These three issues of Captain America primarily deal with our hero's ongoing conflict with Connie Ferrari and the long-simmering mystery surrounding her brother David, whom she believes was killed in a hazing episode in the military for being gay, but in actuality Nick Fury has found him alive and (reasonably) well. (We also get a... Continue Reading →
Captain America #40, Iron Man #39, and X-Men #111 (April 2001)
This issue finishes the story begun in the last issue, in which both parts of Captain America's life began to converge. As the Sentinel of Liberty, he is working with Sharon Carter and SHIELD to bring down AIM before they can create another Protocide, while as Steve Rogers he is growing more uncomfortable with his... Continue Reading →
Avengers #38-44 and Annual 2001 (March-September 2001)
These issues herald a new era for Earth's Mightiest Heroes and their book, as Captain America returns to the team full-time, and writer Kurt Busiek is joined by the legendary team of Alan Davis and Mark Farmer on pencils and inks (respectively) for the first six issues, the last three of which also launch "The... Continue Reading →
Captain America #36, Avengers #34-35, Thunderbolts #44, Maximum Security #1 and #3, and Iron Fist/Wolverine #2-4 (November 2000-February 2001)
This is another "grab-bag" post with assorted isolated panels from minor appearances of Captain America, but with one big difference: it includes issues of Captain America and Avengers alongside an issue of Thunderbolts and two thirds of the Maximum Security miniseries. The first two issues we'll cover are a crossover between Thunderbolts and Avengers that draws Cap back... Continue Reading →
Captain America #31 and Iron Man #30 (July 2000)
This issue of Captain America presents the aftermath of the last three issues' adventure against Count Nefaria in the Savage Land, as Cap and Sharon Carter wrap up the mess while confronting their lingering romantic issues. Plus, in this month's Iron Man, we see Tony Stark flash back to a familiar training session with Steve... Continue Reading →
Avengers #27 (April 2000) and Avengers Annual 2000
The new story in this issue of Avengers—alongside several reprints, in a conscious callback to the "100-Page Giants" published by DC Comics in the 1970s and again in conjunction with Walmart more recently—sees Captain America return briefly to the team for the Changing of the Roster, a time-honored tradition going back to the original Avengers #16... Continue Reading →
Fantastic Four #26-28 (February-April 2000)
No, you didn't access my Fantastic Four blog, Here's the Thing..., by accident. Captain America does appear alongside the Avengers in these three issues of Fantastic Four, but not in any way central in the main storyline, which I will try to summarize enough to make sense of Cap's involvement. (It will be quite a... Continue Reading →
Avengers #25, Iron Man #25, and Ant-Man’s Big Christmas #1 (February 2000)
This issue of Avengers continues several plot threads from previous issues, especially the public protests against the team, which may have the influence of the mysterious Triune Understanding behind them, and the abduction of the Juggernaut by the powerful Exemplars at the end of the last issue, whom Captain America engages with strategy and cunning... Continue Reading →
Avengers #23-24, Fantastic Four #24, and Generation X #59 (December 1999-January 2000)
These two issues of Avengers deal with a number of matters, including the unique romantic triangle between Vision, Wonder Man, and the Scarlet Witch, as well as growing intrigue surrounding the Triune Understanding, but most important for us is the protests regarding the Avengers roster, focusing on the (current) absence of Black heroes and the (also... Continue Reading →
Domination Factor: Avengers #1.2-4.8 and Domination Factor: Fantastic Four #3.7 (November 1999-February 2000)
The Domination Factor miniseries featured the Avengers and the Fantastic Four on parallel old-school adventures that revisited past eras in each team's history before converging at the end. Technically it consisted of two four-issue miniseries, one for each team, with the number after the decimal point indicating the order in the overall story; it started with Domination... Continue Reading →