This is a wild story that brings together the four men who have served as Captain America at this point in time. It is a spiritual successor to Jack Kirby's magisterial Bicentennial Battles from 1976, in which the enigmatic Mister Buda sent Captain America on a time-traveling adventure; it also capitalizes on Roy Thomas's exercise... Continue Reading →
Captain America #275 and Marvel Fanfare #5 (November 1982)
This issue of Captain America revisits a number of recent storylines as well as an important topic raised in issue #269, one that remains all too relevant in the real world of today. (Cap also had a short story in the anthology title Marvel Fanfare this month that makes a valuable point, but very simply,... Continue Reading →
Avengers #224-227, Amazing Spider-Man Annual #16, The Incredible Hulk #277-279, and Vision and the Scarlet Witch #3 (October 1982-January 1983)
These four issues of Avengers contain little Captain America content, ethically interesting or otherwise: The first reveals a new relationship within the Avengers, about which Cap has opinions; the next two contain an adventure in 12th century Avalon with the Black Knight; and the last one regards the new Captain Marvel, introduced in the Amazing... Continue Reading →
Avengers #219-220 (May-June 1982)
These two issues see Captain America and the rest of the Avengers in space for the first time in quite a while, summoned by their former teammate Moondragon to help her and her father Drax (later to be a Guardian of the Galaxy) deal with some strife on the planet Ba-Bani. But all is not... Continue Reading →
Captain America #269 (May 1982)
On the surface, this issue seems like an editorially-mandated lead-in to a series based on a toy line—which it most certainly is—but there is still plenty to talk about in terms of Captain America's ethics, thanks to masterful writing on the part of J.M. DeMatteis (complementing the beautiful line-work of Mike Zeck). We start our... Continue Reading →
Avengers #214 (December 1981)
This issue serves as the epilogue to the previous one, which included not only the court-martial of Hank Pym (Yellowjacket) for a potentially deadly mistake in the field, but also the scene of Pym striking his wife, Janet van Dyne (the Wasp). Here, we see the aftermath through the eyes of not only Janet and... Continue Reading →
Captain America #262 (October 1981)
This issue continues the story begun in the previous one, in which Captain America traveled to Los Angeles, ostensibly to participate in publicity for a movie made about him. His true purpose is to investigate a mysterious person operating under the name of Nomad, the identity he assumed in issues #180-183 after the Secret Empire... Continue Reading →
Captain America #259 and Iron Man #148 (July 1981)
This issue of Captain America is a thematic one-shot, a story that fits within, but doesn't contribute to, the status quo of Steve Rogers living in Brooklyn and working as a freelance artist, while focusing on a central idea, specifically personal liberty, autonomy, or self-determination. What's more, it features Captain America facing off against a... Continue Reading →
Marvel Team-Up #106 (June 1981)
This is a fairly straightforward team-up comic, with the star-spangled guest-star not even appearing until halfway through, and then engaging in a traditional battle alongside the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man against the Scorpion. Nonetheless, as with most of Captain America's guest appearances, his virtues are highlighted throughout, both by Spidey as well as the narrator. When... Continue Reading →
Avengers #207-208, Marvel Two-in-One #75, and Fantastic Four #230 (May-June 1981)
These four issues, like those in the last Avengers post, have minimal ethically-relevant Captain America content, and I will not include as much story context as I often do, but they all contain something of interest for the discerning reader (by which I mean you). In Avengers #207, the mysterious Shadow Lord has raised a... Continue Reading →