The American Way

(WildStorm, 2006)
™ and ©2006 John Ridley

It’s 1961 and when super-villains threaten innocent people and aliens invade the Earth, the Civil Defense Corps is called out to save the day. Or so it appears. Heroes fighting villains and evil aliens tend to take people’s minds off the Bay of Pigs fiasco or the Russians getting an astronaut into space before the good ol’ U.S. of A. And that’s what the CDC does best—they give people hope and faith in the spirit of America and that the good guys will always win. Some heroes are real, some are the result of bioengineering and even technologically advanced costumes. They stop real bank robbers and help out in natural disasters, then go back to the old HQ and have a few brewskies with the “super villains.”

But what is a fella to do when one of the most beloved of America’s heroes, Old Glory, is tragically killed in front of millions of television watchers? It’s Wesley Catham’s first day on the job as marketing director for the Federal Disaster Assistance Administration and how the blazes is he gonna put a positive spin on this little real-life disaster?

— Ron Black

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