Captain America Vol 5

Okay, this is really only going to take 30 minutes.  It’s stupid late, and I have to get up early tomorrow.  

Doki Doki Literature Club

This is a video game, and the reason I’m up at this stupid, stupid hour.  It starts off as a traditional Japanese dating visual novel, but eventually becomes something far more sinister and eerie.  I knew some sort of twist was coming, but the game still went in a direction that surprised me.  Highly recommended; Free is a price that can’t be beat, and it won’t take more than five or so hours to play.

Regret buying? No

Would buy again? Yes

Would play again? No (I read about all the other endings, and it didn’t seem worth it)

Rating: Good

Captain America 31-42

The Death of Captain America, volumes 2 and 3.  I keep trying to nail down how I feel about this title.  I enjoy the experience while I’m reading it; I’m engaged and not looking ahead to see how much I have to read before it’s over.  And when it comes to give it a rating, I always say that I’d read it again.  But nothing sticks.  These are empty calories of comics.  Not unlike a number of the Marvel movies, some to think of it.  (Doctor Strange, Guardians 1 and 2)  

Let's think this through:

Bucky, Falcon, Sharon Carter, Black Widow, and the rest are mostly reacting to Red Skull’s machinations.  This isn’t anything new; a lot, if not a majority, of comics center around the heroes responding to the latest schemes of their foes.  But it’s magnified here.  I haven’t done a breakdown, but it seems like every issue involves the heroes uncovering the next step in Skull’s plans.  (It’s a complicated plan.)  So every issue shows the good guys struggling to keep up, only to discover that they’re still not any closer to the endgame.  

Ah.  Perhaps I’m suffering for storyline fatigue.  These 42 issues have essentially been one massive arc, with no end in sight.  I’m sick of the Red Skull at this point.  I’m definitely sick of Bucky calling Sharon “Steve’s girl.”  (At least three or four times so far.)  I’m sure Brubaker’s doing it intentionally (Natasha even calls him out on it) as an example of Bucky’s antiquated views on gender politics (the guy really hasn’t had a chance to acclimate himself to the changes of the past sixty years), but it doesn’t make it any less annoying.

Also not a fan of Sharon Carter’s role as mere pawn in all of this.  She’s had no agency for around twenty issues now, first under the mind control of Dr Faustus, then getting knocked out/captured about three times, having a miscarriage when she gets stabbed in the uterus (oh yeah, she got pregnant with Steve), and finally getting her mind erased to forget the existence of the pregnancy at all.  It’s a shameful way to treat such a strong character.

Regret buying? No

Would buy again? No

Would read again? Yes

Rating: Fine