When it comes to Nick Spencer’s work we’re all currently focused on Secret Empire. With good reason too! The story’s proved as brilliant as it is important. But in the wake of the June 16th verdict acquitting Office Jeronimo Yanez of the murder of Philando Castile, I think we need to return to Spencer’s final arc in Sam Wilson: Captain America before Secret Empire began. In Sam Wilson: Captain America #17-21, Cap finds himself facing America’s oldest systemic sin – institutionalized racism. The story is uncomfortable to read but when we look at the news with open eyes it makes us uncomfortable too. The idea that we’ve somehow beaten racism in this country or that it’s not a major problem anymore or that we need to “get over it and move on” is an effect of this sin. In having Captain America confront it, Nick Spencer proves once again why he’s one of my favorite comic writers. Who better than Captain America to wrestle with this country’s systemic sins and raise important questions about our future? Continue reading
My Comic Relief 