Captain America #612 Review

What you need to know: Captain America(Bucky) is on trial for crimes he committed while he was the Winter Solider.

What you'll love

Steve Rogers: He may not be Cap anymore but Steve has a huge role in this arc. He's Bucky's champion, arranging for his defense on several levels. The way Steve stands by Bucky is not unexpected given who he is. Still it is welcome. There's still something noble about a good guy doing what he thinks is right.

Social Commentary: It's fitting that this book would reflect where our society is. Before Fox News and MSNBC became what they are today, cable and news networks focused in on big trials. Every quasi celebrity trial was a feeding frenzy. Brubaker captures this dynamic in this issue. If someone named Captain America really were on trial, this is probably what it would look like. More important Brubaker isn't heavy handed or biased with his commentary, he presents it and the audience decides.


Putting the pieces in place: I got the feeling that BruBaker was setting the pieces up on the chessboard in this issue. There are several threads that need to be resolved and the way he pays these off will determine how successful this arc is.

What you won't

Lack of action: It's not a problem for me. But if you like Rock em, Sock em action this is not the issue, or arc for you. Although there is some nice Falcon/Black Widow action.

Resonance: Bucky's dilemma might have been the aspect of the story that stood out least in this issue. BruBaker touches on it, but he doesn't truly explore Bucky's angst.


Bottom line: I like the direction BruBaker is going in with this arc. This is a solid read and worth picking up. It's got a nice Law and Order vibe to it.


Grade: B+

Incognito Bad Influences #1 Review

What you need to know: It's been over a year since Zack Overkill came out of Witness Protection to build a new life. But working for the government isn't that different from being controlled by them, and his new secret identity is becoming more trouble than it's worth... So what will Zack do when tasked with a mission that sends him on a hunt into darkest corners of the super-criminal underworld where he was raised?


Captions: Brubaker writes the best captions in the business hands down, no one else comes close. Brubaker's captions have a way of letting you into a character's head(even though they are more narrations than internal monologues) Captions in comics have become so overused I used to cringe when I saw them, and I still do most times, unless it's Brubaker's.

Art: At this point it goes without saying that Sean Phillips' art is fantastic. Phillips captures the over the top, yet murky world of Incognito to perfection.

Creative Team: With apologies to Bendis/Maleev, Brubaker and Phillips are the best creative team in comics. If you're just becoming aware of this dynamic duo, do yourself a favor and run your comic shop and pick up Criminal and Sleeper. It's some of the best stuff I've ever read.

Creative Storytelling Brubaker and Phillips throw some unconventional panels at us. I'm always a big fan of this approach, it always stands out when done well. You can just tell that these two are becoming more and more comfortable with each other with each issue.

Mundane Life: One thing the Incognito does so well is to capture the mundane, and then contrast it to life with superpowers.

What you won't

All Star Bru/Phillips: If you read my reviews you'll notice the term All star thrown around. What I mean by this is that a highly successful group of individuals gets together and makes a movie,book,comic etc.. Of course the star power draws you in much like an all star game. However if you've seen an All star game you'll understand that they generally disappoint. They are fun outings that in the end really don't mean much. I wouldn't go so far as to say that Incognito is a disappointment. But it definitely lacks the same punch as Sleeper and Criminal.

Time Shifting: Every time I got into the story, the narration would stop and say I'll tell you more about this later. It was an annoying tactic that was used twice and completely took me out of the moment.

Too much exposition: I know this was a first issue, but this was very exposition heavy. There were about two pages too many of recapping. To some degree this is understandable because this is a creator owned book and who knows how many people are jumping on, but it was still too much for my taste.


Bottom Line: Though it is a slight disappointment, Incoginito is a good comic. Even more important Brubaker has laid the foundation for a story that's sure to enthrall.

Grade: B