The Mighty Avengers #2

I try to keep caught up with Marvel's Captain America; written by Rick Remender, the title offers insight into how the global hyper-power is coping with its own collapse. Riven by inequality and long-term unemployment, ruled by an arrogant elite, the United States has lost the confidence of its citizens. So how does the living embodiment of Old Glory, the superhero with an 'A' plastered on his forehead (and it does not stand for "Asshole"), walk the talk when all the talk is that America is lost?

The answer to that, based on the recent issues of the comic book, is that Captain America walks the talk feebly: the super-soldier serum has been sapped from his DNA by the fascinating Iron Nail super-villain, and now Steve Rogers is an old man of the age of someone who fought in World War Two; he has handed off his shield to his friend and partner, Sam Wilson, a.k.a., The Falcon.

I think it is interesting, coming fast on the heels of Obama's broadly acknowledged failure as POTUS, that Marvel would hand Captain America's stained mantle to a black former sidekick. Something important is being said here, and this page will follow the title to let you know what that message is.

There are actually two titles to follow. All-New Captain America and Captain America and the Mighty Avengers. Captain America and the Mighty Avengers takes over from The Mighty Avengers (2nd Series), issues of which I have (at least most of them) but which I have not read. So after reading Captain America and the Mighty Avengers #1, I decided to go back and read the 2nd Series of The Mighty Avengers.

The title begins in the middle of the Infinity crossover event. Thanos has sent his minions to conquer New York City while the Avengers are off in deep space trying to save the universe. Luke Cage, with an assist from the Manhattan masses, dukes it out with the dastardly but fetching Proxima Midnight.

Note the old lady's use of "¡No pasarán!" as a rallying cry against Proxima Midnight. Meaning "They shall not pass," "¡No pasarán!" is a communist slogan from the Spanish Civil War. The Mighty Avengers #2 is written by Al Ewing; the art is by Greg Land.

Captain Marvel #17

Comic books have always been about New York City. Whether Superman's Metropolis, Batman's Gotham or the actual city as portrayed by Marvel -- home to the Fantastic Four's Baxter Building, the Avenger's mansion abutting Central Park and Peter Parker's place of employment (J. Jonah Jameson's Daily Bugle) -- modern-day comic books, since the medium's inception in 1930s New York City, have acted as a introduction to and a primer for life in the cultural capital of the United States.

As a boy growing up during the 1970s, reading The Amazing Spider-Man and Daredevil: The Man Without Fear, it was clear to me that there was a center, a platform for all human action, and that was New York City. I knew I had to get there. (And I did get there, and lived there for five years at an appropriate time of life, my early to middle twenties.)

A fundamental aspect -- I'm tempted to say the fundamental aspect -- of situating superhero comic books in New York City is one of scale. It is all about the size of the buildings, the long canyons of commercial high-rise architecture, and the puniness of Homo sapiens in such an environment. To dramatize a situation where the hero can soar above all this, can swing freely among and tread effortlessly up and and down the skyscrapers, is the essence of super.

To see what I mean, check out the two Silver Age covers from the great John Romita, Sr. The first, with help from Frank Giacoia, is from Daredevil #16, May 1966; the second, a favorite of mine, is from Amazing Spider-Man #48, May 1967:

Captain Marvel #17, the concluding issue in the 7th volume of that title, with a publication date of January 2014, is amazing because it taps back into this essence of the superhero: it is set in New York City, and it pays homage to the grandeur of the metropolis' architecture -- it almost has a George Reeves Adventures of Superman quality.

The issues of volume 7 of Captain Marvel where writer Kelly Sue DeConnick works with standout artist Filipe Andrade are exceptional.

Andrade departs after #12 and the title clunks along in service of the Thanos Infinity Star Warsesque crossover event, but he returns to spectacular effect in #17.

As you can see from the scans of nine interior pages below, Andrade is one of the best. The cover page is by the incomparable Joe Quinones.

Thunderbolts #17

Yesterday, sometime before 5 PM, as I was lying on my mattress on the floor reading and listening to music, dinner cooking on the stove, I heard a loud bang out my open window. It sounded like it came from up the block as Capitol Hill rises to its crest on 15th Avenue East. Then the music stopped playing.

A power outage, the exact cause apparently was a downed distribution wire, doesn't happen very often here. For the rest of a mild August evening I read and enjoyed the quiet. The absence of electricity was pleasant. The light was ample and the temperature was just right. Usually on a Saturday night I would stream a movie. Being away from the computer screen was a plus.

I read a stack of back issues of Thunderbolts. It was an unexpected treat. I particularly enjoyed the Infinity crossover. Written by Charles Soule with art by one of my favorites, Jefte Palo (whose work on Incredible Hulk and Taskmaster was inspired), issues 15 through 18 were far superior to anything found in Infinity or The Avengers, the primary titles that tell the story of a Star Wars-like invasion of Earth by the evil Titan Thanos.

In the Thunderbolts-Infinity crossover, Red Hulk, Red Leader and the death angel Mercy do battle in midtown Manhattan with Thanos' invasion fleet, while Punisher, Elektra and Venom mop up a confederacy of criminals who are riding out the alien attack in a fortress-like hideaway in the South Bronx. Meanwhile, Deadpool is off on his own, making his way uptown in search of a hot slice or two, mixing it up here and there with the space invaders. I laughed out loud while reading these four issues.

Below you will find a scan of the beautiful cover to Thunderbolts #17, which is by Julian Totino Tedesco, as well as seven interior pages.