Anybody else catch the second issue of Coates and Yu's Cap? I really enjoyed it.
The Nuke army crashes the World Conference of Mayors in Chicago, and Cap shows up to dispatch them, all the while ruminating on the concept of being a soldier and the super-soldiers that have come after him. Thunderbolt Ross shows up and chastises Steve for taking action on his own instead of waiting for orders — he tells Steve that not everyone in America is convinced that Steve and Stevil are different people, and that the memories of Secret Empire are fresh in their minds.
Back home, Steve reflects on how he feels about Secret Empire while listening to an Alex Jones-type radio host spout off conspiracy theories about how Cap and HydraCap are one and the same. Sharon comes in and checks on him, tells him he needs to forgive himself and that Ross isn't really so bad, and that she's setting out to track down some leads. Steve fishes out some beads (not unlike the ones in the Black Panther movie) and opens up a line of contact with Black Panther, Shuri, and some other Wankandans, setting up the Black Panther team-up for next issue.
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There are also a couple panels of a woman with her hand outstretched and a glowing blue light coming from her palm, and in one of them, Steve mentions a bargain that he made; the woman says "I can make you strong again." I couldn't tell exactly what was supposed to be going on there. In the first instance, I thought it was Kobik, but Kobik never really said anything along those lines to Steve. The dialogue reads like Alexa's dialogue in the FCBD issue with the Nukes, though. Not sure if what was going on there was supposed to be obvious and I just missed it, or if it's something they'll be expanding upon later.
EDIT: Coates was referencing Cap's return to youth/the arrival of HydraCap in
Sam Wilson: Captain America #7. I should have caught that!
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Overall, it was a good issue, if a little slow-paced. It reminded me of the better solo stuff from Brubaker and Bendis, and like their better stuff, it's definitely the type of story that seems like it reads better in trade. The way Steve's inner monologue was framed as an address to Sharon reminded me of Daredevil: Yellow in all the best ways. I like Coates's Cap and I like how he writes Sharon, too. I'm really intrigued to see where he goes with this.