Comic Stack 06/10/15: GraphicAudio Review: The Death of Captain America by Larry Hama

I’m doing something a little different for my comic stacks this month since I’m “celebrating” Audiobook Month. At first I thought I would forgo my stacks for the month and just review audiobooks, but then I thought of something better! I have been wanting to try a GraphicAudio production, which describes itself as a movie in your head, for quite some time. Among books listed there include many comics and books such as Mistborn, Dante Valentine, and Cemetery Girl. All their books include a full multi-voice cast, music, and action sound sequences.

The Death of Captain America (novelization) by Larry Lama
Publisher: GraphicAudio (December 22, 2014)
Length: 6 hrs

I was impressed with the quality of the story that I decided listened to, which was the novelization of The Death of Captain America. I chose that book as a safety measure. This is my first venture into GraphicAudio, so I decided to go with content I was familiar with. I am very familiar with Marvel’s Civil War that led to the eventual death of Captain America. That is not a spoiler, so don’t get your underwear in a bunch. It’s right in the title, and it’s not some clever word play. Captain America’s death is not the denouement of this story. It’s a catalyst. His death plays a vital role in the emotions and decisions of those closest to him. It makes them face who they are and who they want to be in the wake of Captain America’s death. It shows their loyalty to one another even in precarious situations because something of the Captain lives in them all.

Before I get to the meat of the review, let me just make dying whale noises about Captain America while I emotionally spin in my chair.

What do you mean am I crying? I’m not crying. You’re crying. Leave me alone.

I read The Death of Captain America graphic novel, and I loved it. I enjoyed the audio narration of the events just as much. This audio presentation just filled out scenes for me, adding more depth to an emotionally tense moment. I especially loved Bucky Barnes (Winter Soldier), Sam Wilson (Falcon), and Sharon Carter’s (Agent 13) role in this story as they dealt in their own ways with the tragedy from dignified acceptance because that’s what Cap would’ve wanted to outright wanting revenge against the people who they blame for his death (Tony Stark) while trying to pull together as support. I wasn’t the biggest fan of the Civil War angle, but I credit it with being the story that made me love Captain America without question. He went from being more than just the penultimate good guy and really became a hero in my heart. I still get goosebumps when I think about his iconic stand where he says he’s not the will of the government but the will of the people.

His death during Civil War was monumental for me, even though I knew Marvel would never allow him to actually stay “dead.” This story still meant a lot to me and touched my heart, and this audiobook managed to capture so many of my feelings. The idea of Captain America in his final moments still trying to be that pinnacle of heroism while holding on to that empathy that still made him able to forgive even in his final moments. The fact that, even though he fought Tony, he never thought less of Tony or didn’t consider him a friend or someone he trusted beyond doubt. (Even though to it took me a long time to stop hating Tony Stark’s damn guts thanks to Civil War and again in Avengers vs X-Men)  I’m going to quote something from my review of Captain America: The Chosen by David Morrell, which sums up how I feel about Captain America:

But part of, maybe even a large part of, the traits that make Captain America who he is doesn’t have to do with physical conditioning, but his indomitable will and the virtues he holds close to his heart, and this was something he had even before he became Captain America. This is something that anyone can have and extends beyond beliefs, race, citizenship, etc. Captain America knew this and admired the people who didn’t have his conditioning, but performed their duties every day. He questioned if ordinary people could go out there and risk their lives to help others, what made him any different? What made him better? Just because he may be physically superior to them didn’t make him better. You don’t have be Captain America to embody the virtues of courage, honor, sacrifice, and loyalty. You can find these same “hero” traits in doctors, teachers, farmers, any average person in the world. Everyone has the potential to be a Captain America. It’s not always the strength of body that makes a hero.

And this is Captain America in his purest form, who he’s always been. Captain America has always did his very best to embody virtues that everyone has and encouraged these same virtues in others. He’s not perfect, but he believes in standing up for what’s right, even when it’s not what others may want. Scenes like this touched me to my core with and reminded me why I love Captain America so much:

This audiobook continued to solidify what made the character special for me. Even in death, Cap’s influence is everywhere, leaving behind a legacy that tries to remind his friends and family that they don’t have to stoop to the level of their enemies to make a change. There were lovely scenes where Cap’s friends would basically ask themselves and each other, “What would Captain America do?”

An example. Bucky finds himself in a bar brawl after a veteran said that Captain America didn’t deserve a service funeral, that he was a traitor that hated his government and disrespected the uniform. After Bucky vented his frustrations on the guy with his fists, Sam asked him if that’s what Cap would’ve wanted. Bucky admits that Captain America would’ve stood up to the man and told him that if we always listened to our government we’d still have slavery and women wouldn’t have any of the rights they’ve fought so hard for and continue to fight for and he would’ve walked away from the man because Captain America was a stand up guy who followed his own advice: “It wasn’t about blindly supporting your government. It was about knowing what your country could be, what it should be… and trying to lead it there through your example.”

This was a well produced piece of work. The voice actors were excellent. I’m sort of bad about having a hard time getting over voices if they don’t sound like their actors in their cartoons or movies.I didn’t have that problem here. Sin’s maniacal laughter was so great and just fit her personality perfectly, and Sam’s voice gave me flutters.  It was action packed and emotional. The only complaint I have, and this is a complaint I usually have for full productions like this, is that sometimes the music and action noises can make it hard to hear the dialogue. That’s only a little annoyance over the overall story. Another small little annoyance for me, which isn’t exactly this story’s fault, is that it doesn’t hold the same level of emotional impact it did when its graphic novel counterpart originally came out because, well, Captain America alive and well now. I’m listening to this book, and he’s alive and well now. Also, as with any comic, especially comics from one of the Big Two, there’s some corniness here that might make you roll your eyes, but it’s not prevalent. Caveat: I can’t recommend this story to those who aren’t familiar with Civil War (and I may do something crazy and start a Road to Civil War read through since the next Avengers movie will take elements from it). You’ll miss a lot  of context by trying to read this. Excellent work on this, though.

Story:  | Performance:   | Overall: 

https://soundcloud.com/graphicaudio/marvel-death-of-captain-america-sample