This post and the next together bring the "Absolute Vision" storyline to a finish. Quick recap: As we saw in issue #233, Vision was knocked unconscious, only to be revived later by Starfox and ISAAC, the computer that runs his home planet of Titan. ISAAC's corrupting influence, combined with a malfunctioning "control crystal" implanted by... Continue Reading →
This issue serves as an epilogue to the "Death of the Red Skull" saga (as the subsequent trade paperback collection was titled) that began in issue #290 and ended in the last issue. In case you didn't read the last post, the Red Skull died in Captain America's arms after the hero refused to kill... Continue Reading →
These two issues comprise the penultimate episode in the Red Skull's most recent campaign against Captain America, which began in issue #290. The first issue is mostly the Red Skull recounting his origin story to Cap, whose reactions and responses are of more interest to us, and the battle itself starts in the second (culminating... Continue Reading →
This issue sees the Red Skull, Mother Superior, and Baron Zemo continue their psychological campaign against Captain America. Specifically, Cap finally faces off with Mother Superior—and, in the process, discovering who her father is—and Nomad comes to an astonishing realization (more than hinted at on the cover). You'll no doubt remember that, at the end... Continue Reading →
This issue reintroduces a character from way back when (and possibly earlier), about whom Nomad has doubts. I won't reveal now whether or not the character or any doubts about him contributed to Nomad's poor state of affairs on the issue's cover to your right, but our young friend does rub Captain America the wrong... Continue Reading →
In this post, we're looking at the entire 12-issue Secret Wars series, the first major line-wide crossover event in comics, which expanded significantly on the model of 1982's Contest of Champions and cast the mold for the subsequent annual crossover event comics at both Marvel and DC. (You can read more on the origin and... Continue Reading →
This issue follows up on the final panels of issue #290, when a strange bird surprised Captain America and Nomad; here, we learn the secret behind the bird as we are introduced to a new character who, for a short time, was poised to assume a prominent role in the Marvel Universe. Whether he does... Continue Reading →
This fill-in issue follows up on two previous stories, way back in Tales of Suspense #83 and Captain America #169, all wrapped up in a cover by John Byrne, which seems like an homage to Jack Kirby's cover to Tales of Suspense #76, albeit with the Tumbler—or a Tumbler—in place of his conceptual cousin, Batroc... Continue Reading →
This issue sets up the storyline which will take us through issue #300 (after a quick fill-in next issue), and deals mainly with the private lives of Steve Rogers and his friends. It introduces one character (Seen on the striking cover by John Byrne) who will become a very important figure in coming years, as... Continue Reading →
These three issues are as much (if not more) about Deathlok, cyborg super-soldier from a dystopian near-future, as they are about Captain America, so we can discuss them as a group. As the best writers do, J.M. DeMatteis finds the humanity inside this sci-fi tale of cyborgs and time travel, and connects the events to... Continue Reading →
THE VIRTUES OF CAPTAIN AMERICA 