Captain America is getting a fresh start this July from the writer of Black Panther.
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Ta-Nehisi Coates will take over writing Captain America when the series relaunches with a new #1 issue. He’ll be joined by artist Leinil Yu. As part of the announcement, Coates penned an essay for The Atlantic about why he’s writing Captain America and why the idea still frightens him.
“Two years ago I began taking up the childhood dream of writing comics,” Coates writes. “To say it is more difficult than it looks is to commit oneself to criminal understatement. Writers don’t write comics so much as they draw them with words. Everything has to be shown, a fact I knew going into the work, but could not truly know until I had actually done it. For two years I’ve lived in the world of Wakanda, writing the title Black Panther. I’ll continue working in that world. This summer, I’m entering a new one—the world of Captain America.
“There’s a lot to unpack here. Those of you who’ve never read a Captain America comic book or seen him in the Marvel movies, would be forgiven for thinking of Captain America as an unblinking mascot for American nationalism. In fact the best thing about the story of Captain Americais the implicit irony. Captain America begins as Steve Rogers – a man with the heart of a god and the body of a wimp. The heart and body are bought into alignment through the Super Soldier Serum, which transforms Rogers into a peak human physical specimen. Dubbed Captain America, Rogers becomes the personification of his country’s egalitarian ideals -an anatomical Horatio Alger who through sheer grit and the wonders of science rises to become a national hero.”
Captain America can now be added to the growing number of Marvel titles being relaunched this summer as part of Marvel’s “Fresh Start.” Coates’ own Black Panther series is also getting a new first issue. Other previously announced relaunches include Avengers, Thor, The Immortal Hulk, and Venom, as well as brand new miniseries for Multiple Man and Cosmic Ghost Rider.
Appropriately enough, Captain America #1 goes on sale July 4th.
