Captain America Vol. 5 #10
Sep. 26th, 2007 12:25 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
nathalia Okay, the issue I just read was Captain America Vol. 5 #10 which doesn't continue the "Winter Soldier" storyline as it is interrupted for the House of M event. In this reality, both Bucky and Cap survive World War II. and even arrest Hitler which made me smile because the thought of it is so absurd.
I enjoyed the story. McCarthy doesn't lash out against communists in this reality, his target are mutants which fits in with the whole story and is interesting because, let's face it, it would have been very likely for Marvel McCarthy to focus on mutants and the threats they could pose, instead of hunting down communists. I loved how Brubaker came up with it. It feels very realistic.
Steve Rogers is the first man on the moon ... in 1955, instead of 1969. This is also intersting because in the very first issue of these series, Steve tells Sharon that hadn't he been cryptogenically frozen, he would have been the astronaut sent to the moon. And his words up on the moon that orbits our planet differed slightly from the real ones: "This is one small step for man ... one giant leap for peace between man and mutantkind." And it would be very likely that with mutants surfacing and using their powers, research on space travel would be sped up.
Bucky who has been something of a focus since Brubaker started writing Captain America is in this issue as well. He and Steve have grown apart and have very different opinions on mutants. While Steve sympathizes with them, Bucky sees the danger they pose to everyone around them. I like how Steve points out that terrorism isn't something only mutants do and Buck as he is called now points out that the difference is that human terrorists set bombs, mutants ARE bombs in some cases. This reasoning and the discussion itself reminds me of the whole Civil War story with Steve still having the same opinion and Tony Stark taking Buck's place. While the subject is somewhat different, there are many similarities to it.
And Steve's final reasoning: "And of course, as the decades passed, Buck's words stayed with me ... and there was a lot of truth in them. The mutant issue wasn't back and white. It was about politics and prejudices and fear ... it was about shades of grey." In this reality, Steve starts to see that Bucky was right. Would it have been the same if he hadn't died just after the Civil War ended? Would he have slowly realized that Tony was right?
When Magnus starts to seize power, it is Steve who speaks up. He has fought a dictator with ideas that could only be considered absolute before and unlike many, he recognized the truth behind Magnus' charismatic words, saw his real intentions and he spoke up, even though he knew the risks. This act, even though it failed, proves that Steve Rogers is a hero. He doesn't need an uniform or the Super Soldier Serum. He is a hero because he speaks up and this is what makes his later death so tragic. Captain America can be replaced, he is a symbol, but it isn't Captain America who matters, it is Steve Rogers.
"You got everything you wanted, Steve. If the world didn't turn out the way you thought it would, well, that's just life ..."
Of all House of M tie-ins I think this one is by far the best. It tells a stand-alone story that is interesting and doesn't feel as forced as some others. It isn't as powerful as the last stand-alone, Captain America #7, "The Lonesome Death of Jack Monroe", but it was a very nice story and I would prefer reading this over and over again than reading "Iron Man: House of M", "Fantastic Four: House of M" or any other tie-in title. To read this story, you don't have to know what is going on in the main title of the event, it can be picked up with no background knowledge at all and it delivers an interesting story worth thinking about. It is well-written, well-drawn and I can only praise it for being the only House of M tie-in I actually truly enjoyed. No nonesense with Spidey turning out to be the Green Goblin as well, no Brian Braddock, King of Britain. It is just a nice story worth reading. Brubaker couldn't avoid this line-wide event and he did the best with it, I can't praise it enough.
I enjoyed the story. McCarthy doesn't lash out against communists in this reality, his target are mutants which fits in with the whole story and is interesting because, let's face it, it would have been very likely for Marvel McCarthy to focus on mutants and the threats they could pose, instead of hunting down communists. I loved how Brubaker came up with it. It feels very realistic.
Steve Rogers is the first man on the moon ... in 1955, instead of 1969. This is also intersting because in the very first issue of these series, Steve tells Sharon that hadn't he been cryptogenically frozen, he would have been the astronaut sent to the moon. And his words up on the moon that orbits our planet differed slightly from the real ones: "This is one small step for man ... one giant leap for peace between man and mutantkind." And it would be very likely that with mutants surfacing and using their powers, research on space travel would be sped up.
Bucky who has been something of a focus since Brubaker started writing Captain America is in this issue as well. He and Steve have grown apart and have very different opinions on mutants. While Steve sympathizes with them, Bucky sees the danger they pose to everyone around them. I like how Steve points out that terrorism isn't something only mutants do and Buck as he is called now points out that the difference is that human terrorists set bombs, mutants ARE bombs in some cases. This reasoning and the discussion itself reminds me of the whole Civil War story with Steve still having the same opinion and Tony Stark taking Buck's place. While the subject is somewhat different, there are many similarities to it.
And Steve's final reasoning: "And of course, as the decades passed, Buck's words stayed with me ... and there was a lot of truth in them. The mutant issue wasn't back and white. It was about politics and prejudices and fear ... it was about shades of grey." In this reality, Steve starts to see that Bucky was right. Would it have been the same if he hadn't died just after the Civil War ended? Would he have slowly realized that Tony was right?
When Magnus starts to seize power, it is Steve who speaks up. He has fought a dictator with ideas that could only be considered absolute before and unlike many, he recognized the truth behind Magnus' charismatic words, saw his real intentions and he spoke up, even though he knew the risks. This act, even though it failed, proves that Steve Rogers is a hero. He doesn't need an uniform or the Super Soldier Serum. He is a hero because he speaks up and this is what makes his later death so tragic. Captain America can be replaced, he is a symbol, but it isn't Captain America who matters, it is Steve Rogers.
"You got everything you wanted, Steve. If the world didn't turn out the way you thought it would, well, that's just life ..."
Of all House of M tie-ins I think this one is by far the best. It tells a stand-alone story that is interesting and doesn't feel as forced as some others. It isn't as powerful as the last stand-alone, Captain America #7, "The Lonesome Death of Jack Monroe", but it was a very nice story and I would prefer reading this over and over again than reading "Iron Man: House of M", "Fantastic Four: House of M" or any other tie-in title. To read this story, you don't have to know what is going on in the main title of the event, it can be picked up with no background knowledge at all and it delivers an interesting story worth thinking about. It is well-written, well-drawn and I can only praise it for being the only House of M tie-in I actually truly enjoyed. No nonesense with Spidey turning out to be the Green Goblin as well, no Brian Braddock, King of Britain. It is just a nice story worth reading. Brubaker couldn't avoid this line-wide event and he did the best with it, I can't praise it enough.
