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Ta-Nehisi Coates’ Captain America Retrospective Review!

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“I’m loyal to nothing, General—except the dream.”

—Captain America in Daredevil #233 by Frank Miller

“The dream is old. Older than Captain America. And the dream is what matters. Even if the shield is tarnished, even if Captain America is tarnished … the dream is eternal.”

—Daughter of Liberty “Hera,” Sharon Carter, in Captain America #12 by Ta-Nehisi Coates

With Captain America #30 out now, Ta-Nehisi Coates, one of our all too few critical public intellectuals in the 21st-century United States, the Star-Spangled Avenger sees his most meaningful and entertaining era since Ed Brubaker and Steve Epting arrive at a conclusion that feels both classic yet timely. This comes as no surprise to readers who have followed the series over the past three tumultuous years, since July 4, 2018; throughout the run, Coates’ taut storytelling and clear meditative narration struck a fine balance between inspiring hopefulness and sobering clarity.

Coates’ Cap run is a single narrative, an impressively taut thriller composed of several tight mini narratives building to an 11-issue multi-climax arc. The thematic and narrative consistency is refreshing, especially for a Marvel title. But the pandemic, of course, knocked everything sideways, and there was a five-month gap after issue #20. And in 2021, there were gaps in January, April, and June. Already, this is a book meant to be read in one or two sittings, which, as of July 7th, fans can now enjoy doing. And two back-to-back reads are recommended to really sink into this epic—because while the action flows relentlessly, there is so much going on between Steve and Sharon’s respective narrations and the loving and knowing use Coates makes of classic characters and continuity. [Read more…] about Ta-Nehisi Coates’ Captain America Retrospective Review!

The World That’s Coming: OMAC by Jack Kirby

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They say that the 60s ended when the Manson family killed a couple of celebrities. They say a lot of things that aren’t true. Certainly, the moment in history was one of horror and brutality that would come to define a lot of what was to follow. But the 60s were long dead by the time the Manson family entered 10500 Cielo Drive. One could more sensibly argue that the 60’s ended in May of 1968, when the youth movement of France was brutally slaughtered by the police, ending the young generation. You could also argue that it ended in 1969, but not with Manson’s family killing Sharon Tate, but with Ronald Regan ordering troops to open fire upon hippies at a public park. Or perhaps it died with Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X.

The New Gods experiment was, in many ways, an attempt by Jack Kirby to keep the dream of the 60s alive and well into the 70s. That the core of this dream came in the form of The Forever People, the first of Kirby’s series to get canceled, speaks to how many people had faith in the dream. OMAC, in many regards, is Kirby reckoning with the 70s. And it’s a bleak picture.

But it’s not bleak enough. [Read more…] about The World That’s Coming: OMAC by Jack Kirby

The Marvel Cinematic Universe Enters The Legacy Phase: What Should We Expect?

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The “illusion of change” has been the driving force behind the cyclical drama of superhero comics since the very beginning. Of the big two, Marvel’s relationship with change has been the most fascinating. Priding itself as the “world outside your window” and eschewing the massive continuity reboots that plague their Distinguished Competition, Marvel long set themselves apart from DC by eschewing the concept of sidekicks and by extension, legacy characters until very recently in their long history.

However, despite this aversion to the concept, the juggernaut of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is forced to contend with its source material’s shallow pool of legacy characters as it reaches its greatest threat yet: time.  [Read more…] about The Marvel Cinematic Universe Enters The Legacy Phase: What Should We Expect?

FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD SPIDER-MAN: The Human Heart of the Superhero

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For more than five decades, Spider-Man has remained one of the most popular and enduring comic book heroes. Created by Steve Ditko and Stan Lee, Peter Parker was the ultimate power fantasy to millions of readers young and old: an ordinary, shy kid who was suddenly blessed with spectacular powers. But since swinging into our lives in 1962, Spider-Man’s stories have evolved, as Peter met fellow heroes, lost friends and family, fought a bunch of his clones, struggled with his own mortality, and even lived through the heat death of the Marvel Universe. Once an incredibly down-to-earth look at superheroes, Spider-Man began to outgrow his everyman roots, with each larger-than-life threat increasing the fantastical elements of Peter’s life. To many, this trend reached its peak during Dan Slott’s 10-year run on the title, with Spider-Man founding his own billion-dollar company, gaining an arsenal of high-tech equipment, leaping into a multiversal epic alongside other spider-people, and, yes, fighting even more clones somehow (Don’t know why people keep coming back to that.) While Slott’s run still had plenty of great moments, it became clear to readers that the creators involved with Spider-Man weren’t as interested in the man behind the mask. That is, until Tom Taylor, along with artist Juann Cabal began their own run in 2019, fittingly titled Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. Trading the high-tech, high-concept elements of Slott’s run for a more intimate adventure, Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man is a celebration of the human heart of the character, and how even the smallest of actions can make a world of change.

*SPOILERS AHEAD FOR THIS RECENT LIMITED SERIES*

[Read more…] about FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD SPIDER-MAN: The Human Heart of the Superhero