These three issues see Captain America return to the Savage Land in search of Sharon Carter, where he has a grand adventure against an old foe. Much of the swashbuckling action is missing below, but there are more enough interesting character moments—and a bit of old-fashioned romance—to keep us entertained in this extra-long post.
When we first see our hero in issue #28, he has enlisted the help of an old friend to test his shield, restored to its former glory in issue #22…
…and verily, I think it passed. Afterwards, Cap muses on the connection each feels to his best friend, with Thor blissfully unaware of what his future holds.
After the Odinson passes on an “ordinary drink,” Cap continues in his contemplative mood, asking about Thor’s duality and divinity (on which more here) before his old friend asks him what’s really bothering him…
…which he begins resolving for himself below, even if his appearance is not immediately welcomed.
The flowers and candy are a nice touch, but they don’t make up for being an unreliable date (for perfectly understandable reasons she is not yet aware of).
Counsel makes her demands, respondent asserts his intent to comply, and a third party enters negotiations…
…and he does not bode well for Steve Rogers’ private life (especially when he stumbles into the topic of Connie’s late brother, which threatens to bring up the issues raised earlier).
After Steve kisses Connie goodbye, Nick gives him an update on the other woman in his life. Steve becomes frantic with concern and excitement…
…so we can understand why he’s a little slow to pick up on what Nick means when he says he can’t do anything officially. (Maybe he was winking with his left eye.)
When Cap arrives in the Savage Land in the Antarctic, he finds himself overwhelmed by prehistoric creatures wearing clothes and carrying weapons…
…and when a young man comes to his aid, Cap thinks it’s Ka-Zar, but he’s only off by one generation.
In these last couple pages, you can clearly see the inks of legendary comics artist Joe Kubert, father of Andy and Adam, who helped out on the Savage Land part of this issue, invoking his work on Tor. (I think he also inked the Cap and Thor scene that began the issue.)
In issue #29, Cap and young Matthew continue to fight the creatures, whom the latter identifies as transformed humans before marveling at the former’s prowess with his shield.
After Matthew calls on pterodactyls to rescue them, he takes Cap to see Ka-Zar and Shanna, who seem to have aged as much as Cap would have had he not been frozen for decades.
Ka-Zar explains how a man named Stox came to the Savage Land and performed genetic experiments on the inhabitants, causing many to mutate (as we saw above) and others to merely age. He also mentions a woman whom Cap assumes is Sharon before he succumbs to old age, and Cap is powerless to save him.
Motivated by revenge and reunion, respectively, Matthew and Cap infiltrate Stox’s compound, and the younger man is once again impressed by the versatility of a simple metal disc (in the hands of an expert).
Cap does, however, caution Matthew on keeping a calm head, despite his obvious grief and anger.
When they find Stox—and Sharon, who strangely goes unmentioned for the time being—not only does the fiend know Cap, but the recognition is mutual.
It’s… not the High Evolutionary, Doctor Malus, or any of Cap’s usual enemies, but instead a B-list Avengers foe.
Nonetheless, Nefaria does pose a sufficient threat for our heroes, apparently having defeated and captured them before the beginning of issue #30:
“Oh hey, Sharon, didn’t see you there before.” Cap wastes no time in bringing up the circumstances of their parting in issue #19, and they take advantage of their captivity to discuss Sharon’s problems with what she sees as Cap’s control issues.
Cap implores Nefaria and his equally nefarious assistant to spare the creature on the table…
…and, failing that, kicks into gear once more with his shield.
Still held in another creature’s grasp, Cap manages to free himself from his cage and submit them both to Nefaria’s ray…
…which weakens the creature enough for Cap to break free.
Cap frees the other two captives before going after Nefaria, leaving Sharon with instructions to which she does not object (clearly seeing the difference between a battle situation and their personal lives).
Once again, Cap makes his shield is the star of this adventure…
…preventing Nefaria from getting to his craft while allowing Cap to spout some particularly cinematic lines.
Nefaria tries to pull a Silver Surfer before Cap catches him and yanks his Bluetooth earpiece away, which is every supervillain’s true weakness.
In his panic, Nefaria plummets into the cavern below, but before Cap can express too much remorse, Matthew swoops to the rescue, saying the words Cap loves to hear (as well as another swinging hero devoted to the legal system).
The epilogue to this adventure—including the true fate of Ka-Zar, Shanna, and Matthew—will have to wait for the next issue, but before we leave, let’s peek in on Connie (as Nick is currently doing) and see that she is picking up more about Steve Rogers than he might expect.
ISSUE DETAILS
Captain America (vol. 3) #28, April 2000: Dan Jurgens (writer), Andy Kubert (pencils), Dan Green and Joe Kubert (inks), Gregory Wright (colors), Todd Klein (letters). (More details at Marvel Database.)
Captain America (vol. 3) #29, May 2000: Dan Jurgens (writer), Brent Anderson (pencils), Dan Green (inks), Gregory Wright (colors), Todd Klein (letters). (More details at Marvel Database.)
Captain America (vol. 3) #30, June 2000: Dan Jurgens (writer), Andy Kubert (pencils), Dan Green (inks), Gregory Wright (colors), Todd Klein (letters). (More details at Marvel Database.)
Collected in: Captain America by Dan Jurgens Omnibus.
PREVIOUS ISSUES: Captain America #26-27 (February-March 2000)
ALSO THESE MONTHS: Avengers #27, Avengers Annual 2000, and Fantastic Four #28 (April 2000)
NEXT ISSUE: Captain America #31 (July 2000)
THE VIRTUES OF CAPTAIN AMERICA 
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