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Captain America: Sam Wilson #7: Review

Mar 2016
Nick Spencer, ?

Story Name:

(No title given)

Review & Comments

Rating:
5 stars

Captain America: Sam Wilson #7 Review by (April 2, 2016)
Comments: The 75th Anniversary issue, with an Alex Ross cover homaging CAPTAIN AMERICA COMICS #1 from 1941, although instead of Steve Cap punching Hitler it has Sam Cap punching Steve—surely comparing Steve to Hitler was not the idea—it also has Bucky in the lower corner. The issue is also a chapter in the current mini-event AVENGERS STANDOFF. The main story features multiple artists: Daniel Acuna draws the Steve parts and Angel Unzueta and Matt Yackey do the Sam.

Review: This issue has to get busy to cover all the ground they've charted for themselves: as a 75th anniversary for Cap it has to focus on Cap's whole career, pulling it all together to explain his significance and popularity. As an installment of the STANDOFF event, it has to show us what is going on in Pleasant Hill and tie it to the bigger picture. And since Cap has a movie coming out next month, the story has to put Steve Rogers back in the colors as they had to do when the first Cap movie was released, that time bumping Bucky back to Winter Soldier. So how do they do? The issue succeeds on all levels. During the brutal fight with Crossbones, Steve reflects on his career hitting all the highlights and changes while reminding us what a hero and a patriot truly is. For the tie-in aspects, we have a number of excellent little character portrayals, especially an amusing Bucky and I did not the Maria Hill's revelation coming, mixed with action sequences—and the Red Skull was a major surprise (but is it the original or the one from AXIS?). And Steve's recovery of his powers—at the hands of a cute little Cosmic Cube/girl, actually brought teas to my eyes (it happens, I take this stuff too seriously). The three extra tales give us a few more well-rounded bit: anachronistic as the marketing experts might be, the Whedon/Cassaday tale centered on Cap as hero, protecting the innocent. Sale's story was a cute trifle but manages to tie Cap to another American institution: baseball. And the final tale by Rucka and Perkins shows us that, child of his era as he is, he is open to change in learning to appreciate ballet.




 

Synopsis / Summary / Plot

Captain America: Sam Wilson #7 Synopsis by Peter Silvestro

Captain America (Sam Wilson) arrives in Pleasant Hill and meets up with Bucky Barnes, Winter Soldier; they compare notes and set out to find Steve Rogers. They come upon a teacher being threatened by the Blood Brothers; the two heroes jump into action but the teacher—SHIELD Agent Avril Kincaid—shoots down the baddies, revealing this was to trick the Brothers into taking her to Baron Zemo. For the back-up plan she sends them to shut off the security at the local museum, which they do (kicking the butts of the Circus of Crime) and in a moment of quiet they try to establish more of a camaraderie—then Kobik appears (the Cosmic Cube as a little girl) and calls them to help Steve who is in danger....

At the bowling alley, the elderly and powerless Steve Rogers is being savagely beaten by Crossbones; as he realizes he might easily die, his mind drifts back to his comrades Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes as his own career as Captain America, and back to recent events: When the brainwashed villains in Pleasant Hill recovered their memories and revolted, he ministered to Maria Hill who was seriously injured in the explosion at City Hall. Hill tried to justify the creation of this prison and confesses that she was hoping to be brainwashed there too, to overcome the darkness that she has had to live with for so long.... Steve asks Zemo to allow him to get her medical attention. Baron Zemo agrees only if one of the other hostages takes her place; he selects a young man from the group and swiftly decapitates him with a sword. Zemo then dispatches Steve and Hill, escorted by the priest Father Patrick. On the way to the infirmary, they come face-to-face with the Wrecking Crew; Father Patrick sends Steve and Hill to safety then vanquishes the bad guys with no effort. At the infirmary they find Dr. Eric Selvig. As the doctor takes care of the injured Hill, Steve questions him as to the whereabouts of Kobik; Selvig suggests the bowling alley which she loved. Steve ignites an oxygen tank to escape Father Patrick and dashes off. We learn that the priest is really the Red Skull. Arriving at his destination, Steve tries to convince the near-omnipotent little girl to accompany him to safety when Crossbones arrives and attacks....

Now the critically injured Steve Rogers, about to die, has a reverie about all the people he's known and loved and realizes he can die happy... but Kobik offers to make him a hero again. Suddenly he is young an strong and he beats his tormentor to a pulp. Sam and Bucky arrive to discover that the real Captain America is back....

2. “Presentation”

Writer: Joss Whedon. Art: John Cassaday. Color: Laura Martin.

Synopsis: Scenes of Captain America's WW2 mission against the German army with a huge demonic looking tank are intercut with Cap attending a meeting of marketing executives who telling Cap that the shield is not a good enough symbol of his mission and that he should carry a massive weapon called the Amerigun to win the publicity war against the enemy. Cap walks out, to their surprise. And we see Cap kicking a massive bell out of a tower to wreck the enemy tank while protecting the villagers—for which the shield is a perfect symbol.

3. “Catch Me If You Can”

Writer: Tim Sale. Art: Tim Sale. Color: Dave Stewart.

Synopsis: Largely wordless story has Captain America invading a Hydra fortress and defeating every agent he encounters until he reaches a massive vault; he uses and explosive to tear the door off and enters....

At this point a flashback shows Mrs. Rogers giving young Steve something his late father wanted him to have....

Cap takes what he came for in his old army footlocker and escapes. Later at home we see what he has recovered: a baseball autographed by Babe Ruth.

4. “Pas de Deux”

Writer: Greg Rucka. Art: Mike Perkins. Color: Andy Troy, Frank D'Armata.

Synopsis: Captain America, incognito as Steve Rogers, attends the ballet, as he and Black Widow bicker (via earpieces) bicker over the art form: she can't believe he has never been to one and he explains that it was seen as elitist entertainment. They are there to stop Laverian assassins from killing the star ballerina/defector during the performance. Steve spots the assassins and takes them down. After the show he tells Natasha that he has come to appreciate the ballet with dancing closely akin to fighting.  



?
Romulo Fajardo
Alex Ross (Cover Penciler)
Alex Ross (Cover Inker)
Alex Ross (Cover Colorist)


Characters

Listed in Alphabetical Order.

Black Widow
Black Widow

(Natasha Romanoff)
Captain America
Captain America

(Steve Rogers)

Plus: Wrecking Crew.

> Captain America: Sam Wilson: Book info and issue index

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