Wednesday, July 15, 2015

31 Days of Scans - Day 19

The theme for this week is to pick a character I used to hate, but now I like. Or at least don’t hate them. So, when I was a kid, I really didn’t like Captain America. I know, I know, you’re thinking how two days ago, I cheered Squirrel Girl for beating him up and wondering if I don’t still hate him. You have to understand, that was about him being old, not him being Captain America. That's ageism, which is totally different! Anyway, in my younger days I fancied myself a smart aleck with limited respect for authority, and Cap seemed like the definition of the stuffy, stick in the mud leader character to me, not a whole lot different than Cyclops on the X-Men cartoon.

Look at that speech he makes to Wolverine. ‘Furthermore, I think your general attitude –‘? What is that? I was wholly rooting for Wolverine to take him apart, especially since Logan was on the trail of the same bad guy as Cap (the days when Marvel misunderstanding battles were still common). That was my perception of Captain America: He made big, boring speeches while the cool characters tried to get stuff done, if only he’d shut up and let them do it. What saved him? For one thing, I got a little older, my feelings changed. Characters who stood for ideals didn’t seem so bad to me. But that’s boring and doesn’t really involve pictures, so let’s say there’s more.

Like Kurt Busiek’s Avengers run. Put Cap up against actual bad guys, rather than good guys he chooses not to trust, and the speechifying is more acceptable.

What’s more, make them serious bad guys. Villains out to enslave or eliminate the human race, and fully capable of taking down all the Avengers to do it, let alone one man with somewhat enhanced physical abilities. Have Steve Rogers square off against that, and still be able to make big speeches while going on the attack, and I’m good with it. For that matter, have him face long odds against a friend he feels has gone astray.

One of the issues that struck me the most when I first read it was from Geoff Johns’ stretch on Avengers. Thor has Odin’s power in addition to his own, and he’s taking a more active hand on Earth than his dad. Some people in a small Eastern European country have started to worship him, and when their government cracks down, Thor cracks down on the government. It’s near the Russian border, so they get spooked, which spooks the U.S. It’s on Latveria’s border, so Doom gets involved to make things worse, and then Iron Man tries to fight Thor with a suit powered by Asgardian magic. Into the middle of all that goes Captain America, and soon enough it’s just him against Thor.

Which doesn’t go real well, but it doesn’t stop Cap from getting right back in there and continuing to try and reach Thor with words, while also keeping him focused on Steve rather than on any of the nearby soldiers. I remember reading something on JLA/Avengers once, someone online saying how silly it was there’s a scene of Cap and Superman almost coming to blows, because what was Captain America going to do? Well, that’s kind of the point of Steve Rogers, isn’t it? If he thinks someone is wrong, is trying to oppress or bully others, he stands up to them, it doesn’t matter how powerful they are. He didn’t back down when faced with a Thor more powerful than he’d ever been before. He didn’t back down from Thanos when he had the Infinity Gauntlet. He’ll always stand up to oppose someone abusing their power, and he’ll keep trying to find a way to win. I think he was like that when I was younger, I just didn’t see it.

Diplomatic relations between Canada and the U.S. break down in Captain America Annual #8, by Mark Gruenwald (writer), Mike Zeck (penciler), John Beatty (inker), Jim Novak (letterer), Glynis Oliver (colorist). We learn genocidal androids hate trips to the dentist in Avengers #21, by Kurt Busiek and George Perez, Al Vey (finished art), Tom Smith (colorist), Richard Starkings and Comicraft (letterering). Cap punches Kang like he was just told Sally Floyd will say he can’t represent America because he doesn’t watch NASCAR and yeah, I used that joke for the Bagley post, but screw it, Civil War: Frontline was a goddamn trash fire, in Avengers #54 by Kurt Busiek (writer), Kieron Dwyer and Rick Remender (artists), Tom Smith (colorist), Richard Starkings and Comicraft (letterers). Cap gets pimpslapped by a god, and still commands respect in Avengers #63/478 by Geoff Johns (writer), Alan Davis (penciler), Mark Farmer (inker), Dave Kemp (colorist), Richard Starkings and Albert Deschesne (letterers).

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