Captain America: Sam Wilson Vol. 1 - Not My Captain America Paperback – 3 May 2016

Decided to give this a go after watching the recent tv show. Glad I did. It's terrific! Highly recommended title.

Sam Wilson as Captain America makes for unique and interesting take on the hero that is refreshing and not concerned with simply mimicking Steve Rogers. This whole volume was also surprisingly fun.

I only bought this because of the original cap wolf story ark back in the nintiyes the arts good and the fact that you can contact a superhero through social media that's how falcon gets involved in this story arc is a nice way to modernise the tropes of superheroes makes sense even politicians have twitter these days I came for the werewolf plot but the misty knight and d man are good sidekicks for the new cap and I quite enjoyed this especially the new falcon captain America always needs a partner there's some mention of the race switching in the book all that not my captain stuff is well handled and bang on trend with al the politics involved in comics the only thing that really matters is story and this is a pretty good one I'll probably buy more of this story arc Sam Wilson is a better cap than Bucky

Captain America is a difficult comic book super hero for European readers. Running around in long johns in the colors of your country’s flag is a kind of patriotism to be getting used to. But because of the Marvel movies he grew popular in Europe too. In the Marvel Universe Cap (Steve Rogers) always has been supposed to be the embodiment of what makes America (the USA actually) great. But what is this?Recently Steve Rogers has stepped down and given the shield to Sam Wilson, former Falcon and social worker. And his America seems different to that of the revived World War II veteran.Nick Spencer has been a politician before getting fulltime comic book writer, and you can see it in his writing. His America is a country of inconsistencies and controversy: immigration and human rights, labor market and racism, crime and stock markets. No wonder many former readers have said: This is not my Captain America! Ironically editorial has anticipated this and given this volume the eponymous subtitle.What makes all this so enjoyable is that Spencer never preaches. He shows the inconsistencies and sometimes elevates them by grim satire. Sometimes you have to laugh out aloud; sometimes you choke on your giggles. All this comes with a nice adventure using a lot of classic personnel from D-Man to Misty Knight and Diamond Back.The various artists deliver surprisingly consistent art of the more painted style. All in all this is a nice volume that made me consider coming back for more. Collecting #1-6 of “Sam Wilson: Captain America”.

First of all, lets get something out of the way - I am a massive Sam Wilson/Falcon fan. I've been an avid reader of his adventures, especially in the pages of Captain America, but also in the Avengers - and if anyone deserved an opportunity to wield the iconic shield and don the stars and stripes as Captain America it was the man who was a closer ally and confidant and spent longer as Steve Rogers crime fighting partner than any other in the titles publication history. Certainly putting him in the role makes more sense than giving the top job to Bucky - a man who spent most of his life as a brainwashed Russian button-man. Additionally, ridiculous arguments against Sam Wilson as the official Captain America on the basis of his ethnicity are exactly that - ridiculous.All of that said, volume 1 of 'Sam Wilson: Captain America' isnt the service I wanted Sam to get...The story primarily deals with a Sam Wilson trying to find his own niche as the patriotic hero and wondering how he could ever hope to live up to the legend that was his predecessor Steve Rogers. Ultimately after much soul searching he decides quite simply that he wont...or at least not in the manner expected.Sam will still be a hero for sure, but where as Rogers always tried to stay above the politics of the role and did his best to represent the ideals of America, Sam decides that he's going to take a side. He cares about things - some things deeply and much more than others. He has his own values, ideals and beliefs, and so Sam Wilson makes the decision that he will be the very first Captain America to pick a side - to represent the interests of some Americans over those of others, with the reaction from those demographics he doesnt represent so strongly resulting in a media storm of criticism.I had a couple of issues with this. The first was that as a lifelong reader and fan of the Captain America book, the character has come to represent certain things for me regardless as to who wears the uniform, and whilst the idea of a Captain America who is essentially willing to cast his vote one way or another is in principle an interesting concept that has never really been done before, despite the character traditionally having been portrayed as having somewhat Democratic leadings, and a couple of high profile stories in the past that took a thinly veiled swipe at Republican politicians - including depicting Ronald Reagan *literally* as a snake, and also suggesting that the head of the Secret Empire organisation that featured in the book post-Watergate scandal was intended to be disgraced President Richard Nixon - it in my mind at least sets Sam up to immediately fail by presenting him as a man who is clearly not up to the exacting standards expected of anyone who goes by the name Captain America.Even previous replacement Captain Americas - such as the violent, murderous, arrogant, jingoistic John Walker (aka USAgent) - at least tried to live up to the standards of the original. He fell badly short of course - as others have for one reason or another - although it wasnt through a lack of will to do so - he simply didnt have the ability, temperment and willpower to step out of Rogers shadow. Sam meanwhile has all of those attributes in excess, but *chooses* not to emulate Rogers or use the power of Captain America as a symbol, despite the fact that the entire hero community and in fact nearly all Americans consider him the man who sets the standard. In picking a side Sam *chooses* to be less than what he could be, and in doing so straight away presents himself as falling short of the example expected of Captain America.The second and perhaps most crucial issue I had with the series was the almost overt way that Sam - or to be more specific, writer Nick Spencer - goes about displaying his politics on page. Make no mistake, this is a Captain America who votes Democrat - or at least a writer who does.Now I'm a UK based fan, so whilst I'm well aware of the state of America politics in 2016, I dont have a dog in that particular fight. Nick Spencer however clearly does, having Sam Wilson tackle a bunch of racists from one of Americas Southern states shouting about building a 'wall' between Mexico and America, taking down a bunch of villains from Wall Street, and having him working with an Edward Snowden-esque supergrass - a former intelligence agent living in exile and on the run from SHIELD for releasing their secrets onto the internet. We even see Sam endorsing a gay pride event - which is not significant in itself other than the fact that a Republican representative wouldnt be caught dead doing such a thing, and SHIELD instead of being the worlds premier peace keeping organisation and heroes that they are supposed to be, once more act as proxy for 'the man' - the big, bad, nasty government infringing on all of your human rights and civil liberties. It soon becomes quite clear that Spencer is using the book and the character as his own personal political soap box.Naturally Spencer denied this - roundly dismissing accusations that became so heated they even made the mainstream media, that his depictation of a bunch of good-ol-boys beating up Mexicans and wanting to throw up a barrier on its border with the U.S were in any kind of way a backhanded swipe at Donald Trump or his supporters - it was merely a coincidence that he wrote this story shortly after news about Trumps 'wall' broke. Lets not kid ourselves though, you would be deluded to buy into Spencers patronizing suggestion that the two stories weren't linked. Additionally, by having Sam throw in with a man who steals and releases military and governmental secrets without reservation, and despite not knowing who he really is, it becomes quite obvious which side of the Edward Snowden debate Spencer stands on.Heres the thing though - I don't necessarily disagree with Spencers politics - I'm just peeved that I'm essentially paying $3.99 per month to read a book that is being used by the writer as his own personal political mouthpiece. If I want to know how horrible the real world is then I can go outside or turn on the TV news. I read comics to get away from all of that nonsense, and I'm not so insecure that I need to turn to comics to reinforce my own political opinion or make me feel that theres at least one person out there in the big, bad world that feels the samw way I do.The final issue I have with the book is that it sadly hasnt got an original idea going for it. Spencer is by his own admission a massive fan of the late-great Mark Gruenwald who enjoyed a record breaking uninterrupted ten year stint writing the Captain America book between the 1980's and 90's, and gave us such great stories as 'Scourge of the Underworld', 'Streets of Poison', 'The Captain' and 'Bloodstone Hunt'. I'm a massive fan too - in fact Gruenwald remains my favourite Cap writer even to this day - however theres being inspired by a previous writers works and then theres recyling pretty much every aspect of their work, and not just the best bits either...So yeah, whilst as a hardcore Gru-fan, I love the Serpent Society, Diamondback, Karl Malus and Demolition Man, and even have a soft spot for what was one of Gruenwalds most maligned creations - 'Cap Wolf' - I've read this story before, and as much as I enjoyed these things first time around I'm not necessarily keen on seeing them dredged up, given a fresh coat of paint, and paraded around as original ideas. Additionally - objectively speaking at least - its probably also the case that a story about Captain America as a werewolf is likely to be considered as ridiculous by an audience in 2016 as it was by most of us who were there first time around in the late 80's. Certainly the poor monthly sales of the ongoing title suggest this to be the case.Despite all of this there is the nucleus of a decent story here, and I was especially pleased by the inclusion and depiction of Misty Knight (dispite an absolutely ridiculous and impractical costume!) who kicks backside in what is some much deserved and overdue page time. Its just a shame that even this promising relationship is soured by the fact that Sam Wilson - not long after a controversal story in Rick Remenders recent run on the book in which it was heavily implied (scratch that - it wasnt 'implied' at all - it happened!) that he had an intimate relationship with Jet Zola (a 14 year old child who had been artificially aged by her super villain father into full adulthood) - is simultaniously off making kissyface with Jane Foster (the new, female Thor) over in the pages of All-New-All-Different Avengers. I mean seriously, way to reinforce a negative ethnic stereotype. Does the left hand not know what the right hand is doing at Marvel these days? There used to be these things called 'editors'...This volume also introduces the 'All-New-All-Different' Falcon, Joaquin Torres, but in all seriousness I'm not sure why any fan is supposed to get excited about this. The new Falcons 'thing' is that having been subjected to Dr Karl Malus experiments he is *literally* half Falcon - winged arms and clawed feet and big eyes and all. It's all a little silly and I cant imagine why Marvel think that fans would respond well to such a character, so I'm left to wonder if we cant make a Falcon that is superior to the original - and this one clearly isnt - then why bother?When Sam stops being Captain America - which we are probably kidding ourselves if we think he wont eventually, especially in light of the fact that Steve Rogers has already been confirmed to be returning to the role - then you have to wonder what role there will be for him? Does he go back to being the Falcon, and if so then what happens to Joaquin Torres? Two Falcons like we seem to have two of everyone else at the moment? 'All-New-All-Different Falcon Bros'? Something else? Ultimately, for the timebeing the end result appears to be that we now have both a Captain America and a Falcon that are poor reflections of the originals, which only serves to damage the legacy of both characters.So yeah, a promising concept involving the man who is surely more worthy than anyone else to fill the boots of Captain America is somewhat ruined by ideas that are neither 'All-New' or 'All-Different' enough - as Marvels latest tag line claims - and by a writer who feels the need to use the book to express his political opinions rather than restricting them to his blog or the voting booth where they belong.

Nick Spencer conseguiu traçar uma ótima trama com contexto social,sem descaracterizar Sam Wilson,mas colocando ele em um panorama novo.Aqui vemos Sam tendo que lidar com o preconceito contra imigrantes,e o desaparecimento deles,isso em uma trama muito bem feita, porém uma falha mortal que Spencer comete é o excesso de texto,de resto está tudo perfeito.A arte de Daniel Acuna é perfeita!!!!

The writer(s) does what all outstanding contemporaries do, reference the current events. And BOY it must make those who are used to a corporate euro centered narrative and imagery squeal! The 1% and their sycophants (who are part of the 99%) are the only whiners. But fret not. The opioid overdoses of that demographic is speeding up the turning of the tide so quickly that it's shaving off the reversal predictions by 50 to 70%! Behold! We are looking at the last generation to gloat of their ignorance of 'privilege' because the template of today will not have the numbers to be the monopoly very,very soon! Bravo!!

Captain America is a difficult comic book super hero for European readers. Running around in long johns in the colors of your country’s flag is a kind of patriotism to be getting used to. But because of the Marvel movies he grew popular in Europe too. In the Marvel Universe Cap (Steve Rogers) always has been supposed to be the embodiment of what makes America (the USA actually) great. But what is this?Recently Steve Rogers has stepped down and given the shield to Sam Wilson, former Falcon and social worker. And his America seems different to that of the revived World War II veteran.Nick Spencer has been a politician before getting fulltime comic book writer, and you can see it in his writing. His America is a country of inconsistencies and controversy: immigrations and human rights, labor market and racism, crime and stock markets. No wonder many former readers have said: This is not my Captain America! Ironically editorial has anticipated this and given this volume the eponymous subtitle.What makes all this so enjoyable is that Spencer never preaches. He shows the inconsistencies and sometimes elevates them by grim satire. Sometimes you have to laugh out aloud; sometimes you choke on your giggles. All this comes with a nice adventure using a lot of classic personnel from D-Man to Misty Knight and Diamond Back.The various artists deliver surprisingly consistent art of the more painted style. All in all this is a nice volume that made me consider coming back for more. Collecting #1-6 of “Sam Wilson: Captain America”.

Nick Spencer, the writer, must have patted himself rather hard on the back after finishing this arc. Its all rather political. With falcon cap doing battle with everything from border patrol militias to corrupt corporate boardrooms. If you like that kind of thing, enjoy, but it just isn't really my cup of tea. I still have it four stars because the art was nice, and cap wolf was just hilarious. I think that your enjoyment of this book will greatly depend on your political beliefs, as the conservative stand ins here all are all psycho super villains. So its kind of a one sided discussion, which is ironic because Wilson is constantly complaining about all the infighting over politics in the book. Hypocritical might be a better word, surely Sam could have had a more conservative partner to balance things out.

Cette série, malgré sa prise à un n° 1, est dans la continuité du court "run" de Rick REMENDER avec Sam WILSON en tant que Captain America, situation que ce scénariste a provoqué peu avant que l'événement "Secret Wars" ne remette en cause quasiment toutes les séries. Le Captain America originel, Steve ROGERS, est devenu un véritable nonagénaire. S'il garde une activité, il ne peut plus avoir celle d'un Captain America. C'est tout naturellement vers le Falcon, alias Sam WILSON, son allié depuis très longtemps que le choix de ROGERS s'est penché au moment de confier son bouclier et le reste qui va avec la fonction.Mais, contrairement à l'icône ROGERS qui tout jeune a fait des pieds et des mains pour combattre le nazisme et est parvenu à ses fins héroïques au prix d'épreuves physiques et psychologiques immenses, WILSON - sans remettre en cause tout ce qu'il a accompli avec ou sans ROGERS -, n'a pas ce rapport à l'Histoire du monde et des USA. Il est beaucoup plus "down-to-earth" et dispose bien entendu de son expérience afro-américaine de la vie aux USA. Dans ce TPB, il s'intéresse par exemple à la disparition d'immigrants à la frontière entre le Mexique et les USA. Il est en relation avec un "lanceur d'alerte" car, à la différence de ROGERS, il a un problème avec l'autorité. Particulièrement s'il s'agit du S.H.I.E.L.D. dont on ne sait jamais qui le commande : la NSA, l'ONU, le S.H.I.E.L.D. lui-même ? Ce n'est pas clair ces temps-ci. Mais en agissant à sa guise, en entraînant l'ex super-flic Misty KNIGHT avec lui, WILSON va mettre au jour une double conspiration aux implications énormes. L'une, de l'ordre d'un Meccano génétique, provient d'un Karl MALUS ressuscité après pourtant qu'il a été dévoré... L'autre résulte de la Société des Serpents, qui a désormais pignon sur rue dans le monde des affaires.Le jeune scénariste étatsunien Nick SPENCER, dont je me souviens pas avoir lu quoi que ce soit avant ce TPB, offre un Sam WILSON totalement à l'aise dans son habit de Captain America mais déterminé à rester fondamentalement lui-même... même s'il est physiquement victime des expériences "scientifiques" de MALUS... ROGERS, qui connaît bien son ami Sam (et vice versa), s'en accommode, mais le S.H.I.E.L.D. est moins enthousiaste. WILSON, qui a le pouvoir d'entrer en communication avec les oiseaux, dispose après tout d'un réseau de plusieurs milliards d'informateurs partout dans le monde.Il y a globalement une approche intéressante de la nouvelle situation par le scénariste, qui est un connaisseur de la chose "politique", et les dessins élégants autant qu'efficaces et reconnaissables entre tous de l'espagnol Daniel ACUNA (trois premiers chapitres) sont un atout précieux. Idem pour des dessins du français Paul RENAUD qui, pour être moins "reconnaissables entre tous" (cf. Leonard KIRK, Olivier COIPEL, Mahmud ASRAR, tous dans le même style à peu près), servent totalement le propos du scénariste. Le chapitre final, dû à Joe BENNETT, est quelque peu quelconque en comparaison. ****