• Written by: Tochi Onyebuchi
• Art by: R.B. Silva
• Colors by: Jesus Aburtov
• Letters by: VC’s Joe Caramagna
• Cover art by: R.B. Silva, Jesus Aburtov
• Cover price: $3.99
• Release date: May 31, 2023

Captain America: Symbol of Truth #13 finds Sam and Steve at each other’s throats after their first steps into Dimension Z go poorly.

---

Is It Good?

If all you want is action, regardless of story, substance, or sense, Captain America: Symbol of Truth #13 is a darn fine comic. For the rest of us, Captain America: Symbol of Truth #13 falls short.

When last we left the Captains America, Misty Knight, and Sharon Carter, they fought their way through an army of Outer Circle soldiers and Dimension Z monsters sent by White Wolf to get to the portal leading to Dimension Z, intending to rescue Ian. As soon as the heroes stepped through the portal, White Wolf detonated a bomb around the approaching heroes.

Now, Misty and Sharon are down (not out), leaving Steve and Sam at odds about how to proceed. That’s it. That’s the whole issue. It’s a lengthy fight between Sam and Steve.

“A knockdown, drag-out fight between two shield wielders sounds fun. Why so grumpy, Mr. Reviewer Guy?” is what you might be thinking. That’s a fair question, so I’ll explain.

The issue falls short in three ways – two in the story and one in the art.

First and most glaring, there’s no way on Earth Sam beats Steve in a one-on-one brawl. Steve is bigger, superhumanly stronger, faster, and tougher. There are multiple blows exchanged where Sam should have sustained broken bones, a concussion, or worse, but Tochi Onyebuchi ignores the fact that Sam is not a super-soldier and has intentionally opted not to take the serum. Sam is an above-average athlete but no match for Steve on any scale. On this point alone, this issue defies credibility and demonstrates Onyebuchi didn’t do his research.

Second, to make the fight work between Sam and Steve, Onyebuchi writes Steve as irrational and unwilling to look past his own emotions. There are multiple situations throughout Captain America’s long history where he’s faced much more dire circumstances than this one, so to see Steve lose it comes off as wildly out of character. Onyebuchi tries to slip in the “PTSD card,” but that’s not how PTSD works, and frankly, using PTSD as an excuse to put in a contrived plot development is insulting and disrespectful to soldiers who truly suffer from PTSD.

The third point, which is the least problematic but still unavoidable, is R.B. Silva’s fight choreography. To be clear, R.B. Silva’s art looks fantastic. The figure work is powerful, the fight scenes are energy-packed, and Aburtov’s colors are amazing.

That said, there are several panels where the action choreography will make you stop and say, “Huh?” For example, there’s a point when the argument heats up where Sam says “No, He didn’t…” After multiple viewings, all you can tell from the panel Sam reacts to is that Steve continues walking. In another series, Steve knocks Sam 30+ feet away into a stone outcropping (a blow that should have paralyzed Sam, see point one above). Yet somehow, Sam manages to get up, close the distance, and punch Steve in the throat in an instant. Yes, it’s not possible to show action frame-by-frame, but the progression for a gritty, street-level brawl should make sense. Here, it does not.

Is this review picking nits? Maybe, but the fight between Steve and Sam IS the majority of the issue. There’s not much else to critique because not much else happens. I could go on about the misuse of decompressed storytelling, but there’s enough above for readers to make an informed decision about whether or not this comic is right for you.

About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com, a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers.

Follow @ComicalOpinions on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter

Bits and Pieces

Captain America: Symbol of Truth #13 is an issue-long fight that tries to duplicate the gravitas of Cap and Iron Man’s conflict in Civil War but falls miles short. The art looks great, and if you just want to see the Captains fight, you may enjoy this comic. However, Onyebuchi’s nonsensical character choices and Silva’s wonky fight choreography make this issue a miss.

5.5/10