After eight issues in World War II, we return to the present day, in which Cap battles against a plan the Red Skull launched twenty years ago—and we get the first appearance of Cap’s Kooky Quartet in his own book. Issue #72 begins with Cap telling Hawkeye, Quicksilver, and the Scarlet Witch the story recounted... Continue Reading →
The Origin of Captain America! (As told for the first time since 1941.) You would expect an origin of Captain America to focus on his virtues, but there is less of that here than you would think (or that I would like). For instance, we see Steve for the first time as he enters the... Continue Reading →
More fighting! In this story, Baron Zemo sabotages Cap’s fitness exhibition by substituting his own henchmen for the sparring partners Cap expected to face—which Cap only realizes once they really put up a fight and start firing. This gives Cap a chance to cut lose, showing off his skills (and Kirby’s at the same time).... Continue Reading →
A pair of tales featuring very stupid villains. ('Nuff said!) PLUS the first "Avengers Vs. X-Men" story. (If only it had been the last, right? I kid, I kid...) In Avengers #11, the Mighty Avengers meet the Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man… almost. Actually, they meet a robot duplicate of Webhead built by Kang, master of… robotics?... Continue Reading →
"KANG!!!" (In the voice of Captain James T. Kirk, fist clenched tightly.) I have to tell you, I can't stand time-travel stories, and any story with Kang is guaranteed to be one convoluted time-travel story. On the bright side, this story exemplifies the interconnectedness of the Marvel Universe even at this early stage, as it... Continue Reading →
For the first post at this blog, I naturally begin with Avengers #4 from March 1964, the first comic in which Captain America appeared after the start of the “Marvel Age” with Fantastic Four #1 in November 1961. (Cap did "appear" once before this: In Strange Tales #114 from November 1963, the Human Torch met... Continue Reading →
