Customer Reviews

Captain America: Liberty's Torch

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Liberty's Torch is a militia group of the most violent stripe. They want to discredit the government of the United States, and finally overthrow it. What symbol could they strike at that most shows America? Why, Captain America of course! Through violent and evil trickery they capture Cap and put him on trial for treason. Now is the time for Captain America to stand alone and stand tall - America in the dock.

First, let me say that I liked this novel (very few illustrations). The authors take a very straightforward view of militia - the militiamen are strong and violent, and have rather limited intelligence. Their leader is a bigot and a cad, who made his fortune selling arms to the U.S. government. Yada yada yada. The action was excellently written, and very enjoyable to read. The trial scene dragged on, becoming quite boring, but was the whole reason for the book.

So, the super-hero part of the book was excellently written, while the political angle was a little overdone and dragged the story down somewhat. Overall, I am glad that I read this book, but I'm also glad that I checked it out from the public library rather than bought it. If you are a fan of Cap, then you really should read it.

Isabella and Ingersoll have shown the motivations for Cap in all his glory and given us another team-up with the Falcon to boot. Great characterization, wonderful secondary characters such as Colin Maxwell. They also give more than one side of the militia story, showing the disenfranchised and the truly dangerous. Last, but by no means least, a moving tribute to Mark Gruenwald, long-time writer of the Cap comic, who passed away recently. The best of the Marvel novels so far, just ahead of Christopher Golden's X-Men trilogy.

I found this book too top-heavy with sanctimony and political statements to be much of a read. Other authors' superheroes can fight for "truth, justice and the American way" without pushing the authors' own beliefs in one's face; unfortunately the high levels of pious preaching practiced in this book, together with the simplistic characterisation, made it very difficult to labour through to its end.

Isabella and Ingersoll do a fine job of portraying Captain America and the Falcon in this novel. The topic, American militias, is portrayed in a somewhat simplistic manner, but no less simplistic than you'd expect to find in the pages of a comic book. All in all, I enjoyed reading this title and would recommend it to any loyal fan of Cap or comics in general.

I enjoyed reading Captain America comics as a kid now I can relive the thrill in the novels. Captain America has always stood for the things that make this county great. He may be fictitious but the evil he fights is real in our world. This book can be enjoyed by everyone since it covers the origin of the Captain and his friendship with the Falcon. It's fun, easy reading and I would recommend it with the other Marvel novels in print. It's good for introducing young readers to Marvel character and for us comic lovers to be kids again.

If you're ever feeling for an easy, light read that is filled with action and suspense, this is the one. This book shows us that today, in a world ruled by corruption and hate, there still is someone great to look up to, Captain America. The way he is presented in the novel makes him look like a God. I would definaltely recommend this book to anyone looking for a fast-paced, new-aged fairytale.

I have to disagree with a lot of the people who say this book is bad.
To me it felt like a modern story told with a older Captain America (Tales of Suspense) style.

It's engaging and a quick read. Plus, the plot is straight forward and easy to follow.

This is one of those books that gives your brain a rest at the end of a long work day and it's still exciting.

I'd recommend it highly.

How difficult is it to write a book that paints militia members as whackos? Frankly, the viewpoint expressed by the ones in this book made WAY more sense than anything Cap said. His jingoistic love for America made Liberty's Torch seem rational by comparison. Would George Washington and Uncle Sam have to beat Captain America with red, white and blue baseball bats to quell his mad patriotic fervor?

Ever wonder what might have resulted, had Ed Wood written a superhero novel? Probably not, and that's not quite what you get here -- but there are similarities, as cardboard characters move lethargically through contrived circumstances, while the authors natter on ineffectually about philosophical and political issues. Isabella and Ingersoll may have their hearts more-or-less in the right places, but they're out of their depth here. They aren't much good with descriptive prose, and without the more dynamic comic-book medium to help them along, they came across as two guys who have spent WAY too much time sampling their own internal atmospheres.

And if they're so proud of their work, why aren't their names on the front cover?

Nice pictures by long-time Cap artist Mike Zeck, though.

Call me a traditionalist. But I feel it was wrong to write a Captain America novel which deals with such topics as what happened in Waco, Texas in 1993 or the bombing of the Federal Building in 1995. It's a bit too controversial for my tastes. I wish it could have been a more traditional story with Cap fighting the Red Skull or Zemo, or any of his long time arch-foes. I was also hopeing that Rachel Leighton (Diamondback) who was once in love with Steve Rogers in the comics, would make an apperance, but she never did. Maybe in future Cap novels, and I hope Mark Waid gets the chance to write one of them.