A review by cheddyspageddy
Captain America by Ta-Nehisi Coates Vol. 1: Winter in America by Ta-Nehisi Coates
3.0
I had heard online that this run was bad, and that Ta-Nehisi Coates wasn’t a good comic writer, but I’m glad to say that’s wrong. On paper, Coates is actually the perfect guy to be writing Captain America. He’s written extensively about socio-political themes, he’s written decent fiction and non-fiction, he’s written for newspapers and websites and everything in between. I just hope it all amounts to something. At the time I’m writing this review, his run is actually coming to an end with Issue #30 so we’ll see how it all shakes out as I catch up.
He starts off perfectly by mining a certain character from the greatest Captain America writer of all time, Ed Brubaker. It’s a pleasant surprise to see those elements come back, albeit differently. I also applaud Coates for acknowledging Secret Empire and choosing to build his run off of that. It would’ve been easy to just ignore it, or never mention it since many fans hated that storyline, but instead Coates chooses to ask what happens next for Cap? Americans are distrustful of him, the government, and each other, the country is divided and we’re getting to dive into what that means for Steve Rogers in modern day.
It feels very real, and despite what some people may tell you, if you’ve read a Captain America comic before, you’ll know he’s always been a political character. Sure, he can go on silly comic book adventures too, but Marvel has never been afraid of writers using Cap to comment on current geo-political events and whatever Presidential Administration we’re living in. So don’t dismiss this run altogether because there’s some references to current events sprinkled in. I caught them, and you will too, they’re not really hidden, but so far Coates has yet to say anything extreme. So far the hottest take he’s written is that America is divided, and that’s not even news to most people.
A good start I’d say, I’m hoping this leads to something truly amazing because I believe Coates has the talent. Nowhere near as bad or offensive as Reddit might have you think. Give it a shot if you like Cap comics, it’s honestly not too far off from what other writers have done for the character. You’ve got bad guys for Cap to fight, a healthy dose of spy intrigue, and a dash of current events.
He starts off perfectly by mining a certain character from the greatest Captain America writer of all time, Ed Brubaker. It’s a pleasant surprise to see those elements come back, albeit differently. I also applaud Coates for acknowledging Secret Empire and choosing to build his run off of that. It would’ve been easy to just ignore it, or never mention it since many fans hated that storyline, but instead Coates chooses to ask what happens next for Cap? Americans are distrustful of him, the government, and each other, the country is divided and we’re getting to dive into what that means for Steve Rogers in modern day.
It feels very real, and despite what some people may tell you, if you’ve read a Captain America comic before, you’ll know he’s always been a political character. Sure, he can go on silly comic book adventures too, but Marvel has never been afraid of writers using Cap to comment on current geo-political events and whatever Presidential Administration we’re living in. So don’t dismiss this run altogether because there’s some references to current events sprinkled in. I caught them, and you will too, they’re not really hidden, but so far Coates has yet to say anything extreme. So far the hottest take he’s written is that America is divided, and that’s not even news to most people.
A good start I’d say, I’m hoping this leads to something truly amazing because I believe Coates has the talent. Nowhere near as bad or offensive as Reddit might have you think. Give it a shot if you like Cap comics, it’s honestly not too far off from what other writers have done for the character. You’ve got bad guys for Cap to fight, a healthy dose of spy intrigue, and a dash of current events.