This issue strikes a solemn note, as Captain America gets reflective about the nature of war and is reminded of the circumstances of the “death” of his young partner Bucky Barnes, while at the same time conflicts deepen between him and his girlfriend Connie Ferrari regarding the legal services she provides to unsavory characters and malcontents.
We start off with an opening splash page set to the familiar tune of Cap wanting an occasional private moment.
He expands on these thoughts in the following double-page spread of him fighting AIM alongside his pals from SHIELD…
…which, with some judicious editing, can be read better below, where he makes clear he regrets the lack of downtime but never questions his duty.
Cap thinks about the SHIELD agents with him, finishing with Sharon Carter, who hits a sensitive spot with the casual use of a word very personal to him (commentary which is relevant to modern comics, with Civil War, Secret War, and even Robin War, as well as real-world “wars on” anything the government doesn’t like that day).
Cap reflects on the horrors of war, both to the combatants that suffer physical, emotional, and moral injuries, as well as the communities that are ravaged and devastated. (Does his face below remind anybody else of a Gil Kane drawing?) He concludes by remembering those who gave all to their country as he flashes back to a visit earlier that day as Steve Rogers to Arlington National Cemetery with Connie to visit what she thinks is her brothers’ grave…
…where Steve’s memories of World War II become even darker, focusing on the effects of war on the ground (as opposed to the loftier purposes considered in just war theory).
He is focusing on one brave young man who made the ultimate sacrifice (or so he believes) when Connie reminds him why they’re here.
Soon, Sharon Carter and Cameron Klein (from issue #32) show up to update Steve on AIM’s plans to clone another Protocide (the corrupted super-soldier that Cap presumes died at the end of the last issue). As they pull him away, Connie gets a call from her shady client Chet Madden (whom we met in issue #35), who needs her services once again, arousing Steve’s disapproval.
Connie reminds him of the importance of representation for all criminal defendants in the American legal system—but this doesn’t require her to represent him, which I assume is Steve’s objection, given that Madden is clearly and unashamedly involved in dirty business.
After a brief return to the present day, Cap thinks back to Arlington once again, where he sheds a tear when remembering that Bucky never had a proper burial…
…nor any of the honors we deserved as a soldier and hero, a thought which apparently drives his battle against the AIM sentries.
Interestingly, he acknowledges below that Bucky’s body was never found (wink wink).
Cap is silently confident of his abilities below, but he still deflects Sharon’s praise by focusing on the next part of the mission.
In case this strikes you as contrary to Cap’s customary humility, remember that this can be understood to be a social virtue, by which someone minimizes their exemplary qualities to avoid making others feel uncomfortable or inferior. This isn’t necessary in Cap’s mind, where an accurate assessment of his skills is entirely appropriate (and admirable).
After they fall through a melted floor, Cap and the Agents of SHIELD find themselves in the realm of Mephisto… but Cap isn’t buying it, having been trapped in an artificial environment too recently to fall for it again.
After Klein traps Cache in a box, Cap pays him the highest complement possible (calling back to issue #32) before being surprised by…
…the director of AIM in Mandroid armor, who takes our hero for a spin. Cap’s legendary perseverance allows him to push through the pain from an intense electrical charge…
…and disable his foe’s power source, even at risk of his own death.
Cap reaffirms his mission to prevent another Protocide, and as he unmasks the AIM director, someone else shows up in a chopper…
…and both aspects of Captain America’s converge at this issue comes to an end.
‘Nuff said! See you next issue…
ISSUE DETAILS
Captain America (vol. 3) #39, March 2001: Dan Jurgens (writer and pencils), Bob Layton (inks), Digital Chameleon (colors), Todd Klein (letters). (More details at Marvel Database.)
Collected in: Captain America by Dan Jurgens Omnibus.
PREVIOUS ISSUE: Captain America #38 (February 2001)
ALSO THIS MONTH: Avengers #38 (March 2001)
NEXT ISSUE: Captain America #40 (April 2001)
THE VIRTUES OF CAPTAIN AMERICA 
Some excellent commentary by Jurgens de-glorifying warfare. Reminds me of a quote from Star Trek (written by a WW II vet): “Death, destruction, disease, horror. That’s what war is all about. That’s what makes it a thing to be avoided!” Jurgens art is soothing on the eyeballs and his run had some interesting story beats even though it continued the slow march from “Cap, Superhero” to “Cap, Soldier” begun in Waid’s run.
At the time this issue was written, the observation that they never found Bucky’s body was, to me, a reference to the fact that Bucky was literally blown to smithereens- since he was lying right on top of that rocket when it blew up (just look at Kirby’s depiction in Avengers #4). So this was yet another commentary on the horrors of war- there was no body to recover, only bits and pieces that became fish food.
The idea that Bucky received no recognition seems a little illogical to me. He wasn’t the only person who died in WW II whose body wasn’t recovered. I’m sure they were recognized, just as Bucky would have been. Also, Jurgens inexplicably writes Bucky died “fighting the Red Skull”, but as any Cap fan knows it was Baron Zemo.
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