This visually pleasing issue features rich colors and attention to detail. The illustrations perfectly fit the tone of the stories. And the emphasis on character expression and form really emotionally connected me to the characters. Read Full Review

The United States of Captain America #2 challenges me to want to do better and isn't that what Captain America is all about. Read Full Review

The United States of Captain America #2 further progresses a larger plot and mystery afoot. The dream, not just the American dream, is under attack. Cantwell and Eagelsham continue to write a pitch-perfect Captain America while delivering a realistic look at America. It hits on a different set of realities in America intertwined with super-heroics and a fight for the dream. Read Full Review

"The United States of Captain America" #2 isn't afraid to carve a unique perspective alongside a bombastic superhero narrative. Read Full Review

I know I just did this with the new Superman series, but... I guess it's gonna be like this for every issue of this series, cursed with daring to point out America isn't perfect. Merlyn's review is stupid, and here's why:

First he complains about Steve and Sam being scolded by one of the new Captains for focusing on larger threats while not giving enough attention to smaller, everyday problems. This is undeniably the case for both of these characters. One is a full time Avenger, and the other, as Merlyn pointed out, did try to take a more grassroots approach to being Captain America, but ended up quitting due to the pressure, only to come back to save everyone from another giant threat, before giving up the mantle entirely. And the Captain didn't scold them so much as point out that local heroes need to exist. She was, after all, inspired by these same people. Merlyn gets upset about all the white people (aside from one) being racist. This is an exaggeration. There's one openly racist cop, and guess what? Some cops are racists. And it's built into their training to profile people. This sort of overt offense at the suggestion of racism is a major red flag that someone is a racist, btw. It's really revealing. He also complains about teen heroes being activists, takes a tired jab at Greta Thunberg and praises the melodrama teenage comics *used* to be about. My response to this is that of course teen heroes are more likely to be activists. Teenaged people are becoming more and more politically aware, and are becoming even more aware of the crises they will have to face in the future. This is comics reflecting reality. And it's not even a new idea. You can go back decades and see this same sort of concept in comics. But Merlyn doesn't believe in climate change, and thinks people should be silent, and therefore he's gotta punch down on a little girl in a comic book review, while crying about how much a comic has offended him this week. It's really pathetic. And if he prefers melodrama and petty relationship comics over this, he's got terrible taste. more

Now this is what I'm talking about.

A big improvement on the already solid issue one. This tells a very straightforward tale but sets up our villain definitively. Some folks had a lot of ideas who it would be but the reveal is fitting here.

We are introduced to another new Cap, this one being Nichelle Wright. An athlete from Harrisburg does dedicated to lookin out for her small town community through action and activism..... whether they like it or not.

By means of this she builds a small network of support, and although she has enemies she's determined to make this right and represent the America she sees, while leaving the big stuff, the gods and monsters to the big men, Steve and Sam.

I very much liked this character, found her a lot more compelling than Aaron thus far and I'm looking forward to the next. more

Issue two of USCA is better then the first. It moves the story forward and now we know who is behind the shield abduction and what their motives are. This is a great way to show how powerful the symbol and what it truly means to be captain America.

This one felt a little lackluster from last issue. But for the reason some vocal people will think. Really it's because this series tries to do what Coates' run on Captain America fumbled with. One with arguably better planning with how to sabotage the appeal of Captain America by using a speedster in costume to wreak havoc. And for Sin to kill the Captains America network because to the world at large, they're easy targets to tarnish the Cap brand because they're nobodies who have no infrastructure to support them. Unlike say the police who due to their problematic infrastructure gain support from the wrong kind of powerful people.

Which brings us to Nichelle. I will always have a problem with how activism is used in modern comics. Most of the time it's to try and find simple answers to complicated problems. Other times if people try to get the full nuance, it might come across as long winded.

Which is why I like how the writers ensure that it's the crooked cops like the Sheriff that're in the wrong. And why cops like that cause police to try to self-preserve by proxy. Like one cop coming to the defense of a spoiled ex-cop's kid waving a gun around and the citizens who want to avoid trouble by keeping their heads down. Fortunately it also goes into how activism can also get the wrong people blamed for others mistakes. That guy's father was probably a flawed cop, but that doesn't mean he deserved to be a scapegoat in water poisoning. That said the police can't handle all problems like a lack of security so it's good to have Nichelle around to help out the town's people who are on the fringes. more

Steve and Sam meet the Captain America of Harrisburg, PA. Their antagonists attack them repeatedly, artlessly motivated by a need to explain their plans to the heroes and the readers. This issue, like the previous, is distinguished by some charming character work. The special guest Cap is a little less impressive than the last one, though. And the plot is in serious trouble; the villains are behaving like idiots and the heroes aren't much better. I begin to suspect "weak plotting gradually outweighing good characterization" should be my go-to critique of Christopher Cantwell's work.

Formula save-the-day story with gimmickaptain spotlight for backup story to rationalize price increase - just like the premiere. This was only better for the reveal of Speed Demon and Superior Sin. I personally am not a big fan of the liberal simultaneous codename copying. A couple weak parts were that so-called Superior Sin's killcount is presumably zero for bragging rights and Nichelle resorted to 1960's Andy Griffith TV show.

Woke Captain America, part two for anyone who was missing it. Did you want Cap and Sam being scolded by a teenager for saving the world and not doing anything for the little guy (even if Sam's run was specifically about how he tried to go more grassroots level and Rogers was always a character who cared about the little guy)? Well, you have it here. Did you want every white person to be a caricature of racism (except one guy, I don't know how Cantwell managed to not write him as a racist, it must have been a real effort for him, poor guy)? Well, you have it here. Did you want yet another teenage activist, just like Jon Kent in Taylor's new series, because all teenage superheroes MUST be political activists today, Greta Thunberg be praised, or there's no reason to write them anymore, forget the Teen Titans and their personal dramas, it's all about politics these days. Well, you have it here. In Nichelle's defense I liked that at least her cause was a worthy one, clean water. As for the villains, I guess one of them makes sense, the other I'm still waiting to see why he's in on this.

P.S.: Also, Sam Wilson has a BLACK shield instead of the real one, made by Misty Knight, obviously because they're black and of course black characters should have black shields even though he's Captain America... I don't think Cantwell realizes just how close his ideas are to those of segregationists, they're two sides of the same coin.

P.P.S.: Notice how I live rent-free in idiots' heads, if only real-life rent would be so easy to pay. :)) more

Just another title spewing out first appearance characters for future collectors to waste their money on