Captain America: Man out of Time (2011) #5

As Man out of Time finishes, it’s not clear if it’s the new continuity or if Marvel just gave Waid and company the chance to retell the Cap origin again. The series suggests it might behoove them to let other writers take a crack at it, because Waid does find a lot to talk about, a lot to look at.

This issue finally returns Cap to the past, something I can’t remember having read before. The future, it turns out, has spoiled him in a lot of ways. Waid does take the easy way out—he doesn’t give Cap an Edith Keeler (the disappearance of Bucky and Peggy Carter from the official record could be a sequel series in itself)—but it works. Even Molina manages not to offend too greatly.

Waid also addresses the question of Cap’s leadership, as well as those awkward reports.

It’s a good, thoughtful series.

Captain America: Man out of Time (2011) #4

It’s nice to read a Captain America comic where the writer isn’t afraid to be unabashedly liberal. Brubaker always keeps it on the back burner a little, like he’s not willing to alienate. Waid is willing to alienate.

This issue might feature Molina’s best art so far, only because at one point I thought they might have brought someone else—someone competent onto the book. They haven’t, but for a few pages it seems like they do.

Waid’s updating of Cap’s origin, if updating is what he’s doing here (it’s still not clear), leaves him far more alone in the present than any other telling before has done. Even the Avengers are just sort of a distraction for him, not something he particularly cares about (or leads—Iron Man’s the leader in Man out of Time).

It’s a strong issue, with Waid doing fine work. And the cliffhanger’s got potential.

Captain America: Man out of Time (2011) #3

Once again, Waid broaches a really interesting possibility for Man out of Time—Cap going back in time to WWII via Reed Richards’s time machine prototype, but then he closes it down again.

Sure, it’s kind of cool to see Cap and Tony hanging out and the Martin Luther King Jr. stuff is excellent (I imagine it enraged a number of Marvel readers… oh, wait, I’m sure this series sold like crap). But Waid’s playing it really safe. He’s just setting the groundwork for what’s basically a movie template. He’s giving readers a modern Cap origin retelling—a good one—but it feels pointless other than as an Avengers movie precursor.

He’s got two issues to go, so I suppose it’s possible (if unlikely) he can do something special with the series. Still, making it good—Captain America: Month One—is an achievement.

Molina’s art, as usual, is the pits.

Captain America: Man out of Time (2011) #2

I hate how I dull so quickly to bad art. Molina hasn’t gotten any better, but because I know what to expect (what not to expect, more like), I’m comfortable.

This issue gets a lot more traditional. It’s not about Cap moving through time, it’s a retelling of him waking up; this time it’s when Obama’s President and Rick Jones has a gang of cyber-buddies helping him track supervillains. I’m not sure the Rick Jones and his Internet flunkies works though… Waid should have used Twitter.

So, in other words, it’s not the awesome thing I thought it would be from the first issue. Instead, it’s reasonably solid. Waid can write this stuff—he even writes a lot of it quite well (though he does have Cap thinking in a report to his commanding officer again). And notice, I’m not calling Cap Steve… Waid doesn’t humanize.

Still, it’s okay.

Captain America: Man out of Time (2011) #1

Molina’s artwork is truly hideous. It’s goofy and bulky and… it’s indescribably awful. The crisp coloring doesn’t help either.

That complaint made, Man out of Time is actually pretty interesting. Waid makes a serious goof with Cap dictating a report to his superior in his head during his first encounter with the Avengers, but otherwise… huh.

I had no idea what to expect going into the series, but the first issue suggests it’s Cap unbound in time, moving from point to point; Waid’s dealing with the character primarily as an icon. The issue opens with him and Bucky and Bucky’s definitely the one doing the heavy lifting as far as protagonist duties go. It’s post-Brubaker revisionist WWII Bucky, but Waid brings a lot of welcome levity to the character.

It’s like Waid tries to surprise every two pages. He succeeds.

Art aside, I’m looking forward to reading this one.

The Traveler (2010) #3

Well, Waid has his big reveal… and it’s utterly predictable, which might have been his point. More importantly, the ending seems to be setting up the next issue to finally reveal what all the characters have to do with one another.

It’s a brief read–Waid has a lot of pointless conversation and it fills pages without actually doing anything–but not a bad one. The evil villain reveals himself and then Waid introduces another evil villain. This evil villain he foreshadowed meeting in a contrived slip of the tongue… even I, as negative as I can be, didn’t imagine Waid would have the Traveler just head over to the guy’s house to say hello. But he does.

Hardin does fine on the art. I wish the pace weren’t so breakneck so Hardin might get a chance to do an establishing shot or two.

Traveler‘s finally picking up a little.

The Traveler (2010) #2

Maybe I’m just overly sensitive to this kind of thing right now, but Waid refers to one of the characters as an “unemployed sales clerk.” Um, if she’s unemployed, she’s not a sales clerk. I guess it sounds better than token black character.

This issue is actually leaps and bounds better than the first, even though it’s real silly in parts. Like when a Norman Osborn lookalike shows up (guess what, he’s the bad guy). And he’s in love with the Traveler’s girlfriend! Shocker!

What’s cool is how Waid’s got everything weaved together. Even if the dialogue’s way too expositional and a little hackneyed, Traveler is compelling anyway.

Once the story is unraveled of course, I can’t imagine there being much dramatic thrust.

Some of the plot contrivances are so obvious, it makes the comic an entertaining read (as in, Waid can’t be asking the reader to take it seriously).

The Traveler 2 (December 2010)

What’s cool is how Waid’s got everything weaved together. Even if the dialogue’s way too expositional and a little hackneyed, Traveler is compelling anyway.

Once the story is unraveled of course, I can’t imagine there being much dramatic thrust.

Some of the plot contrivances are so obvious, it makes the comic an entertaining read (as in, Waid can’t be asking the reader to take it seriously).

CREDITS

Writer, Mark Waid; artist, Chad Hardin; colorist, Blond; letterer, Ed Dukeshire; editor, Bryce Carlson; publisher, Boom! Studios

The Traveler (2010) #1

I’m a little confused to Waid’s approach with this series. He has a lengthy opening sequence introducing a completely unimportant character and then he brings in the titular character. The Courier’s Tragedy it ain’t.

Maybe the character will be back because the Traveler did something mysterious to her before she left, but it’s too soon to say. Waid’s got a goofy cliffhanger–it’s more annoying than anything else, making the first issue not make any sense without going and buying the second.

It’s also never clear if there are other superheroes in Traveler. Everyone reacts pretty calmly to the news except the FBI agent who will probably end up being his girlfriend or mother. The Traveler’s identity is secret to everyone, even the reader… so it must be a great big surprise.

The book’s pretty much exactly what I was expecting… a mediocre superhero book without anything unique about it. Shame.