The final issue of volume 3 of Captain America may the first example we've covered here of something which by now has become a regular occurrence: the oversized anniversary issue, either based on issue number or calendar years, containing a number of shorter stories commemorating the title character(s). DC Comics had been doing this for... Continue Reading →
Avengers #48 and 50 (January and March 2002)
The more things change... again, these two issues carry on the "Kang Dynasty" storyline that began in issue #41, which has involved Cap very little. Here, we see him leading his specific Avengers team in a few panels from issue #48 and then more in issue #50 as their mission coincides with the Triune Understanding,... Continue Reading →
Captain America #49 (January 2002)
This issue deals with two romantic entanglements involving Captain America as we head into the climactic final issue of this run next month. (Do not worry, Sue Storm is not one of them, despite the cover which, at least to me, seems to show our hero emerging from the shadows to sneak up on the... Continue Reading →
Captain America/Nick Fury: The Otherworld War (October 2001)
This one-shot introduces Captain America to elements of the world of Doctor Strange, but with a twist: these events transpire decades before Stephen had his climactic automobile accident, giving a different spin on what could otherwise be a standard World War II-era tale of Cap and Bucky featuring Sgt. Fury and the Howlin' Commandos. The... Continue Reading →
Captain America #47-48 (November-December 2001)
These two issues complete the storyline that began in issue #45, dealing with the Red Skull's latest attempt to defeat America by exploiting its racial tensions, all against the backdrop of Captain America's friends and allies gathering for a funeral. As issue #47 opens, it is Earth's Mightiest Heroes who assemble in honor of a... Continue Reading →
Captain America #45-46 and U.S.Agent #2-3 (September-October 2001)
These two issues of Captain America start off a four-part story detailing the Red Skull's latest attempt to overthrow American democracy by stirring up racial hatred. We also have two issues from the second U.S.Agent miniseries, featuring some good interaction between Walker and Cap. Not bad for this blog's 600th post! With respect to the... Continue Reading →
Captain America #44 (August 2001)
This issue sees the aftermath of Connie Ferrari's realization in the last issue that her boyfriend Steve Rogers is actually [SPOILER WARNING] Captain America! Given her well-documented issues with authority and the military, it is understandable that she doesn't take this revelation well, and throughout this issue we see both sides of the issue, Connie's... Continue Reading →
Black Panther #30 (May 2001)
This issue of Black Panther reveals Captain America's first meeting with the King of Wakanda—not T'Challa, whom he met in Tales of Suspense #97, but rather his father T'Chaka, whom he met in early 1941, months before the United States entered World War II. (This meeting would later be expanded and revised in the Captain... Continue Reading →
Captain America #40, Iron Man #39, and X-Men #111 (April 2001)
This issue finishes the story begun in the last issue, in which both parts of Captain America's life began to converge. As the Sentinel of Liberty, he is working with Sharon Carter and SHIELD to bring down AIM before they can create another Protocide, while as Steve Rogers he is growing more uncomfortable with his... Continue Reading →
Avengers #38-44 and Annual 2001 (March-September 2001)
These issues herald a new era for Earth's Mightiest Heroes and their book, as Captain America returns to the team full-time, and writer Kurt Busiek is joined by the legendary team of Alan Davis and Mark Farmer on pencils and inks (respectively) for the first six issues, the last three of which also launch "The... Continue Reading →