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Title: Truth: Red, White & Black by Robert Morales, Kyle Baker ISBN: 0-7851-1072-0 Publisher: Marvel Comics Pub. Date: 01 February, 2004 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $17.99 |
Average Customer Rating: 2.67 (6 reviews)
Rating: 2
Summary: Ends with a gaping hole... (SPOILER WARNING)
Comment: For all the major and minor faults mentioned in prior reviews, the premise of this story is pretty good, and it was definitely a step in the right direction for Marvel, a company that is guilty of some of the worst-ever plot twists (Jean Grey's resurrection, the Spider-Clone, etc.). The sad fact is, for a story with such a serious tone, Kyle Baker's sloppy and rushed art gives it the look of a Disney cartoon traced by a 5-year-old (that's being generous), and editor Axel Alonso deserves a smack in the head for accepting this garbage. Baker is an extremely capable artist, but this is absolutely horrible.
So on to my biggest problem: the ending. As writer Robert Morales shows us, the creation of Captain America harbors a horrible secret. So how is it that Steve Rogers, THE Captain America, knew nothing about it when it's apparent that prominent figures such as Malcolm X, John Lennon, Alex Haley, Nelson Mandela, Muhammad Ali, Spike Lee, etc., were obviously VERY aware of the truth? Perhaps I'm misinterpreting the ending? It was very touching, but it makes no sense.
Rating: 5
Summary: A startling and original graphic novel
Comment: I didn't read comic books as a kid and so have no fond memories of how comics ought to be. When I saw the stark cover of Truth -- and from across the room, the intended effect of seeing a flag in red, white, and black really works -- I was compelled into a world outside my comfort zone. The cover says it all: Truth/ Red, White, & Black, confirming what I already knew, because even when we won't admit it, the truth is evident.
I can see why some readers would find the story unsatisfying -- for a time I wished I'd picked up something lighthearted, like Scrooge McDuck. But when I finished reading this tense, compact, and nuanced story about a group of disparate soldiers, whose only common denominator is the color of the skin (the first section develops a cast of characters you can't imagine would ever occupy the same space willingly, and indeed, it takes the military to unite them) I was amazed and grateful for the read.
"Truth" is not for everyone. There's no sugar-coatings about race relations; the enemies are not always the folks you want to root against; the ideas are deep. It's Fiction with a capital F, and like all great works, that kind of original and difficult thinking inspires controversy. Well done, Marvel Comics and Robert Morales and Kyle Baker.
Rating: 1
Summary: Truth: Red, White, and Blech...
Comment: As the other reviewers have pointed out, this is about the notion that the super-soldier serum which created Captain America in the 1940's was first tested on African American soldiers a la the Tuskegee Airmen. This is a FANTASTIC idea, and I was really excited about it when I heard about it on NPR. Particulalry when I learned Kyle Baker was doing the art. I've been a fan of his since he worked on the re-vamped Shadow for DC in the 80's and collaborated on the woefully unknown Instant Piano (The Eltville Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Horror/Roleplaying and Comic Book club is still one of my all time favorite strips). This book should have tied in well with the current Captain America storyline, in which Cap is questioning his past and the government which made him.
But...
What the heck happened? This book is so slapdash and uninvolved it smells of a project that was rushed like heck. Baker's art looks like a series of unfinished breakdowns, and the colors are splashed on with little regard for the mood or content. The exagerated proportions of the characters confused me, as at times I couldn't tell what was the monstrous result of the unpolished super serum and what was meant to be their natural characteristics. Most of the characters are rendered so as to be nearly indistinguishable from each other (except for the Sarge - what the heck is that thing on the side of his head, though?). If that was a stylistic choice I might not have minded, but the characterizations don't help. They are just plain...awful.
The first issue was promising, showing one man with socialist tendencies (possibly inspired by Native Son?) and a demoted hard as nails Sarge, but the minute they jump to the military they lose their identity. Again, this sounds like a clever stylistic choice, but while you're reading it, it doesn't come out that way - just sloppy. What follows is mostly hurried. The US military guns down an entire platoon (how do they explain THAT away?) of black soldiers, Hitler and Goebbels show up, there is a confusing bit in which the proto-supersoldiers are reading Captain America comics and actually see Captain America, the black soldiers attack each other, and...well, it goes from there.
The last two issues pick up a bit, when in present day, Steve Rogers discovers the existence of Isaiah (the surviving black Captain America) and Isaiah resists the temptations of Hitler and Goebbels, but its not enough to elevate this book to classic status. That bland middle part is just too much to swallow. This is sad example of something you really wish could've been better. Excellent concept, poor execution.
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Title: Sleeper: Out in the Cold by Ed Brubaker ISBN: 1401201156 Publisher: DC Comics Pub. Date: 01 January, 2004 List Price(USD): $17.95 |
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Title: New X-Men Vol. 5: Assault on Weapon Plus by Grant Morrison, Chris Bachalo, Phil Jimenez ISBN: 0785111190 Publisher: Marvel Comics Pub. Date: 01 December, 2003 List Price(USD): $14.99 |
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Title: Daredevil: The Man Without Fear! (Daredevil) by Brian Michael Bendis ISBN: 0785111069 Publisher: Marvel Comics Pub. Date: 01 March, 2004 List Price(USD): $29.99 |
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Title: One Small Step (Y: The Last Man, Book 3) by Brian K. Vaughn, Pia Guerra, Jose Marzan ISBN: 1401202012 Publisher: DC Comics Pub. Date: 01 April, 2004 List Price(USD): $12.95 |
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Title: Alias: The Secret Origins of Jessica Jones (Max) by Brian Michael Bendis, Michael Gaydos, Rick Mays, Mark Bagley, Art Thibert ISBN: 0785111670 Publisher: Marvel Comics Pub. Date: 01 May, 2004 List Price(USD): $17.99 |
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