Captain America #36

So, eleven issues later, and we've finally ended the second act of "The Death of Captain America". It's taken awhile, but by no means have I disliked a single second of it. Brubaker does an awesome job issue after issue, delivering some good old fashioned ass-kicking. Issue #34 was great, #35 was not too bad, and I feel #36 delivered an overall great ending to the arc.

Right from the get-go, Bucky is facing down the barrel of Sin, the Red Skull's daughter, and three other members of the Serpent Society. The opening fight was intense, and I really liked how Bucky seems to be getting better with the shield. When he brought out the gun again, I actually laughed because it's so different. Then came Crossbones, whom I was highly surprised to see. The thing that irker me with his appearance, though, was his lack of surprise at supposedly seeing the man he killed alive again. The art during the fight made up for it though. You know it's a good scene when you can actually feel the blows hitting into you. Then when he got stabbed, that panel made me crack up. This is definetly not the old Cap.

Then what follows is more political and conspiracy intrigue, Bucky failing to prove his identity, and a sentimental moment between Black Widow and Bucky. It's these little things that really makes it good. Anybody can write an all-action book, but few can pull of the mix like Ed Brubaker can do with Captain America.

The reveal at the end? Not as shocking as I would have thought. Hasn't the Red Skull already made a Captain America clone? Or two, or three? Still, it's should be interesting to see where the story goes from here...