Sam Wilson: Captain America #1 Review

Sam Wilson: Captain America #1 from Marvel Comics - 

    Sam Wilson is out in the cold. Having taken a good look at the country he loves so dearly, he has decided that he can no longer stand idly by, and be a silent, non-partisan symbol for a bygone idea of America anymore. His sense of morality, and his intimate familiarity with the struggle for justice and equality have pushed him to make a speech that has changed everything for him. His S.H.I.E.L.D. clearance has been revoked, his funding is nonexistent, and some of the very Americans he fights to protect, don't accept him as Captain America at all. Sam continues to fight by starting a hotline, making him accessible to the American People with the aim of serving them, not just the American government. However, his first case may put him in direct conflict with S.H.I.E.L.D., the U.S. government and Steve Rogers himself. 

     Nick Spencer writes this powerful, character-driven story that shows a man coming out of the shadow of the greatest soldier that the world has ever known, to find his own identity, connect with America actual, and be the Captain America the country needs, not the Captain America the government wants. It parallels the journey that Steve Rogers took himself in the late 70s and early 80s. Spencer knows this - he even brings back Dennis Dunphy (Demolition Man / D-Man), a relic of those times, to aid Wilson on his journey as he aided Steve on his. This is Captain America going grass-roots, getting back to the people, fighting for the little guy once again, and following his heart to do what he thinks is morally and politically correct. This book is pretty stellar. Wilson, though at odds with everything Steve Rogers represents right now, is living the ideals that Captain America represents, embodied by this immortal quote from the mouth of Steve Rogers himself:

Not surprisingly, there has been a bit of backlash about this book in the real world already; Comic Book Resources (CBR) has it covered here: Fox Slams Sam Wilson: Captain America #1.

Sam Wilson IS Captain America, like it or not...And I have a feeling he'll be his own man while striving to be the people's Captain America.

RATING: 9.5 out of 10. Sam Wilson: Captain America soars...Right onto my pull list.

-TEX