Review: Captain America - Operation Rebirth TPB

Captain America: Operation Rebirth TPB
Written by Mark Waid
Penciled by Ron Garney and Pino Rinaldi
Inked by Scott Koblish
Published by Marvel Comics. $29.99 USD

Although there was previously a trade paperback with the same name, please note this new printing contains not just the "Operation Rebirth" storyline, but also "Man Without a Country," the second and final arc in the first Waid/Garney run on the series, from 1996. "Operation Rebirth" starts with Captain America disappeared and presumed dead after entering a hospital due to the super soldier serum given to him in WWII finally breaking down in his body and poisoning him. One of Waid's strengths, especially with superheroes of some gravitas like Cap, is to give them a big entrance. In this case, Cap doesn't even show up in the first chapter, a group of not-so-tight Avengers having to take inspiration from him to take down some terrorists without getting the President killed. A solid start, as long as one excuses some of the ridiculous mid-'90s hairstyles and costumes. Who thought Greek god Hercules would look better with stubble and a tank top?

Once the real story gets under way, we find not only a Captain America forced to fight alongside archenemy the Red Skull against a common foe--a still alive Hitler stuck in the Cosmic Cube, an object familiar to longtime Cap readers--but with presumed-dead old girlfriend and former S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Sharon Carter completing the trio. I suppose I've just dropped the big surprises in this story, but hey, it's twelve years old. Although Sharon is now so harsh and cynical she's pretty unappealing, the story is suspenseful and entertaining. Cap is such a straight arrow that Waid doesn't know quite how to right him other than extremely focused, serious, and adaptable, but the Skull is pretty fun, and Waid does give Cap a good scene that shows his selflessness.

Although very capable on the first arc, artist Garney comes more into his own on "Man Without a Country," toning down some of the '90s excess (although there are some poor color and lettering choices that aren't his fault) and getting his style a little grittier, as well as drawing a not-bad likeness of President Clinton, who banishes Cap from the USA for suspicion of treason after reports come in about his teaming with the Red Skull. There's a scene where Cap is briefly devastated by this turn of events, but Waid doesn't seem convinced himself that Cap would ever lose heart, and he has Sharon get him on the move again very quickly. Essentially the story is about Cap finding old foe and sometime Skull partner Machinesmith, in order to clear Cap's name. Although still brisk and enjoyable, the story wants for some dramatic sequences and setpieces; it's hard to really remember the settings after one reads it. Waid also brings us up to speed on what Sharon has been doing all this time, and it's fine, though one wonders if there are any female characters in the Marvel Universe who haven't gone through periods of terrible degradation and torture.

The Waid/Garney run was cut short here, making way for the "Heroes Reborn" era, where Marvel threw in the creative towel and subcontracted several of their books to hot Image Comics creators, Cap being put in the laughably incapable hands of Rob Liefeld. Waid and Garney picked up the reins again after this all went away, to somewhat less acclaim, although I preferred that run, and some of its flaws can be attributed to editorial interference. One hopes that run is collected soon.