I give up on Technorati. I'll just hope word of mouth and various links get me page reads. Because I need attention.
Speaking of attention, I did not buy Captain America Reborn. I think that maybe I'm the only person on the planet that isn't excited that Steve Rogers is back. I've waxed on (and off, Miyagi-san!) about how I'd really like to see comics moving forward, and that the continual resurrection of golden age heroes is not moving forward, so I won't go into it again.
I think that my dislike of this storyline (which I know nothing about other than it exists) is twofold: one, I like Bucky and his story of redemption, and how he's a Formerly Very Bad Person trying to live up to this epic legacy. This isn't Dick taking over as Batman, because that's what Dick has been working towards every moment of his life (even before meeting Bruce, as Alfred pointed out in Batman and Robin #2 this week). Dick is a good guy, no question about it, no matter what gray area things he may or may not have done in the past. Bucky wasn't a good guy. And, granted, he was brainwashed, but it's not like he doesn't remember the things he's done. They were very bad things.
Second: the idea of Captain America never really worked for me until Civil War (the arc, not the war), which I admittedly only vaguely followed. But there's no symbolism in post-Vietnam/Nixon/Pentagon era of a man wearing the stars and stripes... or to put it in terms more relevant to my generation, the post-Lewinskygate/Schiavo/Patriot Act era. And then I started to realize that he stood for all the things I believe in (some of which are considered very very unamerican these days). Particularly personal freedom being more important than the illusory idea of safety, and the notion that the government (and superheroes) exist to protect everyone from everyone - including the government (and superheroes), especially minorities that get kicked around by majorities.
Even though I started to appreciate this more modern Steve Rogers, he was still surrounded by this aura of perfection. I'll be totally honest, again, and say I haven't read a ton of Captain America stuff, but just the way I see other characters talk about him gives me this feeling. I don't like war, any war, and I think that America did some awfully bad things during all of the wars it's been involved in. I don't think having some Storm Saxon (okay, yes, Steve Rogers predates V for Vendetta, but still) look-a-alike wearing the American Flag is really going to do it for me.
I want Captain America to be conflicted over wearing the uniform. And Bucky is. And his conflict over the terrible things
he did is a good allegory for the terrible things America has done. That's the kind of Captain America I want.
The Cap I want to read about uses guns, because it's a bad ass world out there. The Cap I want to read about doesn't think he deserves the job. The Cap I want to read about is high-tech, but that high-tech came from another country. The Cap I want to read about thinks that the world isn't perfect, and that the people he's there for may not need him... and he feels despair but balances that with his love of a flawed country.
My Captain America speaks fluent Russian, because this is 2009 and our enemies aren't Nazis and Reds and Charlie. They're everyone, everywhere. Anyone who can sit at a computer and hack into a system, anyone who can hop on a plane and fly it into a building, anyone who can put together a bomb in his shed and take out a city block. They're even us. And Bucky knows that.
So I'm not psyched Steve Rogers is reborn. He's not my Captain America, because I don't think I live in that kind of America. Maybe I wish I did. I understand having a symbol of that hope. Maybe I'm just too cynical for a blonde-haired, blue-eyed Captain America to stand proud with his square jaw and make everything okay again. Because everything is not okay.
Speaking of attention, I did not buy Captain America Reborn. I think that maybe I'm the only person on the planet that isn't excited that Steve Rogers is back. I've waxed on (and off, Miyagi-san!) about how I'd really like to see comics moving forward, and that the continual resurrection of golden age heroes is not moving forward, so I won't go into it again.
I think that my dislike of this storyline (which I know nothing about other than it exists) is twofold: one, I like Bucky and his story of redemption, and how he's a Formerly Very Bad Person trying to live up to this epic legacy. This isn't Dick taking over as Batman, because that's what Dick has been working towards every moment of his life (even before meeting Bruce, as Alfred pointed out in Batman and Robin #2 this week). Dick is a good guy, no question about it, no matter what gray area things he may or may not have done in the past. Bucky wasn't a good guy. And, granted, he was brainwashed, but it's not like he doesn't remember the things he's done. They were very bad things.
Second: the idea of Captain America never really worked for me until Civil War (the arc, not the war), which I admittedly only vaguely followed. But there's no symbolism in post-Vietnam/Nixon/Pentagon era of a man wearing the stars and stripes... or to put it in terms more relevant to my generation, the post-Lewinskygate/Schiavo/Patriot Act era. And then I started to realize that he stood for all the things I believe in (some of which are considered very very unamerican these days). Particularly personal freedom being more important than the illusory idea of safety, and the notion that the government (and superheroes) exist to protect everyone from everyone - including the government (and superheroes), especially minorities that get kicked around by majorities.
Even though I started to appreciate this more modern Steve Rogers, he was still surrounded by this aura of perfection. I'll be totally honest, again, and say I haven't read a ton of Captain America stuff, but just the way I see other characters talk about him gives me this feeling. I don't like war, any war, and I think that America did some awfully bad things during all of the wars it's been involved in. I don't think having some Storm Saxon (okay, yes, Steve Rogers predates V for Vendetta, but still) look-a-alike wearing the American Flag is really going to do it for me.
I want Captain America to be conflicted over wearing the uniform. And Bucky is. And his conflict over the terrible things
he did is a good allegory for the terrible things America has done. That's the kind of Captain America I want.The Cap I want to read about uses guns, because it's a bad ass world out there. The Cap I want to read about doesn't think he deserves the job. The Cap I want to read about is high-tech, but that high-tech came from another country. The Cap I want to read about thinks that the world isn't perfect, and that the people he's there for may not need him... and he feels despair but balances that with his love of a flawed country.
My Captain America speaks fluent Russian, because this is 2009 and our enemies aren't Nazis and Reds and Charlie. They're everyone, everywhere. Anyone who can sit at a computer and hack into a system, anyone who can hop on a plane and fly it into a building, anyone who can put together a bomb in his shed and take out a city block. They're even us. And Bucky knows that.
So I'm not psyched Steve Rogers is reborn. He's not my Captain America, because I don't think I live in that kind of America. Maybe I wish I did. I understand having a symbol of that hope. Maybe I'm just too cynical for a blonde-haired, blue-eyed Captain America to stand proud with his square jaw and make everything okay again. Because everything is not okay.
But that IS Steve Rogers. Okay, I'm not a Cap expert, but he's the guy who resigned from the post over various Vietnam issues. He's the guy who invited people like Black Widow into the Avengers. He's the guy everyone talks about because he's not a symbol of jingoistic expansion-- he's the guy you just said you wanted.
ReplyDeleteOnce again, Google has eaten my reply.
ReplyDeleteI'm definitely not a Cap expert either. Most of what I know about him, besides video games and cartoons, is the way people (both in universe and out) refer to him. I read some Cap books in the 80s, but I think I was too young to really appreciate what was going on. So I'm completely willing to own up to being wrong on the type of Cap that Steve Rogers is.
I'm still not in favor of resurrection in general, but maybe now I'll give new-old-Cap more of a chance.
Visiting Mount Vernon, Montpelier, and Monticello shortly after being introduced to Captain America as a feature character in Civil War helped put his character into perspective for me.
ReplyDeleteGrowing up, I read mostly DC, Disney, and X-Men comics, and as a result never warmed up to most Marvel Characters. Captain America, especially, seemed a little silly to me outside of World War II. What did he have to fight for?
In the 1940s, he fought Hitler - he punched him on the cover of his very first issue - because the American fantasy was to take the fight to Hitler and end the war. But in the decades since, he's mostly been a general superhero, or vehicle for commentary.
But Captain America isn't a general superhero. He's the embodiment of our national fantasy. Punch Hitler. Take the battle to the Nazis. Never surrender.
But only once since World War II has he been used as a vehicle for our fantasy, when he fought domestic oppression in Civil War. It's not surprising that that's the only time he's been relevant and accessible.
I'd also argue that he's not too perfect. He's merely exceptionally resolved. (This is where my visits to the early presidents' homes come in.) In many ways, he's a lot like George Washington. He will give anything and everything to something that he believes is right: a name, a title, a life.
An anecdote about Washington (that's entirely true) illustrates this level of commitment (it's near the end): http://www.historyplace.com/speeches/washington.htm .
@guardian.orion Thanks for that point of view. I suppose I see the national American fantasy as something very convoluted and impossible to embody in just one man, particularly a white, blonde man with blue eyes (who is probably Christian, though that's ust a guess). That's just not what I see as the American fantasy anymore. We've finally owned up to the fact that we're a diverse nation, maybe it's time that our fantasy looks that way, too.
ReplyDeleteI like that anecdote. Interesting, considering the debate happening right know regarding Health Care (and the sort of Health Care Congress gets that most of us can only dream about), I wonder what would have happened if he hadn't put on his glasses.
@guardian.orion Thanks for that point of view. I suppose I see the national American fantasy as something very convoluted and impossible to embody in just one man, particularly a white, blonde man with blue eyes (who is probably Christian, though that's ust a guess). That's just not what I see as the American fantasy anymore. We've finally owned up to the fact that we're a diverse nation, maybe it's time that our fantasy looks that way, too.
ReplyDeleteI like that anecdote. Interesting, considering the debate happening right know regarding Health Care (and the sort of Health Care Congress gets that most of us can only dream about), I wonder what would have happened if he hadn't put on his glasses.
Visiting Mount Vernon, Montpelier, and Monticello shortly after being introduced to Captain America as a feature character in Civil War helped put his character into perspective for me.
ReplyDeleteGrowing up, I read mostly DC, Disney, and X-Men comics, and as a result never warmed up to most Marvel Characters. Captain America, especially, seemed a little silly to me outside of World War II. What did he have to fight for?
In the 1940s, he fought Hitler - he punched him on the cover of his very first issue - because the American fantasy was to take the fight to Hitler and end the war. But in the decades since, he's mostly been a general superhero, or vehicle for commentary.
But Captain America isn't a general superhero. He's the embodiment of our national fantasy. Punch Hitler. Take the battle to the Nazis. Never surrender.
But only once since World War II has he been used as a vehicle for our fantasy, when he fought domestic oppression in Civil War. It's not surprising that that's the only time he's been relevant and accessible.
I'd also argue that he's not too perfect. He's merely exceptionally resolved. (This is where my visits to the early presidents' homes come in.) In many ways, he's a lot like George Washington. He will give anything and everything to something that he believes is right: a name, a title, a life.
An anecdote about Washington (that's entirely true) illustrates this level of commitment (it's near the end): http://www.historyplace.com/speeches/washington.htm .
But that IS Steve Rogers. Okay, I'm not a Cap expert, but he's the guy who resigned from the post over various Vietnam issues. He's the guy who invited people like Black Widow into the Avengers. He's the guy everyone talks about because he's not a symbol of jingoistic expansion-- he's the guy you just said you wanted.
ReplyDelete