When Captain America attends a birthday party for Isaiah Bradley, he catches wind of a new tech venture that sounds too good to be true: magnificent floating platforms in the sky, where the disenfranchised can apply for land grants and establish their own farms. But after Sam discovers the organization’s dark underbelly, he’ll have to tangle with its head of security: Red Hulk! Sam Wilson: Captain America #1 raises some interesting topics and pokes at real world issues but the overall execution is a bumpy ride.

There’s a lot I like about Sam Wilson: Captain America #1. At its core is the discussion of broken promises, racism within the system, and generational trauma. Its themes are solid. But, the execution of the discussion either comes across like a hammer to the head or just generally misses the mark in its details.

Written by Greg Pak and Evan Narcisse, Sam Wilson: Captain America #1 kicks off with Sam and his cousin heading to a cookout and celebration for Isaiah Bradley. It’s a who’s who of African American superheroes. Even when they’re relaxing they apparently have to wear their uniforms. And this highlights the storytelling bumps. It’s clearly a celebration and acknowledgement of Black Marvel superheroes but it all feels surface level. Blade is included, though in his own series he’s been a hermit and admitted to removing himself due to his recent actions. It could have been an amazing opportunity to talk about the good and bad of the depictions of the characters and there’s a little of that but there’s a lack of depth. And, we needed jokes about Steve Rogers being at the picnic. His inclusion is completely unnecessary as presented.

From there, Sam is whisked away to a floating city by his cousin, a project that promises equity and to make up for the sins of the past, all run by the clearly corrupt corporation Eaglestar. This is where some of that hammer to the head comes in. There’s a literal mention of “40 acres and a mule” which has interesting historical context and has since become a bit of a rallying cry, but here it feels like its bluntly shoehorned in. Some subtlety with winks and nods of a reference might have gone much further. But, the idea of a floating city that is built on a sort of reparations is an interesting concept. It also is clearly too good to be true and that becomes obvious far too quickly. Narcisse and Pak could have made it more interesting by stretching things out a bit until the second issue teasing what’s to come.

The art by Eder Messias and Valentine De Landro is just as rough as the storytelling. The opening scene involves a vampire attack and Sam Wilson’s introduction just does not look good. Lense flair is used in odd spots and overall the character design is just not good. You recognize everyone but faces look distorted at times. There’s also odd choices in character designs on the floating city, especially with average citizens. Overalls and large hats apparently are musts for anyone depicted farming.

Sam Wilson: Captain America #1 is an interesting concept and there’s something there but this first issue is a rough one. There’s too much to groan about to overlook the flaws and appreciate what it’s trying to do. Too much bad distracts from the underlying good.

Story: Greg Pak, Evan Narcisse Art: Eder Messias, Valentine De Landro
Color: Fer Sifuentes-Sujo Letterer: Joe Caramagna
Story: 6.75 Art: 7.0 Overall: 6.75 Recommendation: Pass

Marvel provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

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Purchase: Zeus Comics – Kindle