Posted in: Comics | Tagged: captain america, chris sprouse, marvel, Tini Howard
Tini Howard and Chris Sprouse Take Captain America to World War 2 Roots in Captain America Annual #1
The newly relaunched Captain America series is getting its first newly relanched annual in September, the House of Ideas announced in a press release today. Written by Tini Howard with art by Chris Sprouse, Captain America Annual #1 is set in World War 2 and features Cap and his faithful sidekick Bucky encountering a group of fleeing escapees from a Nazi concentration camp.
But who will Cap side with?!
Sorry, Marvel. You're never living Nazi-Cap down. In any case, Nick Spencer isn't writing it, so Cap will presumably not side with the Nazis. We don't know why you even brought it up, and we're just going to move on with this press release.
Said Howard:
Alanna and I are both huge Captain America fans, and she knew from my work on The Skeptics that I was also a big fan of historical fiction and period pieces. I've also long been an advocate of seeing more women writers take on these tentpole superhero characters – as a fan, it's mind-blowing to get to put words in Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes's mouths. At the same time, we're working with a time period that's been often distilled into action stories that fail to recognize some of the realities. One of the great things about historical fiction is the ability to go back and amplify perspectives that may have been silenced – everyone deserves stories.
And Sprouse:
This story couldn't be a better example of why a character — an idea — like Captain America matters and I am thrilled and honored to be a part of bringing it to life. Just speaking purely personally, Tini's Captain America Annual was exactly the Cap story I wanted to draw. Not only does it feature a couple of iconic Marvel characters that are a blast to illustrate, it's set in a time period and setting I've long wanted to explore and deals with themes and ideas that have always been important to me, both in my work and in my life.
And editor Alanna Smith:
For this annual, we're really trying to steer into a Kurosawa vibe through the lens of Captain America. I'm a big fan of Seven Samurai, so the idea of putting Cap and Bucky in a similar situation was immediately interesting to me. Tini's done a wonderful job capturing Steve's determination to fight for those in need, as well as his perpetual willingness to recognize humanity in other people. And we're so fortunate to have Chris on art — every single panel looks iconic! I can't wait for readers to see what this team is putting together!
And back to Howard again:
I feel like I'm surrounded by legends on all sides. To step in and write an annual during Ta-Nehisi Coates's run on the character, and to get to tell that story with an award-winner like Christopher Sprouse is more than I could have hoped. Does anyone else draw retro tough guys so well?" Don't miss Cap and Bucky's new adventure in CAPTAIN AMERICA ANNUAL #1, coming to comic shops this September!
Anyone else? Going once… going twice… Alright, here's the solicit:
CAPTAIN AMERICA ANNUAL #1
Written by TINI HOWARD
Art and Cover by CHRIS SPROUSE
Variant Cover by KAARE ANDREWS
On Sale 9/19/18