After three years and 30 issues, Ta-Nehisi Coates' Captain America run all comes down to this - a dinner between Steve Rogers and his arch-nemesis the Red Skull.
"...Dinner?" you may be asking yourself.
That's right. Coates and artist Leonard Kirk are bringing it home with July 7's Captain America #30, which we have a preview of right here:
Coates' Captain America run launched in July 2018, picking up after the controversial Secret Empire event and attempting to un-tarnish the legacy after he was cast as a Nazi-esque Hydra double agent. How does he aim to redeem himself? By doing what he's known for - fighting injustice and the villains that propagate it.
In Coates' run, Cap meets a new super-villain super-group called the Power Elite, whom he's since fought over the course of the past 3 years and 29 issues. It all culminates in Captain America #30 in what Marvel calls an "all-out fight to the finish..."
Captain America #30 was originally planned to go on sale June 16, and be the proverbial other shoe dropping as Coates' other Marvel series, Black Panther, ended just a few weeks prior. Captain America #30 is the final issue of Coates' run and also of the current finale arc, 'All Die Young' arc.
2021 is the 80th anniversary of Captain America, so presumably, Marvel will be quick to announce the next Captain America creative team. Marvel announced the next Black Panther writer just a few days before Coates' final issue on that title.
"The 80th anniversary of Captain America will also mark the end of one of the character's most groundbreaking chapters," reads Marvel's previous announcement about Captain America #30. "Captain America #30 will be the final issue of Ta-Nehisi Coates' redefining work on the title. Joined by artist Leonard Kirk, Captain America #30 will provide the climactic conclusion to the 'All Die Young' story arc and prepare the Star-Spangled Avenger for his next era."
What that era may be remains unspoken – though The United States of Captain America series, which debuted this week, may hint at what's to come. That story, by writer Christopher Cantwell and Dale Eaglesham along with rotating guest writers and artists on each issue, sends Steve Rogers, Sam Wilson, Bucky Barnes, and John Walker on a road trip adventure in which they'll meet new heroes who have taken up the mantle of Captain America in their local communities, starting with newly-revealed hero Aaron Fischer.
Captain America #30 goes on sale on July 7, with the final arc collected August 31 as Captain America By Ta-Nehisi Coates Vol. 5: All Die Young Part Two.
Before the next chapter of Captain America's story begins, catch up on the best Captain America stories of all time.
