'The new Captain America has a big shield to carry. Is he up to the task? In these short stories inspired by the Marvel comic book universe, Sam Wilson takes up the shield and proves his mettle.
'Sam Wilson has a heavy shield to lift as the new Captain America. Read an action-packed anthology about Sam Wilson. Inspired by the Marvel comic book universe, the stories will see Sam prove he is ready to carry the shield as he faces Skrulls, Sabretooth, Kingpin, and other infamous villains.
'A revolutionary anthology written by authors of African Heritage and inspired by the Marvel Comics universe. Slated to take part are several noted, award-winning authors including bestselling author Kyoko M., fantasy author L.L. McKinney, crime writer Gary Phillips, sci-fi author Sheree Renée Thomas, comics creator Alex Simmons, horror and mystery writer Nicole Givens Kurtz, and many more. Edited by Jesse J. Holland, distinguished visiting scholar in residence at the U. S. Library of Congress who edited the Marvel anthology Black Tales of Wakanda and wrote the novelization of the graphic novel Black Who Is the Black Panther?, which was nominated for the NAACP Image Award for outstanding Literary Work.'
Captain America has been an icon for decades, a symbol of the better qualities of America, the belief in truth, justice, equality, and bravery. He's been an inspiration for millions across his multiple stories, even being willing to go against the American government in order to stand on the right side of history. He's the kind of person we should all aspire a little bit to be. But Captain America is more than one man, more than just Steve Rodgers, and a decade ago another man took up the shield and became Captain America. Unlike others, this wasn't a gimmick, it wasn't keeping the costume warm for Steve, it was what has so far been a permanent change. Sam Wilson, the hero known as the Falcon, became a new Captain America.
There was some controversy when this happened, due to the fact that Sam is Black. There were outcries of 'woke ideology' taking over Captain America (an absolute joke of a comment when you consider Cap has always been progressive), and these were the nicest of negative comments as some people used this as an excuse to be the worst kinds of bigots they could be. But despite this, Sam Wilson has stood tall as Captain America ever since. Even when Steve returned to the role Sam remain Captain America, giving us two Caps. And now Sam Wilson is wielding the shield on the big screen. Sam Wilson IS Captain America, even if it still feels like he's having to prove that fact a decade on to those that will never accept a Black man as the symbol of the United States.
This is a theme that carries heavily across the stories collected in Captain America: The Shield of Sam Wilson. Eleven authors, all of whom are Black, bring together stories about Sam Wilson proving that he's worthy to hold the title of Captain America, dealing with those who say he could never be Cap, and learning more about what the mantle means to him and his own place in the world.
I'm a white British person, I don't know what it's like to be treated differently because of the colour of my skin, I've never experienced systemic racism the way that Black communities in the United States do, so my experience with this short story collection and what it will mean to those within that community. Sam Wilson being Captain America is a big thing, something important that generated a lot of reactions across the board. A lot of these reactions are explored in these stories, whether it's Sam being told he's 'not my Captain America' by racists who are desperate to use a slur, to allies who reassure him that he's more than earned the title and embodies what it is to be Cap, and even those within the Black community who feel that his change from Falcon is some kind of betrayal, as if he's 'selling out'.
I don't know if this was a theme that the authors were told to include, or whether it's even now, a decade on from him taking up the shield, something that's still so hotly debated; either way, these elements appear in most of the stories in the book, and create a thematic throughline that connects them. It also helps to humanise Sam in a lot of ways. With certain heroic figures it's easy to make them into icons, larger than life characters that feel removed from the rest of humanity. In Captain America: The Shield of Sam Wilson Sam very much feels like a normal person, one with fears, self doubt, and faults that we all have. He might be wearing the costume of Captain America, but he's still very much a person, and that sets him aside from Steve Rodgers in some ways, as we get to know the man behind the shield.
Whilst a lot of the stories here feel thematically connected they all manage to have their own distinct identities, approaching the character of Sam Wilson from different perspectives that not only keeps the book fresh and interesting, but shows hoe many facets the character has. The first story, 'Lost Cause' by Kyoko M. has Sam as more of a hero figure, flying in to help stop the villains and showcasing his larger than life attributes. This contrasts nicely with something like Gar Anthony Haywood's 'The Way Home', which sees Sam taking on a more personal case, talking to people, walking the streets of Harlem to help a kid that the authorities have simply ignored. We get to see Sam as Captain America, the symbol, but we also see him as a man who cares about people, who wants to help his former home.
Some of the stories focus less on Sam, and use him as a way to explore different ideas. One example of this would be 'Uniform' by Jesse J. Holland, in which Sam finds himself thrown backwards in time to World War Two, where he ends up spending some time with a regiment of Black soldiers. The story explores what it means to wear the uniform for these men, to proudly display the fact that they serve their country, are willing to lay down their lives for it when at home other Black men are being lynched for wearing it. It was an incredibly touching story, one that explores how difficult it must have been for these people to be in a situation like this, and whilst Sam is there, and gets to share his own unique thoughts on this as Captain America, he's more of a vehicle to have this discussion than the focus of it.
With the book being set in the world of the comics there's a lot of characters that readers will be familiar with who make appearances in these stories. These characters aren't just thrown in as cameo appearances (for the most part), and they tend to add something to Sam's journey. One story, 'Everyone's Hero' by Maurice Broaddus features Maria Hill, who begins the story somewhat adversarial, and you're unsure as to what she thinks of Sam as Cap, but by the end she's telling Sam 'the shield looks good on you', mirroring some of the themes of the story about whether Sam is worthy of being Cap and who's Captain America he is.
John Walker, the US Agent, appears in a couple of the stories, and whilst he's used differently in each he works as a great foil for Sam. A man who took on the role of Captain America but gave it up to be his own hero, Walker offers a unique perspective on what Sam is going through, and his support of Sam being Captain America every step of the way won me over to the character instantly; there's one moment when he's literally choking out a soldier for muttering disrespect at Sam, and it's brilliant. Other characters like Steve Rodgers, Misty Knight, and Luke Cage are present in the book, though his more often used companion is his bird, Redwing. As someone who has read little about Redwing it was actually really interesting to see their relationship in these stories.
Sam Wilson is an important character, one who has very much earned the right to be Captain America, yet who continues to be complained about by those who take one look at him and cannot accept a Black man representing their nation. Because of this he will continue to be one of the more important characters that Marvel have in their catalogue. Sam Wilson more than embodies what it means to be Captain America, and one could argue that his role isn't just earned but needed, now more than ever. This collection of stories showcases why he's such a good character, the kind of hate he gets, and why his presence is important. How you feel about Sam Wilson will affect what you take away from this book. If you're one of the people who will never accept a Black Captain America this book will likely do little to change your mind, but for the rest of us, those who understand and appreciate what this character means will find a lot of brilliant stories in this collection.
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