Four for the Fourth: A Short List of Patriot-Loving Comics

Summer is the season when Americans cram into movie theaters by the hundreds in order to watch costumed heroes beat the crap out of costumed villains. Unfortunately, the superhero fare this season is pretty weak, but Broham’s go you covered. In celebration of Independence Day, here are four freedom-loving comics for you to check out. Or not. Whatever. It’s a free country!

Captain America

Cap’s age isn’t the only thing frozen in time; so is his image. Non-fans might not understand how awesome Steve Rogers is due to his cornball codename and Ken Doll good looks. Cap can get pigeonholed as a flag-waving bimbo. However, Captain America stands for what America is supposed to be, not what America sometimes is. He’s not afraid to hang up the tights over the occasional split on domestic or foreign policy and not above stepping back to reassess his own competence in repping freedom correctly. Plus, you know…HE KNOCKED OUT HITLER.

Buy:  Captain America Omnibus

Watchmen

In the middle of all the “LOOK, A SUPERHERO COMIC FOR ADULTS!” hype surrounding Alan Moore’s masterpiece we often forget that it’s also a tale of personal choice, responsibility, and the right to walk around with a big naked blue penis flopping around—if that’s your bag.

Buy: Watchmen

Nat Turner

Lack of freedom for most of us means marriage, children, or maybe a DUI. And thank goodness. Not Nat Turner: slave rebel and freedom fighter. Nearly as incredible as Turner’s youth and eventual role as leader of a slave revolt is this graphic depiction by Kyle Baker, easily the best biographical comics work in recent memory.

NYMag preview of Kyle Baker’s Nat Turner: http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2008/07/comics_nat.html

Buy: Nat Turner

Transmetropolitan

Thomas Jefferson said, “Our liberty cannot be guarded but by the freedom of the press.” The rest of the quote, recently discovered, says, “…and maybe also a hairless, middle-aged, drug-devouring smokestack of a journalist who the president is trying to kill for telling the truth.” This book is not for the squeamish, but hey, neither is true freedom.

Buy: Transmetropolitan Vol. 1 (though it doesn’t really take flight until Vol. 3)