ADVANCED REVIEW: ‘Captain America/Iron Man,’ Issue #1

Captain America/Iron Man #1 is written by Derek Landy, illustrated by Angel Uzenata, colored by Rachelle Rosenberg, and lettered by VC’s Joe Caramagna. It is published by Marvel Comics. Years ago, Tony Stark had a fling with scientist Veronica Eden and approved her application to S.H.I.E.L.D. In the present, Eden is being tried for infiltrating S.H.I.E.L.D. on behalf of Hydra. While Eden is being transported to prison, she is liberated by the former hero Fifty-One, which draws the attention of Captain America and Iron Man.

Captain America and Iron Man have had a roller coaster of a friendship. Not only have the duo been longtime members of the Avengers, but they also butted heads over the Superhuman Registration Act during the Civil War storyline. Landy tackles this relationship in his script, with Cap immediately deducing that Iron Man slept with Eden and Iron Man put out that the occupants of a bus flock to Cap when he helped save said bus. There are also some hilarious moments, including a discussion of Iron Man’s “long hair and stubble phase” and Cap literally dropping a motorcycle on a Hydra thug.

Landy’s script also picks up from his Falcon and Winter Soldier miniseries, along with storylines from Civil War and its aftermath. Fifty-One, and a group of heroes known as the Paladins, were part of the “Initiative” that Iron Man designed to train new heroes. But that training didn’t really pay off as the Paladins are cocky and leap headfirst into battle without a plan. The threat is definitely one that requires the presence of both Avengers, due to Iron Man’s history with Eden and Cap’s longtime battle with Hydra in its various forms.

Uzenata, who has served as an illustrator on the current Iron Man series, is a skilled hand at drawing the Armored Avenger. A splash page features Iron Man soaring over a packed highway and also engaging in aerial combat with Fifty-One. Uzenata also draws some great Captain America sequences, with the star-spangled Avenger locked in a furious car chase against Eden’s minions. And the design for Fifty-One is utterly unsettling; his gaunt, greyish skin and jet black eyes are a sharp contrast to the armored blue suit he wears. Rosenberg gives each character a distinct color palette, with Iron Man sporting his trademark red and gold armor and Captain America wearing the red white, and blues. Eden, in contrast, sports mostly dark reds and greys with the only bright color being a streak of pink in her golden blonde hair. That same pink hue covers her word captions, which appear quite frequently as she’s the narrator of the issue.

Captain America/Iron Man #1 highlights the complicated friendship between the Sentinel of Liberty and the Armored Avenger, while also pitting them against a threat that ties into both of their histories. Though this is a miniseries, I wouldn’t mind seeing more team-ups between Cap and Iron Man in the future.

Captain America/Iron Man #1 will be available on December 7, 2021 wherever comics are sold.