Captain America No. 7 review: Rogers gets railroaded

The conspiracy around Captain America grows tighter. Will Rogers lose his liberty?

Captain America No. 7

Writer: Ta-Nehisi Coates

Artist: Adam Kubert

Colorist: Frank Martin

The Cage around Cap Closes In!

Formerly the founder of the deeply fascist organization Hydra, Strucker has since turned his back on them. He’s currently found allies within the government and big business — especially the prison industrial complex. Named “the Myrmidon” (the Greek word which ultimately became “minion”), the facility is protected by guards in Guardsman armor and houses super-criminals such as Jigsaw. Selene sees it as Captain America’s ultimate dungeon, at least in the short term.

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Yet Strucker is no fool, and knows that framing Captain America for murder is but one step in a longer conspiracy, and he wants in. The former baron also shamelessly flirts with Selene, which is dangerous considering her ability to drain life-force! But considering Strucker’s also used that gimmick — via his cybernetic “Satan’s Claw” weapon — maybe he sees something in common. Alexa Lukin may see Selene as a mentor and partner, but the immortal mutant sees her as a pawn.

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With an indictment and warrant less than a day away, Steve Rogers and Sharon Carter meet with attorney Bernie Rosenthal. One of Cap’s ex’s, she’s one of the four “big” lawyers of the Marvel Universe, behind Daredevil, She-Hulk, and Foggy Nelson. Having successfully defended Bucky Barnes when he was indicted for his acts as Winter Soldier, Steve turns to his old friend to help for his latest legal struggle. And while things aren’t as dire as they were for Barnes, they seem close.

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Bucky’s Bar Room Brawl!

The case against Steve Rogers for the murder of Ross is mostly circumstantial. But then again, most convictions in America are. Rogers was a critic and opponent of Ross, who was seen arguing with him before the murder. His only alibi is Carter, who also has a grudge against Ross. Aside for Black Panther and Wakanda, there are no witnesses to the conspiracy Rogers speaks of. Public opinion has turned against the Avenger, and the murder weapon is similar to his shield.

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Speaking of Barnes, he’s sought after leads in the only way he knows how — beating them out of scum. In this case, he’s found one of the infamous “Bar with No Name” locations. Super villains and other crooks gather at the word-of-mouth meets, although the Staten Island branch seems less lively than the Manhattan one in Amazing Spider-Man. Aside for Mandrill, Cobra, the Owl, and (maybe) one of the Ox twins, it’s mostly filled with generic biker thugs who go down with one hit.

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Barnes has been Captain America, and knows the terror and injustice of “the system.” Yet much like Rogers, the public perception of him is low due to events outside of his control. His life was also changed by the Cosmic Cube, in which it caused him to become a brainwashed assassin working for Lukin for decades. Barnes may easily tear a path through the bar, but the criminals are not talking. The only one of them who converses with him is the Owl, and he hits a nerve.

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It Is Strange to Hear the Owl Say the Word “Gat!”

Leland Owlsey is an insane, occasionally cybernetic mob boss and super villain. He’s spent most of his “career” fighting Daredevil and Spider-Man. Yet he acts as the “voice of the people” in noting his distrust of Cap as well as superheroes. To him, the lines between good and evil don’t exist. The Winter Soldier has committed endless murders and atrocities. To many, the fact that he was brainwashed is an “excuse,” same as the “fact” that Cap’s Hydra double was created by a Cosmic Cube. True as it may be, to those on the bottom, it’s just a lie told by the politically connected.

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Left with no better options and a looming arrest warrant, Steve Rogers decides to do what Sharon Carter considered unthinkable — surrender. As he explains it, this is due not just to this current incident, but those before. As referenced above and by Cap himself, this is not a new plot. Various figures both in the underworld and the government have sought to destroy his mantle and legacy. He has seen and experienced the corrupt side of American government and business many times.

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In the past, he has chosen to rebel. In the 70’s he quit and literally renamed himself “Nomad, man without a country.” In the ’80s when he was officially fired by the government, he operated as “the Captain.” He faced another conspiracy during Mark Waid’s first run in the mid ’90s, and openly rebelled and became a fugitive during 2006’s Civil War. Each time Rogers’ ideals and the truth won out, but this time, Steve is noticing a pattern. These incidents continue to accumulate, and worsen.

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No Soldier Stands Alone, Even a Super-Soldier!

Cap is taking a long view at the bigger picture, for better or worse. He wonders aloud if corruption continues to rule the day because the country itself chooses it, either deliberately or ignorantly. The current status quo where the Kingpin is a mayor and ex-Nazis are running prisons is terrible, but nothing new. It wasn’t long ago when Norman Osborn, the Green Goblin himself, was the secretary of defense, or when even Venom and Mystique’s Brotherhood had federal badges.

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Yet ultimately in the end, Steve Rogers doesn’t simply surrender. He knows that as a man, he may be facing a trumped-up murder change against a figure who, not long ago, was literally a Red Hulk and in prison himself. But the dream and ideal of Captain American can never die, and in fact may only thrive once removed from him. So he ultimately surrenders to Nick Fury and the authorities, and is willing to go through a mockery of a trial. But he doesn’t surrender without a plan, or allies.

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Knowing that his shield is both a symbol and a wholly unique weapon, Rogers’ one act of rebellion this time is in not surrendering it, too. Instead he leaves it with Sharon Carter, entrusting her to carry on the resistance without him. While his friends are few, he knows he’s never alone. And as Steve Rogers is taken to Baron Strucker legal (and profitable) dungeon for criminals and monsters, Carter assembles “the Daughters of Liberty” to continue the fight. They are led by Spider-Woman, and consist of Echo, Misty Knight, White Tiger, Mockingbird, Invisible Woman, and Valkyrie!

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Context Is King!

Judging by the flurry of articles commenting on this “social justice warrior” issue, it seems that some readers (or either professional or amateur online critics) still seem stunned and surprised that Captain America broaches politics. Choosing Ta-Nehisi Coates to write the series was done for reasons beyond the high sales of his Black Panther run. As a journalist, author, and commentator, he is deliberately political. And out of any superhero to embody that, Cap is it.

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Despite the bleating of some critics, Coates isn’t anywhere near the top of the soapbox as he could be. He is still eagerly playing with the tropes and details of the Marvel Universe, from Nuke cyborgs to recreations of Baron Strucker, or the infamous “Bar With No Name.” The Guardsmen armored security stretch back to 1980s Iron Man comics. Even the primary villains — the Lukins — are essentially “evil & corrupt Russians,” who have been fairly routine comic villains since the 60s.

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What has changed, once again, is the timing. Ideas regarding political corruption and Russia being a threat to national security are fresher now than they were even a decade ago, due to current events. Comic books, especially Marvel, have always sought to utilize that as ore for creativity. The alternative are stories that risk being irrelevant for the sake of entertainment. As talented as Mark Waid was, even his recent run relied on alternate timelines that don’t matter. Not Coates.

Is There Any Victim Less Sympathetic Than Red Hulk?

Yet Coates isn’t telling this story in a vacuum; he relies on the past history of the Marvel Universe to act as both a metaphor and as a direct causation. Secret Invasion showed the world a “Cap” who conquered America as the head of Hydra, and many in the public and the media didn’t believe the truth of Steve’s innocence. Stories about extreme corruption within Marvel’s government go back decades, as well as stories about bigger and “badder” jails. Even the drama with the Lukins and the Red Skull goes back to Ed Brubaker’s run. Coates is merely connecting the dots and adding his spin. This latest chapter, naturally, takes aim at the prison industrial complex.

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In fact the biggest flaw in Coates’ plot is his choice of “victim” to set Cap up with. Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross has been the face of aggressive and borderline irrational military figures since the 1960s. He’s literally spent much of the past decade as a Red Hulk who was often a menace as often as he was an anti-hero. If the Owl thinks Cap is the face of government corruption, then Ross is the demigod of it. He went from federal prison to a cushy administration gig. While one could understand right-wingers loving him, Ross as the Red Hulk was the ultimate monster.

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After six issues, another superstar artist graces this book. It is Adam Kubert, the elder son of the legendary Joe Kubert who has had an equally legendary career. Fresh off of Spectacular Spider-Man, his work has included long runs on Uncanny X-Men and Wolverine. Beyond some Avengers work, this is his first time on Cap, and he does a terrific job. An action oriented artist, Bucky’s brawl in the bar is easily the visual highlight. One can only hope future issues allow him to shine further.

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Is This a Fresh Spin on the “Framed Hero” Plot?

The biggest problem that Coates faces isn’t a story about “social justice.” Ideally, Captain America should involve that as a theme. His problem is putting a fresh spin on a story which, by and large, has been done many times before. Cap’s narration reflects this, as does his choice of action. Steve’s tried the path of being a “righteous fugitive,” and it doesn’t work for long. This time he is trying a different tactic, and involving all of the women in his life to help him.

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The “daughters of liberty” team headed by Jessica Drew are interesting, as most of them have certainly seen the uglier side of society and politics. Misty Knight was both a cop and a heroine for hire, while Drew was often acting as a private eye. Echo has seen the evil of the Kingpin first hand; now he’s mayor. Invisible Woman stood against her husband during the injustice of Civil War. Ava Ayala, the latest White Tiger, saw her brother Hector railroaded and killed in his own sham trial.

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Next. See How Alexander Lukin Returned in No. 6!. dark

In many ways the run written by Ed Brubaker proved to define the franchise for a generation, inspiring both comics and film. Ever since, Marvel has sought to imitate that run to varying degrees of success. With Coates’ profile and awareness of social trends, it may be possible that his could come close. While this is a more familiar story for Cap than some would believe, it’s his reaction which is different. Rather than be a stoic lone warrior, Steve is choosing passive resistance, and relying on his friends — especially women. It will remain to be seen how well it works, but at least no one can accuse Coates of playing things safe with such a high profile book.

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