Description
First Printing, Hardcover, Septemeber 2002.This deluxe celebration of Captain America, in all his red-white-&-blue glory, features contributions by dozens of top comicbook artists, including Paul Dini and Alex Ross, Frank Quitely, Max Allan Collins, Bill Sienkiewicz, David Lloyd and others. To a surprising degree, many of these tributes take a light, irreverent tone, poking fun at Cap's "boy scout" image, or (more predictably) probing the contradictary cross-currents of patriotism, tolerance and patriotic dissent, with Cap's dual role as democratic torchbearer and militaristic icon. There are several campy gems, including Evan Dorkin's "Skull And Zemo," a villainous, chaotic romp with two of Cap's oldest and most static baddies, "Capsploitation," a what-if remake that casts CA and Falcon in a B-grade "Shaft" mode, as well as "Red Raid," a hilariously psychosexual fantasy piece. The Lee/Kirby short, "The Fantastic Origin Of The Red Skull," is a swell gem from the "Tales Of Suspense" days. The book closes with a teaser from John Ney Rieber's post-9/11 "Enemy" saga, which is a high note to end on, even if it was a cliffhanger... All in all, if you're a Captain America fan, this is an enjoyable book which, probably wisely, doesn't take the character's mythology too seriously. A fun read!