The death of Captain America last year was a big thing and a death I thought would be fairly long lasting. Sure, everyone pretty much assumed Steve Rogers would be back at some point in time, but to come back this soon? Plus, coming back in such a somewhat hokey sci-fi way? I know Marvel comics don't exactly go for believability, but the way it seems the writers are going to bring back Cap is a pretty big stretch. It could become a solid mini, but I'm not initially sold on this first issue.

The issue is primarily focused on Captain America (Bucky) and Black Widow breaking onto a HAMMER helicarrier for some unknown reason, as Agent 13 reveals to Vision, Wasp, and Falcon that she was the one who got the killing blow in on Captain America when he died. She's not sure Steve Rogers is dead, however, because while she was still under the supposed control of Red Skull, she spied on him, and watched as he tried to materialize Steve Rogers onto a table that she destroyed before he could be brought forth. The question remains, however, how was the Red Skull able to bring Steve back, and where is he now?

Captain America: Reborn #1

The book does a good job at balancing itself out between its two main narrative yarns, because it manages to infuse enough spy action moments into the mix, just when you start to get tired of hearing someone tell the reader something instead of showing it. Perhaps that is the ultimate reason why I didn't love this issue; there was just too much dialogue describing something the reader needs to know when an image or scene would've worked so much better at conveying the message.

As for the way it appears the writers are bringing Steve Rogers back, I won't spoil the "how" or the way, but it's just a little too clichéd and feels too oddly similar (especially to anyone who just finished watching the last season of Lost). It's a great way to show the rich history of Captain America and the things he has gone through in his life that long-time readers might not know about him, but yet at the same time it's a plot device that could fail.

While I had my problems with elements of the story, the artwork of Captain America: Reborn is pretty top-notch. It's a little too dirty and grainy at points, but there are some great Captain America shots of him posing that are very nice.

The biggest reason why I'd recommend the book is because it feels like an important event. The idea of Captain America being brought back to life would've been a huge event several years from now, but it's still fascinating enough to still pack a punch. I'm hoping that the final four issues really do a great job at bringing Rogers back in a big way.

Score