Mark Waid and Chris Samnee by themselves are already considered top tier talents in the comic industry, but as a team, they cemented themselves as all-time greats. Their run on Daredevil is now spoken in the same breath as Frank Miller and Brian Michael Bendis’s runs on that title, and they followed that up with a memorable run on Black Widow. Now in what might be their last work on a Marvel title together for the foreseeable future, the duo presents their take on Captain America.
Waid and Samnee’s run on Cap directly follows the events of Secret Empire. Steve Rogers has just managed to reclaim his identity after a twisted version of himself created by the Red Skull and The Cosmic Cube’s fragmented human form Kobik brought the world to near ruin in the name of Hydra. But he has a long way to go in winning back the trust of the American public, especially since his face alone is enough to make people cower in fear. But he isn’t given much time for soul searching as he soon finds himself clashing with Kraven the Hunter and a corrupt corporation that results in him being frozen once again and awakening in a dystopian future.
Secret Empire and the Captain America run leading up to it were controversial to say the least, and a lot of people weren’t ready for a Hydra version of Captain America. Waid and Samnee take this opportunity to boil Cap down to his bare fundamentals, and demonstrate all the qualities that make him such a great character. Whilst he is the leader of The Avengers and is probably the most famous hero within the Marvel Universe, Steve Rogers is still very much the everyman, and his motorcycle tour around America to rediscover himself helps emphasise the connection he has with regular people. Waid has plenty of experience writing Captain America so everything comes across very natural. Beyond that, this is just a fun comic to read with entertaining stories and characters, and also manages to keep the balance between being light-hearted and serious.
Samnee’s amazing artwork more than enhances this. There is a charm that permeates throughout his pages that evokes a traditional comic style whilst also presenting something modern at the same time. This is truly an artist on top of his game and the creative chemistry he has with Waid really shines through.
This is another hit from one of the best creative teams to come through Marvel in recent memory. Any fans of Waid and Samnee will not want to miss this, and anyone looking for a great Captain America story need look no further.
Captain America by Waid & Samnee: Home of the Brave is out 19 June 2018 from Marvel
9781302909925 – P/B – £14.99
