Written by: Jackson Lanzing, Collin Kelly, Tochi Onyebuchi
Art by: Carlos Magno
Colors by: GURU-eFX
Letters by: VC’s Joe Caramagna
Cover art by: Patrick Gleason, Alejandro Sánchez
Cover price: $4.99
Release date: April 12, 2023
Captain America: Cold War #1 continues the Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty storyline and adds Sam Wilson to the mix to stop an unholy partnership between Bucky and White Wolf for the kingship of Dimension Z.
Is It Good?
Meh. Captain America: Cold War #1 is surprisingly boring. Why? Because there’s no indication of why any of the villains are doing anything.
After 11 issues of Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty, Lanzing and Kelly have yet to generate an intriguing storyline about the ethereal Outer Circle, so it’s unclear why kicking off a Captain America “event” that simply continues the same fight against the uber-powerful Outer Circle would be an improvement or anything special. So far, it’s not.
When last we left everyone in Captain America’s inner circle (*ahem*), Cap’s militia defeated MODOK. Now, Bucky (now titled New Revolution) frees White Wolf and grants him kingship over Dimension Z in exchange for special tech.
Meanwhile, Peggy Carter kidnaps Ian. Why? Who knows. Probably as bait to lure Cap to a specific location. Why? Who knows. Probably because Bucky intended to maneuver Cap into doing something he doesn’t want to do. Why? Who knows. Probably because keeping everything a mystery is the only point of this comic, and it’s falling flatter than a pancake pressed under a steamroller.
As for the art, it’s a mixed bag. The lines are clean and solid, GURU-eFX’s coloring is solid, and the action feels big. However, some of the faces have creepy expressions, the copy/paste flaws associated with digital art rear their ugly heads more than once in the lack of shadows and odd character placements in-panel, and the fight choreography doesn’t make sense in a few spots.
About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com, a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers.
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Final Thoughts:
Captain America: Cold War #1 is a lackluster start to a lackluster event that continues the storyline from the lackluster Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty series. The Outer Circle’s motivations remain a mystery, the team-up between Bucky and White Wolf doesn’t have a clear point, and the art is a mixed bag.
Weird Science Marvel Comics 