Captain America #695 Review - Marvel Monday

Captain America #695

Writer: Mark Waid

Art Team: Chris Samnee & Matthew Wilson

Marvel Comics

Release Date: November 1, 2017

Cover Price: $3.99

Back to the Old School

Well to the joy of almost everyone we’re done dealing with two Captain America’s running around at the same and back to putting our focus on an old classic Steve Rogers. So after the events of Secret Empire, what everyone wants to know is whats Cap up to, and where will this story take us? Let's stop wasting time and find out.

The first Legacy issue of Captain America starts with a brief one page recap of his origin before we progress forward to Captain America, suited up but still in the past, springing right into some beautifully drawn action.  It comes out quickly that Cap is here to free hostages, from an outfit named Rampart, and get the town of Burlington, Nebraska back into control of the right people’s hands.

Cap fights off the Rampart soldiers, even going as far to inspire a little girl to help him along the way, as he wraps up, leaving the arrests for the local police, and heads on his way out of town.

Ten years later after the events of Secret Empire, Cap arrives back to the same area, now renamed Captain America, Nebraska, at first with mysterious intentions but all will soon be revealed. At the 10th annual Captain America Celebration, Steve walks among the crowd of people in the town at the festival/lawn fate. Gets told to enter the lookalike contest, eats some hot dogs, all before unknowingly catching a toy shield thrown in his direction.

Steve then looks on and watches a recollection of people saying how they’ve been inspired by the heroicness of Captain America for several pages. Eventually one of the ‘contestants’ is interrupted out of nowhere by Rampart soldiers and bitch slapped off stage. A Rampart soldier gets on the mic and brags how the group is back ‘stronger than ever” to “guide the country in a new era”.  A little to Hydra-y for me, but it's just a nameless faceless villain, that's usually what they all want, eventually on a worldwide scale, so at least these guys are starting realistically you could say I guess.

The Rampart dudes pull guns out,on the watching crowd, and find themselves quickly compromised by a familiar looking Shield.  Steve throws the helmet on, and although initially surrounded by the Rampart jobbers, Superman uppercuts the lot of them as they all go flying.

Steve grabs a conscious Rampart soldier, trying to draw information out of him, about what their motivations are or even who they are, but the soldier blows a bomb on him off exploding into pieces … i think.  With the threat minimized, Cap apologizes to the citizens of the town, not meaning to deceive them into thinking he wasn't here.  He explains his reasons and everyone in Captain America, USA seems fine with what he's done … he even crosses eyes with possibly the girl he saved in the flashback the story ten years down the line.

Cap rides off out of town having saved the day …. THE END.

Overall this issue is a back to basics approach to Captain America after the character, at least to true blue fans, has been put through Hell the last couple years. The story comes off feeling a little like a one shot, with a throw away villain in there to hammer home Mark Waid’s point quickly, but is enjoyable enough to recommend, especially for some beautiful art, that conveys the tone, and point of the story perfectly.  

Bits and Pieces

While nothing out of this world, or really too exciting, happens in this issue I get the sense it will please a lot of long time Captain America fans to know the Steve they love is back.  The art by Samnee puts the issue over the top to make it something to recommended. I would say see if you like #695 and possibly continue going forward but the simplicity might not be for everyone.

7.5/10