Captain America Fights for The Stars, Stripes, and Suicide Prevention

Elizabeth Grunewald

The Pope of Chilitown
Oct 4, 2010
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Captain America Fights for The Stars, Stripes, and Suicide Prevention

Marvel stands up for suicide prevention in a recent digital comic featuring the Sentinel of Liberty.

Captain America: A Little Help is a digital comic from an unconventional author. Psychologist Tim Ursiny penned the tale, with pencils by Nick Dragotta (known for his work on the Age of the Sentry series). The issue raises awareness about suicide prevention, particularly about the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, an organization with crisis centers across the United States. Marvel requested permission from NSPL to use its logo in the comic, and NSPL director John Draper told the Associated Press it was a request, " which we happily granted."

The digital comic, which is available for free both here on Marvel's website [http://marvel.com/comic_books/issue/38864/captain_america_a_little_help_2011_1] and on their app, is twelve pages long and largely dialogue-free. The protagonist, a young boy, is about to step off the roof of his building when he's distracted by Bucky Barnes himself, wailing on some bad guys on a rooftop across the way.

The boy becomes involved in the altercation, and when all's said and done, gets a thumbs-up from the Sentinel of Liberty. The final frames of the comic show the young man reaching out for help, and prominently displays the toll-free number for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline [http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/].

Source: The L.A. Times [http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5ie_oJPFoFetHzXTUL1O2PS5lMiDQ?docId=2aa708bc2f3447c691e067c93490b92b]

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Samwise137

J. Jonah Jameson
Aug 3, 2010
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I wonder what my comic book club students will have to say about this. Cap is their favorite hero in the Marvel Cannon and I think they'd feel good about seeing him reach out to the world at large the way spiderman, hulk, and the fantastic four did with substance abuse a few years back.
 

Not G. Ivingname

New member
Nov 18, 2009
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Well, the problem with most PSA comics is that they are filled with horrible stories and diolgue, so the choice to shut everybody up and let the visuals tell the tale maybe a good bet.
 

Jumplion

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Mar 10, 2008
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Awww, that was a bit touching if a bit corny with Captain A' giving a thumbs up.

Better than most PSA-things out there, anyway.
 

Bon_Clay

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Aug 5, 2010
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If you want to tackle a serious or controversial issue, do it subtly by weaving it into the plot in a believable and well written way. Making a story clearly for the sake of just being a PSA seems cheesy and cheap to me. Sounds like its on the same literary level as "Captain America fights gingivitis".

But hey maybe I'm wrong, and if it helps anyone then that's a good thing.

Edit: Just read it, I agree its good they made it basically completely empty of dialogue, made it a lot less cheesy than it could have been.
 

HT_Black

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May 1, 2009
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It's a nice cause, to be sure, but...
*sniff* *sniff*...Why does it smell like PSA Hell?
 

WolfThomas

Man must have a code.
Dec 21, 2007
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Elizabeth Grunewald said:
The protagonist, a young boy, is about to step off the roof of his building when he's distracted by Steve Rogers himself, wailing on some bad guys on a rooftop across the way.
It's actually Bucky Barnes in this comic. He's the current Captain America. Good comic though.
 

Dectilon

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Sep 20, 2007
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I for one welcome this. People need to be told about suicide prevention and the terrible damage it's doing to america and the world ;(
 

Ghengis John

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Dec 16, 2007
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Ah it's a beautiful message. "Hey don't throw your life away, you can do good with it, it might have meaning and value to somebody else." Simple and true.
 

garfoldsomeoneelse

Charming, But Stupid
Mar 22, 2009
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ForgottenPr0digy said:
I'm glad its majority dialog free so we don't have to read bunch cringe worthy dialog about drugs and being a winner.
Reminds me of a Spiderman comic I read in BoysLife that railed against cannabis. Mysterio wasn't the real killer, GRASS WAS, IT ALMOST MADE A MOVIE STAR DIE.
 

wammnebu

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Sep 25, 2010
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Ghengis John said:
"Hey don't throw your life away, you can do good with it, it might have meaning and value to somebody else."
that value may only consist of their kidneys, but value nonetheless
 

AnnaIME

Empress of Baked Goods
Dec 15, 2009
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Link failed for me too. Is it one of these "you're from the wrong country" things?

Suicide prevention is important. The more shapes and styles it comes in, the better the chance that it reaches the individulas who need it.
 

Aurgelmir

WAAAAGH!
Nov 11, 2009
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Elizabeth Grunewald said:
Captain America Fights for The Stars, Stripes, and Suicide Prevention

Marvel stands up for suicide prevention in a recent digital comic featuring the Sentinel of Liberty.

Captain America: A Little Help is a digital comic from an unconventional author. Psychologist Tim Ursiny penned the tale, with pencils by Nick Dragotta (known for his work on the Age of the Sentry series). The issue raises awareness about suicide prevention, particularly about the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, an organization with crisis centers across the United States. Marvel requested permission from NSPL to use its logo in the comic, and NSPL director John Draper told the Associated Press it was a request, " which we happily granted."

The digital comic, which is available for free both here on Marvel's website [http://marvel.com/comic_books/issue/38864/captain_america_a_little_help_2011_1] and on their app, is twelve pages long and largely dialogue-free. The protagonist, a young boy, is about to step off the roof of his building when he's distracted by Steve Rogers himself, wailing on some bad guys on a rooftop across the way.

The boy becomes involved in the altercation, and when all's said and done, gets a thumbs-up from the Sentinel of Liberty. The final frames of the comic show the young man reaching out for help, and prominently displays the toll-free number for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline [http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/].

Source: The L.A. Times [http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5ie_oJPFoFetHzXTUL1O2PS5lMiDQ?docId=2aa708bc2f3447c691e067c93490b92b]

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Now I haven't read Captain America in a few Months, but last I checked Steve Rogers wasn't Cap, and that picture on the cover is not even Steves Captain America suit... It's Buckys...
So anything I missed?
 
Feb 13, 2008
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SODAssault said:
ForgottenPr0digy said:
I'm glad its majority dialog free so we don't have to read bunch cringe worthy dialog about drugs and being a winner.
Reminds me of a Spiderman comic I read in BoysLife that railed against cannabis. Mysterio wasn't the real killer, GRASS WAS, IT ALMOST MADE A MOVIE STAR DIE.
Or the Spiderman/Power Pack one against child abuse?

It's an "interesting" stance...but if it helps clear someone, then it'll be seen as a benefit.

But how could you tell?

I'd rather welcome in a lifestyle change where people aren't set up to be acutely aware of all the injustice of the world at once while piling up unneeded and unwanted presents for an invented holiday, but I guess that's just a pipe dream.

Sure would stop a number of those suicides though.
 

Rednog

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Nov 3, 2008
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SomethingAmazing said:
Aurgelmir said:
Now I haven't read Captain America in a few Months, but last I checked Steve Rogers wasn't Cap, and that picture on the cover is not even Steves Captain America suit... It's Buckys...
So anything I missed?
Hey Comic Book writers, ever consider just keeping the super hero alter egos to just one per hero?

Just saying...
Changing the person behind the mask allows writers to change the direction of a character. If you keep the same guy behind the mask you have years and years of what a character has done and it's hard to do something new and interesting with them. But with a different person you can have different motivations and different reactions to situations. Plus it allows them to kill off characters and instead of writing completely new superheros someone else can don the mantle of the dead hero and go about their merry way.