The clever Jack Rogers finds a way in Mark Waid’s final issue of Captain America.
Review: Captain America #704 written by Mark Waid with art by Leonard Romero – The Kree Skull War
The issue opens with the launch of the Kree Skull War. A cosmically infused Skull begins to lay waste to this futuristic Kree-America while Jack Rogers interrogates the Kree General who’s been secretly making Super Soldier Spies out of the Human Race from the remains of Steve Rogers.
The Red Skull, who has basically become “one” with the cosmic cube, single handedly takes down the Kree, the Americans, and any Sleeper Agent Super Soldiers. While Skull is on his rampage, Jack figures out that the serum used to create these soldiers is actually poisonous to the Kree. This is why they needed the humans in the first place. So after Jack rips the information from the Generals mind, the government takes back their country and freedom from the Kree by destroying their laboratories, facilities, and even their soldiers with bullets, bombs, and gas mixed with the Super Soldier Serum.
This left only one big problem: Skull! In order to save his son, Jack was willing to go into servitude for the Red Skull. He felt like he didn’t have a choice. He’d eventually be hunted by his own people for freeing one of the worst people in human history. But as he takes Skull’s hand to show allegiance, the clever Rogers realizes that Skull IS the cosmic cube now and wishes the Red Skull away as well as a cure to the serum, and release from Kree rule.
While I’m not as happy with the ending as I am the entire arc, this issue ends Waid’s run by showing us all the core values that make Captain America who he is without the character present in this issue or arc. Waid showed us the importance of the character, what he stands for, and did it all against one of his most hated and feared villains. Waid showed us all the legacy that will always come with Captain America for years to come.
Jack Rogers was not a fighter in the sense of fists, shields, and boots on the ground. But Jack shared his Grandfather’s very same will, determination, and true grit to fight for what is right and just in this world. Waid was able to stay true to the main foundation of a beloved character without ever once incorporating him back into the story. That takes skill, insight into the character, and years of practice. This is only a small portion of what makes Waid such a great writer.
Honestly, you need to pick up this run of Captain America as it comes out in trade. If you’ve been reading this current arc, you need this issue. The art style, as well as the color scheme, makes you feel like you’re reading a comic from the 60’s and 70’s, which is totally by design by this creative team to make it feel like classic Cap. The lettering and wording was spaced out perfectly and didn’t make the issue seem tiring or exhausting to read. Together with the layout, storytelling, and art, this creative team takes the reader back to Caps roots and shows us the true symbol he is within our country and our culture. Thank you Waid and Romero for a great run and I’m excited to see what you both have in store for us in the future.
What did think of Captain America #704? Comment below or hit me up on Twitter @dispatchdcu.
