The old adage credited to Spanish philosopher George Santayana “those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it” never rang more true than it does at this very moment. Another more recent and more eccentric philosopher the late Terence McKenna had an interesting theory about the modern era. The leader of the psychedelic renaissance of the 90s and proponent of the “stoned ape” theory of human evolution had another theory that time and even history itself are speeding up as they reach the inevitable end of all things and our eventual new beginning. While McKenna had a permanent abode well outside traditional science and philosophy, a strong case can be made that things truly are speeding up as we circle the drain. Grant Morrison (themself a McKenna acolyte) explored this phenomenon in their classic comic “The Invisibles.”
One only needs to look at social media trends to see that memes from six months ago already seem ancient and irrelevant, not to mention advances in science and technology which are in realms well beyond exponential growth. We don’t even usually learn from our most recent, sped up history, so how are we supposed to learn from the mistakes of our last century? One critical way to learn from the mistakes of both our recent and older history is through fiction. The penultimate issue of Robert Morales and Kyle Baker’s Isaiah Bradley comic “Truth: Red, White and Black” is one of the strongest and most impactful calls to remember and learn from both our sped up recent history as a nation and the mistakes and triumphs of the previous century. One of the best that I’ve encountered in quite some time.
Written by Robert MoralesCover by Kyle Baker
Illustrated and Colored by Kyle Baker
Lettered by JG and Comicraft’s Wes
In 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!
The art of Kyle Baker is well suited to the grotesque villains of this story. Private Phillip Merritt’s exaggerated lumpy features already render him in the 1940s as someone who is just as ugly outside as his racist ass is on the inside. But years later when Steve Rogers visits him in prison as part of his investigation, he is even more hunched and lumpy; he has become a grotesque sycophant who worships the white Captain America in a twisted, warped cult of white supremacy. He lauds the feats of white Steve Rogers while praising fascism and dehumanizing Cap’s Black counterparts.
It is crucial to note here that the cover of this issue is the only one out of seven that doesn’t feature at least one silhouetted figure. In fact, this cover is in full color and intricately rendered detail without shadow entirely. Our hero is featured prominently and powerfully out in the open this time. The red, white and blue figure of Isaiah Bradley as the original Captain America seems to burst off the page and right into battle. It is a classic iconic pose, calling to as far back as the Timely Comics Captain America comics of the 40s with one significant difference: this Cap is a Black man.
Interiorly, Steve Rogers and Isaiah Bradley are rendered in heroic proportions while the villains are grotesque carnival caricatures. The character design is unique among superhero comics and at times is more similar to R. Crumb’s counterculture underground comics than Jack Kirby or Steve Ditko, at least with the villains. The heroes are depicted in more traditional Silver Age proportions that are more of a call back to the era of the aforementioned artists than a Post-9/11, 2003 aesthetic. This comic enters the conversation at a point comics were moving out of the gritty, dark, moral ambiguity of the aptly named Dark Age and into something a little more optimistic. Despite how dark the subject matter of the comic is, Isaiah Bradley emerges as a lighter hero who certainly has a moral compass.
Steve Rogers’s Captain America also makes an appearance again in his classic suit and cowl. He is continuing his investigation into the shameful treatment of subject and history of the black super soldier program and Isaiah Bradley. It is a history largely unknown by white America, but it is a history kept alive in the Black community. It is revealed that even Denzel Washington and Spike Lee wanted to make a movie about Bradley and the other ill fated black super soldiers but made the iconic movie Malcom X. But the terrified and chagrined facial expressions on Steve Rogers’s face speak volumes about just how little white America, even someone as connected as Steve Rogers know about the traumas and trials of the Black community.
One thing I have always liked about Steve Rogers is his willingness to sharply critique America’s many faults and hold her accountable. That is what true patriotism is. Not shying away from harshly criticizing your country or system. True patriots are highly critical, not blindly proud or unquestioning of their country. True patriots are willing to be uncomfortable and are proud of what their country can be, not complacently accepting of how things are.
