By: Stan Lee Publisher: Marvel Comics Average Rating: Binding: Paperback Label: Marvel Comics Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 512 Publication Date: January 01, 2002
ARGUABLY A TIME WHEN COMIC BOOKS TRULY BECAME GRAPHIC NOVELS The Essential Captain America, Volume 2 is a collection of illustrated, black-and-white reprints of late 1960's Captain America stories. Featured is some of the finest artwork ever throughout the history of Marvel Comics (and contemporary art, for that matter).
At the forefront of this publication are the Renaissance-like contributions of the great Jim Steranko, whose frame-by-frame sequencing seemed to present a near motion picture on each page. Effective were these visual layouts in terms of showcasing a superhero from a seemingly bygone era into a character who was with, and, perhaps, ahead of the times while being true to the origins that were envisioned some twenty-seven years earlier.
It is this period that readers could further read into Steve Rogers' conflicts, both internal and external. The perpetual soul-searching was introduced and intermittently highlighted in the Avengers, starting with the landmark fourth issue of a revived Captain America only four years prior, but had yet to reach that internal prism that could only be in a distinct, Captain America superhero title of its own.
It is in this set that the reader will find a hero from the past who, as has always been the case, questions his relativity and relevance to what was then the present but whose thoughts and conflicts caused him to have nightmares that would appear to take a life of their own, as never before witnessed. It is in the mind of Steve Rogers that montages of Captain America's past, including his dear, departed, close friend and partner from the WWII era, Bucky Barnes, would suddenly undergo a horrific, psychedelic-like metamorphosis into utter decay. Dorian Gray, eat your heart out!
Perhaps, most importantly, it is within this set that the artistic embellishments of Jim Steranko, Gene Colan, and the like introduced the comic book fan to works of illustrators who had a purpose that was distinct from just making money by curating what was in the mind's eye of the authors. Thanks to them, foundations were laid for many of us, including myself, to show many a group the distiction between a graphic novel and a mere "funny book".
Stan Lee and an All-Star Cast of Artists! This has to rank as one of my favorite comic collections of all time! Each issue is scripted by Stan Lee with art by Jack Kirby, John Romita, John Buscema, Joe Sinnott, Jim Steranko and Gene Colan! Within these collected issues Captain America battles the Red Skull, MODOK and Hydra and we see the debut of Cap's long-time partner the Falcon.
Don't get me wrong... I truly appreciate what Stan Lee and Jack Kirby did for the world of comics. However, Kirby's artwork has never really flipped my waffle, and Lee tends to get redundant with his characters (as witnessed in nearly all Volume 2's of the Essential series). Somehow, Jim Steranko's artwork does something to Lee's words though. It is so powerful that I felt I was reading something from the 80's grim and gritty era, and Captain America became more human. Gene Colan's artwork is very different from Steranko's, but it also adds a fluidity to the stories that somehow I don't think Kirby's art would have done. This is definitely superior to Volume 1 of CA and well worth a ticket.
Volume 2: The final Kirby, the few Steranko, the first Colan Apparently Brad Pitt has agreed to play Captain American in a movie that wil start filming next year, so it is time for Steve Rogers to get the summer blockbuster movie treatment. If the people writing the script or Cap's fans want to check out the glory days of the character Volume 2 of the "Essential Captain America" would be a good place to start because it contains both the final issues of "Captain America" drawn by Jack Kirby, the definitive Captain America artist for many, and the three striking issues drawn by Jim Steranko. Ironically, while the names of Kirby and Steranko, along with writer Stan Lee, appear on the cover of the book, it is penciller Gene Colan who draws over half the issues (#103-126 of "Captain America") collected in Volume 2.
The three main storylines of note in this collection are the Lee-Kirby epic where Cap and Shield take on the Red Skull and his Nazi minions, the Steranko issues where Rick Jones becomes a temporary sidekick and Cap regains his secret identity, and the Lee-Colan storyline where the Red Skull swaps places with Cap courtesy of the Cosmic Cube and the strip introduces the Falcoln in an effort to make the comic more relevant. There is also a complete issues devoted by Lee & Kirby to the origin of Captain America and one in which Cap is captured while in Vietnam. Of course, in the years ahead the Falcoln would become Captain America's partner and his name would become part of the title for the comic book.
I prefer these issues of "Captain America" much more than the "Tales of Suspense" days when the stories were ten page installments that cut off the story just as it was getting interesting (i.e., "to be continued"). It is not surprising that the art work is more impressive than the stories, because Kirby was arguably at his peak at this point: most of his issues start with splash pages of Cap bigger than life and in action. Steranko experiments with the comic book form, having pages with over a dozen panels, panels with multiple images of the same characters, and page without panels that are clearly influenced by the art of Salvadore Dali. Why more would you want for 12 cents? No wonder the issue of "Captain America" #111 was appropriated for the cover of this trade paperback. Colan might only finishing the show position in this collection, but he brings the same sort of fluidity to his artwork that he did with "Daredevil" and "Tomb of Dracula." Three different styles each working to tell the story of Captain America, "Living Legend of World War II."
You Should Get This Book Just For The Artwork Some of the best artists in the history of comics: Jack Kirby,Jim Steranko, Gene Colan,and others; are represented here with some of their finest work. Some of the issues reprinted sell for a higher price for that very reason. Stan Lee wrote all the stories(1968-1970)sticking with this title after he reliquished others he had created; his dramatic portayal demonstrates the genuine affection he had for the character. In this volume, he also creates the Falcon, who was the second black super-hero, the first African-American super-hero, and still one of the best super-heroes.
Anything Goes Trivia
Megaton Man
Trevor
