This comic—the only issue of What If? that takes place in the mainstream "616" Marvel Universe rather than creating new timelines with alternative versions of canonical stories—represents what may be the pinnacle of writer Roy Thomas's original sense of retroactive continuity (or retconning) at Marvel, filling in details in old stories to address inconsistencies and... Continue Reading →
Captain America #135-136 (March-April 1971)
This is a wild two-parter in which Captain America introduces the Falcon to some of his friends (including some folks who weren't his friends not long ago), reconnects Cap with Sharon Carter, and introduces an old Fantastic Four villain, all in the context of a Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde story. First, Cap brings Sam to meet... Continue Reading →
Captain America #111-113 (March-May 1969)
In this post we cover the last two of Jim Steranko's three issues of Captain America, in which he crafted the first significant "Death of Captain America" story (even if it was very quickly resolved) and, in the process, restored Cap's secret identity (which Sternako thought diminished his value and stature as "the quintessential symbol... Continue Reading →