Капитан Америка: Новото положение

Captain America: Marvel Knights

by John Ney Rieber

След атаките от 11 септември Америка трябва да открие начин да се бори с коварната заплаха от тероризъм. Страната се нуждае от човек, който да послужи за пример. Някой, който ще се бори за справедливост и ще представлява най-доброто от Съединените щати. Този човек е Стив Роджърс, известен още като Капитан Америка. Но дори с подсиленото си тяло и несломимия си дух, ще може ли Капитан Америка да намери начин да измъкне земята на смелите от сянката на тероризма?

Събира: Каритан Америка (2002) #1-6

Genres: Comics, Marvel, Graphic Novels, Superheroes, Comic Book, Graphic Novels Comics, Fiction

168 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

John Ney Rieber is an American comic book writer. He has written for the comics The Books of Magic, Captain America, G.I. Joe and Tomb Raider.

Reviews

[Terence · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the wake of 9/11, Captain America is forced into action as terrorists strike at an American town.

Cap is once more reminded of the tragedy of war.


The New Deal is quite the introspective piece looking at the cause of 9/11 and whether America is as innocent as Americans believe. The world has monsters and killers, but is the US the cause of them?

A few of the quotes in this volume are the type that keep me up at night when I think about them too long.

"Are we only hated because we're free -- Free and prosperous and good? Or does the light we see cast shadows we don't -- Where monsters...can plant the seeds of hate?"

"History repeats itself. Like a machine gun. A madman lights the spark -- And the people pay the price."

To me The New Deal is what Captain America is all about. He's the heart, the fight, the idealism, and the aspiration of America and Americans. It's funny when I was younger I didn't appreciate Captain America, but ever since his films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe I have a totally different perspective on him. Cap is simply an incredible character and this volume is a good reminder as well as a palate cleanser from the horrible Hydra Cap crap Marvel recently put out.

The New Deal is a strong beginning to a powerfully thoughtful Captain America series.

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

"I've killed hundreds of your countrymen. And I could kill thousands more tomorrow. I could kill you all, and still not be satisfied. But I'll surrender, American, if you can tell me where I'm from." -- the loquacious terrorist commander

"Hell." -- the laconic Captain America

Uncommonly serious and topical (for its time - the original publication date was 2003), Captain America, Vol. 1: The New Deal has our star-spangled Avenger experiencing despair and possibly shades of PTSD in the immediate aftermath of 9/11. After assisting with the rescue and recovery operations at Ground Zero, and then coming to the aid of an innocent young man of Middle Eastern extraction who is being harassed on the streets of New York City, Cap is thrown back into action as a one-man army when a terrorist cell seizes control of a sleepy village in the Midwest on Easter Sunday morning. (Said community is the site of a factory that produces munitions used by the U.S. military.) The narrative then spins into an odd yet workable mix of both patriotic and progressive viewpoints, as Cap questions some of the American government's past and current actions / policies while also racing to stop yet another terror-related threat in Germany. Fortunately, this is all backed by numerous crisp action scenes where our lionhearted title character is slamming his signature shield upside those cruel hearts and minds of the various catastrophe-minded villains. 🇺🇸

[Nicolo · Rating 4 out of 5]

For me, this was the book that brought artist John Cassaday that Astonishing X-Men gig with Joss Whedon that turned him into a superstar.

This is not my favorite portrayal of post-9/11 Cap; that honor belongs to Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch on Ultimates; but this is a close second. If I'm not mistaken, this is the first appearance of John Cassday's subtle redesign of Cap's chain-mail tunic. The fabric or material of suit is less cloth and more of a composite material arranged in a chain-mail design. That is significant in itself since the look became the main Captain America visual for more than a decade.

Cassaday carried this story with his shoulders and showed that his art could carry a book or at least a story. It was good that he did because the story failed me as a reader. The story isn't bad but it failed me because I'm not an American. The patriotic tone of the book made me as a reader excluded. Still, I can get behind the art and that's why it gets four stars.

[Himanshu Karmacharya · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent Captain America story that takes place post-911, mixed bag of freshness and clichés, but with incredible artwork.

[James DeSantis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was pretty damn good.

After the events of 9/11 we have a broken cap. Trying to piece against the world again. The first issue of him digging through the pile of the buildings where he's trying to save a few people is just perfect captain America. Then have Captain America stop a hate crime from happening in true Captain America fashion. Then we get into the real meat of the story of terrorism and it's probably one of the most patriotic yet capturing who Cap is.

Surprisingly the story does justice to current events at the time. I think a lot of it still rings true, on how hate breeds fear, which cause people to do horrible things. So wonderful. The art is pretty solid too as is the pacing. The ending ends as I expected so that was a bit let down since I thought they could have pushed it a little more. Saying that, this was a really entertaining captain america story.

A 4 out of 5.

[Mizuki · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a nice, fast paced story, the artwork is nice too. This post-911 short story has a sensible political message, although I honestly don't know how realistic this message is, or how useful it's when applying to the real world.

[Anthony · Rating 4 out of 5]

Little torn about how I feel on this one. On the one hand, I do get why Marvel would want a character like Captain America handling 'real-world' events, especially 9-11. But on the other, I want my super hero comics to be escapism from the real world. Sure, Captain America was a big propaganda figure during WWII, and it's heavily infused in his history and origin. But that was the 1940's. Seeing Captain America fight terrorists doesn't have the same effect as seeing Captain America punching Hitler. Like, there's a scene were Captain America is literally falling to his death while he's wrapped in the American flag which is also on fire. I mean come on, really? But at least the antagonist wasn't your typical run-of-the-mill middle eastern looking stereotype. Instead, we're never quite sure where he's from (I think it's heavily implied that he's Russian?). And his look is also that of a burnt man, so the scaring has made him completely white. I just think it's interesting (in a positive way) that in a book which is basically Captain America against terrorists, the lead terrorist doesn't look like your generic Hollywood stereotype of what a terrorist is.

But with all that said, this is a pretty good read. This is mostly down to John Cassaday's art looking amazing (and much better than his recent work in Uncanny Avengers). I like how Rieber doesn't overfill the pages with caption boxes and word balloons, so he's not covering up Cassaday's art. Instead the story is almost driven by the art and all the words are secondary.

I'd recommend this to readers that enjoyed Matt Fractions Invincible Iron Man: The Five Nightmares. While I don't think it's quite as good, it's covering similar themes and grounds.

[George K. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Βαθμολογία: 7/10

Χμ, δεν μπορώ να πω ότι ξετρελάθηκα. Το πιθανότερο είναι ότι απλώς δεν με ενδιέφερε η πλοκή, δεν με άγγιξε η όλη θεματολογία, μιας και διάβασα το κόμικ σαν Έλληνας το 2020 και όχι σαν Αμερικάνος όταν αυτό κυκλοφόρησε (το 2003 νομίζω). Μέσω της πλοκής μιλάει για τον πόλεμο, την τρομοκρατία, όλα αυτά τα άσχημα πράγματα, αλλά είναι συναισθηματικά φορτισμένο (λογικό, με αυτά που αντιμετώπισαν τότε οι Αμερικάνοι) και ολίγον τι αμερικανιά. Εντάξει, έχει πραγματάκια να προσφέρει, δεν είναι τόσο αδιάφορο σεναριακά, όμως δύσκολα θα αγγίξει ή έστω θα τραβήξει το ενδιαφέρον των Ευρωπαίων αναγνωστών τη σημερινή εποχή. Πάντως το σχέδιο είναι πάρα πολύ καλό, με μεγάλα καθαρά καρέ, με τις μάχες και τις σκηνές βίας να είναι έντονα σχεδιασμένες. Σίγουρα το σχέδιο ισορροπεί κάπως την κατάσταση και χαρίζει έξτρα αστεράκια στη συνολική βαθμολογία. Επίσης μπορώ να πω ότι οι λιτοί διάλογοι και οι πολύ μικρές σε μέγεθος σκέψεις του πρωταγωνιστή είχαν μια κάποια γοητεία, ενώ βοήθησαν στο να διαβαστεί πολύ γρήγορα και ξεκούραστα το κόμικ.

[Chelsea 🏳️‍🌈 · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was just fine.

The artwork wasn’t my favorite. There are a few marvel comics around this time that have similar art. It just feels very static and doesn’t have the same excitement I get from other artwork.

The storyline was surprisingly progressive for the time. This is a year after 9/11 and we have stories where Cap is protecting Muslim Americans from hate crimes. The message is “do not punish an entire people for the actions of terrorists”. It’s a great message and one I’m surprised marvel allowed but, it’s only recently that marvel has been completely chicken when it comes to their writers saying anything political (you know, unless you want to turn captain America into a fucking Nazi).

So, it was surprisingly refreshing. An interesting note: if I read this right, this comic actually takes responsibility for the civilians harmed during WWII? That’s interesting.

But ultimately, this didn’t do nearly as much for me as some other Cap comics have. I do give credit for taking what was probably a controversial stance at the time.

[Phillip Berrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not being a citizen of the US and being somewhat removed from the times of the event I found this a suitably balanced comic book reply to the horror that was 9/11.

It posed some interesting questions, which presumedly would have brought some interesting reactions at the time from people in the States. This political connection and commentary gives it an extra half star from me.

Story-wise, I thought that there wasn't enough foreshadowing of the climactic showdown with the villain of the piece.

Artistically, I thought the rendition of my favourite star-spangled avengers was adequate, though I thought it was a little lacking with between panel continuity.

Recommendation: one for the Cap fans and those interested in one response to the events of 9/11.

[Fugo Feedback · Rating 2 out of 5]

El dibujo es bastante bueno, como la gran mayoría de lo que hace John Cassaday. La historia, por otro lado, resulta bastante insultante a la inteligencia de cualquier persona que sepa que el mundo real (pobremente imitado en este cómic) no se maneja con buenos tan buenos -que casualmente terminan siendo siempre estadounidenses- ni con malos tan malos -que casualmente terminan siendo de "por ahí, donde hay terroristas".

[Martin Doychinov · Rating 4 out of 5]

Заради тематиката, очаквах да е тотал-щета. Оказа се, че не е така, или по-точно, щетата не е тотална. Началото е добро, успява да вкара малко повече дълбочина на капитан САЩ - при това добре обосновано.
Впоследствие, нещата деградират до очакваното щатско патриотарско развяване на ценностите, които тамошното общество е заблуждавано, че притежава. 3,5

[Димитър Цолов · Rating 4 out of 5]

Артът на Джон Касадей е превъзходен. Що се отнася до сценария, трагичните събития от 11.09 са подтикнали Джон Ней Райбър да напише тази история, логично фокусирана върху борбата с тероризма. Първите три броя, в които Кеп се опитва да обезвреди лошото момче Файзал Ал-Тарик (1. Враг:Прах 2. Враг:Единна нация и 3. Враг: Крехки мишени) доста ми харесаха. След това обаче настана едно възторжено веене на лозунги и рукна една хамериканска патетика, поради което оценката биде занижена с една звезда :)

[Sem · Rating 2 out of 5]

I should be grateful that it was a quick read. I winced so hard at the ideologically driven plot that I came close to spraining something. Elegant art though.

[Ivan Lex · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't know why the hell I hadn't read this before! If at any point someone asks me about the perfect Captain America comic to begin with I will definitely recommend this one, I think it perfectly frames what this superhero means, beyond the action and bullets, this comic is Steve Rogers in pure essence!



After the tragic events of 9/11 Steve feels a responsibility as an American to help at the disaster, collect debris and save lives; It doesn't matter if he's assigned a mission his place is with the Americans!



I love that here is very clear that the problem is not immigrants, the problem is terrorism, not people. If you are a muslim os whatever does not make you a terrorist. Steve Rogers himself is the son of Irish immigrants to the United States and that is what makes America great, the mixture of the best of all cultures, it is a great message that is perfectly linked to the symbol of the super soldier.



On the other hand, this book represents a social criticism of the government that always hides the garbage of its illicit acts or that covers the tracks of its mistakes with which it has harmed many people. I didn't had the honor of reading something written by John Ney Rieber before and I can only say one thing: what a balls have this man to write this, it is a great comic about morality and social criticism.



To finish I want to applaud the art of John Cassaday, the importance he gives to the small details is appreciated, few times I have seen artists give so much importance to drawing the details of the boots, the helmet and the Captain's suit well. This man knows how to do his job!

[MindProbe]

aesthetically very well crafted; Cassaday's art is characteristically gorgeous, dynamic and powerful with a clean line and an impeccable clarity of storytelling, while Rieber, a writer I'm not otherwise familiar with, shows a firm grasp of the medium and a skill with tone, pace, and language that's not to be taken for granted in mainstream comics. as an attempt at a grand political statement on America in the immediate wake of 9/11 however, it perhaps inevitably bites off a great deal more than it can chew (Rieber himself, in a short retrospective interview included at the end of this collection, candidly admits that he "failed... on several levels"). while the comic is clear-eyed enough to recognise the existence of terrorist groups like al-Qaeda as ultimately a product of the horrors of American imperialism, and that the US itself has committed similar atrocities in places like Dresden (upon learning that her husband works at a munitions factory as they and others are held hostage in a small-town church, a woman asks "This is how you feed our baby? With bombs? You make bombs?". "No!" he insists. "Components... We make components."), the best Cap can finally muster in the face of a villain embodying these ideas is some unconvincing platitudes about America having "learned" from its "mistakes" (followed, of course, by a self-righteous punch to the face). whether this is ultimately a demonstration of the limits of the superhero genre as a tool for analysing serious subjects or of the cognitive dissonance inherent to mainstream liberalism, take your pick.

[haven ⋄ f (hiatus) · Rating 4 out of 5]

incredibly done. i didnt think i would find it interesting but somehow i do.

this features events post-9/11, released a year after the tragedy. since the topic is america and a response to terrorism, it is a political comic. i won't talk about politics but i will talk about the timing of this instead. releasing a 9/11 reflection comic just a year after it happened feels too early and like it's poking at a sore wound. yes, this story have an inspirational message, but people were still recovering.

as for me personally, i dont normally seek more information about 9/11 for many reasons. if i had known this was a 9/11 comic before picking it up i might not have rented it. but do i regret it? nah.

what sold this for me was the layout. it's VERY well planned out and the composition feels very deliberately crafted. the last captain america comic i read felt crowded and overwhelming, while this one was perfectly balanced. the flow was natural and fit the scenes perfectly. to me, many captain america comics feel like they were drawn by those who weren't trained in art professionally. this one is the exception to that (the first of several, i suspect).

while i wouldn't seek out another of this artist's comic just because of their art style, it's not an awful style. it conveys exactly what the authors needed while also being easy for the eyes to handle. the usage of color is AMAZINGLY done, i cannot commend it enough!

i have much to learn about layout and color from this comic artist. also the cover is probably the best cap art ive seen in a minute.

[Atomread W. Megaforce · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ein Comic, kurz nach 9/11 geschrieben.
Captain America versucht seinem Land beizubringen dass es jetzt bloß nicht durchdrehen und sinnlos Krieg treiben soll.
Netter Versuch, aber wie der Autor selbst im Nachwort sagt ist er damit gescheitert.

Mir ist das alles zu "'murica, fuck yeah!", aber ich bin beeindruckt wie viel Patriotismus man in so wenig Handlung stecken kann.
3 Sterne für die graphische Gestaltung

[Andrew Sorrentino · Rating 2 out of 5]

A disappointing story. Cap is the one man army fighting the bad guys woohoo. Some ideological stuff just seems to get in the way. Some of the action sequences are choreographed nicely but on the whole the art is also disappointing from an artist I usually enjoy. Cap seems posed rather than having some fluid motion.

[Rebecca Hale · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book definitely felt like a captin America book

[Dr. Devine · Rating 4 out of 5]

A mix of dealing with grief, criticism of post-9/11 racism and warmongering, and patriotism.

A good post-trauma exercise with some great art.

[Frank Jarome · Rating 3 out of 5]

An attempt to “modern” Cap post 9/11, it mostly works. The narration is slightly overdone, but well-written. And the artwork is amazing. A quick, solid read

[Ana Rita Durão · Rating 3 out of 5]

Following the September 11th attacks, America faces a new threat – terrorism. After a climate of terror, the country needs someone who represents justice and shows the best it has. It needs Captain America, a hero who faces real world events, a hero who is a metaphor for the challenges of the American people.

Taking a realistic and sincere approach, John Ney Rieber conveys the thoughts of an American who witnessed, live, the fall of the towers. The whole book is simple, with many pages being the qualities of the Americans and the questions that Steve Rogers asks himself.

As important as this story has been, it is the subject of some controversy, many say that it takes courage to speak of such a striking theme and others find it too political. The difference of this comic book and the others can soon be seen in each of the covers.

"We have to be strong, stronger than we ever were. If we lose hope now, if we lose faith during these dark times, then nothing else will matter. And they will have won."

[Chris Browning · Rating 3 out of 5]

A hugely frustrating but noble failure - you can't accuse Rieber of not trying to tackle some big stuff in his Captain America/ 9/11 story but because he spends so long trying to weave ambiguity into the narrative, the story becomes kind of muddled and awkward. It's almost as if Rieber has some kind of tally system going on: conventional wisdom about the war against terror used once? Then apply something about how America is partly to blame in response. Moment of American patriotism? Then here's a dangling subplot about fundamentalism in all its forms. In it's admittedly noble attempt to cast the blame on no one, it feels kind of vague and lacking in focus. Maybe it's because it was written quickly after the New York attacks, but it kind of feels evasive and lost at times and for every genuinely impressive bit of plotting, there's almost inevitably a platitude coming to try and undercut it. The art is lovely though and has some impressively moving sequences that almost feel like a warmer, more melancholy Frank Quitely

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Captain America is a tricky character to pull-off. When he's in perfect boy scout mode, he's pretty boring. It's only when he's against some sort of existential force, do I find him more compelling.

So, Engleheart's run is fun and so is Ta-Nehisi Coates. I never really cared for Brubaker's take, even though it felt a bit relevant at the time (of the symbol of the American Dream in chain and later dead). Same goes with Nick Spencer's. There's also good but kind of forgettable run's like Stern, Waid and Remender that come to mind.

This arc, was post-9/11 and as such it's a bit jingoist "ra-ra". It's not near as blatant as say Frank Miller's woefully misguided misfire of "Holy Terror" but it is a nice more updated version of Captain America punching Hitler. Yet, this arc and the following started to question the government--so much so that he quit and Chuck Austen had to finish it up.

I'm not someone huge into nationalism (so I watch Cap with a suspicious eye) but this was a good take.

[Camilo Guerra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tome el libro por el amor al arte de Cassaday , que por cierto, acá esta sublime con un trabajo en composición de pagina, diseños soberbios, un cariño a cada viñeta, mostrando un Capitán América humano, cansado, y en otros momentos invencible y apolineo, mientras los fondos se acoplan detalladamente a la historia, con un mimo que se agradece de ver, Cassady con tiempo, es una maquina, pero mira tu, acá el escritor Ney Rieber, se marca una historia sencilla, cargada de política, odio, y miedo, oh, miedo por toda parte , de las muertes, del sinsentido de la guerra, y varias lineas que no se acostumbran ver mucho en las historias de superheroes, en donde el Capitan America sabe que es algo inocente, pero nunca ingenuo y sabe que no puede perder, solo seguir luchando. Gran, gran lectura.

[Your_Average_Magical_Girls_Fan · Rating 2 out of 5]

First half is interesting, gripping and well written, but all the questions concerning the legitimacy of US foreign policies and arms dealings are completely thrown away the moment Cap. insists, in what seems a reiteration of the "with us, against us" typical of the Bush Docrine, on the perception of terrorists as mad, demented people . So demented and mad that they were able to bypass all U.S. military might to achieve the destruction of the Twin Towers as well as to force the USA in an endless war in Afghanistan. Two and an half stars.

[Francisco Becerra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall a very good take of the Cap, and the beggining of his amazing current portrait. However, the story in itself is very uneven, having some very profound takes mixed with the usual campiness of previous Cap stories. The "villain" is as faceless as it could be, a very unsatisfying way of resolving the story.

[Gustavo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cons: Toda la cuestión del sueño americano me aburrió un poco, se supone que no debería ser pura propaganda pro Estados Unidos pero termina siéndolo.
Pros: Me gustó el arte, es bonito. Al menos es bastante corto.

[Variaciones Enrojo]

Tomo 14 del coleccionable Marvel de Salvat (14 según la numeración del dibujo del lomo, ¡al fin coinciden!).