Release Date: October 2nd, 2013
Rating: 3/5 Stars
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Written By: Andy Diggle
Art By: Adi Granov
Price: 3.99
Review:
For the 1st of a 4-issue mini series, Captain America Living Legend isn’t amazingly remarkable. It’s definitely gorgeous to look at but it has slow points. It’s much too slow since it only has 3 more issues to go to get it’s point across.
At the 1st page all I could do is groan in disappointment as another Cap story opens in 1945 as he beats the crap out of Nazis. It’s like seeing yet another indie zombie book come out. Eventually tho, Cap’s adventure takes a different turn and opens up a lot more possibilities. Cap saves some Russians getting torn to shreds by a Nazi tank and discovers a rocket scientist in the bunker they were holed up in. Arguing over which Motherland gets to keep him, the Russian commando gets shot. Then, jumping to 1968 he sits in a rocket waiting to get blasted into space because apparently Cap just let him keep that rocket scientist. I guess. Then we jump to present day Marvel Universe where a space station taps into dark energy fields and is devoured by some techno, anime, robotic, octopus looking monster. In space! Apparently the Russian commando who was shot back in 1945 has something to do with that.
Adi Granov is superb and one of my favorite comic book painter type guys. He makes Steve Rogers and his signature shield look real even though the primary color-centric Boy Scout clashes against the backdrop of 1945 Germany. Even though his characters look like mannequins at times, even in fight scenes, Granov creates a softness and a toughness at the same time. It’s rare that he draws an entire book instead of just the cover and I was looking forward to this. I wasn’t disappointed. I WAS disappointed to learn that he wont continue the mini and Agustin Alessio would paint the continued adventure. That is, until I Googled him since he was new to me. See the beautifulness below.
Captain America Living Legend would suit you just fine if you were a true Cap reader and fan. It isn’t Ed Brubaker but it’s looking like a nice romp thru historical science fiction. This type of rewriting of history makes for some of my favorite story lines in comics, movies, video games, and t.v. so I’ll continue reading the miniseries. If not just for the twists on history, then do it for the art. I’m anxious to see Alessio’s Cap even if he’s filling Granov’s shoes.