The Fall of the Hero – Review of the comic book “Captain America: Steve Rogers” vol. 2

“Evil” Steve Rogers is back and the future of the Marvel world looks darker and darker. The sequel to the Captain America story is definitely a pessimistic comic book. Is that okay?

In fact, the matter with the new Marvel album is very simple. If only reading the first volume of Captain America: Steve Rogersyou enjoyed it, and the ending left a feeling of dissatisfaction, you should reach for the continuation without thinking. I think the chances of being disappointed are very small and both are part of the same story and it would be a shame not to get the full picture. Nevertheless, reviews have their own rules and although these few sentences express my enthusiasm after reading it, there will be room for a bit more reflection in the following part. However, I would like to point out right away that the comic is a direct continuation of the first volume and some plot information will appear here, so for those unfamiliar with the previous album, I recommend that you stop reading this place and refer to the review of the earlier comic.

Hail Hydra!

Captain America Volume Two : Steve Rogersstarts exactly at the point where the previous one ended. Thanks to skilful intrigue, Maria Hill was dismissed from her post, and Steve Rogers became the new director of SHIELD – although his identity as a secret agent of the fascist Hydra, directly reporting to Red Skull, remains a secret. As you might have guessed, taking over an influential organization is only a small step on the way to a comprehensive plan to put Hydra in full control of America. Compared to the surprising beginning of the story, the rest of Nick Spencer’s story seems more predictable. Again, however, the devil is in the details and the greatest advantage is building a clear background of events and presenting the characters. Most importantly, the pace is still balanced throughout most of the stories. Thanks to this, Steve does not turn into a ruthless tyrant with the snap of his fingers. The process is gradual, and in the beginning we are still dealing with, after all, quite a noble idealist who believes he is fighting to build a better and just world. With each subsequent page, however, the features of a well-known hero disappear, and the protagonist becomes more and more radical. The narrative gem of the album is a notebook with a television interview with the nation’s commander-in-chief. The transformation of the main character is then fantastically crystallized. In addition, in a fairly short space, it is possible to contain a lot of information about how the world changed after the Hydra took power, and – as a result – the brutality of the new system is exposed. Thanks to this, Steve does not turn into a ruthless tyrant with the snap of his fingers. The process is gradual, and in the beginning we are still dealing with, after all, quite a noble idealist who believes he is fighting to build a better and just world. With each subsequent page, however, the features of a well-known hero disappear, and the protagonist becomes more and more radical. The narrative gem of the album is a notebook showing a television interview with the nation’s commander-in-chief. The transformation of the main character is then fantastically crystallized. In addition, in a fairly short space, it is possible to contain a lot of information about how the world changed after the Hydra took power, and – as a result – the brutality of the new system is exposed. Thanks to this, Steve does not turn into a ruthless tyrant with the snap of his fingers. The process is gradual, and in the beginning we are still dealing with, after all, quite a noble idealist who believes he is fighting to build a better and just world. With each subsequent page, however, the features of a well-known hero disappear, and the protagonist becomes more and more radical. The narrative gem of the album is a notebook with a television interview with the nation’s commander-in-chief. The transformation of the main character is then fantastically crystallized. In addition, in a fairly short space, it is possible to contain a lot of information about how the world changed after the Hydra took power, and – as a result – the brutality of the new system is exposed. The process is gradual, and in the beginning we are still dealing with, after all, quite a noble idealist who believes he is fighting to build a better and just world. With each subsequent page, however, the features of a well-known hero disappear, and the protagonist becomes more and more radical. The narrative gem of the album is a notebook showing a television interview with the nation’s commander-in-chief. The transformation of the main character is then fantastically crystallized. In addition, in a fairly short space, it is possible to contain a lot of information about how the world changed after the Hydra took power, and – as a result – the brutality of the new system is exposed. The process is gradual, and in the beginning we are still dealing with, after all, quite a noble idealist who believes he is fighting to build a better and just world. With each subsequent page, however, the features of a well-known hero disappear, and the protagonist becomes more and more radical. The narrative gem of the album is a notebook showing a television interview with the nation’s commander-in-chief. The transformation of the main character is then fantastically crystallized. In addition, in a fairly short space, it is possible to contain a lot of information about how the world changed after the Hydra took power, and – as a result – the brutality of the new system is exposed. With each subsequent page, however, the features of a well-known hero disappear, and the protagonist becomes more and more radical. The narrative gem of the album is a notebook showing a television interview with the nation’s commander-in-chief. The transformation of the main character is then fantastically crystallized. In addition, in a fairly short space, it is possible to contain a lot of information about how the world changed after the Hydra took power, and – as a result – the brutality of the new system is exposed. With each subsequent page, however, the features of a well-known hero disappear, and the protagonist becomes more and more radical. The narrative gem of the album is a notebook with a television interview with the nation’s commander-in-chief. The transformation of the main character is then fantastically crystallized. In addition, in a fairly short space, it is possible to contain a lot of information about how the world changed after the Hydra took power, and – as a result – the brutality of the new system is exposed.

America great again?

As in the previous album, this time the story is enriched with a more down-to-earth perspective of people witnessing great changes. A successful procedure turned out to be the interweaving of the main series with notebooks devoted to another Captain America from the Marvel universe, i.e. Sam Wilson. Unlike his former friend, he has not abandoned his old ideals and is trying to help mutants and representatives of the Inhumans race, discriminated against by the new regime. Most importantly, these segments reveal that, unfortunately, the population has accepted the new order without deeper reflection and resistance. The fact that the majority of society allows systemic aggression just because they themselves are in a privileged group and basically benefit from change is perhaps the most pressing theme in the story – all the more so

Slight bumps

New Captain Americait focuses primarily on the dramatic story and the inner tearing of the characters. The comic is definitely based on a great script, so you can forgive the drawings for “just” okay. We are dealing here with a typical depiction of Marvel’s heroes. The whole thing is so functional that the story is visually followed with pleasure. There were also a few really expressive charts illustrating the key moments. The first look at Steve Rogers in his Commander-in-Chief’s uniform has the appropriate “power” in him and makes it clear that this is not the man we know anymore. The characteristic flashbacks known from the previous volume also return, presenting the history of young Steve in the changed past. They are an interesting element, additionally refreshing the whole,

If I had to point out any bigger problem with this album, it’s the fact that we are not really dealing with a complete work. At some point in the story, the individual chapters overlap with the notebooks from the Secret Empire event , which also includes the finale of the story of the “evil” Captain America. I have not had the opportunity to read this comic yet, so it is difficult to judge if and how much the reader is losing exactly from the ignorance of these few fragments, between which some threads of the item in question unfold. On the other hand, we are dealing with extremely powerful by Marvel Now standards ! 2.0.album, so additional expansion while keeping the softcover release would not necessarily be the best idea. It can also be forcibly noticed that the second volume contains much less alternative covers than the previous one.

The second volume of the Captain America: Steve Rogers series is a fantastic read. The continuation of the story draws you from the first pages and once again raises questions about the limits of belief in ideals, reminding you of the still present threat posed by extreme ideologies. I will repeat once again: if only the first album made a positive impression on you, I can honestly recommend the next one.