Comic Info
Comic Name: Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Writer: Mark Waid/Ron Garney/Brian K. Vaughan/Roger Stern/James Felder
Artist: Ron Garney/Dougie Braithwaite/Ron Frenz/Steve Harris/Cully Hamner/Pond Scum/Steve Mannion/Walter McDaniel/Anthony Williams
# of Issues: 12
Release Date: 2011
Reprints Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty #1-12 (September 1998-August 1999). Captain America has been America’s sign of justice for decades. Be it battling with the Invaders and Bucky in World War II against Nazis forces, fighting racism in Harlem with the Falcon, or even his distant relative helping liberate America from the British, Captain America is always at the forefront of history and the voice of the American people!
Written by Mark Waid, Ron Garney, Brian K. Vaughan, Roger Stern, and James Felder, Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty was a spin-off title to the popular Captain America series which also had just relaunched after Heroes Return. The comic focused on different periods in Captain America’s long existence and also presented alternate realities. The entire series has been collected in a hardback deluxe edition.
Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty is really hit or miss. Some of the stories are quite good, others are quite bad. None of the stories really wow you or really change your perception of the hero…that could be considered a good thing or a bad thing, but it also means it is rather blasé for the classic character.
I really wish this series had dared to be more experimental. The comic was the perfect opportunity for some extreme writing. Even Brian K. Vaughan who normally writes rather edgy work is good but neutered here. I would have love to see a few dark, dark Vertigo-esque storylines, and I would have loved to have seen the role of Captain America (as the Sentinel of Liberty) explored more like it was in The Ultimates. That being said, the stories by themselves are still for the most part good, but just more of the same.
The art for the comic also misses the mark a bit. The stories take place all over time but the comic chose not to stylize it. I would have loved to see the art style stretch from the ’40s to the ’90s. It could have been a real fun opportunity for artists and readers.
Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty is not a bad comic, but it could have been so much more. Captain America has the potential to be a fun character but can also be very bland. This collection falls somewhere between with some weak issues and some good issues. If you are a fan of the character and ok with ’90s comics, it is worth the read.
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