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General InformationTitle: Captain America #22-24 (volume 5)Author: Ed Brubaker Illustrator(s): Mike Perkins (pencils and inks) and Frank D'Armata (colours) Original Publication Date: These issues cover dated November 2006 through January 2007. Cover Price: Each issue is $2.99 US or $3.75 Can. Past comic reviews can be found here. PremiseThese three issues indicate what's going on with Captain America-related characters during the Civil War, including Nick Fury, Agent 13, the Red Skull, and the Winter Soldier, aka Bucky Barnes, alive and (physically) well. High Point"I've had this conversation with you people a few times already... Hasn't Director Hill made you watch the tapes?" Low PointThe inconsistent pencil work. The ScoresAgain, this lacks originality as it is just one in a series of crossovers that fill in the reader on what the other characters are doing through this whole Civil War deal. Given that this is Captain America's title, it definitely needs a crossover, but I'd have preferred stories about how he's dealing with his role as leader of the resistance, as opposed to stories about Nick Fury and the Winter Soldier. The best Cap stories I've read are those where he questions how much responsibility and leadership people place on him, given that he is who he is because he wanted to serve others. That could have played extremely well, but they've gone with a more standard story this time. I give it 3 out of 6. The artwork is frustrating. D'Armata is one of the most dependable colourists in the industry, and he delivers. Perkins is serving two fuctions, both as penciller and as inker. His inking is some of the best I've ever seen, particularly in issue 22. Unfortunately, his pencils lack the consistency needed to really knock this out of the park. If Perkins were to ink the work of either Gary Frank or Mike Deodato, we'd have some of the best art in comics, but his pencil work just isn't all there. It is some of the time, with some great individual panels, but one panel can be a whole lot better than the panel it's sitting next to. I give it 4 out of 6. The story is well laid out. It's not the story I'd have chosen to tell, as I've said, but that doesn't make it a bad story, just a story I don't anticipate as much. The threads are there and tied together, and it reflects the style I love from Brubaker's Daredevil work; rather than a completely enclosed story perfect for collection as a trade paperback, there's a feeling that there are several plots and subplots running at all times, and the characters just have to shift priorities to deal with them as they come up, with no chance to rest. I give it 5 out of 6. The characterization is well done. Fury, Cap and Maria Hill are all as I've come to know them. I wasn't familiar with Agent 13 or the Winter Soldier, but I fell I am now. (This is particularly impressive in Bucky's case, as he's only in one issue here.) I give it 6 out of 6. The emotional response includes some interest, but given how much feels like it's tying up loose ends that were on the table before Civil War, I find that I'm just not as engaged as I'd expect an existing reader to be. I give it 4 out of 6. The flow is well done. Perkins is a good storyteller, moving from one panel into the next very well, and still managing to use unusual panel arrangements, often without any gutters. If only he could keep his pencil work on model... I give it 5 out of 6. Overall, it's a nice introduction to the title, but it's not a big part of the Civil War. The writing is good enough to keep me on the title for a while, though. I give it 5 out of 6. In total, Captain America #22-24 receives 32 out of 42. Civil War Review Checklist
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