By Zack Quaintance — The United States of Captain America #1 is a very good comic, the sort that Marvel has put out of late that speaks to a character’s past while also pushing an IP’s core concept in interesting new directions. We’ve seen it done in recent years most notably with the X-Men and with the Hulk, in House of X/Powers of X and Immortal Hulk, respectively. We’ve also seen it done on a smaller scale with subtler comics like Iron Man, which happens to share a writer with this book in Christopher Cantwell.

The United States of Captain America #1 features two stories. Cantwell teams on the main story with artist Dale Eaglesham and colorist Matt Milla, with letters by underrated Marvel stalwart Joe Caramagna. The story the creators tell is one with the same ambitions as those books mentioned above. It essentially posits that in modern America, Captain America is less of a government creation, less of an old war hero, less of a single man representing the boldest and best ideals of an entire country. Instead, Captain America has splintered into a network of people fighting for progress and meaningful change in their own micro worlds, working to make life better where they are.

First and foremost, the concept n this book makes Captain America searingly relevant for our current moment, rife as that real world moment is with unprecedented grassroots activism, the rapid development of new technology platforms that (can at their best) empower, and an impossible to ignore set of ongoing failures by long-standing institutions charged with addressing the most pressing problems of the day. For many readers (myself included), the idea of people who have never gotten superpowers through an experimental serum and been subsequently draped in the flag to take up the Captain America mantle should be substantially more relatable, reflecting the state of the nation in a way this character has always been uniquely positioned to do. It’s all very clever and organic.

The other primary addition to the mythos that readers should expect to find in this book is that it enables Captain America to become a bit more malleable, capable of better reflecting the individual people he represents. In The United States of Captain America #1, Steve Rogers is still at the center, but the reach of the character has also expanded.

In this first issue of five, for example, Aaron Fischer has also taken up the mantle. Fischer is a young person who the book quickly establishes as LGBTQ. Steve Rogers and Sam Wilson find Fischer riding the rails — “So, you’re the what…Woody Guthrie version of Captain America?” Sam asks — protecting the cool people from the “real pieces of #@$%” who operate in the same spaces (image if we had someone like that but for social media?). It’s a great and empowering feeling to see Captain America as a concept expand to incorporate Fischer, who also reveals that there’s an entire networks of captains in the country, protecting others and doing the right thing (we get more of Fischer in the excellent additive back-up story in this book from Josh Trujillo and Jan Bazaldua).

It’s enough to give you goosebumps, and I came away from this first of five issues hoping this would all end up being more than just a miniseries. Perhaps, I thought, this is testing the water or laying the groundwork for this network to be the basis for the next ongoing series featuring Captain America, what with Ta-Nehisi Coates concluding his run. Wouldn’t that be one hell of a thing?

Overall: The United States of Captain America #1 is a thoughtful and interesting first issue that creates a new status quo for Captain America, one that is far more in keeping with modern times. I found myself hoping that this ends up being a foundation for the character’s next ongoing series when that arrives. 9.3/10

REVIEW: The United States of Captain America #1

The United States of Captain America #1
Writer: Christopher Cantwell with Josh Trujillo
Artist: Dale Eaglesham with Jan Bazaldua
Colorist: Matt Milla
Letterer: Joe Caramagna
Publisher: Marvel Comics
The shield has been stolen! No one understands the value of the shield like those who’ve wielded it, so Steve Rogers and Sam Wilson set out on a road trip across America to chase down the thief. But instead, they find the Captains, everyday people from all walks of life who’ve taken up the mantle of Captain America to defend their communities. And for some reason, the shield thief wants them all dead. Can Sam and Steve get to them first? Christopher Cantwell and Dale Eaglesham lead a can’t-miss miniseries to celebrate Captain America’s 80th Anniversary, joined by a rotating series of creative teams to tell the stories of each new Captain—starting with Aaron Fischer, the Captain America of the railways, brought to life by Josh Trujillo and Jan Bazaldua!
Price: $4.99
More Info: The United States of Captain America #1

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Zack Quaintance is a tech reporter by day and freelance writer by night/weekend. He Tweets compulsively about storytelling and comics as Comics Bookcase.