Dustin Gebel
Marvel announced that seasoned creator and filmmaker J. Michael Stracyznski will be returning to the House of Ideas to relaunch Captain America this September. He will be joined by artist Jesús Saiz, who just finished redefining the visual style of the Punisher (and drew plenty of Cap) in the Jason Aaron scribed limited series.
The announcement comes as a surprise given Stracyznski’s tumultuous history with Marvel, going back to his days on Amazing Spider-Man. Editorial control and alterations to his story were common as the Spider-Office looked to split Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson, and the meddling got to a point with One More Day that Stracyznski requested his name be removed from the final two issues. In recent years, Stracyznski has written for DC and provided the occasional short story for Marvel, but made no commitments to a longer arc or run.
The relaunch also looks to redefine Cap after the conclusion of Cold War, the currently running Captain America event. The story has pitted Steve and Sam Wilson’s Captain Americas against Bucky and a group of villains called the Outer Circle, as they attempt to take over the world through force and Dimension Z. As of reporting, the event still has multiple issues along with an Omega, that will then dovetail into this new run.
Speaking with io9, Straczynski says,
“Overall, the goal is to do some really challenging stories, some really fun stories, and get inside Steve’s head to see who he really is in ways that may not have been fully explored before. If folks like what I did with Peter in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN, and Thor in, well… THOR, then they should give this a shot, because I’m really swinging for the bleachers in this one!”
Marvel has provided a look at Saiz’s cover for issue #1, which can be seen below with a synopsis of the new run.
CAPTAIN AMERICA #1
Written by J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
Art and Cover by JESÚS SAIZ
On Sale 9/20
Stay tuned to Comic Watch for more coverage of Cold War and the relaunch of Captain America.