I had a lot of fun reading Totally Awesome Hulk. So much so that I decided to jump on to another character I have been interested in but worried about reading: Sam Wilson, or I guess I should say Captain America. Let’s see how that went.
Captain America: Sam Wilson #1-6
Writer: Nick Spencer
Artists: Daniel Acuna, Paul Renaud, Joe Bennett
Publisher: Marvel
Quick Review: Each issue was better than the next. Really. It starts off as Captain Falcon, hero on a budget and slowly slips down into a jokey mess with a crap new Falcon and where the bad guys are an attempt towards political commentary. Even though it sounds like I share the beliefs this comic espouses, I was rolling my eyes at the heavy handedness. Also, CapFalc spends two issues tied to chair while being a wolf hybrid. Because that is what makes a hero great.
Analysis: Where did this go off the rails so bad? I mean, it started off not great but I guess I could get behind the hero on a budget aspect. Just not here. I think that is because it seems played for punchline (nonexistent) laughs. Think of the cheesiest sitcom you know of. That is the style of humor here. You can practically hear the laugh track.
The villains are equally poorly villain. Every line is chock filled with the ideology and expressions that feel straw man. And, again, I am pretty much in line with the comic’s point of few. But I don’t need Serpent Society to sub in for crap politicians. If the main bad guy is really only there to make the other side look bad, I think the point of the comic is being missed.
As for the supporting cast. Hmm. D-Man has a special place in my heart due to my love of the Gruenwald run of Captain America. But he was given a great death after years of character assassination. I don’t know why he’s back, and he hasn’t been given anything good to do yet other than be slow.
Misty Knight is here. And, in case you missed them, so are her breasts. Now, you could make an argument that Misty is being shown as a capable powerful character. That might be the case seeing as how as she is more effective than the title character. Except, I have issues with the wardrobe. It seems like a big step back. Also, I can’t shake the feeling that the only reason she is in this comics is to be a love interest. Troubling in two ways. The first being that Misty deserves better than that. Women deserve better than to be included in a comic only to instantly fall for the hero. The second is that I can’t help but see the line of thought for introducing Misty as a love interest being that they only want to be so risky, and so wanted to keep it from being an interracial relationship.
And the new Falcon. There is nothing I like about this character. Please get rid of him. Just, no.
The art is good. But in the first story arc there are three different art teams. Sure, they are each pretty strong, but when there isn’t a uniform feel to the art of an arc, I always feel something is missing.
Wrap Up: Such a disappointment. Again, if you are going to make a substitute character, the least you can do is make the books good. Make a strong case for the substitute to deserve their new title. Make me like that substitute through strong adventure and storytelling. Turning CapFalc into a werwolf and then tying him to the chair does nothing to make me like him or see what he is about in his new role. It just bores me.
Deadly Troubadour 