This octet of issues has very minimal Cap content, so please don't expect much synopsis here (although the stories are very good—be sure to check them out, using the links at the end of the post). Avengers #157 sees the return of the Black Knight (still in stone form due to a kiss from the... Continue Reading →
Avengers #154-156 and Super-Villain Team-Up #9 (December 1976-February 1977)
In these four issues, the Avengers get mixed up in the business of Atlantis, an adventure that involves both Namor the Sub-Mariner and Doctor Doom that necessitates a quick crossover with Super-Villain Team-Up (a book in which Cap will appear by himself in the next three issues). Not much Cap in this story, so this... Continue Reading →
Marvel Team-Up #52 (December 1976)
This second issue of Marvel Team-Up to co-star Captain America alongside the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man actually provides important if not essential story details between issues #203 and #204 of Cap's main title, exemplifying what I explained in the post on Marvel Team-Up #13 regarding the impressive interconnectedness of Marvel's team-up books, especially compared to those... Continue Reading →
Avengers #150-153 and Annual #6 (August-November 1976)
These five comics are, to put it lightly, a mixed bag. The first two are partially reprinted panels and pages from throughout Avengers history, stretched out over two issues because writer Steve Englehart quit in the middle. Then an old friend returns to the fold, the team takes a trip to New Orleans, and then... Continue Reading →
Avengers #147-149 (May-July 1976)
These three issues finish the Serpent Crown storyline begun in Avengers #141 and interrupted by the two-part fill-in story in issues #145-146. This second half of the story actually brings in the Serpent Crown itself and its implications for the politics on the Squadron Supreme's world (and its links with the Avengers' own). Issue #147... Continue Reading →
Captain America #195-197 (March-May 1976)
These three issues continue Jack Kirby's "Madbomb" storyline that he began in issue #193 upon his return to writing and drawing the character he co-created in 1940. Just in case you didn't read the last post on this series—and if so, why not?—Captain America and the Falcon are looking for Madbombs, devices that emit mental... Continue Reading →
Avengers #145-146 (March-April 1976)
This two-issue tale, inserted in the middle of the Serpent Crown story, was originally planned for Giant-Size Avengers #5 (which ended up being a reprint issue), but was instead used as a fill-in story in after Avengers #144 because of deadline difficulties. As such, it's a relatively self-contained story, apparently fitting in continuity-wise between issues... Continue Reading →
Captain America #193-194 (January-February 1976)
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 →
Avengers #141-144 (November 1975-February 1976)
These four issues see Captain America's return to the Avengers after a long spell away while he was battling the Secret Empire, abandoning his superhero identity to become Nomad, and then dealing with the Red Skull and the revelations about the Falcon's past. (See the posts on Captain America from issue #169 to issue #192.)... Continue Reading →
Captain America #190-192 (October-December 1975)
In this post we cover the last three issues before Jack Kirby takes over with issue #193. In the first two issues by short-lived regular writer Tony Isabella (with Bill Mantlo helping on the second), we resolve the situation with the Deadly Nightshade begun in issue #189, and we see how the Falcon accounts for... Continue Reading →