Flags of Our Fathers

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Posted by Administrator (admin) on May 05 2010
Flags of Our Fathers >> Reviews

From SciFiPulse, written by Ian Cullen

I should note up front that Reginald Hudlin is a fantastic writer and I’d buy anything written by him. The quality of this issue not only reinforces my logic, but should inspire you to buy anything written by Hudlin.

Clearly inspired by “Flags of Our Fathers” by James Bradley with Ron Powers, this miniseries begins with an African-American solider narrating his experience in World War II and awesomely begins with him stating “I hate Nazis.” From this point, we learn that he was selected by Nick Fury to join the Howling Commandos because Fury had enough seniority in the military to pick anyone he wanted, regardless of their race. What makes this crucial to the story and further reinforces the respect I have for Hudlin is that he does not shy away from the issue of race. The narrator points out, while in a cargo plane flying over Africa, that he won’t be surprised if one of the white soldiers says something racist – someone does; it is also implied that there is little that he can do about it. The narrator also expresses surprise when Captain America sits down next to him for dinner. This is a valuable insight, because it shows that while the narrator is still aware of the racism the US Government allows to exist, he is still in awe of Captain America and the values he represents. And this is just a fraction of the story.

The main focus of the story is that the military is sending the Howling Commandos and Captain America to the African nation of Wakanda to find out why the Nazis want the nation. The US makes the same mistake that the Nazis make in that they assume that Wakanda is a “primitive” nation which can easily be taken over by an industrial nation. However, this mentality is quickly destroyed when Captain America lands and sees the decapitated heads of German soldiers on spikes. This also references Hudlin’s first run with the Black Panther when he establishes that no one invades Wakanda. Captain America quickly meets Black Panther and learns that Wakanda won’t submit to American ideology. In addition to Black Panther fighting Captain America to a stalemate, Black Panther makes two great statements.

After Captain America says “These are dangerous times. You need to choose a side.” The Black Panther states “We have. Our own.” As a fanboy, my response is to this is – Awesome. As a Graduate student, this is brilliant. So much of what’s written about World War II – regardless of its fiction or non-fiction – consistently ignores that many countries were in no way involved in World War II. It’s great to know that Wakanda is being presented as a nation that has decided to let other nations destroy themselves.

The other line that Black Panther gave that I loved was when he told Captain America that “in time, [he] will represent to [his] nation what the Black Panther represents to Wakanda.” I love discussions about national symbols. If you do to, check out Alex Ross’ Uncle Sam: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncle_Sam_(Vertigo)

Beyond Hudlin’s story telling, I can’t imagine this issue without Cowan’s art. Cowan doesn’t just provide normal superhero images, but instead depicts a world on edge – where everything is either in motion or ready to move; an edginess that should be present in any war story.

Overall, this was a great story and I look forward to how the miniseries develops.

Last changed: May 05 2010 at 8:02 PM