Death of Captain America: The Complete Collection - Marvel Comics Graphic Novel | Superhero Storyline for Comic Book Fans & Collectors | Perfect for Reading, Gifting & Display

Let me start off by saying that this book is an awesome value. If you're trying to collect all of Ed Brubaker's Captain America, this entire collection will knock out three separate volumes for you, saving you not only a lot of dough but giving you lots of excellent reading. This book collects Captain America #22-42, plus the Winter Soldier: Winter Kills one-shot and some cool extras. That's an awesome 20 issues plus- which also means that this single book collects the entirety of 3 previously published trades: Captain America Civil War, The Death of Captain America Vol. 1: The Burden of Dreams, and The Death of Captain America Vol. 2: The Man Who Bought America. That is an amazing value, and makes collecting and reading the entire saga a lot easier. Don't spend out all the money on those separate books when you can get the Civil War issues and The Death of Captain America saga in its entirety in this one book for a great price. With that out of the way, let's get to the book itself. The stories within this book, which continues Ed Brubaker's awesome Captain America saga begun in Captain America: The Winter Soldier and takes it to new heights, comprise both the second and third time that Brubaker has proven this cynical long-time reader wrong(the first being the return of Bucky in the aforementioned Winter Soldier), and I'm glad he did prove me wrong. When the Civil War storyline broke out, admittedly, I wasn't a big fan of it. I'm not a huge fan of event comics, and even less of those that pit heroes against one another, even though I know what the creators were trying to achieve as a whole. However, as I followed Cap and his involvement in the story, I was even more taken aback when I learned that the end of Civil War would culminate with the death of Captain America in issue #25 of his own book. This really bothered me, and I definitely thought it was a bad move. They were going to kill off Captain America, Steve Rogers- a true American hero, a Living Legend and an icon, the greatest hero in the Marvel Universe and in my opinion, all of comicdom, a character that was a symbol of hope and inspiration not just to the world in-universe, but to the real world with the readers that followed and loved the character over his decades of publication, including myself. To me, it couldn't have happened at a worse time- a time of terrorism and economic upheaval, of war and fear- a time when the world needed a symbol like Captain America, a symbol of hope, freedom and liberty, more than ever. Now, I knew the whole state of affairs concerning "comic book deaths", and I'd lived through the Death of Superman, with all its gimmicks- but Marvel made it clear from the word go that the Death of Captain America was different- and to an extent, they were right. Despite my skepticism, I recall picking up issue #25 with much trepidation- and found myself engrossed and emotionally invested in the story, not just because Cap was my favorite character, but also how Brubaker wrote him and his supporting cast, including Bucky, Falcon, and Sharon Carter, and how they were all changed by having their lives touched by this special, extraordinary man. I was captivated, but fearing what happened next, as the story unfolded, and I saw Steve Rogers "die" as he had lived- sacrificing his life to save others- with the excellent imagery of using himself as a shield- and even in the end, putting the lives of innocent people above his own, with his seeming dying breath. He died as he had lived, a hero. Unlike Superman, he didn't go down fighting some larger than life monster, he died saving an innocent life from an assassin's bullet(there's ALOT more to it than that, but you'll just have to read it to see), and that gave it a level of realism and emotional impact that few "comic book deaths" have achieved. After reading the issue, I was indeed saddened- but I knew the story wasn't over. And Brubaker let us know that as well. Knowing what I know now, about how the stories unfolded, I see what Brubaker was doing- by "killing" Steve Rogers, he was showing us why the world needed a Captain America- why the symbols and ideals he represented were more important- and, as even Steve himself recognized, Captain America was something bigger than himself- the personification of freedom and liberty, the symbol of not only the hopes and dreams of a nation, but the living personification of those ideals for the entire world, for all those that cherish freedom. Brubaker realizes this, as he takes us through several issues of this world without a Captain America. And even though Steve Rogers isn't in those issues- his presence is still felt, through all the characters he touched. Brubaker's writing kept me hooked, as he told the very realistic, organic tale of how all those closest to Steve Rogers were affected by his loss, including Bucky, Falcon, Sharon Carter, and even Tony Stark. You truly become invested in these characters, as you see Bucky trying to avenge the death of his best friend, while losing his one link to the world he now found himself in; see Sharon agonize over the loss of the man she loved, and tortured by her role in his death; and see Tony Stark, who had practically been vilified during Civil War, agonizing over the decisions he made that led to the circumstances that caused his longtime friend and ally's death, and trying his best to make things right by carrying out Steve's final wishes. Brubaker also shows us that there's more to the death of Steve Rogers than meets the eye, as he crafts a deepening mystery surrounding the events leading up to his apparent assassination and the Red Skull & the Kronas Corporation's diabolical master plan, years in the making, and involving some of Cap's greatest foes, some thought long dead. There's so much going on with these characters, both good and evil, but Brubaker balances it well, and you become invested in them and their actions. There's more to these transitional tales than I could ever put into words here- I could literally write an essay on these issues leading up to #34, and the ones that follow, all the way up to #42. Needless to say, Brubaker proved me wrong about what I thought would be the disastrous consequences of Cap's death(though admittedly I'd feel better by the time Captain America Reborn rolled around), and he'd prove me wrong for the 3rd time by issue #34. I knew that the stories were leading up to the introduction of a new Captain America, and it didn't take Sherlock Holmes to figure out that the new Cap was going to be Bucky. Once again, the comic cynic in me thought that was a horrible idea. I loved Bucky as the Winter Soldier, I became invested in his character, and come to love him as much as I did Steve. But making him Captain America? It just seemed awful, at the time. Then, I read #34. And the stories that followed. And I realized this wasn't a gimmick- if anything, it was a natural progression. The stories were leading up to this. As I mentioned before, Brubaker knew that Captain America was part of something bigger than Steve Rogers- a living personification of ideals, that even Steve knew had to live on. And, ultimately- it comes down to this- who would know more about Captain America, and what he represented, than his best friend, brother-in-arms and ally, who fought with him in the trenches for four years during WW2? Bucky knew this, and from the word go he knows he isn't Steve- and he wasn't going to pretend to be him, or wear his uniform- but he could do everything he could to honor the ideals he represented, his memory, and make him proud- but in his own unique way. That's what made Bucky as Cap work- and made #34 one of my favorite Captain America issues of all time. Not only did the world need Captain America- but Bucky needed Captain America, too. This was the redemption that Bucky so desperately needed- being Captain America brought out the greatness in Steve, and as the stories progress we get to see it bring out the greatness in Bucky. When that dawned on me, I realized how great a concept it was- and in the hands of a lesser writer, it would never be pulled off as successfully as this. Through the course of these stories, I came to love Bucky as Captain America, and the transition was organic- he wasn't Steve and wasn't trying to be. There were still things he had to learn- fighting and kicking bad guy butts is only part of being what Captain America is- and Bucky learns that through the stories, but we get to see him struggling with the role, and though at first you question if Bucky is ready to handle the burden and responsiblity of being Captain America- through the stories you see him grow into the role and prove himself as he opposes the Red Skull's nefarious plot. It makes him an extremely relatable character, as he struggles with the legacy and big boots he has to fill, and does his best to honor this legacy and in turn forges his own. Plus, Bucky's Cap uniform is one of the best redesigns in comics- being designed by legends and pros like Alex Ross and Steve Epting, is there any wonder? And I have to agree with Alex Ross- Cap with a sidearm is awesome, and both covers for #34 just show you how awesome it is. When Bucky takes up the shield and star-spangled mantle things get kicked up a notch, as with help from Tony Stark, Falcon and Black Widow he begins throwing a wrench into the Skull's diabolical master plan, which has to be seen to be believed. Like I said, there's way too much to the stories than I can possibly describe here, and things that just have to be seen to be believed. It's a reading experience you won't want to deny yourself, and the beginning of a milestone chapter in Captain America's history, and continuing one of the best modern comic sagas ever crafted. The book is filled with extras, including variant and unused covers and design sketches, and Brubaker's Captain America #34 Director's Cut. Everything you need about the death and rebirth of a legend is here. Highly recommended!