Richard Gratton's Fantastic Reads 4 U
Captain America: Sam Wilson #13
Marvel Comics
Release Date: 09/28/2016
Captain America: Sam Wilson #13 is a politically charged, action-packed comic that is not without its share of flaws, but is enjoyable nonetheless. Considering the current political climate and racial tensions prominent in mainstream media, it is no surprise writer, Nick Spencer has taken this book in the direction he has – especially considering his own political background. He is well suited to write this story. Artist Daniel Acuna's work stands on its own, it is somewhat unique and atypical of what is seen in many of today's current titles.
With our nation facing racial tensions between African American and white Americans, this story is very relevant to our world. My only real problem with this is that after 13 issues, nothing has changed: Sam is still frustrated by the lack of acceptance, people are still angry that he is Captain America, and neither of these situations has changed, developed or progressed. And perhaps that is by design, maybe that's the point: things haven't changed. But as a reader of comics, sometimes I would like to enter the world of comics for a break from the world we live in.
Sam Wilson is still being harassed by those (usually white people) who don't think he is worthy of being Captain America. They are making a public outcry for Sam to give back the shield, even though Steve Rogers told him to keep it. The problem I have with this, is that this is the same conflict that dates back to the beginning of this title. When will this come to a head? How long does Spencer intend to drag this out? I hope he plans to move on soon.
Daniel Acuna is a good artist in his own right. His work is stylish and somewhat unique; it stands alone as a style not typical of superhero titles. Personally, I am not a fan of his art on this book. I think for a book with as much action as this title has at times, his work leaves characters a bit stiff. For me, this takes away from the realism of the story (no matter how much of an oxymoron that may seem to be).
The art on this book has been an issue of concern for the entire run. There has been no consistency whatsoever. Over the course of 13 issues, Marvel has used 4 different artists on this title! Why? When a book has the same artist month after month, fans develop an expectation, a sense of anticipation of what wonders will come next; and visually, are easily drawn into the story month after month. When a title has a different artist every third month, fans instead wonder who will draw each successive issue and what the characters will look like next month.
Marketing this comic as a Civil War II tie-in is a shameless plug for a cheesy, one-page moment in the comic that does nothing more than mention the conflict going on in Civil War II. The problems I've mentioned aside, this comic does have moments worthy of your attention. The battle between Captain America Sam Wilson and U. S. Agent is well done; and so is the expression of Sam's frustration. The potential for the future of this title is great, considering the statements made by Steve Rogers at the end of the book. I look forward to what is to come and hope for more consistency visually.
Scale of Awesomeness: 6 out of 10
