Captain America #6 Review

Written by: J. Michael Straczynski
Art by: Lan Medina, Belardino Brabo
Colors by: Espen Grundetjern
Letters by: VC’s Joe Caramagna
Cover art by: Taurin Clarke
Cover price: $4.99
Release date: February 7, 2024

Captain America #6 brings Cap’s fight against fascists on U.S. soil to a close when the demon Asmoday makes a grand move to eliminate everyone who could bring the light of hope to the world.

Is Captain America #6 Good?

J. Michael Straczynski brings his first arc on the title to a close with Steve Rogers at the center of a fight in the past and present against a demonic force in Captain America #6. The fights conclude with a few wow moments (with a lowercase ‘w’), plenty of action, and a somewhat satisfying finish.

When last we left Steve Rogers, aka Captain America, young Steve found out the demon Asmoday manipulated Nazi forces to blow up their own rally at Madison Square Garden to create a martyr event that would put the court of public opinion on the Nazis’ side. Young Steve enlisted the help of real-life gangster Myer Lansky and his gang to stop the bombing before it could go off.

In the present, Captain America jumped into a convention center before Asmoday could seal it off from the outside world, trapping himself inside with the Emissary and Asmoday’s intended victims – activists for positive change.

Now, Young Steve uses his tiny frame to break into the armored truck carrying the bomb that would destroy the rally and frantically races to get the bomb away from populated areas before the remote signal sets it off. Meanwhile, Doctor Strange sends Captain America a gift that gives his shield the juice it needs to beat the Emissary and purge Asmoday (for good?).

What’s great about Captain America #6? Straczynski finally ties the past and present plot threads together in a way that makes sense. One of the criticisms of this series has been the excessive focus on Steve’s past with no clear connection to the present, so Straczynski corrects that issue by connecting the dots. In both timelines, the endings conclude the conflict with a complete resolution.

What’s not so great about Captain America #6? In retrospect, Young Steve’s conflict against Nazis and Asmoday appears pointless. In the present, Asmoday has an “I remember you” moment, but there are no consequences or unfinished business from Young Steve’s adventure. If you removed Young Steve’s plot thread completely, it would have no bearing on the Captain’s adventure in the present.

Also, Doctor Strange’s gift in the present fight should have felt like a bigger wow moment than how it came across. I’m not sure if it’s a shortcoming in the art or if the gift’s “unwrapping” didn’t do more in the reveal, but a scene that should have elicited an “Oh, Cool!” reaction only generated an “Ehh, okay.”

How’s the art? The art by Lan Medina and Belardino Brabo is solid. You get good action, strong figure work, and excellent colors by Grundetjern. Much like the script, the art won’t blow you away, but it’s good.

About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com, a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers.

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Bits and Pieces

Captain America #6 brings the fight against Asmoday and the Emissary to a close with fast-paced action and a tight conclusion that sets up (demonic) trouble to come. That said, too much of this title is taken up with Young Steve Rogers’s adventure in the past, which turns out to have no appreciable importance to the Captain’s adventure in the present.