And here we are, having reached the end of this scathing critique of American history mixed with classic comics fun, “Truth: Red, White and Black.” It is the saga of the first super soldier, Isaiah Bradley. I feel I am better for having read it, this second time around. I don’t know how this story can fail to open the reader’s eyes and make them want to change themselves and the world they live in.
Good fiction is one of the last and greatest defenses against the onslaught of slings and arrows from the ever invading armies of inequity, injustice, and suffering. In the course of any story large or small, we grow to identify with the characters. In a sense we invite them into our minds and into our lives and we partake in the greatest human tradition and enterprise: empathy. Our capacity for compassion and empathy is what makes humanity special. Our capacity to throw all these things out the window and be cruel to one another is also very real. Kyle Baker and Robert Morales’s comic is a triumph of engendering and fostering the deepest empathy. And it makes the reader uncomfortable. Truly, we shouldn’t be comfortable with the state of affairs in this world. We should always be striving to do better for those who we share this planet with.
Written by Robert MoralesCover by Kyle Baker
Illustrated and Colored by Kyle Baker
Lettered by JG and Comicraft’s WesSTEVE ROGERS appears in this conclusion to the hit mini-series issue, as the paths of the two Captain Americas cross for the first time. Will it be the last?
This cover is perhaps the most impactful. It features Steve Rogers with his back turned away from us massively towering over a red maze. Way up at the top left corner at the end of the maze is once again a silhouette of Isaiah Bradley, this time with his wife Faith. This striking image of the maze I think is serving many functions in the cover. First of all, it represents the mystery Steve Rogers is trying to solve about Isaiah Bradley. He is being led down a long and winding path gathering clues along the way to give him his bearings in the maze. His conscience is a built in GPS. Second of all, it represents the path to equity that never seems to go in a straight line. There are so many twists and turns in the journey to the other side and people often get lost along the way. Once again silhouettes are used by Baker this time the silhouetted image of Bradley and his wife are so small and far away that it seems like the distance will never be covered. This is a very visual representation of the struggle we all must fight for. And the maze is red, the color of blood, the color of the stripes on the American flag, and one of the colors of Captain America’s outfit.
Once again Steve Rogers’s facial expressions are so animated that they convey even more than simple text ever could. This comic brings up the dark history of eugenics. We all know the Nazis were famously in favor of this abhorrent practice, but what our history classes in the US don’t teach is that we have also done experiments on human subjects, sterilizing minorities. The Nazis were inspired to conduct these types of experiments by us; Hitler was also inspired by the incredibly racist American Immigration Act of 1924. As Steve Rogers discovers the awful truths about American injustices before, during, and after the war, the look of terror in his eyes is palpable. There is great attention to detail with a wall plastered with photos of Bradley with all types of black celebrities from civil rights leader Angela Davis to Richard Pryor and Colin Powell. There is even actual photographs of the writer artist team of Morales and Baker tucked at the bottom as well as an actual photo of Stan Lee. The level of detail is astounding and the resemblances are uncanny, despite the more cartoony style of the rest of the book. Isaiah Bradley truly deserves a place in history and perhaps his appearance in the MCU will give him more attention in further movies, TV, and comics. This book was amazing, but it would be even cooler to see a more recent update of the story, especially considering the attention groups like Black Lives Matter have been getting in recent months.
This book is designed to make us uncomfortable. Any discussion on race should be thought provoking and should make people (especially the privileged white majority) uncomfortable. The presence of such an iconic strong black character as the symbol of a flawed America and the first super soldier makes this comic thought provoking and poignant. I am teaching this comic next semester at the college level in a class on comics and trauma and I look forward to asking the hard questions with a group of the next generation. Talking about similar concepts with previous classes has given me hope that the next generation may be able to effect real and lasting change. “Truth: Red, White, and Black” is a classic comic that stirs up empathy in ways few other books have. It is very critical of our society (and rightfully so) but it also offers hope.
