I'm not sure if I said anything about this before, but this issue is a game-changer—any comic with Abraham Lincoln weeping in the corner box has to be important, right? And just look at that Mike Zeck artwork on one of the most iconic Captain America covers ever: His defeated posture, head hung down, while... Continue Reading →
This issue of Captain America introduces John Walker and Lemar Hoskins, albeit in a way that will be unrecognizable to readers familiar with them only from The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. (However, John's career will follow the same broad trajectory, and Lemar fares much better than he does in the show!) Storywise, this issue... Continue Reading →
This is a significant issue for a couple reasons. First, we see Captain America get his latest idea for serving the American people off the ground. Second, a new ideologically-based villain name Flag-Smasher is introduced—yep, that's him on the cover—who will be a presence in the book for some time, prompting interesting discussions about nationalism... Continue Reading →
This issue is notable for being (if I'm not mistaken) the only Captain America story pencilled by Frank Miller (who also drew the front and back covers you see above). Inspired by a story by Roger McKenzie, this comic is credited to Miller and Roger Stern—of the classic Stern/Byrne run on Captain America starting with... Continue Reading →
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 →
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 →
This well-timed anniversary issue, published just several months before the 1980 United States presidential election, deals with an obvious hypothetical: Should Captain America be president? I actually dealt with this issue years ago when the Ultimate Universe version of Cap actually did become president in his world, but in a very different political context—there, the... Continue Reading →
This issue serves as an aftermath to the six-issue storyline, which began in issue #231 and ended in the last issue, involving Captain America fighting against the white supremacist Grand Director (who ended up being someone from his past—see the last issue if you don't know who), his National Force, and the man behind it... Continue Reading →
KIRBY IS BACK! As America's bicentennial year opens, we see Captain America co-creator return to his title as writer, penciller, and editor, where he'll remain for almost two years, from issue #193 to #214 in October 1977, plus two annuals and a special "Bicentennial Battles" issue. Kirby injects a science-fiction feel to his run, where... Continue Reading →
These two issues are not heavy on ethical content related to Captain America specifically, but it is a particularly timely story... unfortunately. It deals with a white nationalist movement that, under the cartoonish guise of the Sons of the Serpent, rallies populist fervor and gains some mainstream respectability until the Avengers reveal them for the... Continue Reading →
THE VIRTUES OF CAPTAIN AMERICA 