The shield has been stolen! No one understands the value of the shield like those who’ve wielded it, so Steve Rogers and Sam Wilson set out on a road trip across America to chase down the thief. But instead, they find the Captains, everyday people from all walks of life who’ve taken up the mantle of Captain America to defend their communities. And for some reason, the shield thief wants them all dead. Can Sam and Steve get to them first? Let’s salute United States of Captain America #1, featuring a main story by writer Christopher Cantwell, artist Dale Eaglesham, colorist Matt Milla and letterer Joe Caramagna, with a backup by writer Josh Trujillo, artist Jan Bazaldua, colorist Milla and letterer Caramagna.
Andrea Ayres: Dan. You have only ever been my esteemed, and unlucky, editor. Sorry for all the commas. Splices aside, it’s great to write with you. I’m eager to see what your initial thoughts were of USCAP #1. It’s the 80th anniversary of Captain America this year, and Marvel is celebrating by bringing all the previous Caps together. The five-issue series will reunite Steve Rogers, John Walker, Bucky Barnes and Sam Wilson, and perhaps a few others?
There’s a lot happening in issue #1. We’ve got an impostor Captain America and a stolen shield. We’re also introduced to Aaron Fischer, Captain of the American Railways. It’s perfect for me because it means I can draw on my incredible ’90s lexicon of railroad-related Americana. So basically anything having to do with The Boxcar Children or the song Runaway Train by Soul Asylum. Overall, issue #1 has a strong start with a mediocre finish. I must admit, I defer to your Cap knowledge on this. So, with that caveat, what are your initial thoughts?
Dan Grote: Well, first of all, Andrea, thank you for the kind introduction. I’d initially planned to lurk in the shadows on this one, doing my usual job of removing everyone’s Oxford commas when they’re not looking, but fate presented an opportunity.
I love Captain America. He is second only to Marvel’s Merry Mutants in my comic-collecting heart. And writer Christopher Cantwell’s star has been on the rise in this industry (notwithstanding his film and TV work) since he debuted She Could Fly at Dark Horse in 2018. So I had high hopes for this series, especially to rub it in the avatars of the trash commenters who mocked all the alternate Caps that were teased in the months leading up to the book’s debut.
One issue is too little to form a solid opinion, but if nothing else I remain optimistic. Let’s get into it.
All Aboard the American Dream?
Andrea: Cantwell’s writing is at its best in the first few pages of issue #1. Steve Rogers talks about what it is like to come to represent an ideal that people don’t actually engage in meaningful or ongoing ways. The American Dream is false. It’s a lie unless you work together constantly to make it a reality for everyone. The initial setup here was solid. It felt like we were going to discuss what it means to fight for America. Because as Rogers says on Page 6, there are many ways of fighting for a country, what he calls the “selfless clarity” of everyday folks. What’d you make of these opening pages?
Dan: Cantwell is giving us his thesis statement on what Captain America means to him. Coming from TV as he does, it reminds me of that trope of 2000s-era shows where the protagonist — think Meredith Grey on Grey’s Anatomy or J.D. Dorian on Scrubs — provides narration as a framing device for a given episode. It also feels VERY much like a “for your consideration” pitch to take over the main Cap title after Ta-Nehisi Coates wraps up his run next week.
All that said, Cantwell’s giving me what I want in a Steve Rogers — equal parts timeless, lost in time and trying his best to get with the times. There’s a self-awareness here of who he is and the ways what he stands for has been corrupted, a rejection of the concept of American exceptionalism that I very much appreciate. It’s another high watermark on a par with his brief scene in last week’s S.W.O.R.D. #6, where he’s a bit sad that mutants and humans didn’t terraform Mars together.
I just think he’s neat.
Andrea: That’s such a good analogy. It feels very Meredith Grey! Cantwell does an excellent job parsing Cap’s reluctance to be used as a … dare I say … shield for harmful political or social aims. The opening pages of the issue could have well felt too soap boxy, but the language feels genuine and authentic. The entire bit works because the narration is paired perfectly with Dale Eaglesham’s art.
Runaway Train
Andrea: Where the issue loses it for me is when Sam Wilson shows up after Rogers is attacked by a pretty incredible impostor who steals his shield. I feel let down is not because I don’t expect Wilson and Rogers to get into the kind of banter they are accustomed to, but because it feels like a missed opportunity?
It doesn’t feel altogether realistic that Rogers will be the only one with opinions about the shield or what Captain America represents. Wilson may expound about this in future issues. I guess going from the eloquent inner thoughts of Rogers to the non-stop barbs of Wilson and Rogers feels too jarring. Is this issue taking itself seriously or not? The tonal shift is maybe a little too harsh? Those are my two cents anyway.
Dan: OK, so on one hand, Sam saying he’s “worth at least two” Captains America on his own is funny. It would have been nice to see him project that kind of confidence when he was Cap under Nick Spencer’s pen. On the other hand, you are absolutely right, this version of Sam was uncharacteristically jokey. Maybe Cantwell was going for a little of that Falcon & Winter Soldier, MCU dynamic where everyone’s a wiseass to some degree. Maybe not. That said, if any of Cap’s partners has earned the right to poke fun at Steve, it’s his ride-or-die Sam Wilson.
Now, would you indulge me in starting to cross suspects off our list in this little play of grand theft shield?
Andrea: Naturally I will indulge you, as I have no clue myself!
Dan: Our impostor Captain America wears Steve’s classic togs (nice of Eaglesham to draw Steve in his Commander Rogers outfit so we didn’t have to play “Shoot him, he’s the bad guy, I’m the real Cap” on the rooftop in the rain). My initial suspect was William Burnside, the Captain America of the 1950s who changed his physical appearance to resemble Steve Rogers but also is an evil, fascistic dark mirror version of Cap. He was last seen during the Brubaker run.
But A) That’s too easy, and B) This guy appears to be a speedster. Maybe he’s a new character, maybe he’s one of Marvel’s many fast fellows. What’s Quicksilver up to these days? He’s probably due for another heel turn. There’s also Speed Demon, the Spider-Man villain, and the Whizzer, both the Squadron Supreme member and the Golden Age hero who got his powers from mongoose blood for some reason. (Speed has an alibi, his mom just died.) What about you, Andrea? Who do you wanna finger for this?
Andrea: You have to imagine me lit in a film noir, PI office, type deal as you read what I’m about to write, OK? That’s the only way any of this will work.
Dan: DONE.
Andrea: Ya got a good head on your shoulders. What we’ve got here are too many suspects, not enough clues. Or maybe too many suspects and too many clues. We could go in a million different directions, and I’m not smart enough to figure out which way it’s all going to end up.
We have 80 years of Captain America ready to be culled for this limited run, which leaves many possibilities. I like the idea of it being someone we haven’t seen before, but my guess is a possible forgotten villain who I can’t name but will become immediately recognizable once we see them and everyone will go, “OF COURSE!”
Dan: OK, but if it’s the Red Skull again, I’m gonna be pissed.
A Promise of Hope for the Future?
Andrea: OK, when the character mocks for Aaron Fischer were released months ago, I was so excited. An openly gay Captain America? Yes. It’s about time. Josh Trujillo previously discussed Fischer’s inspiration to protect the community he is a part of. Fischer is a teenager who fights for the unhoused, the forgotten and those who society ignores. He’s, according to Trujillo, inspired by queer activists, leaders and everyday people. At the moment, Fischer doesn’t feel like a fully conceived character, but I’m holding out some hope. I’m interested to hear your thoughts?
Dan: So this is the part where I stumble over my words a little bit. Please blow the whistle when I show my whole ass.
Fact: Inviting a queer writer and queer artist to create a new, gay Captain America-inspired superhero is cool.
Fact: One issue is not enough space to develop a new character in the shadow of Steve Rogers and Sam Wilson, characters who have existed for 80 and 52 years, respectively.
Fact: Marvel has had some missteps lately with regard to queer representation, something I definitely cannot speak to but Zoe Tunnell and Cory McCreery have written about expertly this past month.
Fact: With that in mind, if I’m a gay reader, I am likely suspect that Aaron Fischer, after this series, will not show up again outside maybe a short in next year’s Pride anthology, or worse, if he does show up again in the main Cap title, it will be because he’s been brutally murdered and Steve and company will have to avenge him.
If Cantwell’s thesis statement is that the dream needs to be shared radically, by everyone, then we need to see a gay Cap, and a Latinx Cap, a Native American Cap, and so on. But the people for whom those different flavors of Cap are important also need to know everything about them the way we do Steve Rogers or Sam Wilson or James Buchanan “Bucky” Barnes. And that’s where things have the potential to fall apart. But also, it’s only one issue, let’s give ‘em a minute before we grow hard and cynical, yeah?
Andrea: The facts you lay out are unimpeachable. I’m so used to being cynical these days. I need to remember to take some time and breathe and provide others space (literally and figuratively) to do that, too. Generally, I like the idea that we’re going to get a chance to explore the different ways in which Captain America’s mythos and legacy can be exploited for good or bad. I’m excited to see where this trip down memory lane and beyond ends up taking us.
Star-Spangled Ephemera
- Why do I like an undercut so much? (Andrea wonders)
- I will probably never be comfortable with the proportions of Steve and Sam. I don’t understand the physics of the chest-to-leg ratio.- Andrea
- Steve and Sam are HUGE in this comic. Eaglesham’s been looking at that Liefeld drawing and sighing a little bit, I think.
- Sam DID look good in that Cap outfit.
Dan Grote is the editor-in-chief of ComicsXF, having won the site by ritual combat. By day, he’s a newspaper editor, and by night, he’s … also an editor. He co-hosts WMQ&A: The ComicsXF Interview Podcast with Matt Lazorwitz. He lives in New Jersey with his wife, two kids and two miniature dachshunds, and his third, fictional son, Peter Winston Wisdom.
