Issue #1

All New Captain America is the first solo outing for Sam Wilson -formerly Falcon- as Captain America. Quick catch up for those who don’t know: Sam Wilson has inherited the title and the shield from former Captain America Steve Rogers who has been aged to a very old man after losing his super soldier serum.

Having Sam Wilson take up the mantle of Captain America is a good choice for a number of reasons. Chief among them for me as a comic reader is that Steve and Sam have a rich history as partners so if anyone has earned the right then it’s Sam. Another reason is that Sam is a notable character historically speaking as he is the first African-American super hero -Black Panther was earlier but he is African- so to have him take on this role feels very appropriate given the large African-American population in the USA. It really adds to Marvel’s current diversity kick.

Anyway, enough of that and onto the issue itself. It’s good, really good in fact. It’s very cleverly put together in that fans of the movies won’t be completely lost here. The villains used are H.Y.D.R.A and Batroc the leaper, both of which feature in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. This is a good jumping on point for new readers and that’s not something that can often be said in comics.

The issue is fast paced and action packed without being bogged down with the long history of the characters involved. This was a great decision as it allows everything to flow more naturally. Some time is spent establishing Sam Wilson’s past to underpin his overall motivation but it blends seamlessly into the narrative and fits in with the story well.

Sam Wilson has a partner in Nomad, the son of Arnim Zola who was raised by Steve Rogers when he was in Dimension Z -read this if you really want to know- and their dynamic is one of the central focuses here. Without being overt about it there’s a hint that Nomad resents the fact that Steve chose Sam to be Captain America instead of him. I’m glad it doesn’t overpower the story and it does offer a hint of things to come.

In general the banter between the characters is really well written and the action is great. Sam’s flight abilities make things seem pretty unique with more vertically based combat. Sam’s difficulties using the shield because he’s not used to it create some interesting issues and suggest there’s plenty of development yet to come for him.

If I had any criticism it would be that the story feels a little typical with no real surprises. It didn’t really bother me all that much and it was very well executed but the debut solo issue for the new Captain America could have tried something different than a standard action piece with limited character elements.