I wonder why did Captain America get the nice shield to carry around to protect himself and his teenage sidekick Bucky had nothing to use for protection or as a weapon.

Teenage sidekicks were a dime a dozen. They had to thin the herd somehow. ;-)

As we learn later there have actually been several Bucky's (& Stan Lee was responsible for the deaths of 2 of them).

Heck in Stan Lee's first Captain America story (a text piece in CA #3) he had Cap use Bucky as a weapon. (Swinging him around and knocking the guns out of the bad guys hands.)

Captain America #1
As Steve Rogers is changing after being given the formula, "millions of cells forming at incredible speed!" So Reinstein's formula is a benign form of cancer?
Amazing that the cells knew when to stop reproducing.

The really big nit for Cap was from back in the Silver Age. (It might have occured in the Golden Age for all I know.) It happened everytime Cap would revert to his Steve Rogers secret identity. Under his civilian clothing, Rogers would wear his full Captain America costume. This included his shield. That shield, which is circular, is also bigger than Rogers. There is no way, Steve Rogers could wear that shield strapped to his back and have it not show as bulge on his back. Or not have it extending beyond his body as an outline. He'd look like a turtle wearing a suit. Later in the Seventies, in the Bronze Age, the problem was resolved by having the shield carried in a briefcase. ala the Iron Man armor.

"Excelsior!"

According to the text story from CA3 he & Bucky did wear their costumes under the Army outfits. No mention of where he kept the shield though.

Another possible nit. IIRC the costume was originally chainmail which should make a chinking sound as cap moves.

Captain America #241

Captain America and the Punisher go after some gangsters who are having a meeting in a water tower on top of a building. (Why the tower doesn't have water in it, I don't know.) When the crooks exit the tower, they start shooting at Cap and the Punisher. The gangsters hide behind some crates that from what I can tell, weren't there before.

The Punisher blows up the wooden water tower. Miraculously, no one is killed by the explosion or the shrapnel, despite how close everyone is to the explosion. At least as far as I can tell.

Excelsior!

I've been reading Captain America Vol II in the Essential Series. Weird, weird stuff, some of it pretty good. The Exiles (a bunch of stereotypical Axis villains) pop up a few times working for the Red Skull and are always good for a few laughs: Cadavus, monarch of the Murder Chair! Baldini and his killer scarf! The fat guy who wields the whip! There are even some great Jim Steranko issues featuring Madame Hydra.

Eventually, I'd like to get the two volumes of Essential Captain America. I mean, I'm not a big fan of Cap's, but I'd like to read the early stories and the Steranko tales. What I'd really like to read are some of the Golden Age Cap comics.

Excelsior!

Yeah, you'd thunk that any book calling itself The Essential Captain America would have covered the Simon & Kirby originals.

LOL! Agreed, KAM. Agreed.

Excelsior!

By the way, Mike, are you planning on posting a review of Essential Captain America Volume 2 when you finish reading it?

"Let's rap with Cap!"

Oh sure, why not now?

#103: The Weakest Link. The character of Sharon Carter is just plain not interesting because she is so similar to Steve Rogers--later love interests for Cap (Bernie Rosenthal, Diamondback) played off contrasts. Okay, this introduces the Exiles--how cool are they?

Gruning, master of the whip (he's a big fat guy)
Iron Hand Hauptmann, and his iron fist
Krushki, a big wrestler dude
Cadavus, monarch of the Murder Chair (old cripple with a chair that shoots lasers)
Baldini and his killer scarf
General Chang (or Ching), who has a pistol

This is an okay issue, but nothing really special--Skull kidnaps Sharon, Cap rescues her, Skull at the end reveals it was all his "master plan."

#104: Slave of the Skull. There is some great Kirby art here plus some wonderfully fruity fight scenes (Cap defeats Baldini by beating the snot out of him while Baldini ties his scarf into a knot). Great line--"Not that accursed shield again!"--General Ching, shooting his pistol at Captain America with the obvious results happening.

#105: In the Name of Batroc. This is actually a pretty good idea (Cap tries to race Batroc's Brigade Volume I to recover a bomb about to explode). The Swordsman and the Living Laser are Batroc's accomplices this go-round. Favorite line--"Delay him...forevaire!"--Batroc to the Swordsman. It gets a tad cheesy at the end when Stan pulls on the Cap-as-Christ figure analogy, but good fun.

#106: Cap Goes Wild! The good old evil duplicate story merged with a familiar plot about the loser brother going in over his head by getting involved with the wrong people (while the right brother sacrifices his life). Too many cliches to really make this enjoyable, but the ending is pretty cynical for a Cap book.

#107: If the Past Be Not Dead... This is the first appearance of Dr. Faustus and it's an interesting tale of Cap being driven mad by illusionary drugs. There is a very funny fight scene where Faustus tries to battle Cap.

#108: The Snares of the Trapster. For some reason, Marvel pawned the Trapster around on nearly every hero (he fights Daredevil too around this time). This just gets ridiculous--why would the Red Skull hire a goombah like the Trapster? Who can take the Trapster seriously when he says that he is "the most powerful man in the world" because he wields an "invincible paste gun." And really, really soppy at the end with Cap and Sharon doing a praise-a-thon ("Only you, Cap, could have stopped the Trapster").

#109: The Hero That Was. It's an origin story embellished; I didn't really need to see this again, but I guess in the old days before Marvel Masterworks and constant reprints, it was nice to get a recap (plus it has better Kirby art).

#110: No Longer Alone! Well, Steranko has taken over and we start off with a weird story. The Hulk pops up in the beginning (and I hate how Steranko draws the Hulk), Rick Jones becomes the new Bucky, and they fight Madame Hydra. Great line--"Never again will he mock my power vest!"--HYDRA thug after thinking he killed Cap.

#111: Untitled. One of the greatest teaser pages of all (a series of random images at a carnival) and a great villainess (Madame Hydra before she became the Viper and back when it was important to cover the left side of her face) make this a classic. The ending is very interesting.

#112: Lest We Forget. Iron Man, thinking Cap dead, recaps basically every Cap adventure--the comic equivalent of a clip show. Like most clip shows, it's shallow and dull. I don't know if Stan thought he was going to convince ANYONE that Cap was actually dead.

#113: The Strange Death of Captain America. Another moody Steranko story--things seem to resolve rather anticlimactically and I wish Lee and Steranko would do some more risks with this sort of story (as Englehart and Gruenwald would do years later).

#114: The Man Behind the Mask. This is yet another one of "Cap is bummed because he doesn't like Sharon risking her life" stories. If you can put up with that, it has one of the greatest cliff-hangers of all time, though. Two words: Cosmic Cube. This is drawn by John Romita, who is always good, but it's just a fill-in.

#115: Now Begins the Nightmare. John Buscema does the art here, and to me, he seems less polished than Romita or Kirby (and kind of clunky compared to the ultra-stylish Steranko). Nothing much really happens in this one, but we get the hoary "Cap and Skull" switch bodies (Doc Doom did this all the time).

#116: Far Worse Than Death! Well, now it's Gene Colan, who can draw very well; I'm not sure if he's the best choice to do Captain America (a less noirish character than Daredevil), but it's good. Cap as Skull goes on the run, chased by the Avengers and Sharon Carter. We also find out the Cosmic Cube cannot control love!

#117: The Coming of...the Falcon! Man, if the Skull has an all-powerful weapon, he sure does silly stuff with it, yeah I'd send Cap to the Island of the Exiles too. Great scene with Cap realizing he can take off the Red Skull's mask. Also nice intro of the Falcon, who I always liked and guess what--Modok's back!

#118: The Falcon Fights On! Cap and the Falcon take on the Exiles! Modok's goons make a cube turn round! Rick Jones gets written out of the comic!

#119: Now Falls the Skull! Great story, although I could live without the deux ex machina of Modok destroying the Cube.

#120: Crack-Up on Campus! Not bad, but sort of a run-of-the mill story of AIM sponsoring college riots in order to cause a distraction. Okay.

#121: The Coming of the Man-Brute. Don't we already have enough "Man-Brutes?" This one is begging to have Jimmy Cagney as the Man-Brute and then he freaks out at the end because he could have actually killed his son during an orphanage fight and then he goes spastic and kills Professor Cragg. If I remember right, Man-Brute gets killed by Foolkiller anyway...

#122: The Sting of the Scorpion. Hey, it's Cap vs. the Scorpion--didn't we all want to see this fight? It's not bad, but dang, I'm getting sick of these less-than-monumental stories.

#123: Suprema, the Deadliest of the Species. Sigh, this is silly stuff--Suprema is another one of the deadly hypnotists (who apparently improves her craft years later when she becomes Mother Night). Maybe she and the Miracle Man can get an act going. The best thing about it is the one-panel cameo of J. Jonah Jameson demanding that Cap pay his bill.

#124: Mission: Stop the Cyborg. Modok sends a Cyborg after Cap; Cap gets mad at Sharon and Nick Fury. Nobody cares.

#125: Captured in Vietnam. Well, the obligatory Vietnam story is not too bad and it's nice to see the Mandarin pop up; too bad, he goes down way too easy for being Iron Man's arch-nemesis (how would Cap like it if the Red Skull popped up for a five-page cameo in Iron Man's comic?).

#126: The Fate of the Falcon. The Falcon certainly needed to come back, but I would have liked a better villain than Diamond Head (not the Nova villain, this is a one-shot bad guy).

BTW, I'm liking your Daredevil reviews; I bought the Essential Daredevil II, and I think that period in Daredevil is just plain excellent--you've got Colan at his peak, a sorta running story, and a good mix of villains for Daredevil.

("Only you, Cap, could have stopped the Trapster"). - MikeC

And Daredevil. And the Fantastic Four. And Spider-Man. And the Human Torch (Dumbest Superhero Ever) (And if he can defeat Paste Pot Pete, who can't?)

Also nice intro of the Falcon, who I always liked and guess what--Modok's back!

For some reason, I've never liked the Falc. I always thought of him as too wimpy, I guess. Even when he gained the power of flight, I didn't like him. But then, I don't like any characters whose sole power is "I can fly!" (This includes Warren Worthington III.)

If I remember right, Man-Brute gets killed by Foolkiller anyway...

Yup. I happened in Omega the Unknown #7. (I still have fond memories of that series. Very underrated, I think.)

BTW, I'm liking your Daredevil reviews; I bought the Essential Daredevil II, and I think that period in Daredevil is just plain excellent--you've got Colan at his peak, a sorta running story, and a good mix of villains for Daredevil.

Thanks. I'm only up to #29. I've got a couple of issues that need nitpicking. I've been reading one issue out of the DD Essential and one out of The Spirit Archives Vol. 2. At this point, I need to post reviews of Essential Fantastic Four Volume 1, Essential Tomb of Dracula Volume 1 and The Spirit Archives Volume 1. I hope to get off my lazy butt and post them this weekend. Meanwhile, I just got Batman #153 in the mail. The February, 1963 issue. The month and year I was born. Weird. Owning a comic as old as I am. Yeesh!

Excelsior!

Actually wouldn't it be around 3 months older than you? IIRC the cover date was the date that newsstands should remove the unsold comic and send it back for a refund.

Stan pulls on the Cap-as-Christ figure analogy - MikeC
Interesting analogy to pull as I believe both Stan & Jack were Jewish. (Not impossible, just interesting.)

Actually wouldn't it be around 3 months older than you? IIRC the cover date was the date that newsstands should remove the unsold comic and send it back for a refund. - KAM

I'm not sure about that. That sounds right, though. Tarim. That means the actual issue I want would be #156. Oh well, I can't complain too much since #153 only cost me $5.25.

Let's rap with Cap!

Check the back of the issue and see if it says when the next issue will be on sale. If it does that should tell you how many months off the cover date is.

Was Batman a monthly comic back then?

Yeah, it was.

I just looked at the last page. It doesn't say when the next issue goes on sale. It does have the circulation and owership statement that used to be printed in comics about once a year. This one is dated September of '62.

I haven't read the issue yet. I'm getting ready to, though. Very carefully. The cover is just barely there.

Holy Ancient History, Batman!

Captain America and the Falcon #152

The Falcon stops a truck that has contraband in it. One of the thugs in the truck is named "Smasher Kreel". Is he related to the Absorbing Man (Crusher Creel)?

The Scorpion's tale is drawn differently than it has been in previous presentations. It tapers off at the end. This doesn't seem to be a matter of perspective either. Normally, the tail is uniform in its overall size.

At this point in his career (such as it may be) Cap's alter ego, Steve Rogers, is a cop. While on patrol with his police partner, they see Redwing, the Falcon's avian companion, fly by. Cap gets out of the squad car to check it out. He meets the Falcon, who tells him about the chemical shipment the Falcon stopped earlier in the book. Rogers then assumes his Captain America identity, complete with shield. Just where was that shield being hid all this time? If Rogers was carrying it on his back, he'd look very deformed.

To help stop the Scorpion, Cap grabs a length of rope and somehow is able to wrap it around the Scorpion. I can't figure how he did it. The Scorpion would have to stand still while Cap does it. Awfully obliging of Gargan, doncha think?

Mr. Hyde grabs Cap and starts to crush the Star-Spangled Avenger's spine. The caption reads that Hyde can "shatter a spine like a twig". So why does it take him so long to break Cap's back?

This may be the issue that establishes that Mr. Hyde has a glass jaw. Cap cold cocks Zabo with one punch to his jaw. If defeating Mr. Hyde is that easy, you'd think the word would be passed along to all the other superheroes. "If you ever have to take on Mr. Hyde, just slug him on the chin. He'll be out like a light. He's easier to stop than Boomerang."

Maybe if I'd read the previous issue or two, I'd understand this, but for some reason the Falcon refuses Sharon Carter's plea to help Cap fight the Scorpion and Mr. Hyde. After Cap defeats the two villains, Rogers thanks the Falcon for not interfering. Frankly, if I was up against two to one odds like that, I'd want my partner to jump into the fray with me.

Captain America and the Falcon #153

Nick Fury is mad at Cap 'cos he thinks Cap has been making time with his woman. So he shows up at Steve Rogers apartment wearing a raincoat. Underneath the coat, the agent of SHIELD is wearing some sort of exo-skeleton on his left arm that looks like one of the Michelin Man's arms. How'd Fury get his coat on over that bulging thing? Why doesn't the bulge show up beneath the raincoat? If Nick intends to beat the tar out of Cap, why wear only one of these arm coverings? Why not have one on both arms and increase your strenght all the more?

In his civilian guise, Sam Wilson, the Falcon sees Cap and Sharon off at the airport. Upon leaving the airport, Sam changes costumes and becomes the Falcon. He then shoots his grappling hook out and takes to the skies. Just what did he connect to anyway? And did Sam change clothes out in the parking lot? Isn't that rather risky?

In the next panel, Redwing is in the air with him. Where's that bird been all this time? How is he able to find Sam?

"Let's rap with Cap!"

Tales of Suspense #59 (as reprinted in Essential Captain America Vol. 1)

A gang, led by someone named Bull (no, not the bailiff on Night Court ) decides that in order to take out the Avengers, the best method is through the team's weakest link. Bull figures that because Cap doesn't have any super powers, he's the weakest link. (Why do I keep thinking Annie Robinson's lurking around the corner?) Over the years, Cap has off and on had super-strength. I mean, I thought the whole point of the Super-Soldier formula was to make normal people super-strong?

In 1964 (when this story was published), did the Avengers know Cap's secret identity? If not, then it's awful careless of the Star-Spangled Avenger to leave his photo album lying around the Avengers Mansion.

As he's flipping through the book, Cap halts to stare at picture of his original sidekick, Bucky. Bucky's in his costume - minus the domino mask. Yeah, that's a good way to maintain a secret identity: Have your picture taken while in costume, but don't wear your mask. BTW, didn't the fact that Steve Rogers' unit had a mascot named Bucky and Captain America had a sidekick named Bucky ever arouse suspicions?

Bull's gang temporarily kidnaps Jarvis, the Avengers' butler. They ask who's on duty at the Avengers Mansion. Jarvis responds that it's no secret, it's Captain America. Well, shouldn't it be a secret? Why let any potential trespassers know whom they may be fighting? Let 'em guess. They could tackle Tigra, or they could find Thor waiting for them. By letting them know in advance so they can plan their attacks?

According to this issue, the method Cap uses to retrieve his shield is a magnet in his glove. That'd have to be a fairly powerful magnet. Wouldn't it attract just about everything made of metal in the room and not just the shield? How could the magnet be so selective? It's not like Magneto's controlling it.

While fighting Bull's gang, Cap boasts of having a "...lifetime of athletic training..." Uh huh. Right. My recollection is that Steve Rogers was a scrawny 4-Fer before he drank the Super-Soldier serum. He definitely didn't look that athletic to me.

Cap was briefly captured by Bull's gang, his hands and feet bound. Cap frees his hands by using the razor-sharp edges of his bootheels. Why are the heels that sharp?

To free his legs, Cap lets the gang member using the acetylene torch (they were attempting to break into the Avengers' safe) burn through the ropes around his ankles. First of all, Cap is several feet away from the torch. Would the torch have that long a reach? Second of all, isn't it a might risky? Unless Cap's costume is fireproof, odds are he'd be setting himself on fire using this method.

One of the gang plans to launch a gas grenade at Cap. The Star-Spangled Avenger, to quote Stan Lee's caption, "thrusts his mighty shield flat against the muzzle of the small bazooka..." He means that literally. The shield, which normally has a curve to it, is flat in the panel Jack Kirby drew.

"Let's rap with Cap!"

Tales of Suspense #60

Baron Zemo's mask is basically a cloth thrown over his head. What keeps the eyeslits from shifting this way and that? The slits are just wide enough for his eyes to see through.

Cap is on his way to give a private exhibition of his fighting skills to demonstrate the importance of "physical fitness". I'm sure that these days Cap works out, but he didn't get his muscles by working out. He got it by drinking the Super-Soldier serum.

Zemo has sent a group of assassins to capture Captain America. (Then why are they called "assassins"?) One of them has over his right hand a metal block attached to his forearm by four metal struts. (It's to make his punches act like a hammer blow.) At one point, while fighting Cap, the struts shift size to allow the mallet to tilt. I'm not sure how that's possible without breaking the assassin's hand in the process.

On page 4, panel 6 Cap's shield appears flat, instead of having the curve it would normally have.

Remember me talking about how Cap uses a magnet to retrieve his shield? Well, turns out that by using that magnet he can cause his shield to fly in a half-a-million directions. This can't be the same shield he now has. And how would magnetism allow the Star-Spangled One to manuever his shield like that?

Instead of using his shield to bop the assassins on the head and knock them out or something similar, Cap has it fly circles around them. This allows one of the assassins to reach into his belt buckle and pull out a mini (and I do mean mini) rocket launcher. Why not render your opponents unconscious so they can't threaten you or any civilians, Cap?

The rocket is very small. As a matter of fact, as small as that thing is, it couldn't pack an explosive wallop. Probably no worse than a firecracker. Yet when it strikes Cap's shield, it make a pretty big explosion.

When the rocket hits Cap's shield, it's once again a flat disc.

To let Baron Zemo know his plans to kidnap Cap has failed, the Star-Spangled Avenger goes on TV to announce the failure of the plans. The logic is that Zemo will be watching American news to watch newsreport on Captain America's capture. You mean, when the assassins return by plane to South America, they wouldn't radio that information to Zemo? I'd've thought that would have been how he'd've gotten that info. Unlike Cap, I wouldn't guess that Zemo would be watching television to find out.

And how would Cap know which TV station Zemo would be tuned to? It wouldn't necessarily be a New York station the Baron was watching to learn if his plans were successful.

Let's rap with Cap!

I forgot one nit for Tales of Suspense #60:

Rick Jones was with Cap for the private exhibition. He was hanging out in the wings of the stage. When Cap is attacked by the assassins, Rick joins in the fight, using some of the training he's gotten from Cap. But because he's outnumbered, Rick runs to go get the cops, reminding himself, "Cap always says it's foolhardy to fight impossible odds!" Considering that Cap was fighting anywhere from four to ten people onstage, considering he regularly fights a large number of people, you've gotta wonder what the good Cap considers "impossible odds"?

"Captain America went to London
Just to fight the mighty villain
Stuck his shield in front of him
And said, 'I'm gonna kill 'im.'" (From Crazy magazine. [I have no idea which issue it was and wish I knew.])

Actually, the previous post would be more of a NNAN, wouldn't it?

"Let's rap with Cap!"

Tales of Suspense #61

This story has Cap venturing into 'Nam during the Vietnam War. I guess in the Marvel U, 'Nam happened more recently than in real life. (Keeping mind that the Marvel U is only about 10 years old from the time of the FF's first appearance.) (Of course, 'Nam is no longer an event that happened during the Marvel Age of Superheros. I mean, Frank Castle, the Punisher, is no longer a Vietnam Vet, is he?)

Either the Vietnamese in this story speak fluent English, or Cap is multi-lingual. Cap and the Vietnamese are able to communicate without any trouble throughout the story. (Maybe Cap had Iron Man whip up a Universal Translator? )

For the first part of the tale, the Star-Spangled Avenger demands to be taken to the General of the unit that has captured an American pilot to whom Cap owes a debt. (I'll explain.) When we meet the General, turns out he's a huge sumo wrestler. Did the Vietnamese enjoy the sport of Sumo wrestling, or was this merely a part of the Japanese culture?

The General boasts that it was through his "own humble prowess as a sumo wrestler that (he) attained the most exhalted title which now graces (his) name (the General)." Gee, and to think I thought military rank (and the General is clearly in charge of a military unit) was bestowed on the basis of intelligence, years of service and brown-nosing. I had no idea all you had to do was be good at sumo rassling.

The debt Cap owes Jim Baker, the pilot he came to rescue, goes back to WWII. In the E.T.O. (European Theater of Operations, I believe it stands for), Jim's brother rescued Cap. Jim's brother must be about 20 years older than he is. Possible, I suppose. What gets me, though, is shouldn't Jim and the Vietnamese start to wonder just how old Cap is? At the time this story was published, WWII happened about 20 years ago. Cap should be in his 40s. Again, possible. But it should get these people to start wondering.

To escape from the Vietnamese, Cap asks if Jim remembers his college football days. He then calls out the numbers, "8! 52! 36!" Is this a particular play call? If so, how would Cap know it? (All Jim does is butt the nearest soldier in the belly. Is that a football play?) I suppose it's possible Cap said it to remind Jim of football, but would that really be necessary?

Jim's arms are bound tightly to his back. Cap takes his shield and cuts the rope with it. As tightly bound as Jim is, how'd Cap get the shield into the ropes? Are the edges of that shield that sharp? Should he throw the shield at any opponent? If the edge is that sharp, Cap risks killing his adversaries.

After freeing Jim, the pilot grabs a machine gun. The two Americans find their exit blocked by the General. Why not shoot the General? Was the machine gun out of bullets? If it was, why not grab another gun?

I didn't know the General was supposed to be super-strong. When he blocks the exit for Cap and Jim, he's holding a twenty foot statue over his head. That's gotta weigh more than a normal human can pick up.

To escape, Cap blinds the General with light reflected from his shield. They're inside a building. Would reflected incandescent light be enought to blind someone? For that matter, would the shield with the red, white and blue paint really reflect light that well?

NNAJAO: In the next to the final panel of the tale, Jim's face looks an awful like a smaller, thinner version of the Hulk's.

"Let's rap with Cap!"

If I recall, Zemo's mask is affixed to his face thanks to Adhesive X and it is incapable of moving.

Also, inane fact, but "Bull" returns in Power Man and Iron Fist #55.

I seem to remember reading about Adhesive X... It's the reason his mask won't come off, right? (Then why not cut it off?) But given that the mask falls bell-shaped over his head, it means that the glue would have to have been applied around the eyes and probably the bridge of his nose. (And god, for as many years as Zemo's been wearing it, that mask must stink to the high heavens.)

Was "Bull" incarcerated at Seagate Prison? I think I may have read that issue of PM/IF, but it's been too many years, and for me, the story was utterly forgettable. (Never liked Power Man and Iron Fist. I do, however, like Luke Cage. Go figure.)

Excelsior!

Another inane fact:

The General returns in Captain America #411, as one of MANY semi-obscure villains dredged up by Mark Gruenwald to be at the AIM Weapons Expo. He, Mad Dog, Ramrod, and Razor-Fist battle Cap.

Tales of Suspense #62

Cap is giving a demonstration of his fighting abilities again. This time in a prison. He even wonders to himself why they would want him to demonstrate how he'd defend himself if the prisoners were to escape. Doncha think, Cap, it'd been a good idea to ask that question before starting the exhibition?

As it turns out, the prisoners have already taken over the prison. Their plan is to capture the Star-Spangled Avenger and use the magnetic device in his shield to open a magnetically operated door. Um, the control device for the shield is in Cap's gloves. Exactly how will having the shield help the escapees open the door? How do they know the shield will work? Do they know how the shield works?
On page 4, we learn that a prisoner named "Deacon" has been impersonating the prison's "Deputy Superintendent". However, later on the same page, we learn that it's the "Acting Superintendent" that Deacon was impersonating.

We first see the magnetic door in question on page 5 in panel 2. It looks a bit different on page 10, panel 5.

While the prisoners go to open the door, Cap is thrown into a cell with the real Acting/Deputy Superintendent of the prison. On the very next page, Cap has broken out of the cell. We're told later that to escape, Cap secretly "wedged a folded chewing gum wrapper between the lock and the door." Cap chews gum?! Ain't it just good fortune that he happened to have some on him? Where does he keep his sticks of gum on that costume of his? (Of course, I'm really wondering is if, having three men shoving him into the cell, could the good Cap have lodged that piece of paper into the lock in the first place?)

It turns out that the mechanism for opening the magnetic door is saying two words: "Captain America". Stan almost did this perfectly. With one exception, no one in the pages where the prisoners are in front of the door says Cap's name. Except after the fight is over. When the police arrive on the scene one of the officers comments, "What hit all you guys, anyway? A hurricane?" One of the prisoners responds, "Yeah by the name of Captain America!" The door should have opened then.

BTW, as of this issue, Cap's shield no longer has the magnetic device built into it. He says he took it out because it "ruined (his) shield's delicate balance". It took him this long to realize that!?! A little slow on the uptake there, eh Mr. Rogers?

"When Captain America throws his mighty shield..."

JUST A NOTE:

Those 1967 Marvel Superheroes cartoons are coming to DVD next year.

1. Captain America
2. Hulk
3. Iron Man
4. Mighty Thor
5. Submariner

"When Captain America throws his mighty shield..."

Y'know, the really odd thing is that I absolutely do not recall having ever seen those cartoons before. As a matter of fact, it was only Thursday that I first heard the theme to the Captain America cartoon, thanks to the Toon Tracker website. (Got to hear the themes to a lot of 'toons I ain't heard in decades, too. Gotta love that site!) I do remember, as a kid, having a board game based on those shows. I remember because that was the first time I'd ever seen Thor, even if I didn't have any idea who or what he was. Looked like a girl to me.

Let's rap with Cap!

They're a real treat, Benn. They're worthwhile seeing. I highly recommend them

They show the origins of the Hulk & Captain America..which were quite good.

Funny, I've heard of the cartoons. Everyone else who's seen them told me they were pretty bad and made use of very limited animation.

Let's rap with Cap!

Yeah, the animation is pretty limited. Just like 1968's Spiderman. But they're fun to watch.

Tales of Suspense #63

Agent R, the contact for Operation: Rebirth, wears one of those handy dandy, realistic masks that everyone in the Marvel U seem to have.

Captain America #1
As Steve Rogers is changing after being given the formula, "millions of cells forming at incredible speed!" So Reinstein's formula is a benign form of cancer?

Funny, in Stan Lee’s version, the name of the formula's creator is Doctor Erskine.

Steve Rogers is 4F, basically, an unhealthy wimp. Yet immediately after taking the Super Soldier Serum, Steve is an accomplished fighter.

Esrskine’s assassin runs into an “electrical omnivertor”. (Whatever that is). It immediately blows up, killing the assassin. Why would it do that?

Did Steve Rogers ever receive any training for his role as Captain America? There is never any reference to this fact. But given that it’s unlikely that Rogers was much of a fighter or athlete prior to taking the Super Soldier Serum, I would imagine that some kind of training was in order.

According to this issue, Bucky is living on the Army camp because his father died while in training, so the soldiers at Fort Lehigh adopted him. Did Bucky not have any other family? Could an Army unit actually adopt the boy? Wouldn’t it be against Army regs for the boy to be a part of the unit the way he is?

On page 7, panel five, Bucky is reading a newspaper (surprisingly not Stars and Stripes). On the front page is the headlines “Captain America Nabs New Spy Ring”. In the next panel, the headline is clearly on the back page. It’s also set up differently in that panel.

On the next page, we see Rogers putting on his Captain America mask. Backwards. The mask also doesn’t look like it’d fit as snugly as it does. It looks as baggy as Baron Zemo’s mask.

So Bucky walks in on Rogers changing into Cap. He tells Steve that there’s only one thing Rogers can do - make the boy his partner. Yeah, right. I can think of a few other things. Rogers could inform his superiors and they could either arrange to have Bucky shipped to an orphanage, killed (drastic to be sure), or even appeal to his sense of patriotism and have Bucky swear to never reveal Rogers’ secret. In other words, there are several options. But making Bucky Cap's sidekick should be the least desirable of the options.

On their first mission together, Bucky and Cap take a rubber life raft loaded with explosives and aim it at a Nazi warship. When it reaches the battleship, the explosives go off. Cap and Bucky pushed the raft towards the ship. How could they be sure the raft would reach the ship? I don’t care how much Stan wants to talk about Cap figuring out the tides correctly. Waves can be quite unpredictable. And what set the explosives off in the first place? Did they light a stick of dynamite? Good thing the waves didn’t alter the course of the raft too badly. Good thing the two were able to swim far enough away from the raft that they weren't harmed. Further, it's a good thing the fuse didn't ignite the explosives too soon.

Let’s rap with Cap!

Steve Rogers is 4F, basically, an unhealthy wimp...

What does 4F mean?

It's a military classification denoting that a would be recruit is physically unfit for active duty. It's the opposite of 1A.

"Let's rap with Cap!"

You can find all of the draft classifications used during the Vietnam conflict here. During WWII the classifications were about the same. One difference that I'm sure of is that the I-Y classification was new to the vietnam era. It was created as a way to save paperwork for the draft boards. Basically it was someone who would otherwise be I-A, but whose lottery number was high enough that he was not expected to be called to duty.

Other than I-A and I-Y, each classification explains why the draftee is not available to be called to service. The rest of the I classifications are those already in the military, the Reserves, doing vital work, students, and conscientious objectors. The II classifications are more students and vital workers. (I'm not sure of the distinction between a I-S and a II-S or between a I-W and a II-A.) The III-A classification is extreme hardship. The IV classifications are those who, by law, are not eligible to be drafted: sole surviving sons (the Sullivan law), non-citizens, ministers, government officials, and those (the IV-Fs) with medical or other physical problems that make them unfit for service.

Thanks, Tom. I couldn't find anything like that on the web. (Must've been asking the wrong question, obviously.)

One thing I thought about at work today has to do with the whole Super Soldier Serum bit and Steve Rogers (Captain America) not having any super powers. I mean, come on, it's the Super Soldier Serum and it doesn't give Steve Rogers super-strength?! It just gives him a body that's as buff as anyone can make themselves? What a gyp. Why wasn't the Super Soldier Serum tested on someone who was buff, an Arnold Schwarzenagger type? Would they have gotten super strength? What was the point of testing the formula on such a physically poor specimen as Steve Rogers anyway?

"Let's rap with Cap!"

Thanks for the info.

...Why wasn't the Super Soldier Serum tested on someone who was buff, an Arnold Schwarzenagger type?...

Probably because it takes a lot of time of workout to become a buff like Arnie. If all soldiers just need to take a gulp of serum instead of working out and training over one year, it will save a lot of time.

Me - Captain America #1
As Steve Rogers is changing after being given the formula, "millions of cells forming at incredible speed!" So Reinstein's formula is a benign form of cancer?
Benn - Funny, in Stan Lee’s version, the name of the formula's creator is Doctor Erskine.
Welllllllll, in Marvel: Five Fabulous Decades one page of CA#1 was reprinted & that's where I got the nit, however the doctor's name came from the caption not the reprinted page. So it's possible that Stan could have been right & Les Daniels could have been wrong (or vice versa).
Anyone have CA#1 or a reprint of it?

Why wasn't the Super Soldier Serum tested on someone who was buff, an Arnold Schwarzenagger type?
1. People with really massive muscles aren't as flexible.
2. The change might be seen as more impressive when a 98 pound weakling becomes a Charles Atlas type than a Charles Atlas type becoming an Arnold Schwarzenegger type (or whomever would be more massively muscled than Charles Atlas.)
3. As a 4-F Rogers is worthless to the Army, so if he dies no loss. If a soldier was used & dies... one less soldier.

There was an issue of What If? where the doctor wasn't killed and other soldiers (including Nick Fury & Howling Commandoes) are given the Super Soldier Serum, but I don't remember the rest of the story.

I'm reading the "Winter Soldier" arc in the current Captain America. One question that has occured to me - Is it possible that the Winter Soldier/Bucky Barnes is a creation of the Cosmic Cube?

Excelsior!

MAJOR SPOILER ALERT! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED:

CNN (and other news sources) have some major news regarding Captain America #25, on sale today (if you can find it). Read about it here, if you don't mind the spoiler.

SPOILER SPACE!





The Red Skull survived getting blown up, shot, and getting really old. Sharon Carter immolated herself. Baron Strucker was incinerated. I'm not too worried about Mr. Rogers.

It was the man at the grassy knoll that did it!

SPOILER AHEAD!


Actually, Mike, you're only half right it seems. According to this article on Newsrama, Steve Rogers is dead. Captain America, however, will live on.

Just one more reason for me to abandon modern Marvel once I finish getting the rest of the Civil War comics I need. (Which, to be honest, was a disappointment.)

SPOILER AHEAD!

Steve Rogers will remain dead for as long as the writers and editors want him dead, which could be anywhere from a few years to a month. Read about it in http://img224.imageshack.us/img224/4100/comicbookdeathsri8.jpg.

ANOTHER SPOILER!

Well, there is this interview with Captain America's current writer, Ed Brubaker that can be found here.

I think one of the relevant parts of that interview is this:

"CBR: With so many major characters having died and returned – some multiple times – how difficult is it to come up with a fresh way to resurrect dead iconic heroes? Do you go so far as to plan the return when you plot the death?

Brubaker: I didn't, no. But I've got the next two years of Cap plotted, if that says anything."

Sounds like it's going to be at least two years before Steve Rogers is resurrect, if at all. (And no, I really don't think he'll stay dead. Just saying.)

Stories reprinted in The Essential Captain America Volume 1

Why was Steve Rogers serving as a private in the Army? Wouldn't it have made more sense if Captain America was just his full-time job? And if they felt the need to give him the cover of a private, wouldn't it make more sense to assign him to someone who knows the secret? Sergeant Duffy could have really screwed things up since he doesn't know & just thinks Rogers is a foul up that he keeps giving KP to.

And for that matter how did Steve explain his transformation to anyone who knew him as a scrawny, sickly kid? Did he not have family & friends that he might have written letters, & sent pictures, to?

untitled Tales Of Suspense #59
Bull & his gang kidnap Jarvis to find out who's watching the Avengers' mansion, then they just let him go.
What?!? What's to stop Jarvis calling both the police & the Avengers' mansion to report you? Guess Bull was named for his intelligence level.

Benn - While fighting Bull's gang, Cap boasts of having a "...lifetime of athletic training..." Uh huh. Right. My recollection is that Steve Rogers was a scrawny 4-Fer before he drank the Super-Soldier serum. He definitely didn't look that athletic to me.
If you think about it that nit gets even worse. Steve Rogers became Cap in 1940, IIRC, & his last wartime mission was in 1945 when he got frozen in ice for around 20 years, so his "lifetime of athletic training" is around 7, or 8, years at this point.

Benn - To free his legs, Cap lets the gang member using the acetylene torch (they were attempting to break into the Avengers' safe) burn through the ropes around his ankles. First of all, Cap is several feet away from the torch. Would the torch have that long a reach? Second of all, isn't it a might risky? Unless Cap's costume is fireproof, odds are he'd be setting himself on fire using this method.
Not to mention that it should take, at least, a minute to burn through the ropes. Fire is not a knife.

Lest Tyranny Triumph! Tales Of Suspense #67
We see a group of German soldiers, in Germany, talking amongst themselves, speaking German accented English.
Okay they probably were speaking German & the accent thing was done so the readers would know they were German, but come-on plenty of other comics have used English in parentheses with a caption explaining that it is translated from the original German. (Although frankly it reminded me of a joke from a Mel Brooks film. "We're so poor we don't even have a language... just an accent!")

Good thing that soldier was short enough that Bucky could take his place without arousing suspicion.

The Sentinel And The Spy! Tales Of Suspense #68
The story this issue starts seconds after the end of last issue & yet the supreme allied commander in the last issue had a full head of hair, while here he's bald on top.

That is one cool, calm & collected commander though. Seconds earlier a brainwashed Captain America & several Nazis bust into his office to kill him, a shot was fired (fortunately the brain washing wore off in time & Cap caused the gun to miss) & now Cap is fighting those Nazis in front of the commander's desk while the commander is standing behind it barking orders into the phone. If I had been in his position I'd probably be crouching behind the desk looking scared. This guy (except for losing his hair) took it all in stride ("Ho-hum, another average day on the job.")

In this story a German POW is secretly a plant to get Project Vanish. At one point he escapes using a hidden gas capsule, later he's shown having several gas capsules taped under his arm.
How the heck did the soldiers capturing him miss all those capsules?!?!?

For a top secret project, quite a few people seem to know about Project Vanish.

Cap & Bucky are looking for the escaped prisoner and they come across an English cottage with low walls, maybe about waist high. Going over the wall they find a bunch of unconscious soldiers who were the guards of Project Vanish & the house is the secret laboratory.
Yes, a bunch of army soldiers standing guard around an English cottage is the best way to keep people from realizing there is something war-related going on there.

Some soldiers hear fighting and a guy in a tank fires a "warning shot".
Using a tank to fire a warning shot is like setting a hand grenade to stun.

The front of the tank is "melted into nothingness".
Actually it just looks like the front of the tank is just missing. The remaining part of the tank shows no sign of melting & there is no puddle of metal on the ground.

Cap tricks the German into firing the weapon at full intensity which causes the weapon to explode because it hadn't been perfected yet at high intensity.
How would Cap know this?

It's stated that development of the weapon will be stopped because the ray was too unstable.
What? It worked! So it blew up at full intensity. Just don't allow it to be set that high. Duh!

Stories reprinted in The Essential Captain America Volume 1

Among Us, Wreckers Dwell! Tales Of Suspense #64
During WWII Sando & Omar have a stage act where Omar projects thoughts of the future into a globe on stage & it usually shows scene of destruction & sabotage.
I don't know about you, but I'd imagine this act would have the police & military very openly investigating this & them and yet all we see is Cap & Bucky independently deciding to check this out & an undercover US operative called Agent Thirteen checking it out.

The Sleeper Shall Awake! Tales Of Suspense #72
The splash page shows Cap sitting in a chair, behind him stands Quicksilver, to his left stands Hawkeye & to his right, the Scarlet Witch is kneeling on the floor & we find out they've been listening to Cap tell the story that ran through the last two issues.
Don't the Avengers have more than one chair???

NANJAO. In B&W the Scarlet Witch's outfit seems like it's more revealing than it should be. I assume it was a one piece bathing suit with bare legs, but at first glance it looked like she was wearing a bikini top & leggings.

Page 2, Panel 1. The JU from "just" is mostly missing because of a printing error.

Captain America thinks back to the last time he fought the Red Skull & the story has him thinking the Red Skull may have died.
Errrr..., I thought the last time he fought the Red Skull, Cap & Bucky were captured, tied to rockets & Cap ended up getting frozen for 20 years?

As the Red Skull lays 'dying' he tells Cap about a German Sleeper program that will activate in 20 years.
How conveeeeeeeeeenient.

Realizing that it's 20 years to the day of that memory Cap pulls out a metal box he took from the Red Skull & still has.
Why? You'd think he would have turned it over to Military Intelligence to examine.

In the box is a list of three names of the Red Skull's agents & three German cities.
Okay why the heck weren't those people investigated & kept under surveillance given that they should have had 20 years warning that they would do something?

Surprisingly the three agents are all still alive & free.
What would have happened to the plan had one or more of them been dead or incarcerated?

The Final Sleep! Tales Of Suspense #74
Page 3, Panel 3. The second sleeper is called the "Batwing sleeper". However it's designed to look like a manta ray, not a bat.

It's revealed that these three devices would work together to destroy the world.
Given that we find out in a later issue the Red Skull is still alive, one wonders why he allowed the sleepers to be awakened? Then again Cap did destroy the device rather easily at the end. Maybe the Red Skull really just activated a self-destruct?

If A Hostage Should Die! Tales Of Suspense #77
"Everything looks quiet, sir!"
"So does a rattlesnake before it strikes!"
Has Stan never seen a rattlesnake? It's called a rattlesnake because of the rattling of it's tail, which it usually rattles BEFORE IT STRIKES!

Me - Errrr..., I thought the last time he fought the Red Skull, Cap & Bucky were captured, tied to rockets & Cap ended up getting frozen for 20 years?
Okay a later story indicated it was Baron Zemo, not the Red Skull, who killed Bucky. I don't have a copy of Avengers #4 & it was years since I had read one. (I am surprised the Marvel nitpickers didn't correct me though.)

Given that we find out in a later issue the Red Skull is still alive, one wonders why he allowed the sleepers to be awakened?
The story that had the Skull return explained that the Red Skull had been in suspended animation & only recently been revived by Them (aka AIM).

So why did Them become AIM? It happened rather abruptly in the Cap stories, so I assume it must have happened in the Nick Fury series, but was there an explanation or did Stan just think AIM sounded better?

According to the Handbooks, THEM is the inner circle of AIM.

Thanks.

Stories reprinted in The Essential Captain America Volume 1

Them! Tales Of Suspense #78
Cap & Nick Fury are being attacked by an android that has vials of chemicals on its chest that it mixes together for attacking & defending.
1. It takes them way too long to finally decide to attack the vials. Would have been one of the first things I tried.
2. Given the size of the vials it would seem that there could only be a limited number of attacks it could make before it runs out.

Cap worries that the android might make Uranium-235 and blow up.
Errrrr... Uranium is an element, you cannot create it chemically.

The Super-Adaptoid! Tales Of Suspense #84
About the Adaptoid (captured last issue) Hawkeye says, "He almost fought the Tumbler to a standstill!"
No. No it didn't. The Tumbler was kicking the android's butt.

Also I got the impression that the Tumbler was a NEW villain, only appearing last issue, so Hawkeye making a big deal out of a lamo like the Tumbler really was ridiculous. Had the Tumbler appeared prior to Tales Of Suspense #83?

Cap somehow knows that the Super-Adaptoid has the strengths & abilities of Goliath & the Wasp.
Ummm... well the Super-Adaptoid is taller than Cap, but that doesn't necessarily mean it has Goliath's strength or ability. And while it does have wings like the Wasp that doesn't mean it can actually fly, get smaller, or fire wasp stings.
(Frankly it was just a lazy writer's way to tell the reader what powers & abilities the character had.)

Course, if you think about it, would you be worried about a villain that had the strength of the Wasp? "He beat the snot out of me! He had the strength of the Wasp!"

Cap says to the Super-Adaptoid, "I defeated you once!"
No. The Tumbler defeated him once. You just locked the android up in the lab after defeating the Tumbler.

Wanted: Captain America! Tales Of Suspense #87
The Master Planner, dressed as Cap, robs a bank & no one seems to even entertain the possibility that it was a criminal dressed as Cap.

Page 9, Panel 1. The Master Planner doesn't have his proton gun on him & runs away, but on Page 10, Panel 2, he reveals that it was collapsible & he had it under his glove.

If Bucky Lives..! Tales Of Suspense #88
Page 2, Panel 1. Printing error. The O & part of the L from the word "long" is missing.

Cap gets a message from Bucky asking for help. He finds it hard to believe, but feels he has to go just in case it may be real. When Jarvis asks him where he's going Cap decides not to tell him because it sounds crazy.
Riiiiiiiight... you find it hard to believe it is Bucky, but rather than suspect it's possibly a trap & therefore let someone else know where you're going & why, you keep your mouth shut, so if it is a trap no one can help you.

...And Men Shall Call Him Traitor! Tales Of Suspense #90
The Red Skull captures Cap in an overly elaborate death trap, then says, "Farewell! A man of my sensibilities abhors the sight of bloodshed!"
Really??? I always figured he relished it myself. But then it's just a clumsy way to get the Skull out of the room so Cap can escape.

The Red Skull lifts a square mile of New York in the air in a plastic bubble.
Can you really call it a SQUARE mile inside a SPHERE?

---

Off-hand the Red Skull suffers from Lex Luthor Disease. He creates all these amazing weapons, then abandons them in favor of something new in the next story.

Before My Eyes, Nick Fury Died! Tales Of Suspense #92
Steve Rogers is in the airport pretending to read the paper while he secretly communicates with the Avengers.
I suppose he could get away with that in New York, what with all the people who walk down the street talking to themselves.

Steve says, "To see if all goes well with my fellow Assemblers!"
*snicker* I think Stan got confused with the Avengers slogan, "Avengers Assemble!"

A Time To Die -- A Time To Live! Tales Of Suspense #95
Captain America decides to retire. After the TV announcement a woman says, "But he was like an institution -- like a police station that's always there!"
Well, if we don't count those 20 years frozen in ice. (Yeah, later stories would establish that there have been other people who used the Captain America name through the years, but at the time Marvel just ignored the post-war stories of Cap.)

The Terror That Was Devil's Island! Captain America Comics #10
Page 2, Panel 7. A question is asked of Tom Jason, but the word balloon points to Tom Jason.

Page 4, Panel 5. Cap rips off one of his steel headwings to kill a shark.
1. Those things were supposed to be made of steel?
2. If it was RIPPED off then how did he get it back on by the next page?

This was the Tumbler's first appearance. He does not come back until he gets wasted by the original Moonstone during one of the Secret Empire storylines. His brother would then team with Cap and expose an insurance company that was ripping off families of super-villains.

I'm not a fan of that "men shall call him traitor" storyline. As you said, KAM, the Skull has this device that can destroy cities, which he uses to force Cap to give up the location of a nuclear sub. Is the Skull just suffering from enuii? C'mon, man, destroy cities! Forget the sub!

Thanks for the info on the Tumbler.

Of course that story with the sub reveals that the Skull has a mind control device. So why doesn't he just get near the White House or Pentagon & control the men who give the sub it's orders?

Another thing which annoyed me has more to do with how Stan would harp on either Cap feeling guilty over Bucky's death, or how he's a man out of time with no friends & family, & sometimes he would tie the two of them together.

Now admittedly this probably worked okay when the stories came out once a month or so, but in a collection it really becomes annoying.

Of course Cap does have friends like the Avengers & Tony Stark, possibly Nick Fury, so his whining about having no friends doesn't make sense.

The few times that the Scarlet Witch appears in these stories she always seems to be looking at Cap with adoring eyes & I found myself wondering why he didn't ask her out on a date.

Because Quicksilver would kick his rear.

When the Island of Exiles was first mentioned something was said to the effect of how all their best warriors were young men & yet who does the Skull consider to be the elite? A bunch of old geezers from WWII. Way to drop the ball on the concept there.

Stories reprinted in The Essential Captain America Volume 2

Slave Of The Skull! Captain America #104
Last issue Cap said that Shield would wipe the island of the Exiles off the map, but this issue it still exists.
Did Cap just mean the Shield cartographers would redraw all maps instead of bombers blowing it to smithereens?

How long has it been since last issue? You'd think Cap would have noticed that nuclear tape the Skull put on his neck by now?

The Skull says, "You know full well that the Red Skull does not lie!"
Like a couple of issues ago when he tried to convince Cap that Bucky was still alive? Although I'm sure other examples of the Skull lying exist.

Page 8, Panel 4. Most of the word "Death" did not get printed.

Okayyyyyyy, Cap can't pull off the nuclear tape because if he does it will set off a bomb in Washington DC, with the tape on the Red Skull can cause Cap pain or even kill him, however when Tony Stark manages to deactivate the bomb the control switch for the tape stops working because apparently the thing that keeps it active was in the bomb itself.
Wha...?
I think the Skull's mask is on wayyyy too tight.

Cap Goes Wild! Captain America #106
I saw that video. He has too much to drink at Spring Break, then flashes his breasts to the camera.

An agent of Shield needs to show Cap a film, as a screen he uses a window shade.
Is that really the best thing to use? Isn't there a possibility that people looking at the window might see what's being projected?

NANJAmusing. This story features film makers, the Lucas Brothers.
Shame one of them wasn't named George.

Page 11, Panel 2. To his brother, Cyril says, "Speak you piece".
I've always heard the phrase as 'Speak your piece'.

The Hero That Was! Captain America #109
Me - Captain America #1
As Steve Rogers is changing after being given the formula, "millions of cells forming at incredible speed!" So Reinstein's formula is a benign form of cancer?
Benn - Funny, in Stan Lee’s version, the name of the formula's creator is Doctor Erskine.
And in this issue it's back to Dr. Reinstein.

Several times the Nazis use the phrase Verdammt. Isn't that just the German word for Damned or something similar that the Comics Code Authority wouldn't allow had it been in English?

This time the professor speeds up the serum by subjecting Steve to a Vita-ray, which I don't think was in the original origin. (Although it would better explain how the serum knew when to stop causing the cells to grow.)

Also in the original origin Steve's pants stay in one piece, but here Jack draws them ripped like the Hulk's.
(I kept expecting him to say, "Captain America smash puny Nazi! Rawr!")

A newspaper headline reads, "Latest exploits of allies' greatest Spy-Smasher!"
I thought Spy-Smasher was a Fawcett character?

No Longer Alone! Captain America #110
Rather clumsy way of getting Rick out of the Hulk series & into Captain America.

Why would Captain America have a Bucky costume in his closet?

For that matter why did Rick Jones think he had any right to put it on?

Also given that Stan doesn't like teen sidekicks why create a new Bucky? (Although technically, Rick was never called Bucky in the stories.)
Was Roy Thomas ghostwriting the title under Stan's name?

Hydra member says, "Speak, Madame Hydra!! We await your command!"
Sounds like he was commanding her to give a command.

Lest We Forget! Captain America #112
Recapping Cap's various exploits.

Not sure why Stan felt the "tantalizing Tumbler" needed to be mentioned, especially since the Super-Adaptoid was more interesting.

"Modok -- who had never before been defied -- let alone defeated!"
He'd never been defeated before because no one had ever fought him before. Duh!

"The terrifying Trapster".
Uhhhhh... yeahhhhhh...
Well, at least now I know who Supermegatopia's Glue Schtick is based on. (No link to Supermegatopia because it's R-rated.)

The Strange Death Of Captain America Captain America #113
Madame Hydra is going on about her scar.
You know lady, it's called plastic surgery, look it up.

And speaking of which was her scar added in the coloring stage, because the few shots of her face that show where it's supposed to be make it seem like there is no scar at all in black & white.

Why would a gas knock out the Vision? He's an android!!!

One oddity in this reprint, they have a filler page, usually used between stories, stuck there. The reason for it is that the original story had 2 double page spreads & an odd number of pages between them. Just wish they had found a better way to fill up that page.

The Man Behind The Mask! Captain America #114
When Cap faked his death a few issues back he included a life-like face mask so people would think that Steve Rogers was a fake identity. (Yeah, sure, why not? *shrug*) This issue he thinks that this will keep Sharon Carter & Rick Jones safe because villains won't know who he really is.
Errrr, why? If they know Sharon & Rick's names they'll just go after them instead.

Now Begins The Nightmare! Captain America #115
Okaaaaaaaaayyyyyy... in issue #81 the Cosmic Cube was buried beneath sand & rock underwater. This issue the Red Skull mentions that it had been brought up out of an erupting volcano on a Mediterranean island.
Okay, Stan, how the heck did the cube get down to the layer of molten magma from where it last rested?
Also that's a pretty strong device there to survive the heat of molten rock.
Probably better to assume that it just got washed up on a beach & that the volcano story was wrong.

To Hauptman, the Red Skull says, "It was I who saved you from defeat when the Nazis fell!"
According to past issues the Red Skull went into suspended animation before the war ended. I would assume the island of the Exiles was set up prior to his suspended animation which would be before the Nazis fell.

NNAN. Sharon tells Rick, "We're working with low-velocity, delicately-controlled atomics... and if anything should go wrong...!"
Low-velocity? So they're moving SLOWLY? (Geeze, Rick this calls for split-minute concentration so stop bothering her & go away! ;-)

Page 20, Panel 2. Most of the C from Captain America is missing & presumably the word I is missing as well, since the statement is rather clumsy without that at the beginning.

The Coming Of... The Falcon! Captain America #117
General Ching is called Chang here.
Then again maybe his full name is Ching Chang?

The Red Skull chooses not to watch Cap die.
Yeesh! As bloodthirsty as the Skull is usually presented these moments really come off bad.

A falconer from Harlem??? Was the Falcon intended to be white & someone decided they needed more black heroes so they rewrote his backstory?

MikeC - #118: The Falcon Fights On! Cap and the Falcon take on the Exiles! Modok's goons make a cube turn round! Rick Jones gets written out of the comic!
Which really makes one wonder why Rick was even added in the first place? Okay, when these stories first ran it was around 9 months from becoming the new Bucky to leaving to become the new Billy Batson, but reading them all together one really wonders why they bothered?

If one subscribes to the theory that Stan didn't plot the comics and his artists did (which makes a lot of sense when one considers the rapid change in various comics that accompanied a change in artist), then it seems that it would be Jim Steranko who wanted to introduce Rick and that as soon as Steranko's plot ended (and he was off the comic), then Lee/Colan chose to dump Rick.

While I think that Lee probably did help in the plotting, a lot of the comics bear the artist's stamp, not Lee's (not surprising since Lee was credited with writing basically everything in the early days of the Marvel universe).

-Kirby's FF is vintage Kirby, filled with wacky new worlds, bizarre technology, and lots of Jesus metaphors (I'm serious, look at Kirby's work and see how many times it pops up).

-Ditko's Spider-Man is a schlub who can't really get a break as Peter Parker. Romita immediately made Pete into while not a winner, someone who could have a "normal" girlfriend (not the clinging Betty Brant), drive a motorcycle, and live in an apartment.

MikeC - it seems that it would be Jim Steranko who wanted to introduce Rick and that as soon as Steranko's plot ended (and he was off the comic), then Lee/Colan chose to dump Rick.
5 issues later. ;-)

I did consider the possibility that it was Steranko's decision, although I figured that it seemed too big a decision for just the artist alone. *shrug*

Yeah there is the story that Stan's plot for the Galactus story was simply, "Have them fight God", but Stan had been working with Jack for years by that point. How long had Stan been working with Steranko?

Was Steranko intended to be the long-term Cap artist or just a short-termer as his 3 issues would indicate?

Stories reprinted in The Essential Captain America Volume 2

Table Of Contents
Lists issue 112 as penciled by Steranko, but it was actually penciled by Kirby.

Lists credits for issues 103 to 128, but it only reprints issues 103 to 126.

Crack-Up On Campus! Captain America #120
Okayyyyyy, how do the people of Harlem know of the new superhero named The Falcon? He only became the Falcon 2 issues earlier & all his exploits were on an island ruled by the Exiles & a battle against the Red Skull, none of which should have been public knowledge. The people of Harlem should be going, "Why is that brother dressed like an idiot?"

Why is Nick Fury using such a subversive method to get Cap to work for him? It's not like Cap has anything better to do.

The Dean says, "You're the first applicant Stevens... so the job is yours!"
Yeahhhhhhh, riiiiiiight, suuuuuuuuure...
Even back in the '60s they had standards for becoming a teacher! (Nothing like today, but still...)
Also the campus is having problems with protesters. You'd think the Dean would want to make sure any new teachers weren't potential troublemakers.

NNANJAO. At the end Steve tells Nick he quit the job because it was too much for an old codger like him.
The funny thing is, we never once saw him teaching PE in the story.
Also, given how much he whines about being alone & not having anything, you'd think the opportunity to educate young people might be something he's interested in.

The Coming Of The Man-Brute! Captain America #121
Cap tells Nick, "Cragg was someone I sent to jail... more than 15 years ago!"
While technically 20 years is more than 15, it is an odd way to phrase it for someone who was frozen in ice for 20 years.

Might have been interesting if Cragg had been a villain who had appeared in an old Captain America book.

The Sting Of The Scorpion! Captain America #122
When I hear the word establishment I usually think of governments & those in charge, not a generic word for generation which seems to be how Cap thinks of it in this story.

Cap thinks, "It was that same establishment that gave them a Martin Luthor King -- a Tolkien".
Wasn't Martin Luthor King someone who spoke out against the Establishment?
Tolkien was an English teacher at Cambridge. Hardly the Establishment that the kids were protesting. And even if Cap was using Establishment synonymous for Generation Tolkien would have been the previous Generation to Cap.

Sharon is supposedly working undercover to bring down a spy ring. So why is she running around wearing what I assume is her Shield uniform? Kind of stands out, even in a black & white comic.

Captured In Viet Nam! Captain America #125
Page 15, Panel 6. Cap's boot is pinned to the ground by a spear.
Problem is the head of that spear is so wide it should have cut off the part of Cap's boot it went through

I recently bought the Complete Captain America collection DVD-ROM. This is very interesting (not just because I love Cap), as it allows for an easy comparison of different writers' take on Cap:

-the early Lee/Kirby typical hijinks
-the Engelhart Cap-as-Nomad, burned out on corruption and the government
-the DeMatteis period of Emotional Overdrive (somebody once theorized that J.M.M. had been smacked around as a kid because every one of his villains and most of his heroes have deep childhood problems)
-the Gruenwald period of Cap-as-man-of-complete ethics who got upset after he shot someone and quit his position rather than accept government control
-the Waid period that started so horribly on the wrong foot and managed to get a little better before:
-the Liefield reboot, and then:
-Cap-as-terrorist-fighter

My favorite has always been Gruenwald's. While his individual issues were never really that powerful, taken as one, the man could write a brilliant overall narrative. His work eventually bogged down when seemingly every story became "Part 1 of an 8-Part Story!", but that was a fault of all Marvel, not just Gru's.

I forgot Kirby's brief return to the comic in the 1970's where basically he threw out every other writer's plotlines/characters and did some Seriously Weird Stuff. Due to his ubiquity, Arnim Zola doesn't that seem weird anymore, but his first appearance...wow.