Captain America #9
Cody White
Recap
Things are heating up for our favorite American icon in prison as Steve continues to attempt to survive in prison without incident and fails marvelously.
The timing of this incident in which Cap finds himself in a shaky alliance with a number of former Soldiers in the Hydra Cap regime is most unfortunate as Lukin continues her smear campaign of the visage of Captain America and, by extension, Steve Rogers. With the "disappearance" of Hydra Cap (see last issue), Lukin's push to merge the perception of both Caps into a single figure gains much traction in this issue (for more on the commentary on modern media, see below).
Sharon's new(?) team, the Daughters of Liberty, steal the show in this issue. On a mission to redeem Cap, this power team of women seem poised to take the Marvel Universe by storm, led by Sharon and seemingly the enigmatic Dryad.
Review
While the emergence of Dryad and the missions of the Daughters of Liberty are certainly the focal point of this issue (and rightfully so), the subtext of modern media in the US (and globally) cannot be overstated in this issue. Coates and Kubert open the issue with a two page prologue featuring Lukin pressuring a news outlet (Fact News Channel) to skew the news from facts to editorializing a manufactured conspiracy.
In a world in which the media seems to run dominantly unchecked, this move by Lukin seems primed to be the fatal blow to Captain America and everything the iconography surrounding him stands for, thus decimating the image, effectively killing an ideology. No matter the evidence gathered by Sharon and her team, when the court of public opinion renders its verdict, the sentencing tends to be final– all appeals cancelled until further notice.
The use of power, influence, and the almighty capital seem so over the top that a scenario like this could only exist as the machinations of a comic book supervillain… right? Therein lies the power of the narrative being crafted in this current run of Captain America. At all times it is rooted in comic sensationalism yet still strikes disturbingly close to home in our world.
Final Thoughts
"Captain of Nothing" continues to fill readers with a sense of dread as the slow, effective death of Captain America continues before our eyes in Captain America #9.
Captain America #9: Breaking “News”
- Writing - 10/1010/10
- Storyline - 10/1010/10
- Art - 9/109/10
- Color - 9/109/10
- Cover Art - 10/1010/10
