This issue wraps up the three-part story begun in issue #261, which finds Captain America in Los Angeles to investigate a new Nomad, only to find himself battling a terrorist group called the Nihilist Order and his old foe the Ameridroid (who killed Nomad in the last issue), all under the control of a mysterious... Continue Reading →
Captain America Annual #5 and Avengers Annual #10 (October 1981)
The Captain America annual contains a nice done-in-one story that generally fits into Captain America's current status quo—complete with an interview for an art gig and a date with Bernie Rosenthal—while emphasizing his skills and virtues in a story involving a unique sort of foe... all wrapped up in a striking Frank Miller cover. (The... Continue Reading →
Marvel Team-Up #106 (June 1981)
This is a fairly straightforward team-up comic, with the star-spangled guest-star not even appearing until halfway through, and then engaging in a traditional battle alongside the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man against the Scorpion. Nonetheless, as with most of Captain America's guest appearances, his virtues are highlighted throughout, both by Spidey as well as the narrator. When... Continue Reading →
Captain America #256-257 (April-May 1981)
These two issues are fill-ins after the end of the Stern-Byrne run on Captain America that began in issue #247 and ended with the last issue. Both of the stories take place in England, where Cap was at the end of issue #254 (not counting the origin issue, #255), and each has its merits, even... Continue Reading →
Captain America #255 (March 1981)
This issue marks the end of the run by Roger Stern and John Byrne and celebrates the 40th anniversary of Captain America by presenting the canonical version of his origin, reconciling previous versions (especially from Captain America Comics #1, Tales of Suspense #63, and Captain America #109) together with the history of young Steve Rogers... Continue Reading →
Captain America #253 (January 1981)
The two-part story beginning in this issue reintroduces some old friends and one villain from Captain America's past (and a beloved series covered in its entirety at this very blog)... After opening on the discovery of a murder north of London, England, and a glimpse of the issue's special guests, the focus turns to our... Continue Reading →
Captain America #247 (July 1980)
This issue is a big deal for several reasons. In general, it launches the short run (nine issues) by Roger Stern and John Byrne, which not only remains one of the premiere runs on Captain America to this day, but also leads to a tremendously rich extended period on the book featuring writers such as... Continue Reading →
Avengers #190-191 (December 1979-January 1980)
These two issues contain a battle against the Grey Gargoyle, primarily a foe of Thor who also faced Captain America and the Falcon in Captain America #139-142, which is bookended by a more interesting story—at least for the purposes of this blog—featuring a Senate hearing on the issues of the Avengers' security clearance, which anticipates... Continue Reading →
Avengers #145-146 (March-April 1976)
This two-issue tale, inserted in the middle of the Serpent Crown story, was originally planned for Giant-Size Avengers #5 (which ended up being a reprint issue), but was instead used as a fill-in story in after Avengers #144 because of deadline difficulties. As such, it's a relatively self-contained story, apparently fitting in continuity-wise between issues... Continue Reading →
Captain America #164 (August 1973)
This issue is a prelude of sorts to a tale that sees Captain America and the Falcon facing the Yellow Claw, a villain from the 1950s who makes an appearance here after being pursued by Nick Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D. in the pages of Strange Tales. But first, we introduce a new villain to the Marvel... Continue Reading →