These three issues of Iron Man are part of the "Crash & Burn" storyline, in which Tony Stark has to defend himself and Stark Enterprises against allegations of illegal behavior due to Stane International, which Stark absorbed as part of a bad deal with Justin Hammer (in issue #283). Over six issues, Tony faces a... Continue Reading →
Captain America: The Medusa Effect #1 (March 1994)
This oversized one-shot (64 pages!), written by Invaders scribe Roy Thomas, is a fairly routine wartime adventure that takes place in January 1943 and fleshes out the backstory of both Barons Zemo—and the complex woman behind them. Our story begins with Captain America and Bucky sneaking into an apartment and fighting Nazis they find there,... Continue Reading →
Captain America #424 (February 1994)
This is the last issue of Captain America before the game-changing "Fighting Chance" storyline begins, and it sees our hero reunite with Diamondback at long last... as well as one of her former Serpent Society colleagues, in a story that reminds me of classic Spider-Man tales in which a member of his rogues gallery is... Continue Reading →
Avengers #368-369, West Coast Avengers #101, X-Men #26, and Uncanny X-Men #307 (November-December 1993)
These five comics comprise the "Bloodties" storyline, a crossover event that commemorated the 30th anniversary of both the Avengers and the X-Men. The huge cast of this story necessarily minimizes Captain America's role (other than many impressive heroic poses), but a central theme of the Avengers aspect of the story deals with the obligations under... Continue Reading →
Captain America #421 and Nomad #19 (November 1993)
These two issues comprise a mini-crossover (that technically began in the last issues of both titles) that brings Captain America together once again with Jack Monroe, the Bucky of the 1950s who later took up Cap's former identity of Nomad, but went in a decidedly different direction with it. (Hint: the rifle.) Captain America #421... Continue Reading →
Captain Britain #15-27 (January-April 1977)
This post corrects an egregious oversight: specifically, the baker's dozen of issues of the weekly Marvel UK comic Captain Britain in which Captain America guest-starred in early 1977, which I seem to have skipped. It's a fun, fact-paced story that calls back to Cap's early adventures in Tales of Suspense, and I'm happy to bring... Continue Reading →
Avengers #364-367 and Sensational She-Hulk #55 (July-October 1993)
These four issues of Avengers continue Captain America's recent return to the team as a rank-and-file member rather than leader, although he has trouble avoiding that role entirely. (He's not even on any of the covers—only his shield is on the one you see here!) Although Cap's participation in these stories is not front-and-center, we... Continue Reading →
The Incredible Hulk #406 (June 1993)
This issue of The Incredible Hulk sees Captain America intervening in the case of his longtime friend and former sidekick, Rick Jones, who is suffering over the fate of his girlfriend Marlo Chandler, recently killed and then brought back to life but remains catatonic (for which no one could blame her). Eventually the big green... Continue Reading →
Captain America #416-417 and Mys-Tech Wars #4 (June-July 1993)
These two issues of Captain America wrap up the sprawling storyline begun in issue #411, which now finds Cap, Falcon, Diamondback, and Black Panther in the Savage Land in Antarctica, dealing with Ka-Zar and Zabu, multiple threats, and many narrative threads (which come together at the end). Plus, Cap makes a quick appearance in Mys-Tech... Continue Reading →
Invaders #1-4 (May-August 1993)
This miniseries marks the return of the Invaders in their first title since their ongoing series in the 1970s, and it picks up right where the first series left off in mid-1942. (Writer Roy Thomas was always very precise with his dates in his WWII-era comics, including both Invaders and his All-Star Squadron series at... Continue Reading →