Captain America Symbol of Truth #3

[Cable]

CAPTAIN AMERICA AND DEADPOOL AGAINST DR DOOM IN THE BATTLE OF THE CENTURY!

Full Spoilers:

Spoiler: show

Dr. Doom has captured Deadpool and Captain America Sam Wilson. Cap explains that they are on the trail of vibranium smugglers and Doom says the only thing being smuggled in was humanitarian supplies that have been blocked by US sanctions. Wilson says he will make sure the supplies come to Latveria and Doom lets him go but says Deadpool is staying. Doom also says to warn the American government that the next illegal incursion will be met with a response. Sam Wilson meets up with Senator Mansfeld and the latter proposes a covert mission into Wakanda to get to the bottom of this. Wilson does not want to sneak in like a spy and calls for a direct line of communication to be made. First though he travels to Sing Sing prison in New York where he was once a social worker. He speaks to someone named Cam, a former friend who is now a prisoner, to see if he has heard of anything through white supremacist networks about smuggling vibranium. Cam says there is a lot of buzz about the Wakanda Forever movement that seeks to have African-Americans gain citizenship in Wakanda. A couple weeks ago however something happened that caused all the Neo-Nazis to shut up about it and let the activists do their work. Now we cut to Falcon, who has taken his cousin Luisa to an old SHIELD safehouse. She can't tell him anything about where the secret lab was but says they were gassed on the bus. Joaquin gives her a device that can buzz Redwing for help. He then sets off for Mexico to figure out what is happening to the immigrants. Cut back to Cap and he is speaking to Shuri and Prime Minister Folasade. He explains the attacks in the US and how they are part of a smuggling operation that has its source in Wakanda. He wants a joint operation to uncover and defeat this network. The Wakandans flatly refuse and say no incursions into Wakanda will be tolerated. Now needing a new plan, Sam Wilson goes to get an application for citizenship in Wakanda. He is unaware that White Wolf is watching from above as the villain's plan comes together. Meanwhile in Mexico the Falcon spots a bus where the driver has a gas mask. It heads for an area covered by an invisibility shield, explaining how Luisa had no idea where they were. Unfortunately Joaquin can't act on this as he is zapped out of the sky by Crossbones and his men. In the final scene we see Luisa has smuggled out a small piece of vibranium from the hoard that White Wolf has in the hidden facility.

Actually Dr. Doom just lets Cap go. Apologies if I overhyped that for you. Also das_boot made a post in another thread about the X-Men being dicks to Deadpool and here Sam Wilson comes to him for information, gets important details, and then totally just leaves him hanging in the clutches of a mad dictator. I don't know what he could have done to get Deadpool out but perhaps he could have put in more than zero effort...

This book is getting a bit more political. There is various levels of textual criticism you could probably approach this from if that is your sort of thing. I personally really enjoy the geopolitics at play. The political crisis going on in the Black Panther book is featured here as it has in a few titles now and I always appreciate when the editors keep that cohesiveness across the line. I also have enjoyed watching White Wolf's plot come together (even if him looming around conveniently all the time is a bit silly) because I have not been able to guess the steps ahead of time. That is key to a villain's credibility as a threat. And key to a writing a good story; I don't know where this is going to end up and I want to see the next moves. And the quality art by Silva and Carlos isn't a bad incentive either.