The Duel Of Captain America And Taskmaster In Captain America #5
by Josh Davison
[*Mild Spoilers Ahead!]
We get a glimpse of Alexa’s planning with Selene before returning to Captain America, is locked in combat with Taskmaster in the mysterious base that is holding Sharon Carter. The battle is fierce between Cap and Taskmaster, but the Sentinel of Liberty manages to get past the mercenary. He finds Sharon at the mercy of the Alexa and Selene, the former Black Queen of the Hellfire Club. Sharon looks to be in bad shape, and Steve knows that he’s likely in no shape to take on Selene directly.
The main thrust of Captain America #5 is the throwdown between Cap and the Taskmaster, followed by a the brief glimpse of Alexa and Selen then a conversation with the Winter Soldier (the boy’s back, son!).
Relatively speaking, the plot doesn’t advance very far. That’s mostly forgivable in Captain America #5, as the fight between Steve Rogers and Tony Masters is pretty damn awesome. Plus, Ta-Nehisi Coates continues to show that he has already mastered the interiority of Steve Rogers. The interior monologue shows Cap cracking little jokes to himself, showing a hint of disdain for mercenaries like Taskmaster, and endless concern for Sharon Carter.
That interiority is important, as Steve Rogers is generally a man of few words. He doesn’t banter with Taskmaster; he has no use for it. Cap simply fights.
The conversation with Bucky at the end does try to hint that he may not entirely be on Steve’s side, which is a bit of a played-out trope when writing the Winter Soldier. He’s mysterious but not duplicitous. Also, Alexa and Selene’s plan is a bit ridiculous when it comes to fruition, but it could lead to something quite cool.
I don’t know what I could say about the incredible artwork of Leinil Francis Yu that I haven’t already said. He is an immensely talented artist, and his distinct way of rendering, detailing, and generally bringing to life the Marvel Universe has been a thing to behold for over a decade. In this comic, he is backed up well by the colorist, Sunny Gho, who balances the somewhat gritty style of Yu with a vibrant and visually interesting color palette.
Captain America #5 is another solid hit from the team of Coates, Yu, inker Gerry Alanguilan, and Gho. While not a perfect issue, this installment of Steve Roger’s book is compelling and enjoyable throughout most of its runtime and is worthy of a recommendation. Feel free to check this one out.
Captain America #5 comes to us from writer Ta-Nehisi Coates, artist Leinil Francis Yu, inker Gerry Alanguilan, color artist Sunny Gho, letterer VC’s Joe Caramagna, cover artist Alex Ross, and variant cover artist Elizabeth Torque.
