written by Mark Waid
drawn by Chris Samnee
colored by Matt Wilson
They say good things come to those who wait, and in the case of the ongoing "Captain America" title that has proved to be true for me. After two issues with quality that ranged from pretty good to mediocre, Mark Waid and Chris Samnee have rediscovered the form that made their run on "Daredevil" one of the most well-regarded in the character's history.
Waid and Samnee pit Captain America against Kraven the Hunter in what is essentially a soft retelling of the short story "The Most Dangerous Game." Trapped by Kraven on an island, Cap must navigate his way through a number of traps the wily hunter has set, all the while protecting a civilian who isn't nearly as capable of surviving death traps as he is.
It's a simple premise, but Waid and Samnee do a fantastic job on its execution, as, for the first time since they started on this run, they finally have Cap face-off against a respectable bad guy who poses a fairly credible threat. Of course, Kraven isn't quite in Cap's league as a fighter, but he does have a few tricks up his sleeve that make him a formidable enough foe throughout the issue.
I really enjoyed how matter-of-fact Cap was when going about the business of surviving, and how his ability to handle this particular problem has little to do with the super soldier serum coursing through his veins and much more to do with his decidedly tactical approach. The creative team still aren't quite up to the standard of excellence that defined their work on "Daredevil" but in the three issues they've turned out so far, this is the closest they've gotten.
Samnee, in particular, after a surprisingly bland showing last issue, delivers not only his patented dynamic storytelling, with generous helpings of both action and atmosphere, but pours a good deal of stunning detail into Steve's jungle adventure. With this issue, he's reaffirmed the reasons why he's my favorite artist working in comics today.
The issue is as much a delight to behold as it is to read, and I'm really happy to see one of my favorite creative teams finally hit its stride. Sure, they may still have avoided talking about the whole "Cap being the most hated man in America" issue, and sure whole "hunting down man" story device is virtually a hundred years old by now, with Kraven the Hunter actually having been created based on that premise, but like I said, it was all about the execution, and in this regard Waid and Samnee really hit most of the marks this time.
8.5/10
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