Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty #3 – Jackson Lanzing, Collin Kelly, Carmen Carnero, VC’s Joe Caramanga, Nolan Woodard
Fresh off their successful tour of San Diego Comic Con, Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly (Kang The Conqueror, Voidsong) – the writing pair known as The Hivemind – are back on the racks this week with Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty #3.
Diving straight back into the story from issue #2, Bucky is in Madripoor facing off against the one and only Peggy Carter. Steve Rogers has returned to Germany to try and uncover who – or what – is sending him mysterious coded messages, and us readers get another action packed issue! This one seriously doesn’t let up either, we have multiple fight scenes in different countries, more flying shields than you can shake a stick and even a [redacted] – because I’m trying to keep this review spoiler free!
Truth
This book is gorgeous. I know reviewers say that a lot, but Carmen Carnero (Captain Marvel, X-Men: Red) is absolutely killing it with the art here. There is a double page spread at the centre of the book that takes Steve’s shield and runs with it to create panelling that blew my mind. With colours from Nolan Woodard (Fantastic Four Life Story) perfectly complimenting Carnero’s pencils, I cannot stress enough how good looking Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty is. The panel in which Steve’s symbolic shield is reflected in his perfect blue eye is one of the best single panels I’ve seen in a comic. Ever.
The action sequences in Madripoor – when Bucky learns that confronting Peggy Carter isn’t his best move – are enigmatic and dynamic, you can feel the punches and kicks as they land. Making full use of the underground casino where the scene is set gives some panels a distinct Gambit-esque feel, a stark contrast of Steve’s scenes in a German power station, where he just has his wits and his shield. The contrast is especially obvious thanks to Woodard, with Bucky and Peggy brightly coloured, while Steve is bouncing around in the gloom!
Justice
It is clear from every panel that Lanzing and Kelly are not just writers of these characters, but super-fans. They repeatedly dive into obscure Marvel history for deep cuts that long-term fans will love, but they do it in such a way that new readers aren’t left behind. This issue pulls us deeper into the story behind the shield that was alluded to on the first page of issue #1, which introducing a new Marvel villain. Who is creepy as all heck!
The Redacted – is it a machine? A man? Something between the two? Who or whatever they are, this is the kind of creepy action baddie that you wouldn’t want to meet in real life. Strong enough to take on both Steve and his shield, ruthlessly persistent, and determined to remove Captain America from collective memory, I cannot wait to see what happens with them next. Given the final page cliff-hanger I can only see this situation getting worse for Steve, long before it gets any better.
The Hiveminds dialogue is brought to life by VC’s Joe Caramanga (She Hulk, Star Wars: Doctor Aphra), who adds another layer of creepiness to The Redacted, as well as doing stellar work on that shield-based double page spread. This is a creative team working in perfect synergy, and it is glorious to behold.
The (Captain) American Way
This is a pivotal and action packed issue for the on-going series, which is queuing up a tie in with Captain America: Symbol Of Truth, as the two series will lead to ‘Cold War‘, a new Captain America event kicking off in Spring 2023. Get in on the ground floor of this one, because the creative team on Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty are so obviously enjoying their time with these legendary characters, and they are only just getting started…!
I am already excited to see where they take Steve and friends – and enemies – next. Issue #4 of Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty is due out on September 7th, and it cannot come soon enough for my liking!
You can follow the creative team on Twitter for more comics goodness:
Jackson Lanzing – Writer
Colin Kelly – Writer
Carmen Carnero – Artist
VC’s Joe Caramanga – Letterer
Nolan Woodard – Colourist
Alanna Smith – Editor
Marvel Comics – Publisher
