Told from the point of view of the American Dream, Shannon Carter of the MC2 Universe, the Captain America Corps face interrogation and torture in an United States bereft of their contextual Steve Rogers.
As with the premiere issue, this second issue of Captain America Corps is mighty entertaining. The book hits all the right buttons and adds a few surprises to spice things up. Stern for instance suggests that things may not be quite so bleak in the dystopian super white America guarded by a jingoistic government run team of “heroes” that abducted our time snatched Caps.
Familiar heroes lie imprisoned and wear old-fashioned inhibitor collars, but dissension in the ranks–a whisper of a plan, of rebellion (?)–seem more inclined to investigate the Caps and keep them safe. The point however may be moot since the big Cosmic Grand Poobah behind the Cap Corps brings our heroes back to his limbo headquarters.
Before their return, you get to see the Caps in action as each one humiliates the opposition through escapes that seem to be child’s play for the experienced star-spangled Avengers. John Walker continues to surprise. Not long ago, I would have said that he would have thrown his shield in with the Tea Party. Looks like he’s not insane after all. A little harsh, sure, but not insane, and there’s a great scene with Shannon where she identifies herself by name: “American Dream” and rank: “Avenger.” You never doubt her. Stern and Briones imbue she and each of the Captains with such conviction.
One of the Caps created specifically for this series possesses some neat accoutrements that mix a little Santo in with the Captain. Only he can remove his mask. He also has some unusual eye-pieces, and I like his kinship scene with Luke Cage. I can almost hear the accented voice of the character. A deep Henry Silva baritone.
Phil Briones distinguishes each Captain. The American Dream is agility personified. John Walker the U.S. Agent is a brawler. Bucky with his cybernetic arm and as self-appointed Walker watchdog position is actually rather cool, and I’m not a big proponent of Bucky. The big future Commander A bears the experienced poise of Captain America and the neophyte Steve Rogers still learning the ropes nevertheless impresses. Even had you lacked preconceptions, you can see him becoming something special.