This annual is a standalone story that does not occur at any particular time relative to the current run of the title (although it was released the week before issue #47). But it can be placed squarely in real time, given the identification of the U.S. president, George W. Bush, and reference to his just... Continue Reading →
Captain America #44 (August 2001)
This issue sees the aftermath of Connie Ferrari's realization in the last issue that her boyfriend Steve Rogers is actually [SPOILER WARNING] Captain America! Given her well-documented issues with authority and the military, it is understandable that she doesn't take this revelation well, and throughout this issue we see both sides of the issue, Connie's... 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 #32 (August 2000)
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 #25 and Heroes Reborn: Young Allies #1 (January 2000)
With this issue we begin Dan Jurgens' run on Captain America, which will eventually close out volume #3 with issue #50 (all collected here). His run begins with a three-part storyline drawn by Andy Kubert, granting some visual continuity with the previous run written by Mark Waid, and it features not only Sam Wilson's Falcon,... Continue Reading →
Captain America #24 (December 1999)
This issue serves as a stopgap between Mark Waid's run on this volume of Captain America (which began with issue #1) and Dan Jurgen's upcoming spell (lasting through the end of the volume at issue #50). It's a fun throwback to the early Tales of Suspense days, with Tom DeFalco's old-school story and Ron Frenz's Kirby-inspired... Continue Reading →
Captain America Annual 1999 and Wolverine Annual 1999
Despite the cover, this annual is less about Flag-Smasher and more about the responsibility of the press to investigate the misdeeds of the powerful (to whom Flag-Smasher is little more than an unwitting tool), similar to films like All the President's Men and Spotlight. Captain America himself plays a secondary role here, encouraging the Daily... Continue Reading →
Avengers #16-18, Black Panther #8-9, and Magneto Rex #1 (May-July 1999)
These three issues of Avengers comprise an old-fashioned romp with the Avengers taking on the Wrecking Crew, powered up by a mysterious figure (seen on the middle cover above) who really wants them to find Carol Danvers (seen on the same cover in her original outfit). This story was written and drawn by Jerry Ordway,... Continue Reading →
Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty #8-9 (April-May 1999)
This two-parter takes place in the old Captain America and the Falcon days, specifically between issues #139 and #144 (for reasons we'll see below). It not only features Sam Wilson's first time as Captain America, long before ascending to that role on a permanent basis in 2014, but also previews the more nuanced discussion of... Continue Reading →