Captain America #15
"Hell's Angel" Part 4
Writer: Chip Zdarsky
Artist: Valerio Schiti
Colorist: Romulo Fajardo Jr.
Publisher: Marvel Comics
War has come to Hell, as Steve Rogers and his makeshift army must face the Red Skull and his legion of undead Nazis...
Nazis. Why Did it Have to Be Nazis.
Steve Rogers has changed the Antidivine, a sword that looks like a scythe, into a facsimile of his shield. Facing the Red Skull one-on-one, Steve wants nothing more than to kill his foe. But the Skull destroys the Antidivine before Steve can do so, and a large cadre of demons appear on the scene. The Skull laughs that his reinforcements have arrived...
Except even in Hell, everyone hates Nazis.
Eventually Steve, Doom, and the rest come face-to-face with Mephisto, who quickly defeats his attackers. Mephisto offers Doom and Steve deals for their souls. Doom accepts immediately, but what does Steve do?
Devil's Trap
You can never go wrong with Captain America fighting the Red Skull.
Usually, the two men are on relatively even footing. Here in Hell, the Skull has a clear upper hand, since his vile soul feeds off the evils inherent in the land. Steve is still able to fight his old foe off, but not before losing the Antidivine.
There's a great scene where Doom confronts the Skull, who mocks Victor for saying that he does not desire Hell's throne. How could Doom, of all people, not desire power? I still expect a betrayal to come on the part of Doom, but I'd be glad to be disappointed.
Given the deal he makes with Mephisto, I'm guessing I'm going to be proven right. Doom doesn't hesitate to get a chance to live again, for the low-low cost of Valeria getting tortured for all eternity. Man, Victor, if that's how you treat the woman you loved, then I don't want to see how you treat your enemies...
As for Steve, facing the Skull gives him something familiar to do: beating up Nazis. But it also adds to his crisis of confidence: here he is, trapped in Hell between life and death, and he's still fighting the Red Skull. What has he really accomplished with his life? I mean, a lot, but I understand why he'd be wondering. So when Mephisto offers him a deal, he actually considers it.
Now this is the part where I think Zdarsky is messing with us, readers. He mentions that Steve wouldn't be the first good man to make a deal with him, and then we get an image of Spider-Man. They're really teasing us when it comes to One More Day these days, and I'm not sure how I feel about it.
Anyways, Steve's answer might not be what you think it is...
Seeing Red
Chip Zdarsky makes Steven's wavering confidence feel earned. I do think it's weird that he keeps referring to himself as dead when he's merely in a coma—don't you think he would feel the difference? But since he's going through a lot, maybe he's not noticing the fine details. The implications of the deals being offered by Mephisto are very interesting, and the lord of Hell himself is positioned as a major threat here—as he should be.
Valerio Schiti is back on art this issue, and I'm glad to see him. Nothing against Ton Lima from the last two issues, but Schiti's art is just so much more dynamic here. That's especially important when you're fighting armies of undead Nazis led by the Red Skull while you're wielding a sword that can kill angels, which you have changed into a copy of your shield by using a piece of your soul. Whew, that's a lot of words to say "this issue looks really cool."
Romulo Fajardo Jr. keeps up the bright and alien feel of Hell, while giving us plenty of different colors and variations of demons. When the group faces Mephisto himself, the deep red of the demon lord drowns out everything else on the page, adding to the feeling of despair our heroes are feeling by that point.
What Price a Soul?
Captain America #15 brings Steve Rogers and Victor Von Doom face-to-face with Mephisto, and the encounter doesn't go as they expected. Deals are offered, and who accepts may surprise you. It remains to be seen what is genuine and what is a fakeout, but it's clear that no one is going to emerge from this Hell trip unscathed.