Captain America: Sam Wilson #3

By Nick Spencer, Daniel Acuna & Mike Choi

One of the most fun comics to emerge out of the new run of Marvel series has been Nick Spencer’s Captain America: Sam Wilson, and this issue proves that the creative team isn’t afraid to throw Sam (and Misty Knight, who guest stars) headlong into absurd action that’s a far cry from the relatively grounded portrayal of Captain America in the movies. Both Daniel Acuna and Mike Choi work on the pencils and colors in this issue and as a result, everything looks that much better blending humour and action together to create a really enjoyable read that sees the return of Cap-Wolf, a version of Captain America who this reviewer was unfamiliar with before reading this book.

However, as most people probably will be, you shouldn’t worry because Nick Spencer manages to get readers up to date on the concept and manages to get across the fact that the idea that actually can work in a modern day Captain America comic that a few issues ago was embroiled in a massive “controversy.” There’s references to Teen Wolf and American Werewolf in London that help show that Spencer is aware of the concept and how far out there it is, and the book is handled well with an interesting plot that allows for the characters of Sam Wilson and Misty Knight to shine. They’re very fun to watch interacting with plenty of banter coming from the two characters and even though it’s early stages into Spencer’s run, this pairing has the potential to become as memorable as the Steve and Bucky duo down the line.

The artwork from Daniel Acuna is fantastic, with both him and Mike Choi working together well to create some excellent panels that really work. The layout is great and easy to read, with some creepy panels here and there particularly when focusing on Dr. Malus. Malus is made all the more unnerving thanks to the artwork and as a whole pretty much everything is on form, with a nice, dramatic last-page character reveal teasing interesting things to come.

Captain America: Sam Wilson is shaping up to be one of Marvel’s most consistent books. If you’re looking for something that has plenty of fun, isn’t afraid to veer into absurd territory every now and again, and enjoy good character interactions, then Captain America: Sam Wilson is the book for you. Nick Spencer is one of the best writers in the comics business at the moment, and it’ll be interesting to see what he can bring to the table in the months to come.