Robert Morales and Kyle Baker kick it up several notches with issue #2 of The Truth.
What is this book about?
The development of the super-soldier program that created Captain America -- and how it was first tested on black soldiers.
I'm a huge fan of Captain America, and you'd think a re-working of his origin like this, or at least where the project comes from, might feel wrong. Retconning (that is, adding or changing events in the past that change comic book continuity) is tricky but the idea behind this story, especially if Captain America is made aware of it at some point, is fantastic and to me, a step forward.
(Say what you will about this being created by the "Marvel Hype Machine" -- the simple fact is, the topic does deserve "hype." I've heard people say this isn't as big or important as Origin. In my eyes, it's damn more important that Wolverine's origin.)
So far we've been introduced to several characters, from all walks of African-American life. In many ways, The Truth reminds me of a World War II version of the film Glory -- which was about the first black group of soldiers during the Civil War. In the film, there was a group of men gathered together -- from the educated to the uneducated, the honest to dishonest -- much like in The Truth. It was also well-known in Glory that these soldiers "would never fight" -- but that's all they longed to do.
However, Robert's vision is a bit darker than Hollywood's. Especially the final scene, which is what really made me sit up and take notice. This is different. Much different. And I'm glad. I don't foresee a fairy tale ending here.
It's still too early to pick out a favorite character, or villain -- there are many. It's still too early to really figure out where The Truth is going. But from this issue, I'm prepared to let Robert and Kyle take their time and tell their story.
