REVIEW: ‘Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty,’ Issue #4

Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty #4 is written by Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly, illustrated by Carmen Carnero, colored by Nolan Woodard, and lettered by VC’s Joe Caramagna. It’s published by Marvel Comics. Steve Rogers’ battle against the machinations of the Inner Circle leads him to reconnect with his partner Bucky Barnes. But it turns out that Bucky has his connection to the Circle — which is why he’s been hunting them down. And unbeknownst to Steve, the Circle’s superhuman assassin known as The Redacted is stalking him and everyone he loves…

Many of the best Captain America stories often explore Steve Rogers’ place in the world, as well as the values he stands for. So far, Lanzing and Kelly’s run has been no different, with the introduction of the Inner Circle forcing Steve to rethink everything he knows. But a welcome addition has been how Steve has also been trying to carve out an everyday life for himself amid battles with the Avengers. This issue is chock-full of him having honest, open conversations with the people in his life. This is a surprisingly thoughtful comic from a discussion on the nature of violence with his young neighbor Amari and a talk about the meaning of his shield with his fellow art student.

It is still a superhero comic, though, and eventually, Steve is cornered by the Redacted. What follows is a battle that spans over the course of four pages, as shields are flung, and metal limbs smash into the wall. Carnero depicts all of this action with an assortment of images with a unique fluidity to them — even though said images stand completely still. Her characters’ facial expressions will also hit the reader in the heart, particularly in the opening pages with Steve and Bucky, as the latter is brought to tears. Between this title and her work on other Marvel series such as Captain Marvel and Miles Morales: Spider-Man, Carnero’s more than earned her status as one of Marvel’s top artists.

Woodard is also an integral part of the visual look of Sentinel of Liberty #4, as he manages to craft a distinct set of colors for each scene. The opening scene with Steve and Bucky takes place in the dark, with light glinting off Steve’s shield and Bucky’s robotic arm. Other scenes take place in the shining summer sun of New York, highlighting the beauty of the Big Apple. And the aforementioned fight scene takes place in the rain, as light gray slashes cut through the page to represent rain. Caramagna’s word captions are also colored a light blue to represent Steve’s thoughts as well as the primary color of his Captain America uniform.

Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty #4 offers a thoughtful look into what Captain America means to different people as Steve Rogers decides to confront the Inner Circle on his terms. Issue by issue, this continues to be one of the best takes on Captain America and one of Marvel’s best books, and I would be remiss if I didn’t recommend it to Cap fans.

Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty #4 is available now wherever comics are sold.