Honestly, I don’t understand comics. Who was demanding this
series? Were people really clamoring for a feature on Jeff Mace, the Captain
America of the 1950’s? I just can’t make myself believe there were many people
who wanted this. Maybe Marvel was trying to clarify their continuity and
timelines? I honestly can’t figure it out.
That’s not to say this isn’t a good series. Mitch Breitweiser’s art is gorgeous from start to finish, and
Karl Kesel’s story hits all the required notes. I just can’t figure out why
this book was made. Am I forgetting some crossover into Ed Brubaker’s run on
Captain America?
Jeff Mace was active as the
Patriot, dealing with New York street villains while Cap fought the good fight
in WWII. After Cap’s disappearance, Mace steps up when the world needs another
Captain America. It is pretty fun seeing Mace try to fill Steve Rogers’s shoes,
especially when Namor won’t give him an ounce of respect. Namor is constantly
belittling and doubting Mace’s abilities, even when the rest of the team is
trying to give him a shot. It’s easy to root for Mace when he’s got a bully
like Namor gunning for him.
As I said, Kesel hits all the
required notes. There are some All-Winners Squad fights, but most of the
interactions we see with the other heroes are personal and character-driven. There
are allusions to the Red Scare. There is a nice subplot with Mace trying to
figure out his love life. His co-worker and erstwhile partner Mary Morgan
clearly loves him, but he has the hots for his FBI handler Betsy Ross. I felt
like the Mary Morgan story was a tad unresolved at the conclusion of the
series, but I did like Mace getting a happy ending.
Breitweiser’s art is a rare treat. Someone this good should
get more work. His work has a lot of similarities to Dougie Braithwaite, only a
tad more dreamy. The costumes on the heroes and villains are all nice designs,
including new characters like Night Witch or redesigns like Red Guardian. He
can clearly handle drawing a large cast; why doesn’t he do more work?
This is a FAIR comic; I don’t know why Marvel wanted it
made, but it is fun seeing a forgotten chapter in the Marvel U get a few panels
in the sun.
1 comment:
Sometimes it feels like certain comics get made for little more purpose than to explain continuity. Those mini-series that break down origins of various characters and such, to give an example. Sometimes they are good, and other times it is little more than exposition so fans quit asking, "Wait, so what made _____ become a hero if in the latest retcon it is made clear that ______ happened, undoing what makes them the hero they are, etc.?"
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