June 21 - 27, 2021

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Support local business and buy “The United States of Captain America” from your local independent comic store Alleycat Comics, 5304 N. Clark St. Alternate Reality, Inc., 3149 W. 111th St. Atlas Comics, 5251 N. Harlem Ave. Challengers Comics, 1845 N. Western Ave. Chicago Comics, 3244 N. Clark St. Comix Revolution, 606 Davis St., Evanston Dark Tower Comics, 4835 N. Western Ave. First Aid Comics, 1617 E. 55th St. G-Mart Comics, 2641 N. Kedzie Ave. Graham Crackers Comics (3 locations), 77 E. Madison St., 5028 N. Clark St, 3162 N. Broadway Maximum Distractions, 4405 N. Milwaukee Ave. One Stop Comics, 111 S. Ridgeland Ave., Oak Park Record Dugout Comics, 6055 W. 63rd St. Third Coast Comics, 6443 N. Sheridan Rd. Zombie Unicorn Comics, 3417 W. Peterson Ave.

Trujillo wanted to make sure that Fischer resonated with the queer community and that he faced the adversity that reallife queer people face. He and Bazaldua decided to make the character unhoused, because of the alarming number of gay youth facing homelessness. According to non-profit True Colors United, it is estimated that about 7 percent of youth in the United States are LGBTQ, while 40 percent of youth experiencing homelessness are LGBTQ. True Colors United also says that LGBTQ youth are 120 percent more likely to experience homelessness. "The housing crisis is something I’m confronted with every day in Los Angeles, and queer youth are among the most vulnerable. Only by drawing more attention to this can we hope to make a difference, and help the unhoused in our communities," Trujillo told Out Magazine. Bazaldua was tasked with designing the character. “I want to thank Editor Alanna Smith and Joshua Trujillo very much for asking me to create Aaron,” she said in a press release. “I really enjoyed designing him, and as a transgender person, I am happy to be able to present an openly gay person who admires Captain America and fights against evil to help those who are almost invisible to society. While I was drawing him, I thought, well, ‘Cap fights against super-powerful beings and saves the world almost always, but Aaron helps those who walk alone in the street with problems that they face every day.’ I hope people like the end result!” Bazaldua came out as a trans woman on her Twitter account in May 2020, further displaying Marvel Comics’s commitment to diversity with their creative staff as well. It is 2021, so it is inevitable that the character has already faced criticism before he has even debuted, mostly by conservative media outlets. Most notably, Newsmax host Grant

Stinchfield went on a tirade mocking the character live on air, with his co-host Grace Curley calling for a conservative superhero. With all of the positive changes, it isn't worthwhile to dwell on closedminded criticisms. Trujillo wants to make sure that readers understand his character is not replacing the original Captain America, Steve Rogers. “Captain America has a lot to carry on his shoulders. He's a projection of our nation's hopes and strengths, but he's also a living symbol of American history. There's a lot of pain in that history, and that's something a character called 'Captain America' always has to reckon with. Steve Rogers is the best of us. He leads with his heart, and he never gives up. But he's still human. He fails at times; he can lose sight of what he's fighting for, or become disillusioned. Underneath the powers and the costumes, he's just a fearless kid who desperately wants to do the right thing. Those are qualities that make him, and the other Captains America, so compelling to me as a fan, and as a writer,” he said to Newsarama.com. “Aaron is not the new Captain America, rather one of several new heroes inspired by Cap,” he continued. “You're going to meet him very early in his heroic journey. But you'll have to read the mini-series to find out what happens next.” “The United States of Captain America #1” is available everywhere comics are sold on June 30. by Dave Hamilton, from prepared materials

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June 21 - 27, 2021 by StreetWise_CHI - Issuu