Captain America: Winter in America

After finishing Black Widow, my holiday reading continued with Ta-Nehisi Coates and Leinil Yu's Captain America: Winter in America.

Taking place in the aftermath of Secret Empire, Steve Rogers struggles to find his place in an America that was conquered by Hydra, whose Supreme Leader shared his likeness. Now, distrusted by Government and public alike, Cap goes it alone (well, almost) when copies of the villain Nuke begin their attacks.

I enjoyed this series, which felt like a spiritual successor to the Winter Soldier (my favourite MCU film) in terms of its political thriller vibe. Coates, best known as a political journalist, once again (as with Black Panther) leans into what he knows best crafts an intriguing story focused on the ideas of trust in Government.

Coates depiction of Cap is possibly my favourite part of the trade, as he struggles to deal with the fact that he is seen as immaterial after his views (and face) were twisted to a place where they effectively consumed his country. As a result, it was refreshing to see Cap on the back foot, attempting to prove an allegiance he never wavered from to those who now see him as a pariah.

That said, while the story is an entertaining one, there were some things about it which just felt like they went over my head. While the core concept of the trade made sense to me, I struggled to understand the villains' goal in all of this. Also, while it added an additional layer of conflict, the appointment of certain villains to positions of power over Cap also made no sense. I guess this is Coates attempting to reflect a sense of corruption and incompetence within government. However, I must admit it just made it a little too bleak for my taste.

Leinil Yu's artwork is solid stuff throughout and his rough, scratchy style helps convey a sense of the titular winter darkness into the plot. However, I have to admit that it took time for me to get on board with his work, as felt his style had an too much of an almost horror look for my liking. As I said though, I did get used to it and it ended up working rather well, especially with the cold colours Gerry Alanguilan (I assume) provides.

All in all, this was a good read, even if it was maybe a little too politic heavy for me to follow perfectly. However, with a final twist (which I hope is a feint) revealed at the end, I'm intrigued to see what happens next and so might add the follow up to my wish list.