“Captain America” #750

Celebrate the week of the United States Independence Day with a landmark issue for the Captain America mantle!

Cover by Gary Frank and Brad Anderson

Written by Tochi Onyebuchi, Jackson Lanzing, Collin Kelly, Stephanie Williams, J.M. DeMatteis, Dan Jurgens, Cody Ziglar, and Gail Simone
Illustrated by R.B. Silva, Carmen Carnero, Rachael Stott, Sara Pichelli, Dan Jurgens, Marcus Williams, and Daniel Acuña
Inked by R.B. Silva, Carmen Carnero, Rachael Stott, Sara Pichelli, Brett Breeding, Marcus Williams, and Daniel Acuña
Colored by Jesus Aburtov, Nolan Woodard, Matt Milla, Matthew Wilson, Alex Sinclair, Marcus Williams, and Daniel Acuña
Lettered by Joe Caramagna

SPECIAL ISSUE #750!

THE CAPTAINS AMERICA MOURN THEIR FALLEN!

Written by Collin Kelly, Jackson Lanzing, Tochi Onyebuchi, J.M. DeMatteis, Gail Simone, Dan Jurgens, Stephanie Williams and Cody Ziglar

Pencilled by Carmen Carnero, R.B. Silva, Dan Jurgens, Daniel Acuna, Rachael Stott and more

After the harrowing events of CAPTAIN AMERICA: COLD WAR, the Captains America return home to mourn their fallen – and strive to honor the power of legacy.

Plus: The secret origin of Sam Wilson’s new shield revealed, and a bold new direction for Sharon Carter!

In honor of 750 issues of CAPTAIN AMERICA, a team of fan-favorite guest writers join forces with superstar artists to spin timeless tales celebrating the epic history of the star-spangled hero! Don’t miss this jam-packed oversized issue!

With the conclusion of ‘Captain America: Cold War,’ major elements of the two-pronged run of the two Captains America came to a close, or near to it. As odd as it may seem, the story did not end with that crossover storyline’s “Omega” issue, but rather continued in toward here in an anthology of sorts three-quarters of a thousand issues in the making. In the fallout from ‘Cold War,’ the day after American Independence Day, how do various famous creative teams, new and old, come together for “Captain America” #750?

First, we have a story about Sam Wilson, the globe-trotting Symbol of Truth, written by his most recent ongoing author, Tochi Onyebuchi, concentrating on Wilson’s path forward. The vast majority of the tale is largely calm, at least in terms of battle, but still deals with internal turmoil. Insecurity and indecision are at the forefront, and the mantle of Captain America is front and center in particular. Onyebuchi uses frequent, nearly page-by-page, shifts across roughly five hour periods, between a soliloquy from Wilson to his parents’ graves on the one hand, and a talk between Sam Wilson and Misty Knight on the other hand. While the different narratives are good, the switches are so often that they, particularly the moments at the graves, distract from the plot, and almost feel as though they could have been in Sam Wilson’s thoughts on the same pages with events to which he is reacting, enabling more adherence to the methodology of showing, rather than telling about a situation. Not all of them, per se, but enough that it would make for less distracting shifts. The combat toward the end also feels a bit tacked on, but perhaps the randomness of the attack was the point.

Also returning from “Captain America: Symbol of Truth,” R.B. Silva’s illustrations help pull a lot of emotion from the script. Closer shots enhance the anger, the sadness, and fear, and all of the rest, while relatively thin lines make it all feel that much more “real” in spite of being decidedly not. Tears drawn are enough to tug at heartstrings, and explosions are that much more shocking when they appear during these quiet moments.

Rounding out the ‘Symbol of Truth’ team is Jesus Aburtov on the colors. His shadows feel heavy, but the effect fits the tone of the scenes quite well. In particular, the different palettes help to distinguish between the different time periods, though that could just as easily be a simple change of hour as is indicated by Onyebuchi’s script itself.

Much like the first story is covered by the core creative team of “Captain America: Symbol of Truth,” the second does the same with the tale of Steve Rogers from “Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty.” Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly write the calm before the storm (or rather, the calm between storms), with their focus on how Roger Aubery and others affected the world. In general, ‘Nothing but a Fight’ is a denouement, focusing on a funeral, where various supporting characters are likely headed, and the potential for the repair of the relationship between Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes leading into the actual final issue of the run in the upcoming “Captain America Finale” #1. Given the atmosphere, it seems a deliberate contrast to the prior story, looking back rather than forging ahead, but is no less heartfelt for it. The main issue is in the use of Sharon Carter, who decided to use a eulogy to prop herself up instead of talking about the departed, which may seem cool on some level, but comes across as more than a bit tasteless in practice.

Carmen Carnero’s illustrations feel thicker than Silva’s, aiding the more reserved, calmer scenario at work. While the story is not fully relaxed, the thickness gives the impression if not being in any hurry and willing to wait until a story is done, to take time away from the battlefield before bringing a war to a close.

Nolan Woodard’s colors also help to calm the story. The panels are bright as they would be in daylight, but not overly so. The different hues make these larger-than-life people seem to come down to earth, especially evident with who appears to be the new Nomad. Even so, Woodard does not undersell the power or emotion of these heroes, more bringing them out into a public eye than making them feel like less than they are.

The writing from Stephanie Williams on the short story ‘Reflections’ feels a bit heavy-handed, focused on the idea of diversity quotas, but comes across well enough. Her Sam Wilson is a good speaker and a kind man with a lot of honesty, though some of that comes at the expense of characterization for others such as Clint Barton’s Hawkeye.

Rachael Stott’s illustrations on the same story are carefully lain out, and the thin lines make every character, no matter how small (be it literally or not) feel important. Superheroes feel more lifelike, and common civilians more than just random entities to be saved or stopped.

Matt Milla’s colors reflect the way that not only the light bounces around a room, but the hope and kindness of a local hero helping those who came after him. There is rarely any darkness, but the use of glowing light feels almost ethereal when it happens, especially that of the sun or a signal for Sam Wilson.

Much as Stephanie Williams told a tale of being one’s own person, J.M. DeMatteis crafts a story of heroism, of bravery in the face of more than one kind of prejudice. The life of Arnie Roth shows that not all heroes are necessarily superheroes, and that even Captains America have their own people they look up to from their pasts. By making the story about what he does, rather than what characteristics he has beyond anyone’s control, while still acknowledging those differences, DeMatteis shows that regardless of one’s origins, anyone has the potential to help their fellow person, to be a hero to someone else.

Sara Pichelli’s artwork on DeMatteis’s story called ‘The Hero’ is thick and effective, giving it an old timey feel that fits in well with Steve Rogers reminiscing about his past. If someone were to say this story were drawn decades ago, without seeing the words, it would be easy to believe them.

The fullness of Matthew Wilson’s colors has not diminished in the slightest from his other work such as “Thor.” His subtle yet effective approach leans on muted hues to make the story feel like it is out of another time entirely, reveling in being of an earlier age and fitting right in.

Dan Jurgens runs double duty on his piece, ‘Then & Now,’ for which he both writes and illustrates. The plot is simple enough, being mostly narration over snippets of the life of Steve Rogers over the decades, but it works well to identify why Captain America is such a kind, accepting character regardless of his era. The illustrations emphasize it, as while they nearly always keep Rogers front and center, it is the way things change around him, the organization of figures in each panel, that help show that he is willing to remain with nearly anyone. The inks by Brett Breeding help with this emphasis, distinguishing the sharp, harsh lines on villains against the softer, calmer, more reassuring lines of heroes or civilians.

Alex Sinclair’s colors further lean into the acceptance and reassurance, shining a light down on the various heroes on the one hand, and holding them up against grayscale of the far past on the other. In general, the lights seem to indicate that while war may never change, people can. Further, just because they can does not mean they must, as the light of Steve Rogers holds true throughout his life and that if many readers, a paragon toward whom to aspire.

With ‘The Mantle,’ Cody Ziglar writes about the legacy of Captain America, the mantle and those who hold it. The story is simple, just a random conversation about the weight (literal and figurative) of the shield Steve Rogers and Sam Wilson carry, but Ziglar still hits the right notes about how not only can it be hard to live up to another’s example, but it can be difficult to set that example in the first place, to live up to others’ expectations of perfection.

Relatively new to Marvel, Marcus Williams crafts some very interesting imagery through both illustration and colors. The overall scene is highly dynamic, the animated expressions showing quite a lot of joy. While other stories give some semblance of relief or hope, the blurs of speed and borderline cartoonish style, along with Williams’ equally vibrant colors give a sense of pure joy.

With ‘One Lucky Shot,’ Gail Simone tells a simple and sweet story about a group of Brooklyn children who find Captain America’s shield. The tale is definitely a one-off like the rest of these four-page vignettes, but it manages to showcase the positive impression Captain America had on the general populace while barely having him make an appearance himself.

The real highlight of that final story is Daniel Acuña’s artwork, from illustration to colors. The feel is gritty and dark, but in a way that makes it feel all the sweeter rather than disturbing.

Final Verdict: 8.5– A heartwarming anthology rings in Independence Day 2023 for both Captains America!