Somewhere in the midst of distorted and unclear artwork, inexplicably tangential subplots about art and relationships and some hard-to-swallow machismo lies an interesting story about politics, public relations and war. Morales has a strong foundation for his core plot here, replete with real-world relevance. For some reason, though, a number of other factors are getting in the way of that story. There's still a lot of promise here, but for now, "Homeland" is more of an arduous read than an entertaining or thought-provoking one.
Steve Rogers spends some time with his new friend, Rebecca, at an art exhibit that focuses on a theme of super-heroes and power before travelling to Guantanamo Bay to participate in the treason trial of an Iranian-born historian. Upon his arrival at the military compound, Captain America discovers that his presence seems desired more as a symbol of intimidation rather than as a voice of reason. Surrounded by vengeful military personnel, Cap is relieved to encounter a U.S. senator whose left-wing tendencies and dedication to fairness are more in line with the hero's own philosophies about America.
I used to love Christ Bachalo's artwork. His illustrations in the firs Death limited series from DC/Vertigo boasts a simple yet magical tone that was practically hypnotic. As his style has evolved over the past few years, though, it's grown harsher, inkier and surprisingly difficult to make out at times, and that holds true here as well. He doesn't distinguish the various military men in the story from one another nearly well enough, and the exaggerated quality of the characters and artwork associated with the gallery exhibit at the beginning of the issue immediately robs the story of a more grounded quality that could have served it well.
Morales fails to establish exactly why Steve Rogers is interested in spending time with Rebecca. They seem to have little in common, and I get no sense of passion from the characters about their relationship.
Cap's anger at being used as a method of intimidating prisoners in the middle of a prayer session really taps into the American ideals that the character represents. I also love the left-wing emphasis on due process and respect for other cultures that the new senator character brings overtly to a setting that reacts so negatively to such views. Morales seems to want to really tell a story about America's war on terror, but he keeps pulling back from it.
