Writer: Ta-Nehisi Coates

Art: Jason Masters, Sean Izaakse, Alex Ross, Matt Milla, and VC’s Joe Caramagna

Price: $3.99

Release Date: August 28th, 2019

Steve Rogers has had a busy year. There was that whole “HYDRA took over America” using his face thing, then he was framed for the murder of General Thunderbolt Ross and thrown in the Myrmidon prison run by Baron Strucker. Now, freshly broken out and looking to clear his name AND restore faith in Captain America as a symbol, Steve and the Daughters of Liberty decided to take it to the streets. What says “I’m a living, breathing symbol of everything that makes the ideals of ‘Liberty’ great” better than a very public display of partisan politics? Let’s see!

Baron Strucker has a lot on his mind – we open with Strucker’s thoughts downloaded onto a green monochrome screen – he waxes philosophical about “Freedom”, the role of government, conspiracy theories, mass media, and the very nature of American society. I hope you remembered your tinfoil hat! Next, we cut to the Daughters in their VTOL (Vertical Takeoff And Landing) plane borrowed from Wakanda. They have a plan: ~~Public Relations~~ Redemption! This time by saving technically illegal migrant workers being harassed at the border by an angry militia (more on that in a minute). Steve isn’t onboard, until a few panels later.

The world is more complicated than in 1944, Steve reminds us as he and White Tiger take on the “militia” – an old group of racist, neo racist no-gooders called the Watchdogs. Steve and Tiger put a pounding on the Watchdogs, but they eventually disappear with hostages.

Meanwhile, back in Daughters HQ, Nick Fury and his boys crash in looking for Steve, but they were lured in by the Dryad instead, and she isn’t happy!

Final Thoughts:

Coates again grabs the lowest possible hanging fruit, using an obviously hot button political issue as an allegory for Captain America’s eventual redemption. There are so many interesting angles in this storyline that would be far more interesting to explore, but instead, we are given a very thinly veiled political hot button issue to force a cliche Captain America story around. The art is muddy and nondescript. Additionally in some panels, it seems Steve is the same age as the aged Sharon Carter. If you haven’t been reading, now isn’t a great time to jump on, likewise, if partisan politics in comics aren’t for you, give it a miss.