I’m not sure where to start with this review but let me get one thing out of the way first: I am sad to see this miniseries end.

I’ve never been a huge Captain America fan. I don’t dislike the character, he just never resonated with me in my comic-reading youth. As an adult, it’s taken me a long time to get back into comics and I still don’t know what I’m going to like or not. But what I am finding is that Captain America is awesome. I like reading stories about Steve Rogers and I’m really excited for the movie. Since I’ve also found that I enjoy reading “Bucky Cap” just as much, I decided to read this tale of another Captain America. I figured a four part series is an easy way to learn the character without much commitment if it sucks. Turns out it doesn’t suck at all and I think Jeff Mace (a.k.a. Patriot) might be my favorite Captain America. In a role so defined by Steve Rogers, yet filled by so many, Mace is remarkable for being his patriotic self.

Suffice to say, the Cold War is on and Hoover’s heyday is in full swing. And don’t forget McCarthyism. That dark time in American history is very present and very relevant. As a moderate history buff I have a weird interest in this era and Karl Kesel has captured it very well. The dialogue, the “alien” conspiracy, people defecting to the Soviets, the FBI’s covert operations, distrust between government branches, it’s all present and all remarkably well-written. The writing is so good I had to go back through the book again immediately and remind myself to look at the art.

That’s not to say the art is sub-par. No, no, no. Mitch Breitweiser just kills it with the period style that I love. This looks like 1950’s comic book America. Not dated or retro, but classic.

At first it seems awkward to see Cap fighting purse snatchers instead of super-powered Nazis, but the story puts it into context. It edges a political line, as anything involving this era in American history must, without soapboxing. And, in the end, shows a true patriot believes in his country, not necessarily the people who run it. If you could read the entire Marvel history in in-universe order you could find foreshadowing of Cap’s eventual role in the Civil War.

I strongly recommend this comic (indeed, the whole series) to anyone who loves a good story, classic art, Americana, Captain America (especially his patriotic speeches), and unobtrusive politics. I’m hard-pressed to think of any person who shouldn’t read it – maybe people who only like to see Cap punching lots of mutated commies.

The final chapter in Captain America: Patriot is available December 1, 2010 from Marvel Comics.