Captain America by Ta-Nehisi Coates vol. 3: The Legend of Steve

Vol. 1 of Coates’ run reminded me of the most annoying parts of Ed Brubaker’s run.  Vol. 2 gave us a good super-hero-in-a-super-prison story.  Vol. 3 does a bang-up job of threatening to derail my interest in this series.  Part of that’s due to a confusing plot which initially starts off with the return of Steve’s old adversaries, the ultranationalist group known as the Watchdogs, as they’ve been kidnapping migrant workers to sell off as slaves.  Then we find out that they’ve also infiltrated the N.Y.P.D., because Mayor Wilson Fisk needed footsoldiers and Alexa Lukin supplied them.  But now they’re being killed off by the actual, long-serving cops led by a new version of Scourge.  Which should make them the good guys?  Except that they’re doing this against the law, which is what brings in Steve and the Daughters of Liberty to stop them and make the town safe for Fisk and his crew again.  Did I get all that right?

This is definitely the most grounded volume of Coates’ run so far, and it’s a good argument for having him focus on the superhero theatrics that defined the first two volumes.  Confusing plot aside, it’s always a tricky proposition to involve the title character in realistic issues since having him solve these things risks trivializing them in real life.  Still, this volume is further dragged down by the art of Jason Masters.  He can do solid work where realism isn’t demanded, but his work here feels flat and simplistic.  I’d throw in “rushed” as well, but the fact that four other artists contributed to this volume kind of speaks for itself.  Masters and two other artists worked on the final issue, which promises to put the return of Aleksander Lukin/Red Skull business back on the front burner if not bring it to a climax.  I wasn’t prepared to look forward to something like that.  After reading through this volume, I’m more than ready for any kind of return to superhero grandstanding.