Haunted by Ghosts: Kakashi Hatake

Welcome back to another edition of Comic Relief! Where I talk about all sorts of things going on in the world of Geekdom!

So today’s entry is about something that is actually pretty close to home for me. I grew up in a military family and I have myself served. With the recent global conflicts on terror raging on, we have had a lot of soldiers trade one hell for another. Soldiers find themselves as strangers in their own home, finding it hard to readjust to the civilian life and as such the suicide rate for combat rates is at 20 soldiers per day give or take.

So the question is why am I bringing this up? Well, I have found that for a lot of people in the service, fictional outlets such as comics, anime, movies, etc. are therapeutic and allow for them to have another way to connect with a society that they feel MILES away from. So every now and again I will be taking the time to write about a character from any fictional medium to spread awareness on PTSD and hopefully bring a light to any of my readers who may be suffering from some of these issues by finding a story that resonates with their own struggle and maybe even give them an idea or the hope they need to push through it. Anyways, today’s character profile is Kakashi Hatake from Naruto.

In all honesty, despite a horrific and obnoxious fan base, I would recommend this anime to anyone, ESPECIALLY veterans of combat. It is a story all about the struggle of war and for a project with no veterans attached to it, is incredibly on the mark for handling a LOT of issues that soldiers face. Kakashi Hatake is introduced in Naruto as the nonchalant, whimsical mentor of team 7, who is constantly pushing Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura to come together as a team. He is known for his sunny disposition, and badass character design. However, in Shippuden (the follow up series) you get to find out a LOT about Kakashi, and what we find is a man that is haunted by the decisions he has made in war, so here is a character biography on Kakashi, the Copy Ninja.

Kakashi was the son of a prominent shinobi of the Leaf Village “The White Fang” of the Leaf village, and as such was a sort of childhood prodigy. However, tragedy found Kakashi before he could even reach the battle field. Disgraced for choosing to save the lives of his comrades and subordinates rather than complete a mission, Kakashi’s father committed suicide. He was not even 10 when this happened. The Shinobi code dictates that the mission comes first, that those who break the rules in the shinobi world are scum. After the suicide of his father, Kakashi strived to redeem his name and lived life to "t" of the Shinobi code. He became a stickler for rules, and by the age of 13 had reached the rank of Jonin in the village (Jonin being the most elite level of ninja outside of Hokage). The Third Great Ninja War roared on, and so Kakashi was given his first mission as a Jonin team leader where he led his old team mates Obito and Rin on mission.

Obit, Rin, and Kakashi as a part of Team Minato

This mission goes horribly wrong. They are intercepted by enemy Shinobi that outclass them and Rin gets captured. Initially Kakashi insists on pushing on to the objective rather than going to the aid of his captured comrade, clearly trying to avert the same fate that had once befallen his own father. However, Obito refuses saying “those who break the rules are scum, but those who abandon their comrades are worse than that.” Additionally Obito’s claim to idolize the White Fang of the leaf as a TRUE hero, cause Kakashi to reconsider his position and aids Obito in the rescue of Rin. However, again, they were going up against enemy shinobi that out classed them and while they were able to save Rin it came at a hefty price: Kakashi lost his eye, and Obito is mortally wounded. As he lays dying Obito bequeaths to Kakashi his recently awakened Sharengan (a visual prowess that is passed down through one of the village clans) to replace Kakashi’s lost eye as a present for becoming a Jonin. Obito makes Kakashi promise to always look out for Rin and Kakashi gets her to safety. However, war being ugly as it is, had other plans for Rin. Sometime later a rival village kidnapped Rin and tried to turn her into a host for one of the tailed beast spirits. Kakashi, unable to prevent this from happening, is forced to kill Rin using his own signature technique, the lightning blade, before she loses control of the beast and kills a lot of innocent people. Killing Rin haunts Kakashi and every night as he closes his eyes Kakashi sees her wide eyed expression as he takes her life away with his own hands. 

While a lot of it is on the nose, Kakashi's remorse and survivor's guilt is something that a lot of veterans can identify with. I feel that a lot of soldiers could watch this story and identify personally with the struggles of their own ghosts haunting them. However, the most important thing about Kakashi is that despite all of the bad, he is able to find light. You see, initially, in an attempt to try and cope Kakashi throws himself deeper into the ninja world, becoming a member of the special forces of the village doing the riskiest missions, hoping that as he stacks up an enemy kill count, he will find absolution in the deaths of his best friends. This goes on until eventually Kakashi’s mentor, the present village leader, Minato, removes him from the Black Ops after being confronted by Kakashi’s best friend and rival for being more distant than usual. Minato puts Kakashi as a Jonin mentor for students who had just graduated the academy to achieve the rank of Genin (a junior shinobi). Initially Kakashi takes the responsibility with little enthusiasm. He is arguably too strict in his selection method to determine if the teams of Genin would work as a team. At first it was a way for Kakashi to push people away and remain alone (after all if he was alone no one could get hurt). However, after being approached and thanked by students he had turned back to the academy for helping them realize the importance of team work, Kakashi feels like he is given new purpose. He dedicates himself to teach incoming Genin the importance of watching out for your comrades (and as a result, hopefully prevent the tragedies that happened to him from happening to the next generation). Eventually he even finds a squad that passes his test: Squad 7 (the squad of the main characters: Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura).

Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura as team 7 with Kakashi in the Back

Despite all the horror he had lived through, Kakashi still found his way out of the dark and into the light. He found both redemption in being a mentor and fostered a next generation of shinobi to become new comrades. I feel that it is important for people to see that there is a possibility to reconnect and find new purpose in life. Kakashi came close to giving up, and had he not become a teacher, it honestly would have been a bad ending for him, similar to that of his father. However, he found new purpose and with that purpose found a way to live again. I think that such a story would benefit soldiers who have issues coming home from war, where it seems like they aren't able to connect with anyone over what happened. Anyways, if you know someone who has just come home from a war front and is having some issues, or if you yourself are one of those people. Don't be afraid to reach out, and hell maybe put on some Naruto and just hang out together. After all, what are friends and comrades for if not to enjoy a good show and hang out?

I hope you enjoyed and I hope to see you guys again next post! 

DCEU News Reel

Welcome back to another edition of Comic Relief! Where I talk about all sorts of things in the world of Geekdom!

Two Words: DCEU News-reel! The past two weeks have given us no shortage of DC news (and still no new Justice League trailer! Hey Zack, IT’S FEBRUARY DUDE! YOU SAID WE’D GET ONE BEFORE THE END OF DECEMBER!!!). In the past two weeks we have had updates on pretty much every film project you can imagine for the DCEU: SHAZAM gets split into two movies (with a first part dedicated solely to exploring Black Adam’s origin), Aquaman has casted Black Manta and is filming in Australia soon, Green Lantern Corps movie confirmed and will star both Hal Jordan AND John Stewart, and lastly Ben Affleck drops his name from the director spot on The Batman. So I am going to just go through and talk about each thing and give my two cents on it.

SHAZAM, just say the words… I cannot properly emote how excited I am to see a SHAZAM movie. Captain Marvel or SHAZAM cemented himself as one of my favorite DC character back in his appearance in the animated series: Justice League Unlimited in the episode where he fights Superman and gives an AMAZING speech that makes the entire Justice League feel like shitty people. I have always loved the idea of a 10 year old kid getting the powers of Superman and I feel that he might be one of the most unjustly treated characters in DC comics (he is barely utilized and in the New 52 he’s kind of written like crap). Add to this the fact that they have the Rock casted as Black Adam, I honestly could not be more excited. That being said there are obviously some worries I have, namely that the screen writer they have announced wrote the screen play for E is for Echo which was god awful, but I mean the Russo Brothers had You, Me, and Dupree on their resume and look at what they have done for Captain America.

Aquaman, oh boy let’s talk Aquaman. Aquaman is quite possibly one of the most ridiculed characters in comic books. I honestly don’t think there is a more powerful character that has somehow managed to become the bud of everyone’s jokes (hint it’s the bright orange and green costume). However, Jason Momoa is looking to swiftly change the opinions of the masses by his barbarian looking, badass Aqua man (which truthfully reminds me a lot of the animated Aquaman from Justice League).  With an outstanding ensemble already together (Jason Momoa, Amber Heard as Mera, Willem Dafoe as Vulko, and Patrick Wilson as Orm/ Ocean Master) the James Wan vision for Aquaman was already looking to be one of the most promising projects of the DCEU. However, the gift just keeps on giving as they have announced that Get Down Actor, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II , has been offered the part of Black Manta. Now I have a bit of a mixed opinion on this, not because I dislike the actor or Black Manta. It’s mainly because doing two villains in a movie is difficult but doing the two MAIN villains of Aquaman for his first solo outing I feel is WAY too risky. Now granted, if they go the New 52 route (which I really hope they do) Orm could probably hold off on being the villain till the next film as Orm actually wasn’t evil in the New 52, and was merely a villain of circumstance by being goaded into a war with the surface. New 52 Orm genuinely cares about Arthur and had only taken the crown of Atlantis because Arthur abdicated it to him, so, I would be down with having Orm be an ally of Aquaman in the first movie that sees the worst of the surface world through Black Manta and that puts him at odds with his brother in the next outing. I think my biggest apprehension toward having both of these villains in the same movie as primary antagonists is due to the animated feature Throne of Atlantis where they utterly ruin both characters with poor writing and not enough time to develop both. However, I am not too worried about it, James Wan is an incredible director and I am sure he has a killer creative team and that the Aquaman movie is going to kick ass.

Aquaman Cast doing their Table Read

Green Lantern is back for redemption! After the utter failure of the Green Lantern film starring Ryan Reynolds, fans everywhere were wondering when exactly we would see the Lanterns join the DCEU. Well the time is now apparently as DC has already begun looking for its new Hal Jordan and for John Stewart. Now out of the news that was released this is the one I have the least input on. I honestly think that the Green Lantern Corps is great, but I would have much rather had the new Justice League trailer than Green Lantern Corps news, especially since their film isn’t slated to be released for another 3 years. However, the Green Lantern Corps being confirmed is still big news and I am excited to see John Stewart coming into play as he is the first Green Lantern I got to experience the Justice League cartoon growing up.

Last, but certainly not least, there is a huge and controversial update on the DCEU solo Batman film. Ben Affleck’s performance was easily the BEST part of Batman vs Superman. I don’t think there are many that will argue it, I know there are some, but the general consensus is that Ben Affleck utterly owned that role and was amazing. Since it was announced that Ben Affleck would write, direct, produce, and star in his solo Bat venture, the hype has been real. Ben Affleck’s success as a film maker is nothing to shrug at as films like The Town and Argo received critical acclaim and were nominated for several Academy Awards. The pressure behind that has been insane though as rumors flew across the internet on almost a daily basis due to the mixed reception of BvS and Suicide Squad as people started to fling rumors about the project being in danger. However, it seemed for a while that Ben Affleck had quelled a lot of those rumors during interviews for latest production Live by Night. However, Live by Night not only tanked at the box office, but it fell really short on the critical reviews, so when Affleck announced he was stepping back from the director’s chair there was a lot of rumors that WB forced him to do so due to the film’s lack of success. I want to put a lot of this to rest. Ben Affleck spent TWO YEARS building Live by Night: he wrote the screenplay, directed it, starred in it, and produced it. He put his blood sweat and tears into that movie, but when it was released and he was being interviewed about it all anyone could do was ask him Batman questions.

I am sure he may actually feel as sad as he looks in the picture right now...

It is bad enough that the movie did not get the acclaim Affleck had hoped for, but what was even worse was the fact that no one seemed to care about his film in the first place. That was 2 years of his life that he will never get back and all people care about is Batman. The amount of pressure that comes from that, and the IMMENSE blow to his confidence as a film maker for that, is incomprehensible I bet. Ben Affleck has stated time and time again that he won’t make a Batman movie that isn’t going to be good, and I see this as him ensuring that he can give his best to this project. He will still be a producer and he still cowrote the script with Geoff Johns (with some additional rewrites from his friend and Argo screen play writer,), which means that he will still collaborate on the direction of the film, but he is focusing mainly on ensuring that his Batman gets the attention it deserves from the acting perspective. He is ensuring that his performance lives up to the promises he made and honestly I applaud him for this decision. I am sad that he won’t be directing it, but that is mainly generated from the fact that I feel that it is due to a loss of confidence and feeling the unbearable pressure, and as a fan who is probably just as guilty as those reporters for not caring about anything other than Batman, I can’t help but feel a measure of guilt for weighing him down with that pressure. However, the shortlist for directors for the Batman solo film is nothing short of incredible. The two big names on this list are George Miller (Mad Max Fury Road) and Matt Reeves (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes) both of whom are OUTSTANDING film makers and their experience would do nothing but be beneficial to the solo Batman project. It is okay to look for a helping hand every once and a while, and it is clear that this was a burden that Affleck felt that he could no longer undergo alone and I respect his decision and it shows good judgement to realize that you need help. A lot of people in that community would allow their ego to get in the way, but it shows Affleck’s determination to make this the best movie he possibly can, so good for him. Don’t despair, I am still sure that Batman’s solo outing in the DCEU is going to be incredible.

Well that pretty much wraps up all I have on DCEU news! I think I have done a pretty good job of catching people up and making up for my two week absence! Hopefully it won’t happen again, but life sometimes gets in the way of things, so if it does, I hope you don’t hold it against me!

See you next time on Comic Relief!

Civil War II Redeemed in "The Oath"

Welcome to another edition of Comic Relief! Where I talk about all sorts of things in the realm of Geekdom!

                           

A little while back I wrote a fairly negative review of the 8 issue comic arc: Civil War II. As I had stated in the review, Civil War II can be described as anticlimactic and suffocated by too much exposition. Well last week Marvel released the epilogue to Civil War II: Civil War II: The Oath. What is so incredibly interesting is that this issue is nothing but exposition, however it packs more of a punch than the ENTIRE Civil War II event, and quite possibly redeems the whole arc by showing how it sets up the upcoming Secret Empire event.

Look up Civil War: The Confession and You Will Find Something Identical Except in Reverse

So Civil War II: The Oath is a one shot epilogue to the Civil War II event that is scribed by Nick Spencer (current scribe for both Cap titles).  Following on the heels of the crossover event, it shows a familiar scene except reversed. In this issue we see Steve Rogers talking to a catatonic Tony Stark and venting about the big fight between Tony and Carol. This is of course a BRILLIANT homage to Tony Stark doing the EXACT same thing at the end of the first Civil War by talking to the corpse of Steve Rogers after he has been shot. Just like then, this issue can be described in one word: confessional. In this one shot Steve Rogers puts everything on the table, and it is nothing short of masterful.

Before I start talking about the story and scare everyone away with spoilers, I first want to congratulate the artistic team. Holy shit is the art in the book impeccable. Between the excellent style for the actual art to the method of coloring (not sure if it’s ink, or pastel, or water color, but whatever it is it is gorgeous). Honestly a book that is comprised of almost solely of exposition is either made or broken by artwork, and boy does the art team just absolutely conquer it. Each panel is beautiful and lends itself to the dialogue perfectly. The use of dark tones throughout the issue perfectly captures the dark times that the world is spiraling to in this upcoming event and it’s just brilliant. With that said, for those who don’t want them SPOILERS are ahead.

An Sample of Excellent Writing and Artwork

So Nick Spencer made big news with his Steve Rogers: Captain America title back in 2016 with the HUGE reveal of Steve Rogers being a Hydra agent. Well as I said this issue can be summed up in one word: confessional. That’s the exact feeling of this book. Steve Rogers tells Tony Stark EVERYTHING. Of course Tony is in a coma so it’s not like he can understand or do anything. Honestly the way this whole exchange is written can only be described as masterful. I think the words gut wrenching (in the best possible way) is the best way to describe Steve in this issue. Spencer again shows how he is able to make Steve feel like the same old character we love, but twist it so that he betrays everything that the Steve Rogers we know and love stands for.

There are 3 big things that happen in this story. First thing is first: Steve Rogers gets sworn in as director of SHIELD after new legislation is passed that essential allows for SHIELD to operate without boundaries in the efforts of global security because who better to trust than Captain America with this? The second thing, which in my opinion is the BIGGEST reveal, is that the original Cap is not gone, in his confession to Tony, Steve says some things that show the hand that Hydra Steve and Normal Steve are two different personalities existing in the same shell, with Hydra Steve being the dominant one at present. The third, which is a nod to the Secret Empire, shows the real truth behind the vision of Miles Morales killing Captain America that spurred the final act of Civil War II. That is the Hydra uprising that Cap has been orchestrating in his series was successful. That his vision of Hydra won and came to fruition in conquering the US and the world. This issue gave me goose bumps it was so good (and honestly scary due to the parallels between it and what is going on in the country currently).

 

Top Right Panel is the Scene from Civil War: the Confession

If you are looking for an AMAZING read, check out Civil War II: The Oath. It honestly hits the highlights of Civil War II and does it in a one shot with a much more compelling narrative that will have you holding your breath between each panel. Mesmerizing artwork and beautiful writing really make this book stand out as a must have. I have already bought 2 versions of it (one for collection purposes, and one for me to read over and over again till it falls apart).  

The Bat Discovers What Evil Lurks in The Hearts of Men

Welcome back to another edition of Comic Relief! Where I talk to you about all the things going on in the world of geekdom!

So in my New Year’s Resolution post, I had resolved to write to you twice a week, and I have utterly failed that here in the past two week. It’s not for a lack of material by a long shot, just finding the time or the right inspiration to write. I would rather take my time and compose the best possible material that I can here for you. So over the next few days I am going to be writing a whole bunch of things to make up for lost time, I have a lot to write about.

Two weeks ago DC comics released a few of their April solicitations for upcoming titles and cover art for future issues of ongoing series. Among them was a particular announcement that had me giddy. For the first time in 30 years, Batman will be crossing over with Pulp hero The Shadow.

Murder has come to Gotham. Gotham’s protector, Batman, discovers a trail of evidence that leads to a suspect by the name of Lamont Cranston. The only problem is—Cranston has been dead for over fifty years! As Batman attempts to unravel the enigma surrounding Cranston’s life, the mysterious Shadow will do everything in his power to stop him from learning too much

So I realize that there are probably quite a few of you who are scratching your head and going: “Who the hell is The Shadow?” That’s the big reason I decided to write this here today, to promote the miniseries that is arriving in April by bringing to light the story of one of the most iconic characters that no one knows.

“Who knows what evil lies within the hearts of men? The Shadow knows! Ha ha ha.” This expression was the tag line of the famous radio show The Shadow by Orson Welles back in the late 30s. Lamont Cranston, rich playboy, was a man of a dark heart. Corrupted by the vices that so frequently seduce men, he had become a savage opium lord in the East. However, he was captured by a Tulku (a wise man) who showed him the dark that lies in all men’s heart and reformed Lamont to use the darkness of his own heart to punish the wicked criminal echelon of society. Using his training the Tulku provided, Lamont is able to cloud most men’s mind rendering him invisible…all that is except for his Shadow (hence The Shadow). Cranston wages his war on crime alongside his partner Margo Lane, and together they solve mysteries and bring justice to the wicked.

The Shadow radio show was a huge hit and went on for a very decent run. The Shadow and his crusade inspired many great characters in the comic genre, most notably Batman. However, his story did not end on radio, when comics became a big deal it did not take long for him to transfer over. Many people have penned The Shadow over the years (and there was even a cinematic outing for the character back in 94 in a feature with Alec Baldwin starring, this movie is my guilty pleasure film as I grew up on it). His iconic red scarf, cloak, and hat bring fear to the criminal underworld. Armed with his .45 caliber pistols, and his psychic arsenal (clouding mends minds extends to reading their thoughts, persuasion, casting illusions, and even staving off death temporarily to gain information), The Shadow is a hero not to be trifled with (especially since he has no qualms with ending life for: “the weed of crime bears bitter fruit.”)

Batman and The Shadow have crossed paths from time to time in the comics. However, their last outing was some time in the 80's, so seeing the World’s Greatest Detective face the World’s Greatest Enigma (with the ever so talented Scott Snyder scribing) is a spectacle to look forward to for sure!

some amazing art from the book 

An Apology

Hey guys,
I know that I don't have much of a following yet, but to those who do this is an apology. I made a mission statement that I would publish once a week and after the past two weeks I have failed to post anything. I am sorry about that, I have been adjusting to a new schedule and things have been crazy. However, I am going to aim to not let it happen again. I have a whole bunch of content coming your way next week as the world of geek media has been BOOMING over the past week or so. There is just a lot to talk about so right now I am trying to put things in an order of precedence to get content worth your time out to you. Thanks for following me here and I look forward to bringing you guys some new stuff on Monday!
-Michael Oden
creator and author of Comic Relief!

Hero Appreciation: Superman

Welcome back to another Comic Relief! where I talk about all sorts of things going on in the world of Geekdom!

So there are a lot of rumblings going on in the realm of super heroes and such,  however most are just announcements for announcements. DC is gearing up to make some pretty exciting announcements regarding a Justice League trailer, information on Green Lantern Corps and Shazam, and the revival of the show Constantine as an animated series existing in the Arrowverse on CW Seed. Marvel has made a few announcements themselves regarding a few upcoming things: the advertising on the next big crossover event "Secret Empire" has begun which will be centered around the ongoing actions committed by Steve Rogers throughout the new Hail Hydra and Civil War II arcs, a new Spider-man animated series is set to air this summer, Inhumans starts filming soon, and apparently the Gambit movie is still a thing. However, I don't really think those things warrant full pieces individually, so rather than write about anything new and noteworthy, I figured I would incorporate a new aspect to Comic Relief: Hero Appreciation. Hero appreciation is exactly what it sounds like, I talk about heroes to spread awareness/appreciation for them. Today's hero is the first super hero: Superman.

Now I know what most readers must be thinking: "that really doesn't seem all that necessary, Superman is kind of a big deal, so why do a bit about him?" Well for two main reasons, firstly that being that this is my first Hero Appreciation, the first super hero seemed like a great place to start, but secondly because I know that the view on superman is fairly split, and because up until recently I was among the population that hated Superman. Despite his iconic nature, Superman might be the easiest hero to hate, especially from an uninformed perspective that most have. It becomes very difficult to appreciate a character with so much power, and arcs can feel anticlimactic due to the nature of that power, however, there is so much more to the man of steel, and since my appreciation has grown he has become one of my favorite heroes in the DC universe.

As I said before, up until a few years ago Superman was a hero I despised. "What's the point of reading about a guy with every power under the sun?" I would always say. The hero was stale, boring, and vanilla for me. However, my opinion started to shift upon reading the book Superman: Earth One Vol 2. Earth One was a re-imagining of the character that is a bit darker and more real world in tone. Follow up to Vol 1 (which focused on a Clark who was not ready to be Superman), Vol 2 picks up where it's predecessor left off with Clark in the role of Superman. However, being the man of steel is not easy and comes with a lot more complications than expected. Saving everyone while ignoring the man made borders of nations comes with criticism and even resistance at times. The book is all about the understanding and appreciation of power. There is a lot to this book, and there are several great moments including the one that changed my view on Super-man.

In the story, there is a point where he is out on a date with this girl who lives next door to him. They are swapping stories about their childhood and Clark's is beautiful. He tells the story of this cat he rescued as a kid. It was a stray kitten who had been set upon by a bunch of coyotes, it's siblings and mom had been eaten by the time Clark got there, but when he got there the cat was fighting the coyotes off best it could, losing an eye in the process. Clark saves the cat and takes it in. The cat was his best friend and they would sit on the porch at night and watch the moon together. However, when the time came, and the cat had gotten too old, she passed away asleep right next to him. So Clark took the cat and "took her someplace he knew would be happy, where she could always see him and he could always see her." The pages final panels show Clark Kent cry tears floating from his eyes at zero gravity as he hovers over a grave stone on the moon. Clark finishes the story by saying: "I'll probably have a lot of explaining to do about it someday, but it's what she would've wanted...she was the first living thing I ever cared for that died."

This was the moment where it finally hit me, why Superman was a character that had stood the test of time. Clark Kent may have every power under the sun, and imagine all the things he could do with that power? How terrifying could he become? However, rather than abuse that power to rise to the level of a god, he chooses to be human. He tries to see the best in people and is not corrupted by his power. As naive as that maybe, it is something that is truly beautiful and I feel is a testament to the strength of him as a character.

All this being said, Superman's greatest struggle aren't his feuds, but ultimately lie in the difficulty of writing him. Again Superman has every ability under the sun, and while that provides some great chances to display his raw power, it is also a huge hindrance from a writing standpoint because trying to make a physical challenge for Superman is pointless. The struggle of Superman should be that of a man living in a world of tissue paper, struggling to fit in and not destroy everything around him. Unfortunately, being that comic action sells, many writers focus too hard on how hard he can punch rather than the more important aspects of the character: his humanity, his kind heart, his optimism. Superman is a character well worth giving a look and if you are looking for a great place to start I have a list of Graphic Novels below to check out!

Superman short list:

• Superman: Earth One (Vol 1,2, &3)
• All-star Superman
• Superman Rebirth Vol 1: Son of Superman (this series is ongoing and is incredible!

 

brilliant art from issue 7 of Superman Rebirth

Thanks for reading Comic Relief! I hope you have enjoyed our first Hero Appreciation! See you again soon!

Nick Spencer's Tale of Two Captains and How They Reflect a Broken America

Welcome back to another edition of Comic Relief! Where I talk about all sorts of things in the realm of Geekdom!

In my first article post I made a promise to refrain from political posts as much as possible, but this is just a disclaimer for all of those reading that things will get a little political, but hopefully not in a preachy way. Anyways, with the release of the All New All Different Marvel we started with one Captain America title: Captain America: Sam Wilson written by Nick Spencer, and eventually after a crossover event called Pleasant Hill, Steve Rogers was seemingly returned to true form and we eventually saw a dual Captain America title release: first being the same Cap title from before focusing on Sam Wilson, second being Captain America: Steve Rogers both scribed by Nick Spencer. While the first of these titles continued to garnish acclaim, the second’s first issue was met with a bit of criticism to put it lightly. The first issue of Captain America: Steve Rogers ends in the final panels with Steve Rogers throwing a comrade out of the ship he’s on, and him proclaiming “Hail Hydra.”

To say this event caused controversy is a HUGE understatement. Hundreds of videos were put online of devout Cap fans burning their first issues of Captain America: Steve Rogers. While I never had a first issue to burn, I am fairly certain that at the moment it was released, I would have done the same. Just to be clear, Captain America is my favorite super hero, so to see the legacy of this amazing character be so tarnished was really upsetting. I had even written a piece for movie pilot on it which I will hyperlink below.

https://creators.co/posts/3941906

However, as the series has continued, and as I have gained a lot of perspective from further reading and especially after the past election. What I have come to realize is this, that whether or not it was intentional, Captain America: Sam Wilson and Captain America: Steve Rogers are probably the most important comics in print right now for Marvel as they serve as a harsh and realistic look at where we stand as a nation today.

Captain America: Sam Wilson is a commentary on how society refuses to accept change and in particular when that change comes with a color scheme change as far as skin is concerned. Sam Wilson makes a very bold move in his first continuous run as Cap, in that he announces a separation from government ties and sets up a website to be his own free agent. This is met with a LOT of mixed response and the internet blows up with campaigns like #notmycaptain, or #givebacktheshield. There are even some great moments where Sam hears people describe his appointment to Cap as some ridiculous part of the government’s PC campaign for “diversity.” It’s a brilliant book that really taps into race relations in the country and has Sam Wilson frequently deal with problems that the country has in skin deep prejudices.

However, while Sam’s title is more on the nose, Captain America: Steve Rogers’s title is far more nuanced in its approach. Seeing Steve Rogers become Captain America again should be something that instills hope in people. It should be inspirational, and for people inside the comic world, it is. The crowds cheer when he comes back, and while initially so did we, we know better now. That when Kobik, a girl that is a sentient cosmic cube created by Red Skull, restored Steve to his super soldier state, his memories and past were altered so that he would believe he has been a Hydra sleeper cell the entire time. Steve Rogers is supposed to stand for the things that made this country great: Equality, integrity, truth, justice, and to the comic's general public, that face is very much the same. However, the fact is that his motives and actions behind the scene are in direct contrast. As I said Captain America is the symbol of these things that are supposed to make this country great, they are ideals that Steve Rogers has believed in to the core of his being and has built a reputation on. However, here he is being contrary to their very nature. It kind of reminds you of the fact that we are a country of immigrants growing increasingly isolationist, that despite promises of freedom and equality in the eyes of the law we have various groups of people that are profiled for their gender, race, or orientation. It’s a harsh read, and it’s often painful because one moment it will seem like Steve is exactly who we want him to be, but then the next he is furthering his own agenda as a Hydra agent and it is an emotional roller coaster.

I cannot say for certain that Nick Spencer had intended for this to be the case, but I would be willing to bet that is exactly what he meant. Nick Spencer may go down in infamy as the man who destroyed Steve Rogers, who knows how long this Hail Hydra arc will last. All I know is that his two Captain America books may be some of the most important commentary on where we stand as the American people. On an ending note, I really hope that Steve Returns soon because we need our symbols right now.

See you guys again Next Week on Comic Relief! Hope you enjoyed!