This issue is one of my favorite from J.M. DeMatteis's several years as the writer of the title, in which he address Captain America's understanding of and relationship with the American dream. This story represents another epiphany for Cap, similar to Stan Lee's later stories (such as issue #122) and the end of Steve Englehart's... Continue Reading →
Captain America #266 (February 1982)
This issue wraps the team-up between Captain America, Spider-Man, and Nick Fury begun in the last issue, in which Cap continues to be overly dramatic, using some lines best saved for the Red Skull on Sultan, a would-be world destroyer-slash-dictator. Naturally, this issue begins with the cliffhanger left over from the last, in which Nick... Continue Reading →
Avengers #215-216 (January-February 1982)
These two issues comprise a two-part tale highlighting Tigra and featuring the Silver Surfer, who helps the Avengers battle Owen Reece, a.k.a. the Molecule Man, a classic Fantastic Four villain with near-infinite power over matter (although we only see hints of it here). This is an... odd story, to say the least, but it does... Continue Reading →
Captain America #265 (January 1982)
This issue, the first installment of a two-part storyline, seems more like a Marvel Team-Up story: It features Spider-Man almost as much as Captain America, and even brings in Nick Fury for good measure. But for a straightforward superhero tale, this issue and the next contain plenty of commentary on Cap's ethics, even if some... Continue Reading →
Marvel Two-in-One #82 (December 1981)
This issue marks the last appearance of Captain America as the titled guest-star in Marvel Two-in-One, the Thing's team-up book. Also featured in the book is Bill Foster, a character introduced in Avengers #32 who later became Black Goliath, and at the time of this issue was the second Giant-Man (and would next revert to... Continue Reading →
Avengers #214 (December 1981)
This issue serves as the epilogue to the previous one, which included not only the court-martial of Hank Pym (Yellowjacket) for a potentially deadly mistake in the field, but also the scene of Pym striking his wife, Janet van Dyne (the Wasp). Here, we see the aftermath through the eyes of not only Janet and... Continue Reading →
Captain America #264 (December 1981)
This issue contains a fascinating done-in-one story*, based on a mystery that gradually builds, with an important message at its conclusion. Before we start: Lest the presence of the Falcon's name is the cover logo get his many fans excited, this is unfortunately a one-time thing. Also, the old-timey X-Men costumes will be explained! *... Continue Reading →
Avengers #213 (November 1981)
This is a pivotal issue in the lives of Hank Pym and Janet van Dyne, changing how both characters and their relationship were seen from this point on. It also contains some significant reflection on the part of Captain America and other members of the Avengers, and puts Cap in the unique situation of holding... Continue Reading →
Captain America #263 (November 1981)
This issue wraps up the three-part story begun in issue #261, which finds Captain America in Los Angeles to investigate a new Nomad, only to find himself battling a terrorist group called the Nihilist Order and his old foe the Ameridroid (who killed Nomad in the last issue), all under the control of a mysterious... Continue Reading →
Avengers #212 (October 1981)
Not only does this issue feature the first adventure of the new line-up of the Avengers introduced in the last issue, but it also launches a long arc dealing with Hank Pym's breakdown—not his first, but the most eventful, for his own legacy and also for his wife, Janet van Dyne (the Wasp), and the... Continue Reading →