These three issues conclude the saga of the Fallsworths that began in issues #7-10, and brings the end of one superhero career and the start of a new one. As issue #11 opens, the Invaders are rushing Lord Fallsworth and Jacqueline to the hospital, after the vampire Baron Blood smashed his legs and bit her... Continue Reading →
Avengers #116-118 and Defenders #10-11 (October-December 1973)
These five issues, plus Defenders #8 and #9 and an epilogue to Avengers #115 (in which Captain America does not appear), comprise the "Avengers/Defenders War," by all accounts the first extended crossover between two different comics titles, in that the story went back and forth in each titles over four months, amounting to a biweekly... Continue Reading →
Captain America #165-167 (September-November 1973)
After the prelude in issue #164, we have here the main three-parter featuring Captain America and the Falcon fighting the Yellow Claw, a Fu Manchu-type villain (see also: the Mandarin) who starred in his own short-lived Atlas comic in the 1950s, who reappeared in the 1960s to fight S.H.I.E.L.D. (including behind the scenes in Strange... Continue Reading →
Captain America #118-119 (October-November 1969)
With these two issues we conclude the five-part tale of the Red Skull and the Cosmic Cube that introduced the Falcon to the Marvel Universe... at the same time that we say goodbye to another supporting character (who will go on to get mixed up—literally—with another Captain). You'll remember from the last issue that Cap—still... Continue Reading →
Captain America #117 (September 1969)
This issue continues the storyline begun in issues #115-116, in which the Red Skull uses the Cosmic Cube to switch appearances with Captain America, ruining Cap's sterling good name and leaving the real Cap to face his friends and foes in the guise of his worst enemy. At the end of the last issue, the... Continue Reading →
Captain America #103-104 and Daredevil #43 (July-August 1968)
These two issues of Captain America continue the storyline with the Red Skull that began in issues #101 and 102, now that the villain knows about Captain America's love for Sharon Carter. More important, Cap finally learns Sharon's name (as does the reader)! Maybe now he can stop calling her "girl" and "lady" (not that... Continue Reading →
Tales of Suspense #97-99 and Captain America #100 (January-April 1968)
With this post we reach the end of Captain America's run in Tales of Suspense and the beginning of his first self-titled book (continuing the previous title's numbering while co-star Iron Man gets his own #1). And this four-part story features the first appearance of Black Panther outside the Fantastic Four book, and leads directly... Continue Reading →
Avengers #34-38 and #40 and Amazing Spider-Man Annual #3 (November 1966-May 1967)
With this run of seven issues of Avengers, issues #34 through 40, we reach a rather fallow period for Captain America as far as ethically interesting content is concerned—in fact, Cap does not appear in issue #39 and in only one panel in #40, warning his fellow Avengers about something that happened in his own... Continue Reading →