Captain America #700
Author: Mark Waid
Art: Chris Samnee

One of the things that Marvel has done differently with their milestone comics this year is that they have really pushed more to make them matter. The trend continues with Captain America #700. Instead of giving us what could be considered a throwaway issue, with tons of tribute but nothing in the form of a story, Mark Waid delivers a good conclusion to the war with Rampart.

The issue opens as we find that Steve Rogers was placed on ice by Rampart and is awakened in the year 2025. Rampart has almost taken over the country and Captain America must step up to the plate. With this story, Waid gives the tribute that Cap deserves. Throughout the story, Waid shows how much of a leader Captain America can be by his decision making abilities and of course showing how being the leader is wearisome. But just one missed blind spot causes a catastrophe that forces Cap to make a decision that he was hesitant to make, and then we have to read on to see if the sacrifice was worth it.

Chris Samnee’s art was very fluid with the first story of the book. His color work (especially with a lot of orange and brown tones being used) portrayed the dire nature of Rampart’s rampage as the war nearly becomes a losing effort.

The second story was a really nice tribute to Jack Kirby, as Mark Waid gave a straight-forward tale of Captain America trying to thwart a plot by the Red Skull. I really did like the appearance of Nick Fury, and Batroc’s fight sequence with Cap showcases why Kirby’s art is still classic to this day.

If you are a Captain America fan, you cannot miss with this book.

4 King Kirbys out of 5