Tue Oct 16, 2007 10:58AM10 comments ›
Tue Oct 16, 2007 — by Mike Gold
Cap In The Saddle Again
Mike's mandatory Captain America analysis
O.K. By now you're heard that "Captain America" will be returning to Captain America, in issue #34. Place your orders today, folks!
I have no problem with Cap's return. It was inevitable. That's fine. I don't know if it'll be Steve Rogers resurrected; I certainly hope not. That sort of shoddy storytelling got tiresome about 20 years ago. Like the flag and the nation for which he was named, Captain America endures and that's fine by me.
I'm not going to join the loud chorus of nay-sayers who have been pooping all over Alex Ross's brand-new costume design. Cap's got a gun and a knife? Bg deal. He's a soldier, remember? If a gun was good enough for Alex Schaumberg, it's good enough for Ross and for me.
However, there is a storytelling problem here. If the costume is so vital that it must survive as the skin of another, as it had before in the 1950s, then why change the costume? I guess we'll find out. I hope we'll find out.
Of course, the costume will generate a lot of toy and merchandising sales. And it'll probably look good in the movie, although I'm a bit tired of never seeing the "real" costume in the movies. Even the teevee movies. But as ComicMix podcast producer Mike Raub said, it's only temporary.
I'm sure Mike's right. Captain America is the flag, after all. It didn't survive radical change – remember the 15 bar version? – and it has only been altered to reflect the nation's growth.
Hopefully, so will Captain America. In times like these, we need to be reminded of our true American values. So should Washington, but I've a lot more faith in Marvel Comics than I do in President Bush.
Jump to comments (10) 
More News from ComicMix
- The Point Radio: 'Twilight New Moon' Exclusives18 hours ago, 0 comments
- Review: 'Saga of the Swamp Thing Book Two'19 hours ago, 0 comments
- Why continuity matters, dammit23 hours ago, 4 comments
- Capcom Announces 'Resident Evil 5: Gold Edition'1 day ago, 0 comments
- 'Angel: After The Fall' fan film1 day ago, 0 comments
- ComicMix Six: Best Geek-Themed Games for the Holidays1 day ago, 1 comment
- Review: 'Logan's Run' on Blu-ray3 days ago, 0 comments
- ComicMix and IDW on the iPhone and iTouch3 days ago, 0 comments
- 'Global Frequency' back to TV?3 days ago, 3 comments
- Review: 'Kevin Smith 3-Movie Collection' on Blu-ray4 days ago, 1 comment
Comments (10)
Rick Taylor (12:04 PM on Tue Oct 16, 2007)
I'll join the nay-sayers.
A coustume based on the flag that is mostly black.
They didn't need to change it.
They didn't need to KILL HIM.
Another one-note song to sell a few comics for the short-term.
I wonder if any of this had to do with sharing the copyright with Simon?
How about some long term planning with good stories instead?
Wonder if Marvel will learn the same lesson Coke did?
Nah!
Mike Gold (12:24 PM on Tue Oct 16, 2007)
Oh, like my pal Mr. Raub said, they'll whip Captain America Classic out of the closet faster than a speeding bullet (and I think I just broke the record for mixed metaphors).
I haven't studied this closely, but I don't think this would affect the deal with Joe Simon.
Christopher Moonlight (11:04 AM on Tue Oct 16, 2007)
"I've a lot more faith in Marvel Comics"
So do I. I may not like everything that Marvel does these days, but I'll say this for them. They haven't been afraid to move forward, like some other comic companies. Not only that, but they've been n able to do it without crapping all over what's come before.
Rick Taylor (3:14 PM on Tue Oct 16, 2007)
I'm sure he'll stay about as dead as Supeman did, I'm sure. All this 'stunt' comics reading lately just gets tiresome.
Marilee J. Layman (4:59 PM on Tue Oct 16, 2007)
The WashPost has an article today on it. I'd make a link but that's not working. You'll have to cut & paste this:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007...
Marilee J. Layman (4:51 PM on Thu Oct 18, 2007)
This originally said there was a WashPost article on the change and comback at this URL.
Alan Coil (1:59 AM on Wed Oct 17, 2007)
"I don't know if it'll be Steve Rogers resurrected; I certainly hope not. That sort of shoddy storytelling got tiresome about 20 years ago."
Well, if they are going to write stories where Bucky has come back, then it doesn't matter if Steve Rogers dies or not. He WILL be back, sooner or later. Just a few years ago, Quesada said "Dead is dead." Apparently not at Marvel.
I think the worst story decision Marvel has made recently is bringing back Bucky.
Neil (1:55 PM on Wed Oct 17, 2007)
I had thought that Bucky was the one character who was going to remain dead at Marvel. His death was so important in the mythos of Captain America throughout the 60s and 70s. I have not yet read the comics where he returned, though I have heard they were well written. Still, I wish they didn't do it. I also wish they didn't kill Steve Rogers. I hope Steve Rogers returns sooner than later, but I can't believe he will never return.
Hall442 (12:27 PM on Thu Oct 18, 2007)
The whole polically motivated "Civil Wars" storyline was ill advised. The Death of Captain American was the culmination of it. We're pretty much stuck with it, til the leadership changes at Marvel; just as we were stuck with the abominable "Crisis on Inifinite Earths" revisions in the DC universe. Only recently have THEY started to reverse THAT mess. The thing to remember is, what's going to SELL? That's the bottom line. And if killing off an American Icon boosts sales, that's what's going to happen.
This whole, "Darker" bent, that the industry has taken, is a BIG turnoff. *shrugs* I miss the pre-1985 days. After that, the industry got progressively more bleak. I didn't read comic books to see real life mirrored in the pages. I read them to be uplifted. And that just doesn't happen anymore. If I want real life, I'll turn on the evening news and be depressed. I pick up a comic to ESCAPE what the real world is.
That's just my two cents on the issue. Well, many, many issues. :)
Syrus (11:13 AM on Tue Oct 16, 2007)
hopefully this cap should be as or more intresting than steve rogers,
kudos.
Syrus M