This post covers four out of the six issues of The Order, a miniseries focused on the original Defenders (Doctor Strange, Silver Surfer, Namor, and the Hulk) as well as other heroes associated with the team over the years. When the series begins, the Defenders Four have broken bad, claiming to be Earth's unwilling and resentful... Continue Reading →
Avengers #52-54 and Tigra #1 (May-July 2002)
These three issues of Avengers wrap up the Kang Dynasty storyline that began in issue #41. In issue #49, the Earth—and the Avengers, represented by the Wasp—surrendered to Kang, but the team has not finished fighting, especially after Captain America learned of the surrender at the end of issue #50. Also, we have two pages... Continue Reading →
Captain America: Dead Men Running #1-3 (March-May 2002)
One long month since his untimely passing—as previewed in that very comic—Captain America returns to the land of the living in the Dead Men Running miniseries. These three issues deal with a group of soldiers trapped with a bunch of children in the Colombian jungle on a mysterious mission, as narrated by Sergeant Solo, who... Continue Reading →
Alias #5 (March 2002)
The fifth issue of the groundbreaking series Alias, which introduced former superhero and current private investigator Jessica Jones to the Marvel Universe, involves Captain America in an oblique but interesting way. It also introduces writer Brian Michael Bendis' take on the character he will start writing as an Avenger starting in 2004, and highlights the... Continue Reading →
Captain America #50 (February 2002)
The final issue of volume 3 of Captain America may the first example we've covered here of something which by now has become a regular occurrence: the oversized anniversary issue, either based on issue number or calendar years, containing a number of shorter stories commemorating the title character(s). DC Comics had been doing this for... Continue Reading →
Avengers: The Ultron Imperative (November 2001)
This oversized one-shot takes place between Avengers #45 and 46, following from previous storylines involving Ultron and his "bride" Alkhema and raising contemporary issues about the value of artificial life. It is also a collaborative effort, involving different writers, pencilers, and inkers for each chapter of the story—just in case you find the art in... Continue Reading →
Thunderbolts #50-54 (May-September 2001)
These five issues of Thunderbolts see Captain America assume leadership of the Redeemers, the government-sanctioned successor to the Thunderbolts, after Hawkeye cuts a deal with the government in issue #50, surrendering to federal custody to guarantee the rest of the Thunderbolts immunity for their unlawful activities. It's a long story which also involves Jack Monroe, the... Continue Reading →
Captain America #37 (January 2001)
This issue is the first in a two-part conclusion to the story of Protocide, the victim of a botched incomplete Project Rebirth process that left him mentally unhinged, after which he was manipulated by his handlers into believing Captain America stole his legacy (as explained in the 2000 Annual). The issue opens with Cap reflecting... Continue Reading →
Captain America #28-30 (April-June 2000)
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... Continue Reading →
Avengers #19-20 and #0 (August-September 1999)
These issues launch the "Ultron Unlimited" story, which primarily shows Captain America in a leadership role while the emotional weight is placed on Hank Pym, Janet van Dyne, and other Avengers with a closer connection to the homicidal android. The #0 issue, packaged with Wizard Magazine #95, serves as a prelude: It's framed as a... Continue Reading →