There’s something to be said for short stories. Usually, I’m more of a read-a-full-book kind of guy. But… I stumbled across a new-to-me author, Jess Walter, last year. I was blown away by his wry observations and clever situations. His latest book was a collection of short stories called The Angel Of Rome. Every short in this one was compelling and I’d highly recommend this author.

And with all that in mind, I was just exposed to another book of short stories: Captain America: The Shield of Sam Wilson. It’s edited by Jesse Holland, an impressive scholar/author who knows his way around the back issue boxes. Holland has an impressive knowledge of the comics mythology of Marvel comics (as opposed to the cinematic mythology). And he’s assembled (ahem) a solid group of writers, including Maurice Broaddus, Jesse J. Holland, Gar Anthony Haywood, Nicole Givens Kurtz, Kyoko M., Sheree Renee Thomas, Gary Phillips, Danian Jerry, Gloria J. Browne Marshall, Glenn Parris, Christopher Chambers, Alex Simmons to each provide a Sam Wilson adventure that is clearly set in the Marvel comics universe.

In the old days, comic fans would get frustrated and roll their eyes with prose adaptations of comic heroes. The authors would always get so much wrong. With this bunch, they get so much right. Most of these adventures feel like they were just ripped of the shelves from your local comic ship. Although the Sam Wilson: Captain America series by Nick Spencer and Daniel Acuña debuted about a decade ago, it still feels very fresh and provides a nice jumping-on point for many of these stories.

Other stories offer up deep cuts. For example, I had struggle to remember the details of Captain American and the Falcon #164 when one the characters from that issue appeared in one of these short story. What fun!

I received copy of this book in a unique way. I’m part of the group that runs ITHACON every year. This year the show will be held a little earlier than usual: on April 5th and 6th. It’s coming up soon and tickets are on sale here. In fact, ITHACON receives a lot of kind support from industry professionals and publishers. The copy of Captain America: The Shield of Sam Wilson that I read is published by Titan Books. They won’t be at the show per se, but they’ve passed along a ton of comics and books for ITHACON to give away (for free) treasures like books and comics from TITAN. We give them, in Swag Bags, to first couple of hundred people who pre-order their ITHACON tickets.

(So technically, one fan will get a gently pre-read book. Not the end of the world, right?)

I thought it was so much fun. My mind kept conjuring up Daniel Acuña artwork all the way through it, in fact.

Here’s some of TITAN’s marketing copy:

As a Black man in America, Sam Wilson knows he has to be twice as good to get half as much credit. He must be a paragon of virtue for a nation that has mixed feelings towards him. In these thirteen brand-new stories, the all-new Captain America must thwart an insurrectionist plot, travel back in time, foil a racist conspiracy, and save the world over and over again.

As the Falcon, Sam Wilson was the first African American supe- hero in mainstream comic books. Sam’s trials and tribulations reflect the struggles many Black Americans go through today, as Sam balances fighting supervillains and saving the world with the difficulties of being the first Black Captain America. This action-packed anthology inspired by the Marvel comic book universe, will see Sam team up with familiar friends like Steve Rogers, Redwing and Nomad, while fighting HYDRA, Sabretooth, Kingpin, and other infamous villains.

These are stories of death-defying courage, Black love and self-discovery. These are the stories of a super-hero learning what it means to be a symbol. These are the stories of Sam Wilson.

I’m thrilled by and grateful for the support from publishers like Titan Books. Come to show and maybe you’ll get a copy, or just order one from your local comic shop or bookstore.

CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE SHIELD OF SAM WILSON
ISBN: 978-1803363875
Edited by Jesse J. Holland
Hardback | 336 pages
Just went on sale January 14, 2025
SRP $27.99