Captain America: Sam Wilson #21 Review - Marvel Monday

Dear Misty...

Written by: Nick Spencer
Art by: Daniel Acuna, Rachelle Rosenberg and Joe Caramagna
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: April 12, 2017
Review by: Andrew McAvoy


There is a sense of an ending associated with this issue of Captain America: Sam Wilson, dovetailing as it does into Secret Empire #0 next week. It’s a dark affair, and we see parallels drawn between Sam Wilson and his predecessor Steve Rogers as well as a wider rumination over what the role of Captain America, and Sam Wilson should be within the modern world. Lets go.


The issue is narrated through the form of a letter, handwritten by Wilson and left for Misty Knight, which propels the plot as it weaves its message. The central story within the issue is that of the necessity to retire the costume in certain circumstances as Sam announces this publicly.

Excitingly we see how his role has inspired others through a glimpse of the teenage Rayshaun developing a superhero costume to be used under the alias "Patriot". This scene is likely to be laying a path for the introduction of a new young character via Secret Empire, and I liked it.

As the issue progresses Wilson hammers home the message that setting aside the Captain America costume can be just as powerful as donning it in the first place. We see flashbacks throughout the issue of both Sam Wilson and Steve Rogers in years gone by in their various guises. The story also aims to show a comparison between Roger’s Cap and Wilson’s Cap, as well as showing the evolution of both.

 Daniel Acuna's art in this issue is bordering on bleak but I have to say that I liked it. It’s dark and gritty but with a splash of color at points to stop things from getting too dreary. For me this title always depicts a political story brought right down to street level.

These are the mean streets where people are still trying to do some good despite adversity. The scenes with Steve Roger’s Captain America, and the reveal of Harry Hauser as a Hydra agent within the issue, are set in a slightly different fashion, very noir and stylishly framed in a classy restaurant scene.

Bits and Pieces:

Overall though, this was an issue that was enjoyable enough to read but didn’t really tell me that much. Although very stylishly presented, for me the style was prioritized at the expense of content and any proper narrative development. It’s a rumination on the nature of a superhero, rather than a structured plot. While this is okay, it was a disappointing trailing off of what has been a good series. Hopefully it will pick up as normal on the other side of Secret Empire.

6.0/10