Editor's Note: Captain America #50 arrives in stores tomorrow, May 20.

"Days Gone By"

Dave Wallace:
Kevin Powers:

---

Dave Wallace:

After Sharon Carter's revelations in the last issue, some people might be expecting this anniversary issue and milestone of Ed Brubaker's run on Captain America to be even more shocking and revelatory. My advice would be to put those preconceptions to the back of your mind, as this is simply a charming done-in-one story that revolves around the theme of Bucky's birthdays, both in the past and the present day. And even though it does feature a surprise of sorts towards the end of the story, it's probably not one that you were expecting.

Brubaker seems to enjoy peppering his long-running superhero titles with occasional character-focused one-shots. As with many of his done-in-one issues of Daredevil, this issue gives the writer a chance to throw the spotlight on one of his main players, examining his character in a little more depth than usual, albeit at the expense of any real development of his overarching plot. Still, the plot of Brubaker's Captain America opus has been fairly slow-moving, so it's not as though this issue kills the momentum of the series too much.

The present-day section of the issue is a fairly generic fight sequence that seems to exist only to provide the issue with a few more visually exciting pages, as the real meat of the story takes place in the past. The flashback sections give Brubaker the chance to explore Bucky's characterisation as a scrappy, headstrong youth via an examination of the circumstances of three different birthdays, which come together to chart Bucky's progress from new recruit to the day that he "died."

Penciller Luke Ross provides some solid visuals for both the present-day and flashback sequences. His scenes of the contemporary Captain America fighting modern-day techno-terrorists carry a real sense of speed and explosive energy, and the wartime sequences are also well-drawn, if not quite as visually exciting. There are some neat smaller touches of characterisation too: I love the first glimpse that we see of the young Bucky, bruised and beaten (but smiling) in his jail cell, as it instantly gives you a sense of who the character is.

One other element of the artwork that merits a mention is Frank D'Armata's colouring. As I was preparing this review, one of the things that I made a note to mention was the skill with which penciller Luke Ross has matched the style of his artwork to the style of previous artists to have worked on the book. However, the more I looked at the pages, the more I realised that the consistent look of the book was due to the colouring rather than the pencilling. This sense of consistency is a real boon for a book with a rotating team of pencillers, and as such D'Armata is a real asset to the creative team.

In addition to this story, we're treated to a backup that gives a potted history of Captain America, illustrated in a clean and colourful style by Marcos Martin. The artist doesn't quite manage to capture the style of the original Kirby conception of the character, but he does provide several well-designed pages that convey these past events in an original and visually attractive way (I love the design of the Winter Soldier page, and the page that shows the death of Cap).

There's also a reasonably amusing two-page comedy strip by Fred Hembeck that makes reference to a couple of ridiculous-sounding Human Torch stories from Strange Tales, and will probably be more entertaining for readers who are familiar with that original story.

This isn’t quite up there with the recent Thor #600 as an anniversary issue, but perhaps Marvel are saving themselves for next month -- as the next issue of the book will celebrate 600 issues of Captain America. I look forward to seeing what they're planning for that.

---

Kevin Powers:

I was beginning to wonder when Marvel would put out an issue of Captain America such as #50. Once rumored to bring about the return of Steve Rogers, issue #50 is the big issue before the big issue. Captain America #51 will actually be Captain America #600, a return to the original numbering of the titular character. Most of Marvel’s characters, celebrating 70 years, are being returned to their modified original numbering, and Captain America is no different. However, the landscape and success of this title has changed and grown since a few years ago when Steve Rogers was killed off. I'm not sure everyone--readers and Marvel--were really aware how successful Ed Brubaker could be in replacing Steve Rogers. We have now reached a point where Bucky has his own cult following, and the debate has become "what happens to Bucky when Steve inevitably returns." The hype and excitement is brewing over the mysterious Marvel in-house ads that feature a star, Cap's chain mail top and the words "July." The July solicitations, to be expected, feature a title called Reborn #1, and the questions surrounding issue #600 are mounting with ads featuring who appears to be the female Bucky from Heroes Reborn. Alas, the mysteries surrounding Marvel's top title are big, but for issue #50, it's Bucky’s birthday.

Interestingly, the easiest way to classify this issue is as filler. It's kind of in that strange place where we've just come off a number of intense storylines and we are gearing up for the next big one, but it's issue #50, so something needs to happen. What I find most interesting is that these past 50 issues have been as much about Bucky as they have been Steve Rogers, perhaps even more so. Thus it is fitting that the milestone #50 features Bucky in a greater capacity and the Steve Rogers questions resume with issue #600.

Don't let the classification of this issue as "filler" fool you. Ed Brubaker has managed to take the elements of Bucky's current status quo and fuse them into a story that spans about 70 years, beginning with Bucky as a feisty 16 year old in the Army and continuing through the Cold War until now. However, this issue does something others haven't: it gives readers an in depth look at Bucky and the way he remembers his younger days.

As readers are treated to flashbacks dating to 1941, Bucky narrates information on how he came to be Captain America's partner. For example, I had no idea Bucky went through grueling training exercises with the British S.A.S. before becoming Cap's partner. Good to know. I mean why else would some teenager get to fight alongside Captain America in World War II? These questions are answered and done so tastefully and believably.

Essentially, Brubaker provides a chronicle of birthdays that Bucky remembers vividly, from being undercover with Human Torch, Cap and Toro, to just a few days before the day he and Cap faced off against Baron Zemo only to fall to the icy water below. Of course, the fates of Bucky and Cap differed drastically as Bucky was scooped up by the Soviets and turned into the Winter Soldier. Perhaps the most poignant point of this issue comes with the contrast of how Bucky refers to the birthdays as a young man as opposed to the "nonexistent" birthdays of his service as the Winter Soldier.

Of course, the life of a superhero rarely brings a quiet moment, even on that hero's birthday. This particular birthday of Bucky's is no different as he battles rocket pack and heat-seeking missile powered baddies known as the Watchdogs. It's really just a stock fight but features the same type of great action that has become common in this title. During the battle, Brubaker subtly highlights the differences in fighting styles between Bucky and Steve, namely the use of the gun.

Another strong suit of Brubaker's story is the fact that Bucky still understands that he will never live up to Steve Rogers, that he is not the "real" Captain America, a sentiment felt by an enemy in this issue as well as fans everywhere, but the character arc has worked because everyone, including Bucky, recognizes that fact. While he may feel out of place, surprise guests at the end of the issue make him feel at home and also bring this title fully into the Marvel Universe by acknowledging his role in the Avengers, something seemingly touched on in every book but this one.

Alternating regular artist Luke Ross once again continues the trend of fantastic artwork on this title that remains consistent in tone and style whether it is Ross, Steve Epting or Butch Guice churning out some of the finest art you will find on store shelves. I beat a dead horse every month praising this title and specifically the artwork, but it is just that good. Teaming his own inks with Rick Magyar's and Frank D'Armata's color work, the artwork is once again a masterfully realized treat.

The second half of this 48 page issue is filled with what I can only call "Captain America Saga," one of those fantastic freebie supplements Marvel has been releasing to recap the history of a character or event. While I'm curious as to why Marvel didn't make this a freebie anyway, it is essentially a freebie as this title surprisingly caps at $3.99. An extra dollar for a few extra pages and a phenomenal "Captain America Saga" featuring both Steve and Bucky isn't really cause for rebellion.

This issue does two things rather well that really move it away from "traditional filler" territory. On one hand, the issue provides more insight into Bucky's character with fresh material and well-done flashbacks. This issue also serves as a pretty solid jumping on point for anyone who has been unwisely passing over this title. The "Saga" contained in the second half of this issue does a great job getting the reader up to date and the main story contained in the issue provides a good insight into the current Captain America. Anyone looking to jump on at issue #600 shouldn't be too lost after reading this issue.

---

What did you think of this book?
Have your say at the Line of Fire Forum!

---