Op/Review - Captain America: A Little Help #1

Over the weekend, I was catching up with one of my favorite webcomics, Gutters, written by the awesome Ryan Sohmer and featuring some of the best artists, known and unknown, currently around. There, it was brought to my attention that Marvel had released an eleven page mini-comic, hoping to address the subject of suicide. I found this very intriguing and immediately went to check it out.


Thank you Marvel for completely dropping the ball on this one. You had a great opportunity to reach out to so many people who are struggling, and you proceeded to turn it into a comic about watching Captain America fight an army and a robot. I think it was Hydra. What was that? Is it because the guy, instead of jumping off the building like he originally intended, just barely survived in the aftermath, now he had the will to live? Is it because he touched Cap's sacred shield that he realized there's so much more to live for? Or was it because Captain America gave him a thumbs up? What was the point?


What kills me is the first few pages started out so strongly. It set up all the reasons this guy felt like he needed to end it all. I'm not saying he was right, I just understand where he was coming from. But then, the comic went to pieces. How do you take a subject as serious as taking one's own life and make it about someone else?


They could have fixed this. If they wanted to keep all that fighting in, then there should have been an additional page or two where Captain America talks to the guy, not just gives him a thumbs up from far away. It was pointed out to me that Captain America probably didn't know what the guy was planning, hence only the thumbs up, but considering the guy was stuck on a tiny platform on the remaining part of a roof, surrounded by destruction, couldn't he have been talked to while being rescued by Captain America? See how simple that is? (Seriously, how did the guy get back to his apartment?)


I've been upset with you before, Marvel, but this one is personal and you screwed up. Big Time. I don't know how you can fix it, but I want it fixed. If there is more to the exploration of this topic and the comic, please let me know, because I don't want to be this angry at you, and I'd really like to think you would handle this subject better. 


Captain America: A Little Help #1 was written by Ursiny Dragotta and drawn by Nick Dragotta. You can see the comic here. Take a look and let us know your thoughts on it.

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