We’ll tackle these two issues together because they are actually linked in a way unusual to the Avengers (or any Marvel Comics) at this point—with an actual cliffhanger (which, to be honest, is the only truly interesting thing to happen in the first issue). TWO FUNNY THINGS IN ISSUE #13 During a battle, Iron Man... Continue Reading →
Tales of Suspense #61 (January 1965)
This issue finds Captain America traveling to Vietnam to negotiate the release of a prisoner of war, the first time we see Cap in a contemporary military setting (even though he isn’t in combat). As many future Cap stories do, this one shows him repaying a debt to a former colleague—in this case, one that... Continue Reading →
Tales of Suspense #60, Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandos #13, and Tales to Astonish #62 (December 1964)
More fighting! In this story, Baron Zemo sabotages Cap’s fitness exhibition by substituting his own henchmen for the sparring partners Cap expected to face—which Cap only realizes once they really put up a fight and start firing. This gives Cap a chance to cut lose, showing off his skills (and Kirby’s at the same time).... Continue Reading →
Tales of Suspense #59 (November 1964)
After the case of mistaken identity from the last issue, Cap finally get his own feature in Tales of Suspense (albeit slightly shorter than that of the “star” of the book, that infamous diva, Iron Man). This first story is similar to Avengers #4 in that it showcases both his grief over Bucky and his... Continue Reading →
Avengers #6 (July 1964)
This issue introduces us to Baron Zemo (glimpsed merely in silhouette in Cap and Bucky’s death scene in Avengers #4), who is shocked to hear that Captain America is still alive—both because he thought he died along with his teenaged partner, and because he bears a slight grudge over Cap’s role in gluing Zemo’s hood... Continue Reading →
Avengers #5 and Fantastic Four #26 (May 1964)
Captain America’s second issue back from the frozen deep is fairly light on explicit demonstrations or descriptions of his virtues, but nonetheless there are interesting (or at least funny) things to note. And as a bonus, the Avengers appeared in the same month’s Fantastic Four #26, so I will describe them together. (Twice the value... Continue Reading →