These two issues comprise the first half of the "Man without a Country" storyline, the first time in years that our hero has found himself on the wrong side of the United States government. At the end of the first "Secret Empire" storyline, Steve Rogers resigned the Captain America identity out of disgust with his... Continue Reading →
DC Versus Marvel/Marvel Versus DC #1-4 (February-May 1996)
This four-issue miniseries was the first large-scale crossover between Marvel Comics and DC Comics, following meetings of individual heroes such as Superman and Spider-Man and Batman and the Hulk. Soon to be outdone by JLA/Avengers in 2003, DC Versus Marvel (and vice versa) was a glorified Contest of Champions, much like the recent Avengers/Ultraforce crossover,... Continue Reading →
Captain America #447 and The Savage Hulk #1 (January 1996)
This issue continues "Operation Rebirth," the first full storyline in Mark Waid and Ron Garney's first run on Captain America, which finds our hero fighting alongside Sharon Carter—who has been alive this whole time, as explained in the last issue—and the Red Skull, who gave him a blood transfusion to save his life so he... Continue Reading →
Skrull Kill Krew #2-3 (October-November 1995)
When I committed to covering all of Captain America's appearances in Marvel Comics, I did not see this coming: two issues of the first Skrull Kill Krew miniseries (not a typo with the spelling, and yes, there was a second miniseries). What's more, it's written by future superstars Grant Morrison and Mark Millar, who lend... Continue Reading →
Captain America #444 (October 1995)
"Where is Captain America?" is the question that leads off Mark Waid and Ron Garney's first run on this title, following Mark Gruenwald's 137-issue run that ended last month. The conclusion of that issue will be recapped below, so for now I'll just say that this issue is more of a tribute to Captain America,... Continue Reading →
Captain America #443 (September 1995)
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 →
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 →
Captain America #428 (June 1994)
This issue launches a new three-part story within the larger "Fighting Chance" arc in which Captain America endures his ongoing struggle with his health as his super-soldier serum continues to deteriorate. In this specific story, Cap confronts a new threat: the Americop, who presents in the splash page below as a Punisher-type who has, or... Continue Reading →
The Incredible Hulk #417-418 (May-June 1994)
These two issues provide a lighthearted break from Captain America's recent problems with his health, which has been especially taxed by appearing in so many books these days! Here, we use his former partner Rick Jones' nuptials to Marlo Chandler to see the way Cap interacts with his friends in a more casual—and somewhat ribald—setting.... Continue Reading →