After 18 years (or 80 years depending on how you look at it), Isaiah Bradley is finally a household name. He is finally getting the recognition he deserves in both our familiar world and the dimension given to whimsical flights of fancy known as Earth 616, where most of our favorite Marvel heroes reside. Beyond a few brief mentions in other series, Bradley (the brainchild of Robert Morales and Kyle Baker), never existed outside the 2003 miniseries “Truth: Red, White and Black.” That is until just a few months ago Bradley was resurrected from his banishment into obscurity by the creators of the immensely popular The Falcon and the Winter Soldier series on Disney+. And all I can say is, its about fricking time. Bradley became a super soldier after unethical experiments were performed on him and he, and his fellow black soldiers, paid dearly for it.
Written by Robert MoralesCover by Kyle Baker
Illustrated and Colored by Kyle Baker
Lettered by JG and Comicraft’s WesIn the tradition of ORIGIN, Marvel reveals the shocking secret history of Captain America! In 1940 there was a man who had many of the same qualities as Steve Rogers – save for one, the color of his skin – and TRUTH is his story!
In the show, Falcon (portrayed by Anthony Mackie) manages to track down octogenarian retired super soldier Isaiah Bradley (portrayed by Carl Lumbly) who has been living in quiet obscurity for decades following his 30 plus year unjust imprisonment and experimentation. Bradley just wants to be left alone, and his bitterness is one hundred percent justified. He offers wisdom to Sam from his unique position as both a superhero and a black man living in America. Both men have been deeply effected by two of America’s darkest legacies: slavery and Jim Crow. No matter what some sniveling, fedora sporting neck beard thinks, as he rants and rails against diversity in comics and geekdom at large, the dark legacies of racial injustice still haunt people of color to this very day. And despite their warped cultish credo, the fight for representation in media is still far from over. Instead of being an immaterial ghost that can pass through a person and do no real damage, the specter of inequality is solid and might better be described as a full blown poltergeist.
Into this demon haunted world steps Sam Wilson, the Falcon. He is considering taking up the mantle of the pearly white Captain America. Sam has a lively discussion with Bradley who proclaims that America isn’t ready for a Black Captain America. The show ends with Sam taking up the mantle as he pleads with the world to lift the burden of oppressed people worldwide on camera in his new costume, and Isaiah Bradley finally gets the recognition he deserves. The end of the show is optimistic about the world’s ability to change and dismantle unjust systems of oppression.
But some may ask, why is Isaiah Bradley so bitter? My answer is secret option 3: he is not bitter, he is just traumatized. His only “fault” is that he’s a realist, which is no fault at all, just a survival mechanism. Morales and Baker’s 2003 comic has never been more relevant and taps into the shameful legacy of abuse and dehumanization that darkens America’s self-proclaimed pristine, picture perfect history. It is a history largely written by white men who have no time for criticism, reflection, and critique. The comic has a certain realism due to the fact that it is inspired by real events. From 1932 until 1972 countless black men were given syphilis by government doctors and left to die as the doctors and scientists documented the disease. As a person dies from syphilis, they slowly are driven mad. Imagine dying and going mad and not knowing why? All the while, the very government you’re told to trust is to blame.
It is this dark legacy that Morales and Baker are recalling in their portrayal of the unjust super soldier experiments on Black men during World War II. The comic opens with a carefree scene at the World’s Fair on an advertised “Negro Day” where Black people get in at a reduced rate. Bradley and his girl Faith are attending this carnival with a lighthearted, pure optimism. As they approach an exhibit, Bradley quips “Even the future has to have a bad part of town.” But they are denied admission at the entrance because they’re Black. “Negro Day” was not all that it was cracked up to be.
Continued belowCut to Maurice Canfield a wealthy young Black man greeted by his butler in a manner that suggests his massive black eyes and bloody nose are a normal occurrence. This time the savage beating was racially motivated. He broaches the topic of colorism noting that he doesn’t want to be a part of a fortune built on cosmetic products designed to make people look more white. Then we are introduced to gruff Sargent Luke Evans in a pool hall representing an entirely different experience than Canfield’s. He laments the lack of equality in military life. He humorously declares that the only way he gets to shove whitey around is the pool hall where he can freely strike the white cue ball with the cue stick.
The art style is entirely unique to the superhero genre. It’s cool, jazz-like improvised wavy lines keep your toe tapping to the syncopated beats of dialogue, story, narration. It is flush with cartoony figures and backdrops. It’s raw, rough outlines and exaggerated proportions and features of the characters give it a surreal almost dreamlike effect. The colors are also exaggerated and innovative with characters like Bradley and Sargent Evans being a more traditional shade of brown but other characters like Maurice Canfield and his family being depicted in purple yam-like hues. This is a fascinating, and jarring way to depict the wide variety of shades of color represented in the Black community.
Overall this book is definitely worth getting into especially if you’re a fan of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier show. This book is far more timely today than, perhaps, its creators would have ever imagined in 2003. I am happy that a long forgotten, sadly obscure, meaningful, and poignant piece of Marvel history is being resurrected for a new audience.
