Nine months after the death of Steve Rogers, a new Captain America returns in Captain America #34, which goes on sale on January 16th.  Marvel has released the two cover images for the landmark issue (one by Alex Ross and the other by Steve Epting) that display the striking new Captain America character design.  Series writer Ed Brubaker suggested that Alex Ross, who is currently working on his own Captain America saga, Avengers/Invaders (see 'Time Travel to Bring Cap Back'), redesign the character and Ross did so in collaboration with Brubaker, Captain America penciller Steve Epting, and series editor Tom Brevoort.

Alex Ross Cover

The new design includes a number of old school elements that reach back to the 1940s roots of the character, which was originally designed by Joe Simon with a triangular shield, an element that Ross neatly transposed to the chest of the new Captain America costume with its triangular motif.  Another 1940s Captain America reference is liable to create the most consternation in the fan world -- like the hero of the Captain America movie serial from1944 and in contrast to over sixty years of comic book tradition, the new 2008 Cap carries a gun -- a 45-caliber service issue automatic from the looks of it and he has a knife as well as his indestructible shield.

1944 Serial

So not only will someone other than Steve Rogers assume the identity of Captain America, he will be armed with a pistol and a knife.  Fans will have to wait until January to find out the identity of the new Cap, but from the looks of the character design Ross, Brubaker et al have done a good job of paying homage to the character's rich and varied history, while at the same time making a radical departure from Cap's past by providing him with offensive weapons.