brevoortformspring:

I write articles for my local comic store. We were going to post an article on “Secret Empire”, but due to some genuine discomfort about certain aspects we made the decision to not post it this time. I think the premise and story are very interesting and just wanted to share the unused article with you. It’s clearly going to be an uphill battle for you guys, this time, but hopefully it will all be worth it. 

Who’s Afraid of the SECRET EMPIRE? – Chaos McKenzie

So there’s been a ton of controversy lately centered on Nick Spencer’s run of two corresponding Captain America titles. The controversy being the juxtaposition of a champion of liberty, transformed into a figure of fascism, flying in the face of what many feel the character stands for. I do not want to piss upon those fans feelings, I understand them, I get the rage, but like an avalanche begun by a tiny pebble knocked loose on a mountain summit that roles down, gathering steam, and becoming uncontrollable – I personally feel the controversy has lost any sense of control and the only real victim is the type of story that is going live long beyond the strife.  

So yes, Nick Spencer is not writing a story about Captain America fighting the tides of fascism, which are quickly becoming a dominant force in real world politics once again; Spencer is instead using Captain America to paint a very realistic portrayal of current social and political climates. People currently, especially in America, feel their country has been subverted, and depending on whom you ask the cause of that subversion differs greatly. But it is a fact that the Marvel Universe has always attempted to represent the real world within their fantastical reality, and it is a fact now that Nick Spencer’s story heavily reflects things happening in politics right now. I get that some people don’t want that. That things have gotten so bad in the world lately that we need our escapism more than ever, but I for one am extremely excited for the story to unfold fully. There is no doubt in anyone’s mind that Captain Americawon’t be back to safe and normal status by the end of Secret Empire, and in the meantime we get a sci-fi/fantasy/adventure story that parallels the fears of people in today’s climate. Plus I really feel Spencer has earned a lot of trust with his Image books Morning Glories and The Fix (new volume out now!!)

In the Sam Wilson title, we see the fight for American ideals that have been presented to us on television and in films for decades. An ideal that in today’s climate doesn’t seem as realistic or believable as it once was. Then in Steve Rogers’ title, we watch as those ideals are perverted and twisted in accordance to the whims of an evil cosmic power with the mood swings of a child. One needs to remember through all of this, that fascists see themselves as the right, the just, like any truly brilliant villain they do not see themselves as villains. Surely by the end, as Cap struggles through the everything that is pure anathema and contrary to his character, he will come out of it even stronger, more defined, and recast in the ideals that make him a legend. It’s all very tense and amazing stuff, but I get how, to many, it’s a hard sell. So let’s try looking at it from a different angle – the source material.

Nick Spencer’s exploration of Hydra, as a fascist organization that truly believes it is in the right, doing good, all finds its beginnings in Jonathon Hickman’s Secret Warriors run. This was Hickman’s first series at Marvel, originally publicized as a co-production with Brian Michael Bendis, but Hickman took it in so many different directions that it became a beast completely unique to him. Madam Hydra, Hive, the Kraken, and the philosophical groundwork for this version of Hydra all come from Hickman’s run. Secret Warriors is the underdog of Hickman’s Marvel work after the epic of Fantastic Four and the build up to Secret War. To anyone feeling dirty about the current status of Captain America, I highly recommend checking out Hickman’s Secret Warriors, to get a better sense of the waters Spencer is churning up for his turn at the big event wheel. And remember this is just one more hurdle in a life of Herculean struggles for Steve Rogers, who will no doubt be on the side of truth and justice again, before too long.

To review – there’s no doubt Cap will be back to normal, sooner rather than later, but in the meantime I feel that Secret Empire deserves a much closer look than its getting. Consider how rewarding it will be to see the cracks of fascism rise among the plots of a mind-wiped idealist, to eventually see the evil topple of its own hubris. Without a doubt, I think Secret Empire will be considered a classic once all the dust from the controversy settles, especially as a parallel to the terrors of Trump-ism. 

There are multiple volumes of Sam Wilson: Captain America, and the second volume of Captain American: Steve Rogers just came out. Secret Empire is just getting started, and is on the stands now. A new printing of Jonathon Hickman’s Secret Warriors was just collected and is still available.