This issue is centered around the downward trend in Hank Pym's life, but also contains some interesting moments for Captain America, as well as two significant changes for Janet van Dyne, aka the Wasp. (Normally I wouldn't have dedicated an entire post to this issue, but it fell between two more significant ones, so I... Continue Reading →
Avengers #215-216 (January-February 1982)
These two issues comprise a two-part tale highlighting Tigra and featuring the Silver Surfer, who helps the Avengers battle Owen Reece, a.k.a. the Molecule Man, a classic Fantastic Four villain with near-infinite power over matter (although we only see hints of it here). This is an... odd story, to say the least, but it does... Continue Reading →
Avengers #214 (December 1981)
This issue serves as the epilogue to the previous one, which included not only the court-martial of Hank Pym (Yellowjacket) for a potentially deadly mistake in the field, but also the scene of Pym striking his wife, Janet van Dyne (the Wasp). Here, we see the aftermath through the eyes of not only Janet and... Continue Reading →
Avengers #213 (November 1981)
This is a pivotal issue in the lives of Hank Pym and Janet van Dyne, changing how both characters and their relationship were seen from this point on. It also contains some significant reflection on the part of Captain America and other members of the Avengers, and puts Cap in the unique situation of holding... Continue Reading →
Avengers #212 (October 1981)
Not only does this issue feature the first adventure of the new line-up of the Avengers introduced in the last issue, but it also launches a long arc dealing with Hank Pym's breakdown—not his first, but the most eventful, for his own legacy and also for his wife, Janet van Dyne (the Wasp), and the... Continue Reading →
Avengers #210-211 and Defenders #98 (August-September 1981)
These two issues of Avengers see Captain America taking charge of the team and very forcefully at that, with questionable reason to do so. At the end, we have new line-up for the team; before that, though, the Avengers appear in Defenders, where Cap is more than happy to defer to a team better suited... Continue Reading →
Avengers #207-208, Marvel Two-in-One #75, and Fantastic Four #230 (May-June 1981)
These four issues, like those in the last Avengers post, have minimal ethically-relevant Captain America content, and I will not include as much story context as I often do, but they all contain something of interest for the discerning reader (by which I mean you). In Avengers #207, the mysterious Shadow Lord has raised a... Continue Reading →
Avengers #204-206, Incredible Hulk #258, and Dazzler #1-2 (February-April 1981)
These six issues contain minimal Captain American content for our purposes, so I'm bundling them all together for your convenience—and value! As I do in these cases, there will be less story synopsis than stories in which Cap is the focus, though I encourage you to seek out the full stories in the links at... Continue Reading →
Avengers #201-203 and Marvel Two-in-One #69 (November 1980-January 1981)
These issues see a return to normalcy after the controversial Avengers #200, if by "normalcy" you mean the return of Ultron—not to be defeated, unfortunately, by Jarvis, seen above in one of my favorite Avengers covers. (The cover refers more to the solo Jarvis back-up story, from which we'll see only one panel here). Plus,... Continue Reading →
Captain America #251 (November 1980)
This issue and the next are a return to traditional superheroics after the presidential diversion of the last issue as two classic villains—at least one of them beloved on this blog—team up to face Captain America, who continues to adjust to his new life as Steve Rogers, freelance artist, with new friends and neighbors in... Continue Reading →