Soaring as Captain America

It isn't breaking news, it's everywhere and it started on the Colbert Report.  The Falcon has been announced as the next Captain America. He isn't the first to take the mantle over and I'm sure Steve Rogers will be back. After all, the Winter Soldier more recently accepted the shield after the "death" of Rogers, and in the eighties when Steve was "fired", the US Agent had the title and the shield and yet Steve still returned, but what makes Sam Wilson worthy this time around? 

The Falcon was first introduced in Captain America #117 (Sept. of '69), which makes him slightly older than me, becoming the first (Marvel) black "American Super Hero" (remember the Black Panther is African). It wasn't until the following issue that we found out The Falcon was Sam Wilson. Throughout the years Sam was a trusted partner of Steve Rogers, and his portrayal by Anthony Mackie was nothing short of phenomenal in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. The Falcon wasn't some sidekick. He was a partner and a friend, which makes me wonder, was this the reasoning behind Marvel's recent decision to update their Golden Age creation?

In the eighties, Marvel tested the waters with a mini-series by Jim Owsley starring Captain America's most trusted sidekick. This was originally their way to get feedback on whether a regular series should start. If the four-issue limited sold out then the Falcon would fly solo. This never happened and the Falcon continued to be a B-list hero. Sam has proven over and over again that he is true and loyal. Not since Bucky in World War II did someone have Steve Rogers back as well as Sam did. 

In the Ultimate Universe his credentials rival the smartest of Marvel's characters, but back in the 616 universe, Marvel Now started Captain America all over again with new creative teams; beginning with issue one. I tried collecting the title after this new beginning and I quit reading after issue #2. I felt uninspired to continue reading. And now, a few years later, we have Captain America, a 70+ year iconic creation that needs new life. 

I can not think of any character other than Sam Wilson more worthy of the mantle, but I question how able he is. No one can throw a shield better than Steve and catch it after knocking out his enemy. There is a certain Je' ne sais quoi about reverberating an adamantium shield off of someone's skull and having it return to sender. 

Of course, some questions remain. Why is Marvel changing the guard? Are they so desperate for new readers that they hope changing Thor into being a woman will garnish more new readers than alienate old ones? Do they think throngs of little girls will decide to pick up a comic book? With Sam Wilson becoming Captain America, will a larger black audience walk into comic shops asking to read the latest adventures? And now I'm waiting for Jean Paul from Alpha Flight to join the pages of Iron Man so we can find out Tony is bisexual for a larger gay audience. 

My biggest beef with Marvel is not the changing of iconic characters. I'm ok with that. I'm even looking forward to seeing them move in this direction, provided each title is story driven. What I don't like is that even though Sam Wilson is taking over as Captain America, he's not taking over the title. We will have to wait until November 2014 before the "All New Captain America" #1 is released, which is way different than when Tales of Suspense was changed to Captain America with issue #100 instead of issue #1 way back in 1968.

I don't plan on asking how Sam Wilson is worthy of being Captain America because I can't think of any other character who is. But I will ask this....

Who is worthy of being The Falcon?

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The Avengers: A Roundabout Review

NOTE: I’m not dedicating myself to write about any one “Avengers” title, but different titles with Avengers in them. There are mini spoilers ahead. Be wary. 

Who would have thought that there are no less than nine Avengers titles; not including individual character titles. I'm passing on many of them, but have decided to give three of the Avenger titles a decent chance. I chose the Avengers because of Sunspot and Cannonball. I chose the New Avengers because of the Illuminati and then picked Uncanny Avengers because it would be interesting to see the two teams merge and cooperate.

Both Avengers and New Avengers I thought were anti climatic. After only three issues the initial story line had ended, and poorly. I feel like a child struggling to open a package to a chocolate bar only to bite into it and its nougat instead. Uncanny Avengers is at least better in that regard, because at the end of issue three Rick Remender tells me one of my favorite phrases... To Be Continued.

I haven't tried any of the other group titles but I gave Captain America a chance which ended after issue two, Iron Man however, I gave the first story arc too, and after a good solid five issues I decided to drop the book. This decision changed when I was at Fat Jack's Comic Crypt in center city Philadelphia. Entitled the God Killer, Greg Land's enticing artwork on issue #6 made it easier to overturn my previous inclination to stop collecting the title. Issue six was good enough to pull me in for the next two issues when this story ends. And Indestructible Hulk has me salivating over the next release.

The Marvel Universe is my favorite playground to read, but I wonder did the issue #1's bring in enough new readers without any confusion? In Captain America, Steve Rogers is in some distant dimension, in the New Avengers, he just had his mind wiped by his fellow team members, in Uncanny Avengers he is following the leadership of Alex Summers and in Avengers he's leading his biggest Avenger team yet through gigantic space opera's... So tell me how did these four issue #1's make things less confusing? I also think this is the first time Captain America is in more books that Wolverine. I for one have no idea what is first, last, or coinciding. 

I wonder where in the Mighty Marvel Bullpen there is a map on the wall where everyone is. Each Marvel now title seems to be a force into itself and shows no solidarity as a group but an individuality of characters.

/kI recently reread/read Avengers Vol. #1 issues 273-277. I recently did the same thing with the original Superior Spider-Man, but this is about the Avengers. Under Baron Zemo's leader ship, the Wrecking Crew, Goliath, Mr. Hyde, and many others take down the Avengers, brutally. Hercules was beat into a coma, the Black Knight was knocked into unconsciousness, and the bravest Avenger of them all was tortured beyond anything Jarvis has ever been through. This five issue story arc spread out through other titles as well even going back as far as Avengers #14, you know from 1965.

In the eighties when I first started to collect Marvel comics they had these great story notations. If something in the story pertained to something else an (*) would guide you somewhere, not to mention (and yet I am) a few flashback panels to bring a reader up to speed.  In the Masters of Evil five issue story line these symbols appeared eighteen Different times and some of them for different titles; one was even to tell me it was being translated from French. I was never confused and I always had a link to the history if the character or the way the story developed. It also helped comic book shops by making the collector ravish the back issue bins.

I'm not disappointed enough to stop collecting but I really wish the companies would pay attention to what worked and use that, besides if it doesn't work they can always start over...again...for the first time.

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Cable and X-Force #1: A Roundabout Review

Cable and X-force #1: A Roundabout Review

I am pretty sure with my first X-Force book I was sitting down eating my Lucky Charms while debating which book should stay bagged and which one should be opened. When the team first emerged from the pages of The New Mutants I didn't know what to expect, but I did know my favorite book was cancelled and I wasn't happy about it.  Since then there have been different variations of the team, most recently one led by Wolverine.  

Liefeld created the first mutant assault team, their primary goal then was to destroy the M.L F., led by Stryfe.  I’m not sure if they succeeded, I was forced to stop collecting certain titles, and X-Force was one of them.  Marvel is continuing their "Marvel Now" campaign wanting their readers to “Join the Revolution”. Titles such as Iron Man, Indestructible Hulk, and All-New X-Men are now joined by Dennis Hopeless' version in what could be titled "the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants”.

Let’s get the format out of the way. For the cover price of $3.99 I am glad it has only two ads, both on the back cover.  This does not include the eight in house ads mentioning their upcoming releases. However, if bringing back more ads would cut the price of the book by a dollar I would be for it.  Since a price reduction looks to be a huge improbability I would like to see the bar code be realigned slightly, you now somewhere on the rear cover. There is a full twenty pages of artwork including a two page spread on pages two and three.

SPOILERS AHEAD

Those same two pages have four of the team side by side after a pointless four panel first page. Colossus tears through a wall, Domino carries a smoking pistol, and the fourth has Dr. Nemesis kneeling over a body. All are better than the third panel wasting space with Cable's feet.

We skip ahead to a “few days earlier” via a “Wayne’s World” flashback on page seven. Hope talks to a therapist while Cable ease drops outside whatever mysterious building she is in.  And, with all the hoopla that Captain America had in taking her someplace safe before the Phoenix Force arrived you find out he enrolled her in High School.

Forge makes an appearance being the weapon's maker he is. How he didn't build a company to rival Stark Enterprises I don't know.  Other than being there to play Doctor for Nate’s prosthesis, what is their history together? How did they join each other and why are they hiding out in an airplane grave yard? Note the whole comic book looks like if takes place at night. The team’s lighter colored clothing looks symbolic of the good guys wear white. Domino's outfit, normally a black on black ensemble looks gray. Was this intentional? Is this the art style of Salvadore Larroca and Frank O'armata or did the printer mess up? As I’m reading the book, more and more questions come to mind.

How did Colossus join the team? The last we saw him he wanted his little Snowflake killed. Now, he is a member of a team wanted for um, well, I really have no idea. How did Domino change right in front of an elevator with no one noticing? Once again I'm thrown into #1 with no idea what's going on. After reading the Avengers I am eager to read #2 even with the plot holes. With X-Force, after it’s over the story doesn't even catch up to the beginning. Domino takes on A.I.M. And somehow Hope Summers knows exactly where she is. Cable recruits Dr. Nemesis, who has no problem joining Cable after having a gun pointed at him. And do you know how Colossus gets recruited? Well, I don’t either.

I don't mind the tearful reunion between Hope and Cable, nor Nathan's "every damn day" comment, which actually works for the character, but the team doesn't feel like a team. Why are they together? It took thirteen issues for Cable to form X-Force the first time in the pages of The New Mutants. It was a slow build up with action along the way. The future members had to be groomed or recruited. I'd rather the book continue forward rather than be setup with answers later. The question this time isn't about getting this book graded by CGC or if I plan to read the book over but, will I really wait around for issue two? 

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Avengers #1: A roundabout Review

Recently, with all things in my life, it's a pretty sure bet I either have coffee or a comic book nearby.  At times I have both. Empty creamers and sugar packets or plastic bags, boards, and tape at one time or another have littered a table I occupied. Occasionally, when I drink my coffee I remember my youth, but even after entering my fourth decade of life, every so often after closing a comic book, I transport myself into the imaginary world I was just reading.

Every week I buy comic books, it’s a more religious experience than some people’s church outings.  Finances being the way they are I try to escape my "must have" attitude and limit my purchases to what I like aesthetically, this is not only for the appeal of my eyes but the landscape of my mind. At an average of four dollars a book I want my money's worth. I won't get into the price of a good cup of coffee, nor the ten percent the church asks for.

Most recently Marvel Comics is revamping their line with "Marvel Now"; a byproduct of the success DC has had with their new “52”. A red banner across the bottom of the book along with the tagline “Join the Revolution” could subconsciously scream "LOOK AT ME". I whole heartily disagree with a comic publisher’s mentality that the reader, which I am one of will lose interest among the higher number books, so instead of reading Avenger's six hundred and two I'm reading issue #1…again.

SPOILERS AHEAD

I was disappointed right away because it was the Avengers from the 2012 blockbuster hit and not the latest incarnation from the comic book. After looking forward to this book when I first saw the advertisement had my favorite character barreling to the front lines, I couldn't wait to see Cannonball as an Avenger. He wasn't in it, not till the end, in almost the same pose he displayed on the cover. The future tales of Sam Guthrie, Cable’s first soldier, had to wait.

Iron Man, Black Widow, Hawkeye, Thor, Bruce Banner, and Captain America think they are arriving at the red planet with no one the wiser.  They were wrong.  Continuity speaking, when does this happen? Being a number one I would have hoped to have been able to roll along and know everything. Isn't that what these number ones are all about?  Continuity never seemed to be a problem amid the comics I grew up with. To its credit Avengers volume 5 #1 felt like one big blockbuster in itself. I must admit Jonathan Hickman has succeeded in grabbing my attention.
               

Page one looks like it could be from a comic version of the Bible. The second page is a list of the Avengers followed by a three page panel describing when it all "could" have begun. 

Page four was more of a tease with the "Iron Wars?" 

 Page six was a great rendition by Jerome Opena, a single panel of Mister Fantastic, The Sub Mariner, Black Bolt, and The Black Panther. I am drawn in, no pun intended.

               
On Mars, the Avengers are bested by Abyss, Aleph, and Ex Nihilo by means of an “in your face” beat down.  Captain America is knocked to the ground but still refuses to yield. 

They pick him, quite possibly due to his enduring spirit, to send Earth a message “We’ll send him home to write a warning in the heavens”.

I don’t think the trio thinks the message would be a call to arms. Steve’s body heals enough in only three days to "Wake the World". 

The second to last page has Rogers suiting up in what closely resembles the outfit Chris Evans wore in the movie. The code “Assemble at Dawn” is answered, with force. I recognize the majority of the members and look forward to the next issue.  I question the beginning and the ending of the book because it reads that the Earth has changed.  The biospheres of the first two impact zones, by the first two bombs, seemed so catastrophic they would have mentioned it in every one of their books.  Could the reasoning of picking two be slightly symbolic of World War Two? But, why mention the “first” two bombs? Wouldn't that beg to answer how many others were sent? One was fired as the Avengers were in inner planet travel.  They destroy it.

They arrive in a heroes fashion, but how did these heroes survive the change of the Biosphere, were they hidden, were they outside the range of the first two bombs, and don’t we have only one biosphere? This thought alone could probably destroy the last panel of the Earth’s Mightiest Heroes standing before an unaffected city? Wouldn't it have been much more story driven if the building were grown over with moss? The last page is of Captain America with possibly the best Avengers team yet, if not the largest, so much for Peter Gyrich’s limit of six.

After 21 pages of art, four pages of “titles”, five “AR” markers, two advertisements for two more “Marvel Now” titles, a paid ad for Max Payne 3, a back cover for the NBA and a Modern day Stan’s Soapbox fill the pages for $3.99. Before I forget there is also a page dedicated to the Marvel Augmented Reality App (AR) which is on the same page as the sticker covered code for a free Digital Copy. I must admit I enjoyed the book. Yes I picked it apart, but when it comes down to it the only question is do I get the book graded by CGC to preserve the grade I purchased the book in or do I recall my youth in one other way, and read it over and over again.

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