Written by Jackson Lanzing & Collin Kelly.
“Captain America and The Winter Soldier Special” Art by Kev Walker; JP Mayer; & KJ Díaz, with cover artists Salvador Larroca & Frank D’Armata.
“Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty” (Issues # 7-11) Art by Carmen Carnero; Nolan Woodard; with cover artists Carmen Carnero & Alejandro Sánchez (Issues # 7-8, & # 10-11); & Carnero and Woodard (Issue # 9).
Collection Cover Art by Carmen Carnero & Alejandro Sánchez.
SUMMARY:
Released by Marvel Comics in 2023, this 144-page paperback compiles Captain America & The Winter Soldier Special followed by Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty Issues # 7-11 – all from 2022. Notably, this storyline incorporates a retroactive origin for Captain America’s iconic shield, as well as the Captain’s decades-old link to his new enemy.
A prologue set in desolate, post-World War I Latveria of 1922 has enigmatic Wulf Fortunov recruit four others to comprise ‘The Outer Circle.’ This quintet intends to secretly manipulate the world’s future through power, finance, technology, and art, for ends the group sees fit. Utilizing subterfuge and violence, its wildcard player (calling himself ‘The Revolution’) relies most upon pawns dubbed the group’s ‘starpoints.’
In present-day 2022, having recently assassinated ‘The Revolution,’ Bucky has assumed his predecessor’s place within The Outer Circle. To circumvent the group’s internal rivalries, Bucky intends to install his own murky game of power-play ethics. Among his first actions is recruiting Peggy Carter as his double-agent to spy upon Steve Rogers – Captain America and, by extension, his current inner circle: Nick Fury; an elderly Roger Aubrey’s Destroyer; the Outer Circle’s rogue pawn, Redacted; and her own niece, Sharon Carter.
Recuperating from a shoulder wound Bucky caused, Steve commands a team he has loosely assembled as a new makeshift generation of ‘Invaders,’ to face The Outer Circle. Waking up days later with inexplicable memory loss in a Kansas field, Steve realizes that The Outer Circle can evidently play horrific mind games upon them at will. Reuniting his team, Captain America leads them in freeing a captive New York City from A.I.M.’s force-field scheme.
Discovering that a warped M.O.D.O.C. is one of the Outer Circle’s demented ‘starpoints,’ Cap’s team risks suffering a descent into insanity, if not death, defying such relentless mental torture. With one teammate making a valiant last stand, it’s up to Steve to confront the ruthless Fortunov on the battlefield of New York City.
If anything, victory will draw Cap closer towards a showdown with his treacherous protégé, Bucky Barnes, who has no intention of surrendering his newfound omnipotence. Making brief appearances are: Namor the Sub-Mariner; Hawkeye; Black Widow; Luke Cage; Lourdes Chantel; and Emma Frost.
Note: This title is also available digitally.
REVIEW:
Squandering a so-so premise, Captain America – Sentinel of Liberty, Volume 2: The Invader falls regrettably short. Aside from the Destroyer’s well-played support, the co-writers, Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly, rely far too much upon recycled contrivance rather than exploring fresh material. With Steve Rogers at odds with a renegade Bucky Barnes yet again, this storyline’s muddled plotting makes Volume 2: The Invader a forgettable read.
Pitting Captain America vs. the original Bucky (when first repackaged as The Winter Soldier) was an inspired Marvel feud nearly twenty years ago – even if it mirrored DC’s Batman vs. Jason Todd. In the late 2010’s, writer Ed Brubaker subsequently topped himself with a superb post-Civil War assassination angle where Bucky reluctantly assumes the mantle of Captain America. The potency of Black Widow, Sharon Carter, and Sam Wilson’s Falcon aiding the new Captain against Red Skull; Dr. Faustus; M.O.D.O.K., etc. added to the franchise’s reinvigoration. Apart from Steve’s preposterous ‘frozen in time’ resurrection, Brubaker’s creative run was an impressive feat.
Bucky’s New Revolution incarnation (reminiscent of Star Wars’ conflicted Kylo Ren), by comparison, comes off as both unnecessary and disappointingly tiresome. In theory, fans will accept that a secret global conspiracy is practically a given for a multi-issue Captain America adventure. Yet, Lanzing and Kelly fail to add sufficient ingredients to make this clichéd creative pot worth stirring.
Setting up Steve’s imminent betrayal by his closest wartime friends is epitomized by having Steve openly wail multiple times for Bucky to just ‘come home.’ Having Steve emotionally compromised (and blaming himself) makes sense, but the eye-rolling way it’s conveyed in The Invader makes it awfully tempting to switch channels, so to speak.
Lanzing and Kelly weakly opt to depict Steve near-apologetic for his protégé’s history of misdeeds. Hence, it becomes too implausible the Star-Spangled Avenger won’t accept that a misguided Bucky now deems his mentor as likely expendable. Even a last-page twist doesn’t boost hopes that this Outer Circle dreck will be improving anytime soon.
Visually, this volume’s artwork is consistently solid. The book’s visuals, however, aren’t nearly remarkable enough to overcome this blah variation of a Captain America conspiracy cliché-fest; let alone justify purchase for the artwork alone. A reader’s best bet on Volume 2: The Invader is finding it as a library rental, if at all.
ADDITIONAL CONTENT:
The original covers are included. Multiple cover variants are presented in either full-page form or in a 1/3 size, with three to a page. The variant cover artists are the following: Captain America and The Winter Soldier Special (1. Alex Maleev; 2. Carmen Carnero & Alejandro Sánchez); Issue # 7 (1 and 2. J. Scott Campbell & Sabine Rich; & 3. Kevin Wada); Issue # 8 (1. Maleev; & 2. Phil Noto); Issue #9 (1. Ron Lim & Israel Silva; and 2. Jonah Lobe); and Issue # 10 (David Mack).
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 4 Stars
