Here’s a project that I eagerly backed on Kickstarter last year, as it was from writer Joe Glass, whose work I’ve previously enjoyed in his LGBTQ superhero series THE PRIDE. The book is now available for purchase to the wider public, so here is my review.

Captain America meets Homeland is this single issue comic which tells the story of an American superhero called U.S. Eagle. He works for the military and is on a covert mission in Afghanistan, where he was sent in to personally take out a terrorist training camp. But when he arrives he discovers that the camp is a lot more heavily fortified than intelligence reports had been lead to believe. But he also discovers that a major terrorist leader happens to be there, except he’s too protected for U.S. Eagle to get to him without backup.

Back in Washington D.C., U.S. Eagle’s military support team is monitoring the situation, including a U.S. Senator who is, apparently, in charge of the operation. Over U.S. Eagle and his team’s objections, the senator makes the decision to have the camp bombed, so that they can take out the terrorist leader, even though this will not only surely kill U.S. Eagle but also many innocents who are in a school that is nearby the camp. The Senator considers them all to be “acceptable losses” (get it?) and orders the strike.

Sometime later, back in America, the senator faces the public fallout from his actions, but the real trouble starts when he learns that the U.S. Eagle is not dead, as was thought. . .

I shall spoil no further, you should read the book to find out what happens next. It’s a blast!

It’s an intriguing story, with just the right mix of action, drama, and suspense. It’s also timely, as it raises questions about how far we should go in fighting terrorism, and what are the most effective ways to do so? Admittedly, the character of U.S. Eagle is a bit of a cipher, we don’t learn much about him, other than his real name and that he is “superhuman.” He’s basically just a Captain America analog, complete with a shield, but that’s fine, using analogs of better-known characters to tell an original story is a time-honored tradition in the comics industry. But for the purposes of this story, I think we get all that we really need to know, including a little twist about his background at the very end.

And what’s great is that this issue is one complete tale with an ending that hints at more possible adventures, if Glass intends to revisit the character, but also wraps things up satisfactorily so that the readers are not left hanging, if this is the end.

Danny Flores’ artwork (colored by Moose Baumann & lettered by Mike Stock) is serviceable. There is some room for improvement (looks like this was his first full comic, so he’s a newbie), which is the only thing that keeps me from giving this issue a perfect rating, but he gets the job done. So if you like your superhero stories mixed with a dose of political intrigue, check out Acceptable Losses!

Chacebook rating: FOUR STARS

AVAILABLE ON COMIXOLOGY