The Wilson And Wilson Hour: Reviewing ‘Captain America: Symbol Of Truth’ #2

With the first issue of Captain America: Symbol of Truth it was very easy to declare that Sam Wilson and Captain America were in great hands with this new creative team. The second issue took that easy declaration and etched it into stone as a statement that will be true hopefully for all of time. There is little doubt already that this will for sure be one of those classic runs looked back upon for years to come.

After the action-packed first issue, we get another action-packed one, but things take on a whole new energy. That is bound to happen when Deadpool (and Doctor Doom briefly) enter the picture. We already knew that Tochi Onyebuchi writes a fantastic Sam Wilson (as well as Joaquin Torres/Falcon), but here he also showed how far those character writing chops can go. Deadpool to me is one of those characters that the line between good/just enough and far too much is way too thin and far too easy to be on the wrong side.

Onyebuchi spends the entire issue on the correct side of this line. Truly his version of Deadpool is my favorite (I had some flashbacks to the Gerry Duggan-written era of the character) where sure he makes jokes/quips but he’s also a serious professional and isn’t just spouting off fourth-wall-breaking stuff every five seconds for the hell of it. A deadly mercenary that also hangs out with heroes regularly and can make solid jokes about the situation at hand without being annoying.

Separating Sam and Joaquin is a good call too, as we get to see them tackle different aspects of the case, they are on but also get more time to appreciate who they are in their respective roles. Also, I appreciate the slow burn we’re getting here of the villainous plans of White Wolf and Crossbones, giving us little pieces here or there to keep the mystery intact. Sometimes slow burns can be agonizing in monthly comics but when they are done right, and here it’s done well, they can be very intriguing and even fun.

Putting this book in the hands of R.B. Silva and Jesus Aburtov was a perfect call because it’s a truly energetic and gorgeous book within their hands. Silva’s work is so slick and smooth, the action scenes are dynamic to the point of feeling like they could all just burst off the page at any moment. Making action work is one aspect of these books but in many ways nailing the emotional/character moments is an even more important aspect. Even with superheroes wearing masks we can feel the emotion and the moments between characters as those feelings are clear on the pages.

Color-wise there is a fantastic mix of bright popping sorts of colors and the heavier shadows/darker tones to be found on the pages, mixing them between panels even, creating such a visual feast. Superheroes are fantastic but their bright costumes would stand out greatly as out of the ordinary even within their own universe, and I love that Aburtov’s choices of color make that very clear in many scenes. Such as when Sam meets with the senator, his star-spangled costume contrasts with the more ‘normal’ coloring of the senator’s office which is exactly how it should be.

Flip through any given Marvel comic from the last handful of years and there is a pretty high chance Joe Caramagna’s name will appear in the credits because the man is seemingly a lettering machine. We see that veteran status lending to these books as he makes the dialogue flow, adds all the great elements that will make it sing even more, and nails that ability to have character energy/personality just burst out of any words they may speak. As a lover of SFX in comics, there sure is plenty to be found here that just are delicious to behold because their big and bold and colorful and right in the face of the moment. Just the way that it should be.

Captain America: Symbol Of Truth #2 is now available from Marvel.