Though it doesn't fit all that naturally alongside Brubaker's recent Captain America work, issue #601 is still an excellent read and a stunning accomplishment by Colan. It'll make you want to dig through your collection for his past work, or run to the store for the black-and-white Tomb of Dracula reprintings. Read Full Review

I'd love to see more work like this from those talents from past years - these veterans have a lot to offer today's industry. They don't call them "the Greatest Generation" for nothing! Read Full Review

To top it off, this story is rather enjoyable and worth the money. If you are a Captain America fan, Bucky fan, vampire fan or World War II fan, this title is certainly for you. Uniquely, Marvel offers the colored version and the black and white version in a fitting send off to one of their greats. Read Full Review

While it doesn't tie into the current "Reborn" story, this 'lost annual' does feature Steve Rogers as Captain America again, which seems fitting. And, after the celebration of Captain America's history in issue #600, Gene Colan illustrating the book also seems fitting. His art really overpowers the writing and makes this a must buy. Read Full Review

It may sound weird saying this about an Ed Brubaker book, but you really need to approach this issue with the mindset that the writing is secondary. The story is a bit messy and doesn't really reflect the quality we expect from Bru. However, Colan's unparalleled style and grace with his line work is something to behold, especially given his age. This isn't the finest Captain America story by any means, nor is it the best example of Colan's work, but its still worth your cash and an issue you should probably pick up. Read Full Review

This was a very good story, but I was really disappointed by Gene's artwork. If you want to see some really good classic artwork by Mr. Colan I would checkout his website www.genecolan.com. His old work is fantastic. I would pick this issue up if you're a Cap fan or if you're into vampires. Read Full Review

The real value in this issue is its being penciled and inked by the legendary Gene Colan. Colan was a highly influential and popular artist on many Marvel titles like Daredevil, Iron Man, and Sub-Mariner, to name a few. His style might not be as appealing to the comic books readers of the last 20 years or so who have been thoroughly Jim Lee-ed, but Colan was as much a pioneer and trend setter for his day as Jim Lee is for the current age. Its a real treat to see some fresh art from him on a classic character. Read Full Review

Brubaker's plot is a fairly conventional one, far more ordinary than Cap readers have come to expect from him. Mind you, it's an accessible story, one that casual readers or just Colan fans can pick up without worrying about needing to know what's been going on in Cap continuity (save, perhaps, for the fact that there's no explanation for new readers about how Bucky came to be alive and well in the 21st century). The more conventional nature of the writing is easy to forgive or ignore, as it's clear that Brubaker is writing to the artist's strengths here, ensuring the spotlight remains where it belongs: on Colan. Read Full Review

My first impression of this issue: Why did they ruin Gene's art with such garish coloring? It's as if somebody decided that moody and compelling art isn't enough to make a vampire tale eerie, they needed to Photoshop the crap out of it. Granted, Colan's work has grown more difficult to color as his craft grows more complex, but somebody really needed to reign in the computer guy on this issue. The cover identifiedthis bookas "A Very Special Issue" (albeit not one where Blossom loses her virginity) and it comes across as such, but it's an odd sort of choice in both timing and content. The WWII purview is neat, and the flashback story is well done, but the Civil War behind-the-scenes makes me wary that we're going to see another situation like "Avengers Flashback Theatre," where the stories in the titles were halted, and the monthly issues used as DVD extras for the huge summer crossover. If they do that with the regular Cap title during the run of "Rebornded," I'm going Read Full Review