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 →
Captain America #13 (January 1999)
This issue serves as a brief respite between major storylines, an intermission that revisits something that happened during the Skrull/Capmania episode that Mark Waid and company knew couldn't be forgotten, while also injecting some welcome levity, following the (literal) nightmare scenario of the last several issues and the red storm to come. The loose thread... Continue Reading →
Avengers #12, Thunderbolts #0, and Amazing Spider-Man #1 (December 1998-January 1999)
This issue of Avengers brings the team into conflict with the Thunderbolts for the first time since the team of villains broke with Baron Zemo and tried to go straight (for real), and also reunites them with Hawkeye for the first time since he walked out on the team at the end of Avengers #9. As... Continue Reading →
Captain America/Citizen V Annual 1998
This annual feels more like a Thunderbolts comic than a Captain America, for good reason: Citizen V was Baron Zemo's identity when the team were pretending to be heroes while many of the real heroes were "reborn" elsewhere. The name came from a Golden Age hero, John Watkins, who appeared twice (Daring Mystery Comics #8... Continue Reading →
Avengers #8-9 (September-October 1998)
These issues introduce two new heroes (one of whom is prominent on the cover to issue #8 above) as well as a threat who is new to the Avengers (but well known to the X-Men, Spider-Man, and Black Panther), and see one of their own leave the team. After opening with a charming scene of... Continue Reading →
Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty #1 (September 1998)
As if one #1 issue for Captain America weren't enough in 1998, we have another: Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty #1, a new series exploring the details of Cap's past (and sometimes his near future), launched by Mark Waid and Ron Garney, the team that successfully began volume 3 of Captain America as part of... Continue Reading →