Captain America faces off against the Falcon as Mohannda burns in Captain America: Symbol of Truth #10. Tochi Onyebuchi, R.B. Silva, Jesus Aburtov and Joe Caramagna create an all-out brawl as the heroes scramble to catch up with their foes.
Captain America: Symbol of Truth #10 is an unashamedly fun superhero brawl as Falcon, infected with an unknown virus by the White Wolf, launches an assault on Captain America and Nomad. The action here is scorching, literally and figuratively, as the battle is set among the burning capital of Mohannda. Aburtov’s colors beautifully capture the carnage, while Silva’s blocking of the action makes all the punching dynamic. Silva and letterer Joe Caramagna do a great job balancing the action and dialogue on the page, and the way the word balloons shift placement within the panels as the fight progresses creates a little bit of visual tension that matches the fight. Silva utilizes various panel orientations and page layouts to depict the action of aerial combatants without losing the intimacy of the fight.
Onyebuchi’s decision to return to Ayanda, Tilda, and Bathabile on the ground further amplifies the scale of the conflict, highlighting the danger of the fight for everyone. It’s a classic move, but one that’s often forgotten. Adding to the thrill is Nomad, a hero that can’t fly, but finds himself fighting in the air anyway. Nomad is not as emotionally invested in the fight as Sam and Joaquín, and so presents some comedic relief that works well in the story.
If there’s one shortcoming, it’s that we still don’t have a real read on White Wolf’s motivations. While Onyebuchi has had other characters openly state that White Wolf intends to create an apartheid state, White Wolf hasn’t exactly come out and stated his intentions himself. In Onyebuchi’s Black Panther: Legends, Hunter suffered isolation due to apartheid in South Africa, so while it’s certainly reasonable that he’s become a monster from his past, that development hasn’t been fleshed out in a way that feels natural. This is especially true if one considers Hunter’s past appearances, where he often presents his brother T’Challa with a more violent, imperialist solution to any problem the Wakandan king faces. Whether White Wolf has actually become a pro-apartheid bigot or if there is something more to his actions, Captain America: Symbol of Truth is running out of room to flesh out this villain’s motivations before the Cold War crossover coming this spring.
That gripe aside, Captain America: Symbol of Truth #10 delivers on the action and helps raise the personal stakes for our heroes in an international conflict. Tochi Onyebuchi, R.B. Silva, Jesus Aburtov, and Joe Caramagna have created a thrilling book thus far, and it will be interesting to see how they continue when the story transitions into the Cold War crossover.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login