A review by fishmeal
Captain America: Sam Wilson, Vol. 3: Civil War II by Nick Spencer, Ángel Unzueta, Daniel Acuña
5.0
I needed this comic book.
I after a string of bad comic reads, I needed a book that reminded me that I actually enjoy reading these things.
More than that, though, in a week/month/year of tough news, I needed the message coming from this book.
Captain America: Sam Wilson Volume 3: Civil War II (which has possibly the worst title of any comic I’ve ever read), is a rather intimate (compared to pretty much all of the other Civil War II books I’ve read) portrayal of one man’s experience with Civil War II. Sam Wilson is the current Captain America, but Steve Rogers is back and a lot of people are clamoring for Sam to return the shield and the mantle. Plus, of course Carol is demanding that Sam declare his allegiance – which side will he pick?
The best plot thread in this book, though, is one incredibly relevant to today’s world. Robot police have been released upon the populace, and while some people believe they’re reducing crime and making cities safer, others believe they’re unjustly profiling. Sam strives to keep clashes between people of color and the robocops peaceful, but when a fight inevitably breaks out between and robocops and Rage, also a black hero, Sam is stuck in the middle – caught “playing politics” either way. He can support the robocops he believes are unjustly profiling people of color, or support Rage and the rest of the black community even though they’ve escalated to violence. And remember – Sam is facing this dilemma while bearing the mantle of Captain America, while many believe he should step down because of his “drama” and “politics”.
I love seeing the nuance in perspective between Sam and Rage. Sam agrees that the robocops are profiling and unjustly “predicting” crimes, but he’s not willing to resort to violence, especially as Captain America. Rage believes the issue has gone on long enough, and is ready to riot to achieve justice.
Although it was well-done, I do wish Rage’s side had been shown with a little more sympathy – there’s a point, I agree, where violence is the answer. And maybe the Marvel Universe isn’t to that point yet, but Sam should know that it’s a valid stance for Rage to take. It’s an MLK vs. Malcom X argument.
I also loved how this story was a smaller, street-level version of the Civil War II as a whole – the robocops are profiling and predicting crime just as much as Ulysses is. If you were on Carol’s side of the Civil War II before reading this book, I doubt you will be after.
I was so happy to see more of Misty in this book (she was my favorite part of another Civil War II book, Choosing Sides). The media was portrayed so perfectly in this book it was scary. Also perfect were the senators, all old, white men – who were written with a spooky, reticent racism that gave me the shivers.
The only thing that disappointed me about this book was.
I will be catching up on and then following the Captain America: Sam Wilson series. It’s wonderful for its relevancy, its complex characters, its progressive story and its spooky realism.
Read more of my reviews (plus cat pics!) on Her Little Book Review.
I after a string of bad comic reads, I needed a book that reminded me that I actually enjoy reading these things.
More than that, though, in a week/month/year of tough news, I needed the message coming from this book.
Captain America: Sam Wilson Volume 3: Civil War II (which has possibly the worst title of any comic I’ve ever read), is a rather intimate (compared to pretty much all of the other Civil War II books I’ve read) portrayal of one man’s experience with Civil War II. Sam Wilson is the current Captain America, but Steve Rogers is back and a lot of people are clamoring for Sam to return the shield and the mantle. Plus, of course Carol is demanding that Sam declare his allegiance – which side will he pick?
The best plot thread in this book, though, is one incredibly relevant to today’s world. Robot police have been released upon the populace, and while some people believe they’re reducing crime and making cities safer, others believe they’re unjustly profiling. Sam strives to keep clashes between people of color and the robocops peaceful, but when a fight inevitably breaks out between and robocops and Rage, also a black hero, Sam is stuck in the middle – caught “playing politics” either way. He can support the robocops he believes are unjustly profiling people of color, or support Rage and the rest of the black community even though they’ve escalated to violence. And remember – Sam is facing this dilemma while bearing the mantle of Captain America, while many believe he should step down because of his “drama” and “politics”.
I love seeing the nuance in perspective between Sam and Rage. Sam agrees that the robocops are profiling and unjustly “predicting” crimes, but he’s not willing to resort to violence, especially as Captain America. Rage believes the issue has gone on long enough, and is ready to riot to achieve justice.
Although it was well-done, I do wish Rage’s side had been shown with a little more sympathy – there’s a point, I agree, where violence is the answer. And maybe the Marvel Universe isn’t to that point yet, but Sam should know that it’s a valid stance for Rage to take. It’s an MLK vs. Malcom X argument.
I also loved how this story was a smaller, street-level version of the Civil War II as a whole – the robocops are profiling and predicting crime just as much as Ulysses is. If you were on Carol’s side of the Civil War II before reading this book, I doubt you will be after.
I was so happy to see more of Misty in this book (she was my favorite part of another Civil War II book, Choosing Sides). The media was portrayed so perfectly in this book it was scary. Also perfect were the senators, all old, white men – who were written with a spooky, reticent racism that gave me the shivers.
The only thing that disappointed me about this book was
Spoiler
Cap’s betrayal. He should know better what the right thing to do is. On the other hand, it’s nice to see some depth to his character, instead of just generic goody two shoes guyI will be catching up on and then following the Captain America: Sam Wilson series. It’s wonderful for its relevancy, its complex characters, its progressive story and its spooky realism.
Read more of my reviews (plus cat pics!) on Her Little Book Review.