KIRBY IS BACK! As America's bicentennial year opens, we see Captain America co-creator return to his title as writer, penciller, and editor, where he'll remain for almost two years, from issue #193 to #214 in October 1977, plus two annuals and a special "Bicentennial Battles" issue. Kirby injects a science-fiction feel to his run, where... Continue Reading →
This issue is a prelude of sorts to a tale that sees Captain America and the Falcon facing the Yellow Claw, a villain from the 1950s who makes an appearance here after being pursued by Nick Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D. in the pages of Strange Tales. But first, we introduce a new villain to the Marvel... Continue Reading →
These three issues are the first Avengers stories from writer Steve Englehart we're seeing on this blog (although he also wrote #105, in which Cap did not appear). It is a particularly wild story that reimagines some past Cap stories, using a villain from before his days as an Avenger—that is, from before Avengers #4!... Continue Reading →
These issues comprise the second half of Gerry Conway's short four-issue run, introducing Mr. Hyde and the Scorpion to these pages, wrapping up Captain America's brief career as a police officer, and introducing an important aspect of Cap's mighty shield. As issue #151 opens, we see who the mysterious speakers at the end of issue... Continue Reading →
This issue introduces a dastardly duo that will reappear in a much more important storyline later, setting up yet another villain... I really like to see how writers adapt and build off the works of their predecessors. Plus, Cap gets back to giving martial arts lessons, gives us a couple classic panels—and takes a crack... Continue Reading →
Don't let the cover, featuring Spider-Man's foe the Scorpion, fool you—the first five pages of this issue are dense with existential introspection and political musings that could keep us busy for days (and which I quoted quite a bit in my book). And later, we see a good old-fashioned fight with an injured Cap... and... Continue Reading →
As you undoubtedly remember from the last post, the Red Skull interrupted Captain America's melancholy over his identity and purpose in the world to remind him what was really important: his arch enemy holding the Cosmic Cube! (Again.) This begins a five-issue storyline that will test Cap's resolve and sanity, and also introduce a major... Continue Reading →
These four issues are rather uneventful in terms of Captain America's ethics, so I'll discuss them as a batch. They do, however, include Batroc the Leaper, the introduction of Dr. Faustus, and Paste-Pot Pete the Trapster, so there will be some cool villains to see (as well as the Trapster). Issue #105 opens, like Tales... Continue Reading →
With this run of seven issues of Avengers, issues #34 through 40, we reach a rather fallow period for Captain America as far as ethically interesting content is concerned—in fact, Cap does not appear in issue #39 and in only one panel in #40, warning his fellow Avengers about something that happened in his own... Continue Reading →
