This issue takes a break from the ongoing storyline to tell a wonderfully poignant story of courage and heroism amidst the horrors of war, written by current writer Dan Jurgens and penciled and inked by Jerry Ordway, one of my favorites going back to All-Star Squadron, my favorite comic when I was a kid. (Recently,... Continue Reading →
Captain America #23 and Contest of Champions II #4 (November 1999)
This issue of Captain America sees our hero investigate a private prison with atrocious conditions and brutal treatment of inmates, where persons who run afoul of immigration law are sent and denied any contact with relatives, legal representation, or due process. Despite obvious parallels to current events, there are important differences too (as we shall... Continue Reading →
Captain America #18 and Nova #2 (June 1999)
This issue, the penultimate in the current storyline which began in issue #14, is a unique entry in the Captain America canon, a time-travel story in which he dies a lot, but keeps coming back to fight for liberty and justice. (You may have seen this movie.) In the last issue, Cap leapt into the... Continue Reading →
Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty #7 (March 1999)
This issue contains two stories. First in the comic, but second in this post, is the continuation of the Revolutionary-era Captain Steve Rogers story that began in the last issue (and unfortunately gets the cover of this one), which ends with a modern-day scene that raises even more questions than the ones mentioned before. But... Continue Reading →
Captain America #14-16 (February-April 1999)
These three issues start off an epic storyline featuring the return of you-know-who, who has been trapped in a Cosmic Cube since they both disappeared at the end of Captain America (vol. 1) #448. The first issue takes place in the Skull's personal hell inside the Cube, where he works as a bellhop in a... Continue Reading →
Iron Man/Captain America Annual 1998
This annual sees Captain America and Iron Man team up to face some familiar foes, as seen on the cover above, ending up in one of their classic disagreements and previewing arguments they will make during the Civil War in a few years' time. The issue opens with the two heroes arrive on an island,... Continue Reading →
Captain America #11-12 and Thor #6 (November-December 1998)
These two issues of Captain America wrap up the storyline that began in issue #9 dealing with outstanding Americans being overcome with rage, which it turns out was due to the influence of the villain Nightmare. The last issue ended with Captain America's dream self voluntarily entering Nightmare's realm, after which his body is taken... Continue Reading →
Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty #2-4 (October-December 1998)
These three issues comprise a fantastic Invaders story set in 1942, narrated by Captain America—to whom is not clear, but he does note it's "nearly sixty years" later, so he is probably telling this story in 1998 (or even 2001, when the last issue took place for some reason). Anyway, Grandpa's war story gives us... Continue Reading →
Captain America #7 (July 1998)
This post wraps up the "Power and Glory" storyline in which Skrulls have encouraged and magnified the "Capmania" that preceded our hero's return from the "Heroes Reborn" universe. This plan culminated in his capture and replacement by the Skrull leader, who then instilled fear and chaos among the American people, lying to them about a... Continue Reading →
Marvel Universe #1-3 (June-August 1998)
Marvel Universe was a short-lived anthology series, the brainchild of writer Roger Stern and editor Tom Brevoort, that aspired to fill in the rich and varied history of our beloved canon (with numerous references to past events, only some of which are described below). The series began with a Invaders trilogy in which our three... Continue Reading →