Captain America 2 Review

Well we are 2 issues into the Brubaker/Epting run on Cap & it's getting better.

Eptings pencils for the issue were crisp and very defined. The use of shadows in the tunnels was superb. His style has greatly evolved from his Avengers days.
The flashback/dream sequence by Michael Lark was great. Blurry & not quite in focus. Much like my own dreams.
The coloring by Frank D'Armata was good. Especially in the sewers.

Let's get to the meat of the story...
We find the return of one of my personal favs Crossbones. Out of jail and apparantly working for the Skull to detonate a bomb underneath Manhattan. His characterization of being smart and staying in the shadows to elude detection & contact the other Skull cells was in good standing with his personality in the past.

Cap has a dream of a battle in which Bucky takes a bullet in the gut. Contradicting the actual events of his death. He notes that it was a familiar situation, but not how he died. Was it just a dream? Was it a foreshadowing of the revelation that someone has been using the Cosmic Cube and altering events? Not sure, guess we'll find out in the issues to come.

Cap is called into SHIELD to give a sample of his DNA to properly identify the body of the Skull. It's a nice touch to include the fact that they dispose of his samples, every time they are used, to prevent them from falling into the wrong hands. We see Cap in disbelief and a bit meloncholy over the death of his arch enemy.

Forward to the scene of the crime. Cap has requested a visit to see it for himself. He notes that the Skull's mask is on the ground. Upon inspection, he realizes that it was someone he had seen on the street. Realizing that he had been surveilled. The agents find a communications device and see that it's still live. They trace the signal back to where Crossbones and his men are in the sewers. Sharon & Cap head out to investigate. Upon meeting resistance in the sewers, Sharon calls for backup. Crossbones, noticing Cap's shield flying by, decides to stay in the shadows and make an exit when the coast is clear.

Upon defeating the terrorists Cap gets out of one of them that they are employed by the Skull and are from AID, a radical branch of AIM. When Sharon reports in to Fury, they also learn that the Skull was in possession of a Cosmic Cube. The fear lies in who killed him and has the cube now.

The last part of the story shows Crossbones overhearing that the Skull is dead and the cube is gone. Climbing out of the sewers he makes a call to another cell setting up to do the same as him. He tells them to proceed and to contact the Paris group with the same instructions. The last words of the issue are spoken by him, "He may not be here to see it, but this world is gonna burn tonight in his memory." Ominous words indeed.

A great follow up to the 1st issue of this new Cap series. I encourage all to crap their pants and send them to the editor!