Albert Avilla Reviews: Captain America #1 (Marvel NOW)

Captain America # 1
Marvel Comics

Reviewed by Albert Avilla

Writer: Rick Remender
Pencils: John Romita
Inks: Klaus Janson
Colors: Dean White

Castaway in Dimension Z (Spoilers!)
When I first saw the promos for the new Captain America title, I wasn't looking forward to the Dimension Z storyline. That's my P.C. way of saying they are about to filty-farn up my favorite character. Don't be like me; don't judge the story before you read it. Once I start reading, I do so with an open mind.

This seems to be the beginning of a good story arc. The story begins with a flashback to Steve Rogers' boyhood, where his father is abusing his mother. We learn that Cap gets his courage from his mother. Remender makes a contribution to the legacy of Captain America in the first issue. We quickly get into some action as Cap battles an eco-terrorist, the Green Skull; he should know better to call Cap out like that. Cap saves Manhattan from destruction, just another day at the office.

Shocker, Sharon Carter proposes to Cap. Cap should have made Sharon a respectable woman years ago. People got married back in Steve's day. Cap is a proponent of old fashioned values; well, it’s time to step up to the plate. He should have started his family years ago. Who would be a better father and husband than Captain America? Sharon knows a good man is hard to find, and she is not letting this one get away.

Then, Cap is going on a mission without any intel, the perfect formula for surprise. No sooner than Cap gets on the secret subway, he's captured and drugged. Cap wakes up in a lab to find himself in the hands of Arnim Zola. Zola wants the super-soldier serum, and he's taking it the hard way. Zola wants the serum for his daughter and his well-designed son. Of course, Cap escapes in the most thrilling way possible and saves or kidnaps the baby, depending on your point of view. Cap finds himself trapped in Dimension Z with an infant to care for; that's what you get for doing what's right before you think it through. Cap gets a proposal and now, he has a baby to care for. Where is Mr. Remender leading Cap? I know it's the first issue, but this new direction has me hyped. Change is not always a bad thing, when it's done right.

Marvel is going top shelf with Romita Jr. doing the art. The visual aspect of the comic is astounding. Romita Jr. delivers quality no matter the setting; he rises to the challenge.

I rate Captain America # 1 Buy Your Own Copy. #2 (of 5) on the Al-O-Meter Ranking

Review: Stan Lee's How to Draw Comics

STAN LEE’S HOW TO DRAW COMICS
WATSON-GUPTILL PUBLICATIONS/Dynamite Entertainment

WRITERS: Stan Lee with David Campiti
COVER: John Romita with Dean White (limited edition cover: Francesco Francavilla)
ISBN: 978-0-8230-0083-8; paperback
224pp, Color, $24.99 U.S., $27.99 CAN

He was born Stanley Martin Lieber in 1922, but the world of arts and entertainment knows him as Stan Lee. For Marvel Comics, Lee has been a writer, editor, and publisher and has been associated with Marvel Comics since 1939 when it was Timely Comics.

Collaborating with artists Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko, Lee created such characters as Spider-Man, the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, and the Hulk, among many others. In addition to writing comic books, Lee has also authored several books. Perhaps, Lee’s best known non-comic book, book is How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way (1978), which he co-authored with the late artist, John Buscema.

Stan Lee’s latest how-to book is Stan Lee’s How to Draw Comics. Co-written with David Campiti, Stan Lee’s How to Draw Comics is essentially an update of How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way, but with less emphasis on “the Marvel Way.” In his introduction, Stan writes that it was time for a new book, one with “a cornucopia of cutting-edge, techno-savvy instructions.”

I have a copy of How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way, one through which I’ve thumbed countless times, and the difference between the 1978 book and this one is jarring. Stan Lee’s How to Draw Comics is, for one thing, bigger, and there is much information on digital lettering and computer coloring. How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way is essentially analog, but obviously that’s because computers weren’t being used to produce comic book art and graphics when it was written. Campiti’s hand is all over the sections on computers and digital processes to create comics because he runs Glasshouse Graphics, a company that provides everything from story and art to pre-press and custom publishing for comic book publishers and other clients.

Stan Lee’s How to Draw Comics provides a broad overview of creating visuals for comic books. There are sections on penciling, inking and coloring; lettering and word balloons. Readers can learn about creating costumes; what makes great action; perspective and foreshortening; page and panel layout; and how to create visually appealing covers. There is information on digital advances, creating a portfolio, and getting work in the industry.

Not to dismiss the earlier book, Stan Lee’s How to Write Comics, but Stan Lee’s How to Draw Comics is a complete book offering both theory and procedure. A budding comic book creator can get tips on penciling, inking, coloring, and lettering a comic book using both new and traditional methods, and he or she can examine numerous black and white diagrams that illustrate the basics of creating comic book graphics. Stan Lee’s How to Draw Comics is a text book because it explains the why’s and how’s, often using the advise and expertise of industry professionals. There is even a section on using Google Sketchup to create skyscrapers, buildings, and other exterior landscapes.

There is apparently a limited edition of Stan Lee’s How to Draw Comics. I don’t know whether or not it’s a hardcover, but this paperback edition is the one to get if you have an eye on becoming a professional comic book artist. The paperback is made to be handled a lot.

A-

CONTRIBUTING ARTISTS:
Neal Adams, Erica Awano
Dan Borgones, Nick Bradshaw, Ariel Burgess
Aaron Campbell, J. Scott Campbell, Chris Caniano, Eman Casallos, John Cassaday, Frank Cho, Vince Colletta
Bong Dazo, Mike Deodato, Jr., Steve Ditko
Tina Francisco
Ken Haeser, Tabitha Haeser
Bob Kane, Gil Kane, Michael Kelleher, Jack Kirby
Fabio Laguna, Jonathan Lau, Jae Lee, Jim Lee, Jun Lofamia
Gemma Magno, Jezreel Morales
Earl Norem,
Ariel Padilla
Cliff Richards, Al Rio John Romita, Alex Ross, Mel Rubi
Steve Sadowski, Gaspar Saladino, Edgar Salazar, Mel Joy San Juan, Alexander Sicat, Joe Sinnott
Anthony Tan, Wilson Tortosa, Michael Turner