Ta-Nehisi Coates has signed on to write a new Captain America comic book series, with the first issue to be released on the Fourth of July this year. "Writing is about questions for me — not answers," Coates explains. "And Captain America, the embodiment of a kind of Lincolnesque optimism, poses a direct question for me: Why would anyone believe in The Dream?"
Captain America was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby in 1941, and the character has been portrayed in a number of recent Marvel films. "There has long been a complaint among black comic creators that they are restricted to black characters," notes Coates. "I don't know what it means to live in a world where people restrict what you write, and the reason I don't know is largely because of the sacrifices of all those who were forced to know before me."
Coates is the author of another Marvel series, too: Black Panther. He confirmed that he will "continue working in that world" even as he begins his new project. Artist Leinil Yu will work on Captain America's interior panels, while Alex Ross will do the covers.
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"I'm not convinced I can tell a great Captain America story — which is precisely why I want so bad to try," Coates said. Read his whole announcement at The Atlantic.
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