Although these two comics were published in the middle of the Onslaught Saga, both take place slightly earlier—although the cover of Marvel Fanfare, which hypes the story as Captain America and the Falcon’s “final adventure”, does not bode well for the conclusion of that massive crossover storyline! Note also the George Pérez cover to the Spider-Man Team-Up issue (see it in its full resolution here), which he wrote as well.
The first time we see either of our heroes in Marvel Fanfare #1, it’s Sam telling HR that he’s changing careers, transitioning from the superhero business to a role closer to home (perhaps a social worker or community activist).
(Dugan apparently wanted information on Cap’s recent dust-up with the Red Skull that ended in Captain America #448, but Sam was not involved with that.)
Dugan issues an ultimatum—even though Sam doesn’t actually work for SHIELD—but Sam assures him that his mission hasn’t changed, but only the way he will serve it.
However, when Deathlok, whom SHIELD had found and taken into custody for tests, bursts into the room, Sam has no choice but to put on the wings one more time.
Deathlok eventually escapes, but for now we shift to Cap, who is enjoying his favorite pastime in Avengers Mansion while thinking over his recent adventures (up to Captain America #453) since almost dying from his deteriorating super-soldier serum in Captain America #443.
But the time for reflection ends suddenly when a strange figure appears in front of him: Justice Peace, an agent of the Time Variance Authority introduced in Thor #371, whom Captain America had not met before. (I don’t know what “previous cooperation” with the TVA Justice Peace is talking about—of course, given the nature of the TVA, it may not have happened yet!)
Peace lets Cap know he’s after Deathlok, and will kill him if he has to, which Cap obviously commits to preventing.
Apparently Justice Peace was originally intended to be a parody of Judge Dredd, but his appearance here is much closer to Peacemaker (which is actually the name of his gun).
Dugan tries to convince Sam to take someone with him in pursuit of Deathlok, by which Sam assumes he means some of the SHIELD agents Deathlok just easily dispensed with. But a better idea presents himself…
…and he makes clear he doesn’t consider Deathlok to be an enemy, even though Sam objects based on what he just witnessed.
It’s odd that here, Cap wants to make an exception for Deathlok’s “different means” to the same end, when that’s his exact objection to some of his more extreme colleagues in the fight for justice. (And I assume he referring to Captain America #286-288 when he mentions Deathlok’s past heroism.)
Our heroes soon find Deathlok, and we see the return of the vertical shield toss, which I hoped was a thing of the past…
…but apparently not. Deathlok tries to flee, but Sam’s not having it.
Both above and below, Cap urges Sam to take it easy and give Deathlok an opportunity to come to his senses… to no avail.
Sam nobly chooses to save people rather than gloat…
…while Cap refuses to give up on his one-time colleague, who enlists him in his fight, at least as long as people’s lives remain in danger.
Cap suspects he’s being manipulated again, but he still does what he must.
Soon Cap finds Deathlok attacking a man, without knowing that, just before he arrived, the man killed himself with a cyanide capsule in his molar rather than tell Deathlok what he demanded to know. Nonetheless, Cap still reaches out, which Deathlok refuses, only to meet the fantastic feet of the Falcon.
Sam affirms the identity he was about to resign just a few pages ago before Deathlok finally explains the nature of his mission.
But Deathlok goes too far when he proclaims his “different means,” which (finally) crosses the line for Cap, who needs yet more information.
Cap tries to make that line clear to Deathlok, who seems to agree—when Justice Peace reveals he’s the master of bad timing (which is funny for a “time cop”).
Thanks to Peace, Cap finally gets the answer he was looking for… and is able to offer a soft reassurance that the threat Deathlok is fighting is no longer a concern (since Captain America #448).
(He can’t truly believe that, but perhaps he’s playing at optimism simply to stop Deathlok’s dangerous spree.)
All’s well that ends well? Not so fast, because Justice Peace wants to tie up a loose end, and this time it’s Sam who comes to Deathlok’s defense, backed up by Cap…
…and it works. (Justice Peace proves more reasonable than he looks!)
Captain America and the Falcon strike a dramatic pose for… somebody, I guess… while the former expresses relief that Deathlok’s mission succeeded and the latter affirms that the fight is never over, whether in costume or not.
And it’s definitely not, as both heroes soon get wrapped up in the Onslaught Saga, which ends next month in a way that changes both their lives equally dramatically.
But before we leave, Cap is also involved with the Avengers in a curious little story in Spider-Man Team-Up #4, starring Ben Reilly as the wallcrawler, thanks to yet another Saga. But there is another Spider-Man about, a mysterious imposter attacking people and causing them to age rapidly. When Cap, Giant-Man, and Thor confront him, Cap lectures him on military science, to which the fake Spidey is authentically flip.
At the same time, Henry Gyrich is questioning the Avengers about their former colleague Spider-Man who has apparently gone rogue, and even manages to impugn the reputation of Captain America. As Black Widow rises to the defense of her teammate, the Wasp appears on video with news about the good Captain, who has been captured and aged by the fake Spidey.
Later, Reilly experiences the memories of the fake Spidey, who is actually—as revealed later in the issue—to be Kang’s Spider-Man robot that the Avengers fought waaaay back in Avengers #11, who has since acquired the power to drain chronal energy (something that I’m sure Justice Peace would like to know about). Apparently, the robot also thinks it saw Cap throw the shield vertically… but more important, this gives us a chance to see how Ben regards Captain America (something we’ve seen many times from Peter Parker).
After the remaining heroes save the day (no spoilers), the captured Avengers express relief that they are back to normal—well, at least Cap does, while Thor is happy to be young again even if not quite a god (following the events of Thor #495), and Wasp grieves for her lost human form (as of Avengers #394).
ISSUE DETAILS
Marvel Fanfare (vol. 2) #1, September 1996: Jaimie Campos (writer), Robert Brown, Bruce Jones, and Scott Kolins (pencils), Scott Kolins, Mike Witherby, and Justin Bloomer (inks), Joe Andreani (colors), Michael Higgins (letters). (More details at Marvel Database.)
Not yet collected.
Spider-Man Team-Up #4, September 1996: George Pérez (writer), Steve Geiger, Darick Robertson, Dan Jurgens, and Brandon McKinney (pencils), Chris Ivy, Andrew Pepoy, and Tom Palmer (inks), Tom Smith (colors), Bill Oakley (letters). (More details at Marvel Database.)
Collected in: Spider-Man: The Complete Ben Reilly Epic, Volume 5 and Spider-Man: Ben Reilly Omnibus Volume 2.
ALSO THIS MONTH: Avengers #402, The Incredible Hulk #445, and X-Men #56 (September 1996)
THE VIRTUES OF CAPTAIN AMERICA 
Leave a comment