More details on Marvel’s new Captain America series, plus the first cover debuts

Captain America is fresh out of the ice, and in a world he doesn’t recognize, in Marvel’s upcoming prequel-series.

Welcome back Steve

Marvel Comics’ next reboot for Captain America is going to be a little different. Not just a numerical rebooting, the new series will kick off with an arc that takes place before Cap joined the Avengers, but just after he was thawed from the arctic ice. The book will spin out of a creative team that’s got plenty of Marvel experience, and includes writer Chip Zdarsky and artist Valerio Schiti.

The fresh details were announced today by Marvel, along with the first image of issue #1’s cover, which hails from Ben Harvey. Along with those story points for this opening tale, we also now know that the ‘prequel’ theme won’t be continuing. The second arc will pick up the threads of the first, but it’ll do so in the modern Marvel U.

Out of the ice and into the fire! While Captain America slumbered in ice, the world changed—for better and for worse. He awakens to a reality where battles are fought in the shadows through secrets and subterfuge, and villains aren’t so easy to identify. When a fledgling dictator named Victor Von Doom conquers Latveria, Steve faces a critical decision: adapt to a new kind of warfare, or forge his own path? And what will the choice he makes in the past mean for his future?

“I’ve been a massive Captain America fan for decades. I loved writing the grizzled, older Cap in Avengers: Twilight, so getting to write the actual CAPTAIN AMERICA title feels like a dream!” Zdarsky shared. “We’re exploring Cap’s early days in the modern era with a twist that I think is going to really surprise readers! I’m pretty excited to get this out there in the world, especially with Valerio and Frank’s amazing art!”

“Chip’s script is so clever and compelling that I’m sure readers will be dragged with us inside Steve’s heart and soul,” Schiti added. “He’s a man that became the living embodiment of truth, justice and freedom. He fought a war against Nazism, ‘died’ in that war, and came back to life to do his duty and fight again. That’s a lot of pressure, and if you do the math, he’s only in this late twenties in the era we’re exploring!”

Marvel Comics press release

Captain America #1 debuts in stores this July 2nd, just in time for a little Independence Day reading.