In the final annual of the original run of Avengers, the team faces the dual threat of Loki and Pluto, who engage in the time-honored strategy of switching foes, with Loki taking on Hercules here while Pluto deals with the Odinson in Thor Annual #19. Captain America's failing health, consistently referenced in his appearances still... Continue Reading →
Like the previous Avengers post, this one is a catch-all of sorts, gathering all of Captain America's appearances with the team these four months—and the number of them is quite impressive, considering his reduced physical capabilities (explained in March's Captain America #425). We'll see in the Avengers storyline that he is even less active in... Continue Reading →
We start 1994 with a flashback issue of Captain America written by Roy Thomas—breaking Mark Gruenwald's streak begun with issue #307—telling the story of our hero's first meeting with Namor the Sub-Mariner. Fittingly, this month also sees the debut of Marvels, the landmark miniseries by Kurt Busiek and Alex Ross, the first issue of which... Continue Reading →
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 #420 starts off a run of five relatively disconnected issues that suggest the creators are running out the clock until the beginning of "Fighting Chance" storyline in issue #425. Here, we meet a new Blazing Skull—and the existence of another Blazing Skull, seen in the recent Invaders miniseries, is not even mentioned until... Continue Reading →
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 →
This miniseries is notable for several reasons: It brings the "Avengers Prime" (Captain America, Iron Man, and Thor) with their version 2.0 counterparts (USAgent, War Machine, and Thunderstrike) together as a group for the first time; we are introduced to Alioth, who was featured in the Disney+ Loki series alongside Ravonna Renslayer and Kang; and... Continue Reading →
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 →
With these issues, Captain America returns to the Avengers for the first time since Operation: Galactic Storm ended, finding himself in the middle of a typical 90s Avengers story full of evil doppelgängers, evil space aliens, and evil jackets. (OK, maybe the jackets aren't evil... but do we really know?) It's an auspicious return for... Continue Reading →
This issue concludes the miniseries that brings Captain America and the Punisher together for the first time as partners, to combat a government conspiracy involving money, drugs, guns, and fascism abroad and at home. Just as the first issue ended with Frank (unsuccessfully) assassinating Cap, the second issue ended with General Navatilas, the dictator of... Continue Reading →
THE VIRTUES OF CAPTAIN AMERICA 