YOUNG AVENGERS PRESENTS - PATRIOT #1
Written by Ed Brubaker
Art by Paco Medina
I was really disappointed with this issue. I think I just built it up too much. Young Avengers, Ed Brubaker, Bucky and the Cap-like Patriot all in one issue? How awesome would that be? Well, turns out, not so much.
The book, itself, is not bad in the general sense of the word. This isn't something written by Daniel Way or anything, but Brubaker chose to go in a direction that I just can't understand. The entire issue was about racism and how a character, like Patriot, who is a victim of it can possibly be patriotic towards the country that discriminates against them.
Sounds good on paper, right? Well, the opening pages feature a classroom setting where Patriot is giving a speech on racism and black civil rights as an entire room full of hillbilly hicks make racist comments and mock his paper, tell him to go live in Iraq if he hates America and generally act like they came out of the early days of the black civil rights movements. The teacher is even sitting there with them listening to the paper and just laughs off the kids comments. I'm not from America, but I seriously hope this isn't the typical classroom environment. I see this in a comic and I can't honestly see how this is a realistic or even a characature of modern times.
Thankfully, that was only a brief scene in the book and I can actually forgive and forget that. However, the rest of the book consists of Patriot and Hawkeye seeking out Bucky. They catch up with him once, lose him and Patriot follows a tracking device they placed on his bike. Once he catches up to Bucky, they just have a chat about patriotism and what it means. I like how they discredit that Sally Floyd article with the America needing to find Cap line, but overall, nothing was gained from this issue.
A story typically wants to tell us something. It could advance a plot or develop a character, give them new incites or exploit a character flaw and so on. This story does nothing from start to finish. Patriot experiences racism, he goes home, he tracks down Bucky, The End. It was nice seeing these Young Avengers again, but I at least expect something to happen. The Runaways/YA Civil War mini wasn't great and probably not written as well as this is, but the story had a purpose and through character interactions, it felt like we got to know each character and their personalities better. This issue, while technically sound, goes no where and I don't feel like I gained anything by having read it.
Verdict - Check It. I'd seriously recommend flipping through it and seeing what you think first. I don't think it's so bad that you should never read this, but I don't wholeheartedly recommend this either. Of course, your mileage may vary.
The book, itself, is not bad in the general sense of the word. This isn't something written by Daniel Way or anything, but Brubaker chose to go in a direction that I just can't understand. The entire issue was about racism and how a character, like Patriot, who is a victim of it can possibly be patriotic towards the country that discriminates against them.
Sounds good on paper, right? Well, the opening pages feature a classroom setting where Patriot is giving a speech on racism and black civil rights as an entire room full of hillbilly hicks make racist comments and mock his paper, tell him to go live in Iraq if he hates America and generally act like they came out of the early days of the black civil rights movements. The teacher is even sitting there with them listening to the paper and just laughs off the kids comments. I'm not from America, but I seriously hope this isn't the typical classroom environment. I see this in a comic and I can't honestly see how this is a realistic or even a characature of modern times.
Thankfully, that was only a brief scene in the book and I can actually forgive and forget that. However, the rest of the book consists of Patriot and Hawkeye seeking out Bucky. They catch up with him once, lose him and Patriot follows a tracking device they placed on his bike. Once he catches up to Bucky, they just have a chat about patriotism and what it means. I like how they discredit that Sally Floyd article with the America needing to find Cap line, but overall, nothing was gained from this issue.
A story typically wants to tell us something. It could advance a plot or develop a character, give them new incites or exploit a character flaw and so on. This story does nothing from start to finish. Patriot experiences racism, he goes home, he tracks down Bucky, The End. It was nice seeing these Young Avengers again, but I at least expect something to happen. The Runaways/YA Civil War mini wasn't great and probably not written as well as this is, but the story had a purpose and through character interactions, it felt like we got to know each character and their personalities better. This issue, while technically sound, goes no where and I don't feel like I gained anything by having read it.
Verdict - Check It. I'd seriously recommend flipping through it and seeing what you think first. I don't think it's so bad that you should never read this, but I don't wholeheartedly recommend this either. Of course, your mileage may vary.
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