Age of Revolutions: Fareed Zakaria

Fareed Zakaria is the star of the self-titled “GPS,” a long-running Sunday staple on CNN. He is also a Washington Post columnist and the author of several bestselling books, such as “Ten Lessons for a Post-Pandemic World” and “The Post-American World.”

His latest book, “Age of Revolutions: Progress and Backlash from 1600 to the Present,” compares the politics, culture, climate and energy of past revolutionary changes with the current atmosphere brewing on the 21st century American and world stages.

Zakaria spends most of his energy and pages looking back. We visit the changes that made the tiny nation of the Netherlands one of the most economically potent in the 17th century – as well as politically influential. The Dutch basically created a political system that most of the free world still emulates 500 years later.

We move to the French Revolution, which churned out changing political ideologies that were devoured one after another in the bloody societal cannibalism of a revolution run amok.

We jump-start the modern era with the Industrial Revolution, which led Britain to become the dominant world power followed by the United States.

Of the movements featured as past revolutions, they are marked by changes in technology, economy and identity. “Three forces … together almost always generate backlash that produces a new politics,” Zakaria writes.

We then slide into the modern world where these three factors are again at play. Zakaria brings his expected insight into what’s happening now with the brunt of what’s happened in the past.

Are we the latest age of revolution in an “Age of Revolutions”? The ingredients are there but we should heed the warnings that all revolutions are not equal and they do not all end well.

Captain America: Stand

Comic book issue numbers are confusing these days.

Once the start of a new writer or artist meant the continuity moved from issue to issue of a title. If the last work of a creative team occurred in issue #57 then the new creative team appeared in issue #58 – usually picking up the storyline from where it left off the previous issue.

Now, with almost every change in the creative team, the numbering of a character’s book starts all over again.

That’s why Captain America, a character that’s been around off and on since World War II – regularly on since the early 1960s – has another No. 1 issue. The same with current runs of the Hulk, Thor, the Avengers and the Fantastic Four – all have recently started the count anew with a new No. 1 issue in the Marvel comic book universe. In Marvel, a new creative team means a new direction but with all of a character’s history available despite the issues restarting at No. 1.

Which is why the Hulk and Captain America have had multiple No. 1 issues in the past several years.

It sounds more confusing than it is. Let the marketing of the renumbering do what it is supposed to do – see it as an opportunity to jump back on board with a monthly title of a favorite character. Or a chance to pick up the latest trade paperback collections of the first handful of issues.

“Captain America: Stand” is a great example.

Writer J. Michael Straczynski, artists Jesus Saiz and Lan Medina, colorist Espen Grundetjern create a powerful start to a new Cap run. A demon bent on removing icons of hope from the world has set its sights on killing Captain America. That’s the present. In the past, a pre-super soldier serum Steve Rogers defies American-based Nazis in the years leading up to World War II.

“Stand” collects the first six issues of the new “Captain America” title. Again, don’t worry about seeing No. 1 again on a comic book. Don’t think of it as a ploy to attract collectors. See it as the start of a new storyline. Take hold of the shield and enjoy.