Should it come as a surprise that Captain America is returning from the grave? No, it has become such a cliché now that dead heroes and villains return that the entire concept of death should be completely ignored in comics. In fact, if a major character dies, it would make sense that grief is replaced by a commitment to find the means of resurrection. If one person can come back from the grave, so can someone else. When dozens of dead characters return, then death has no meaning. That sad, I do have to say that Captain America: Reborn still reads like a very engaging work. This should not come as too much of a surprise. The author is Ed Brubaker who has long since proven his abilities as a great writer. His work in Daredevil is truly excellent and the same could be said of his work in this Captain America limited series.

Captain America has remained a popular hero throughout Marvel’s publishing history. And, like Daredevil, he has had his ups and downs in terms of popularity and sales. Personally, my favorite Captain America storylines were the ones written by John Byrne in the 1980’s although I do have an affinity for many of Stan Lee’s early works on Cap in the 1960’s.

If you have not been reading Captain America titles in some time, you may wish to give REBIRTH a look. Issue one starts off solidly and makes reading the next five installments in the series worth waiting for. Consider it recommended.