this is a strong enough start to want to know more.

Bits and Pieces

Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty #1 brings in all the standard Captain America tropes about a man out of time trying to fit in when a terror threat calls him to action. The art is excellent, the pacing starts slow but picks up steam at a good point, and the thrilling action introduces an intriguing conspiracy mystery.

9/10