The most remarkable thing about this issue is how absolutely unremarkable it is. The arrival of a new Captain America occurs during a quick covert mission. It’s so unceremonious that it also doesn’t even feel like a notable occasion. And in that sense, I applaud Ed Brubaker’s understated talent in writing this issue. Bucky becomes Captain America for better or worse, and it feels completely uneventful. It doesn’t even feel official. It feels very loose and rather unorganized. Tony Stark sends Captain Bucky (if you don’t mind my own tongue-in-cheek nickname there) out on a mission to take down terrorist organizations that intend to strike a symbolic blow to the American economy while it’s down on it’s luck. The Black Widow acts as his escort while he gets the job done. And that’s that.

Brubaker gets extremely lucky by the fact that the economy took a HUGE hit in the past couple weeks. It really makes this issue feel like it could be happening right now. That timeliness aids the tone of this tale and helps to strengthen the illusion of fantasy going on here. But while the setting feels perfectly believable, the superhero action doesn’t add enough of the fantastic to feel stupendous. It’s a solid action scene featuring the new Cap, but it feels more like a quick brouhaha that could have been just as easily handled by Wolverine or Spider-Man. It’s not nearly befitting enough for the newest Captain America on the block.

I also felt that this issue fell short in terms of character selection. Too much Tony Stark! I know the guy is running SHIELD, but he spends way too much time in this title. There was no Falcon whatsoever. Ignoring the fact that Sam was passed up for the Cap promotion, he at the very least should have been included. Also, there was no Sharon Carter. She’s been an essential component to this Death of Captain America epic going on right now. And I know that Nick Fury has only been in the periphery of this book, but he seems like an important part of the modern Cap legacy and it’s hard to have him mostly MIA at this point in time.

The art is good, but it didn’t leave me with any pressing superlatives. Steve Epting and Butch Guice make a seamless fit. They both have a shadowy sort of impressionistic touch for the page and it adds much consistency to this issue. At the same time, their “realistic” approach makes the superhero action feel that much more unimpressive. The athletics of Captain Bucky weren’t particularly awesome, and I had to pay attention to the words more than the pictures to understand the tactical end of Cap’s fighting strategy. The colors by Frank D’Armata work off of a moody palette. The letters by Joe Caramagna are fine.

The end of this story introduces a potential crisis to be calmed by the new Captain America. It feels forced in contrast to some of the other recent events of this book, but not unbelievable. This new Cap storyline will be more interesting once the other members of the Marvel Universe begin to react to Captain Bucky. Until then, you have this rather average issue of Captain America to pique your curiosity.