This is it, the final issue of Mark Gruenwald's epic 137-issue run on Captain America, starting with issue #307 in July 1985. I'll pay tribute to Gruenwald at the end of his post, but for now, let's focus on Captain America himself, who has really been going through it lately. Cap started feeling weak in... Continue Reading →
Captain America #441 and Avengers #388 (July 1995)
These issues of Captain America and Avengers complete the "Taking AIM" crossover, in which all of Captain America's friends, Avengers and otherwise, plus the Red Skull, are assembled on AIM Island to investigate Cosmic Cube-related energy blasts. Also present are Diamondback and Superia, the latter of whom gave Cap a small dose of her cure... Continue Reading →
Captain America #438 (April 1995)
After the valiant efforts in Captain America #437 and Iron Man #314 on the part of Tony Stark and Hank Pym to save Captain America's life after his super-soldier serum finally failed him, leaving him paralyzed and in cardiac arrest, this issue introduces the infamous armored exoskeleton that restores his mobility and allows him to... Continue Reading →
Captain America/Nick Fury: Blood Truce #1 (February 1995)
This one-shot, like last month's Tales of Suspense #1, sees Captain America team up with an old friend to confront the state of geopolitics following the fall of the Berlin Wall and the dissolution of the Soviet Union, this story in particular taking place soon after that event (according to an editorial note on the... Continue Reading →
Captain America #436, Force Works #8, and Fantastic Force #4 (February 1995)
This issue wraps up the final trilogy in the long "Fighting Chance" arc, and in it we see Captain America finally succumb to the gradual deterioration of the super-soldier serum in his body, spelling a very uncertain future for the Sentinel of Liberty. (Don't expect a last-minute deus ex machina to restore him at the... Continue Reading →
Namor the Sub-Mariner #57-58 (December 1994-January 1995)
These two issues feature Captain America, first by himself and then with the Avengers, getting involved in Namor's business in reference to an attack on New York by the giant whale creature Giganto—an attack actually engineered by Llyra, a Lemurian mutant with limited shape-changing abilities, and Llyron, the child Llyra had with Namor's half-brother who... Continue Reading →
Captain America Annual #13 (1994)
This annual contains two stories, each significant for its own reasons. The first is a Roy Thomas-penned extravaganza involving all the Captains America to date, including the two he introduced in What If? #4 to clear up the appearances of Cap and Bucky in the Golden Age comics after their early 1945 deaths (a concept ... Continue Reading →
Marvel Holiday Special 1994
This Marvel stocking stuffer not only features a very poignant short story about Captain America by John Ostrander and Tom Mandrake—who collaborated on a fantastic Spectre run earlier in the decade, as well as much other amazing work by each—but also a beautiful George Pérez cover (as you see to the right or above). The... Continue Reading →
Daredevil #326-332 (March-September 1994)
These seven issues comprise the "Tree of Knowledge" arc in Daredevil, which followed the better-known "Fall from Grace" arc from issues #319-325. There, we saw Elektra return to Daredevil's life just in time for his secret identity to be revealed to the world, leading him to fake Matt Murdock's death to save his loved ones... Continue Reading →
Avengers #372-375, Darkhawk #37, Silver Surfer #93, War Machine #1, and Warlock and the Infinity Watch #26-28 (March-June 1994)
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 →