This two-parter by regular fill-in writer David Anthony Kraft reunites Captain America with Nick Fury and his Howlin' Commandos from World War II to face a common enemy they assumed was dead—and in the end, they lose one of their own. Issue #273 opens with Cap meeting old friends and making new ones, all the... Continue Reading →
Captain America #272 (August 1982)
This issue welcomes Sam Wilson, aka the Falcon, back into the book that for several years bore his name, in a story that features him and Captain America on separate adventures that test both heroes' resolve and composure in similar ways. We begin with our title hero riding in the rain through "the black heart... Continue Reading →
Captain America #271 (July 1982)
This issue—written by David Kraft, who wrote the Spider-Man team-up in issues #265-266, and featuring similar over-the-top dialogue and exposition—is situated in the world of professional wrestling, which turns out to be a passion of Bernie Rosenthal's but is completely alien to Steve Rogers. (Whether you're more like Bernie or Steve in this respect, you'll... Continue Reading →
Captain America #270 (June 1982)
In this issue, we learn the identity of the man we saw briefly in issue #268, who actually represents a milestone in Marvel Comics history, and has a fascinating connection to Captain America. Also, we see Bernie Rosenthal being a hero in her own right (and in her own way). We begin with Steve and... Continue Reading →
Captain America #269 (May 1982)
On the surface, this issue seems like an editorially-mandated lead-in to a series based on a toy line—which it most certainly is—but there is still plenty to talk about in terms of Captain America's ethics, thanks to masterful writing on the part of J.M. DeMatteis (complementing the beautiful line-work of Mike Zeck). We start our... Continue Reading →
Captain America #268 and Defenders #106-107 (April-May 1982)
This story in this issue of Captain America, which concludes in Defenders with an aftermath in the next issue, is one of two follow-ups to issue #264 (the other one being Avengers #218), all written by regular Captain America and Defenders scribe J.M. DeMatteis. In Captain America #268, after an introduction to the Defenders' part... Continue Reading →
Captain America #267 (March 1982)
This issue is one of my favorite from J.M. DeMatteis's several years as the writer of the title, in which he address Captain America's understanding of and relationship with the American dream. This story represents another epiphany for Cap, similar to Stan Lee's later stories (such as issue #122) and the end of Steve Englehart's... Continue Reading →
Captain America #266 (February 1982)
This issue wraps the team-up between Captain America, Spider-Man, and Nick Fury begun in the last issue, in which Cap continues to be overly dramatic, using some lines best saved for the Red Skull on Sultan, a would-be world destroyer-slash-dictator. Naturally, this issue begins with the cliffhanger left over from the last, in which Nick... Continue Reading →
Captain America #265 (January 1982)
This issue, the first installment of a two-part storyline, seems more like a Marvel Team-Up story: It features Spider-Man almost as much as Captain America, and even brings in Nick Fury for good measure. But for a straightforward superhero tale, this issue and the next contain plenty of commentary on Cap's ethics, even if some... Continue Reading →
Captain America #264 (December 1981)
This issue contains a fascinating done-in-one story*, based on a mystery that gradually builds, with an important message at its conclusion. Before we start: Lest the presence of the Falcon's name is the cover logo get his many fans excited, this is unfortunately a one-time thing. Also, the old-timey X-Men costumes will be explained! *... Continue Reading →