Why You Should Read "The Death of the Dream"

"...but it all went wrong..."

After the events of "Civil War", Captain America is taken into custody for refusing to comply with the Superhuman Registration Act and for leading a resistance of superheroes against the government. With one of the country's greatest heroes behind bars, some of the world's greatest villains scheme.

"Death of the Dream" opens up with Captain America, Steve Rogers, being led to a federal courthouse where he is expected to stand trial for his crimes. Watching Steve being escorted to the courthouse, SHIELD Agent 13, Sharon Carter, stands by as security and Cap's old sidekick, Bucky Barnes,also known as the Winter Soldier, works with Nick Fury to free Steve. 

But before Steve Rogers reaches the courthouse, a sniper shoots and kills him on the steps of the courthouse. Sharon Carter rushes to his side while Bucky chases after the sniper who turns out to be the hitman, Crossbones. After Crossbones is taken into custody, Bucky Barnes begins his search for the people responsible for Captain America's death. 

Sharon Carter, joined by Falcon, one of Captain America's friends and partners, begin their own investigation to find the people responsible and uncover a massive conspiracy. Sharon also has flashbacks to the moment Steve died and realizes that she was somehow responsible for his death.

Lurking and scheming in the shadows, the Red Skull puts into motion a mysterious plan involving the death of Captain America and the Serpent Society, led by his daughter, Sin, and the criminal organizations, AIM. 

"Death of the Dream" is the first part of the "Death of Captain America" storyline and is followed by "The Burden of Dreams" and "The Man Who Bought America", all written by Ed Brubaker. Brubaker did a great job writing this action mystery story that pulls in readers with its drama and twists.

Steve Epting and Mike Perkins handle the art in this story and they make a fantastic team. While the art style is not my favorite, I think that it is a perfect match for this story, like McNiven's work on "Civil War".

As much as I think this is a good story, I would not recommend it for brand new readers since this story requires some investment in the characters and also some knowledge about more obscure characters like the Serpent Society. 

ISSUES: Captain America #25-30 (2007)

Writing	Art	Character Development	Overall Enjoyment
8	8	7	9