Continuing the trend of reading books I had previously promised: it’s time to talk about Nick Spencer’s Captain America: Sam Wilson.
The opening arc of this run sees Sam at odds with Steve Rogers and S.H.I.E.L.D. for working with a whistle-blowing hacker called The Whisperer. That leaves him without financial resources, but Misty Knight and D-Man have his back fighting the Serpent Society. Well, make that their business firm: Serpent Solutions.
Oh, and he undergoes a hair-raising transformation.
Compared to Spencer’s Steve Rogers-centric title, this is a more traditional superhero book with clear good and bad guys. Despite that, Sam has public image issues: going against precedent, he voiced his opinions on various social and political issues. While some applaud him for taking a stand, others reject him and call for his resignation from the Cap mantle. I expect more complicated morality going forward, but for now, this boils down to Sam punching evil people. It's satisfying, and you feel for Sam for wanting to do good in a way that's true to himself.
Books with shifting art teams can feel uneven, and the changes can be distracting. That’s not that case here. The book’s art is detailed and representational; in fact, its art team’s work is not inconsistent with the art for Captain America: Steve Rogers. This title’s colors feel brighter and are less muted than its more atmospheric counterpart. It's a sleek, good-looking book.
If you’ve been curious about this book, I say check it out. It is a dense read that relies on narration to bridge gaps in a sometimes non-linear narrative. That may be off-putting to some, but an enjoyable story and clear character voices made it an engaging read for me.
Collected in
- Captain America: Sam Wilson, Vol. 1: Not My Captain America (#1-6)
Credits
Writer: Nick Spencer | Artists: Daniel Acuña (1-3) with Mike Choi (3), Paul Renaud (4-5), Joe Bennet (6) | Inker: Belardino Brabo (6) | Colorist: Romulo Fajardo (4-6) | Letterer: VC’s Joe Caramagna | Covers: Daniel Acuña (1-3, 5), Paul Renaud (4), Oscar Jiménez (6) | Assistant Editor: Alanna Smith | Editors: Tom Brevoort with Katie Kubert