Captain insults Americans

In the 2 years since Marvel Comics "killed" Captain America, it's oldest running character, writer Ed Brubaker has crafted the book into a combination spy novel/ action movie/ superhero adventure.   It's not an exaggeration to say that the gifted Mr Brubaker has steadily put out one of the best books on the market.

Since that time, the original Captain America (Steve Rogers) has been both revived and replaced by his former sidekick Bucky Barnes.  Unlike some books, Captain America has managed to comment on a lot of the turmoil burning through our nation without being too specific or topical.

As of last week, that is no longer the case.

Issue #602 is the beginning of a new story arc called Two Americas.   I can't remember ever being so insulted by a comic.   

The crux of the story is that the Captain America of the 1950's goes to his boyhood home of Boise, Idaho and starts an extremist right wing militia made up of farmers and small business owners who want to take back the Country.   The problem isn't the extremist militia.  There's no denying that there are small pockets of nutballs on every side of an argument who can't wait to shoot their way out of a situation.  The problem is that through the course of the story Brubaker ignorantly and superficially assesses and condemns Conservative America.

From the moment Evil Cap is introduced, the audience is spoon- fed the idea that he's crazy. And he is.  But what the writer never bothers to delineate is that he's not crazy because he sees small town America falling into poverty and disrepair, he's crazy because he is mentally unstable and wants to kill people.  The issue isn't helped by his followers either.   Evil Cap recruits them after brutally injuring a bank robber.  The crowd of average citizens look on in awe as Captain America stops a crime.  And then because apparently people from Idaho are lemmings they agree to form an army.  That's it.  No speech.  No relevant action.  They just do what they're told by the crazy flag guy who drop kicked a buick in front of them.

Evil Cap turns this group of average, hard working citizens into The Watchdogs.  They take up arms and armor and energy bombs and a lot of other things that Marvel terrorist groups always seem to have on hand.  Of course, the Watchdogs aren't Hydra or AIM.   Brubaker seems to ignore the fact that these people couldn't possibly afford all of these weapons even if they did know how to use them. But I digress.

It isn't long before Brubaker manages to sneak in that favorite weapon amongst liberals.  The Watchdogs' true motivation is revealed: THEY'RE RACISTS!!!!  Aha!  Of course!  They can't just believe that their country is tearing itself apart as Progressives sow the seeds of socialism and desecrate the Constitution... no, no... clearly these people have guns because they hate black people!

I should have known.  After all the new Captain America, Bucky Barnes did!

Bucky arrives in Boise with The Falcon (Sam Wilson).   The Falcon is known for many things.  He is one of Steve Rogers' most trusted friends and comrade--- oops, sidekicks.  He wears a ridiculous costume that would be embarrassing on a high school mascot.  His only "power" is that he can talk to his pet falcon, Red Wing.  Despite the fact that Sam Wilson is one of the saddest superheroes you ever heard of, he is well respected throughout the hero community.  

But none of that matters, because in this story he is only here to be a black guy.

Bucky and Sam head into town and decide to investigate.  But instead of going out in the woods where the Watchdogs hire out, they lurk on a rooftop and survey the true threat: a group of tea party-esque protestors!

Sam remarks to Bucky that the Watchdogs aren't the only ones who hate the government.

       "We're not in New York anymore, Sam."

Indeed, Bucky.  You're not in New York where everyone of course loves and respects the government-- unless that government is run by George Bush.  Bucky and Sam never see fit to discuss the issues of government run healthcare or redistribution of wealth which these poor people are there to protest (it says so on their signs).  Instead Sam asks how he's supposed to infiltrate them.

      "I don't exactly see a black man from Harlem fitting in with a bunch of angry white folks."

Why not, Sam?  Do black people from Harlem not worry about healthcare and the economy?  Oh right- you can't stand by them because they're obviously racists.   I'm assuming that's why Sam and Bucky are on a rooftop instead of talking to the crowd themselves even though they're in plain clothes throughout the exchange.  Yes, these people are clearly the heart and soul of the Klu Klux Klan.

And that's when Bucky reveals his plan to expose Whitey!  Sam goes to a bar pretending to be an IRS Agent.  He informs the bar owner that he's there to audit his business.   Of course, no successful small business owner would be stupid enough to believe that an IRS agent would make an unannounced "house call" or that you could get rid of the real IRS simply by beating them up-- but let's not be logical about this, shall we?

Bucky, in disguise as an embittered trucker grabs the fake IRS Agent, beats the crap out of him and tosses him out the bar, screaming

     "Don't forget your briefcase Obama!"

That last part is key.  Of course these people think all black people are the same!  He's a black guy in a tie, he must be Barack Obama-- or one of his cousins--- or just some black guy who knows him.  Whatever.  

The Watchdogs fall for the ruse and welcome Bucky (aka Cracker #605) into the fold.

If you get your news from Janeanne Garofolo, this story may seem acceptable.   But if you believe in the truth, everything you just read should disgust you.  First of all, contrary to popular belief, neither the Tea Party nor Conservatives in general are comprised solely of white people.  In truth, people of all ethnicities make up conservatism.  If the majority are white, it isn't racism that makes it true; it's statistics.  White people make up a majority of the population of America.  It's common sense.

But perhaps the great irony is that Marvel Comics has spent the last year on a company-wide storyline where it's heroes have openly, and in some cases violently opposed the Government.  Said heroes are currently embroiled in an all-out war against the government in the pages of Siege.  I guess Marvel's heroes must be racist too. Who knew?

As a Conservative, I accepted long ago that if I wanted to be a writer, I would have to deal with the fact that I am awash in a sea of liberalism and progressive leadership.  That's fine.  Differing opinions are welcome.  But there's a difference between telling a story where you express an opinion and writing something hateful and lying about a group of people simply because you happen to disagree with them.  It's unacceptable.

I consider myself to be a proponent of comics as a medium.  But at bottom I am just a fan.

Why would a writer want to insult a huge chunk of his audience?  Why would a major publisher like Marvel Comics (who is owned by the Disney corporation) allow something like this to be published under their name?  This story is an insult to both the name of Captain America and everyone who has ever written the character before on down to his creator, Jack Kirby.  And furthermore it is my opinion that this book is beneath the writing talent of Ed Brubaker himself.

As I said, I am a fan.  But I'm a patriot first, and a consumer second.   And while I respect your right to print stories like this, I reserve the right to vote with my wallet.  I won't be buying Captain America anymore.  Or anything written by Ed Brubaker.

There are Two Americas Mr Brubaker, one where decent people live and fight for their beliefs... and one where trash like this is acceptable.

For more news and opinions, visit Rebelcomix.com