Comics Review: Captain America Epic Collection—Arena of Death

I’ve had an interesting relationship with Captain America in the comics.    I bought a commemorative magazine a few years ago that showed the Captain as something of a propaganda tool depending on who was handling him (9-17-21).  I later bought a retrospective book featuring 40’s and 60’s Captain America comics (8-29-22).  When brought into the modern era, he was a bit of a lonely, melancholic warrior, as he was a man out of his natural time.    An issue of Back Issue (1-17-25) featured a couple of articles on Captain America in the 80’s, where Steve Rogers settled down a bit into living a normal life when not in action and also researching his own past.   

Most of the trade paperback offerings at Zia Comics are modern offerings like the DC’s Absolute line, Invincible, and the Walking Dead.    I zoom in on any trades featuring classic reprints.    There were a couple of Captain America Epic Collection books that looked interesting that were from the 90’s.    I was thinking, If there’s an era where Captain America would be fun, it’d be the 90’s.    I picked one up.

I described part of this book to a co-worker later.    “Captain America and Black Panther are in the Savage Land, a dinosaur-filled jungle preserve in Antarctica, fighting a giant robot.”    I also described Captain America stopping a scheme by someone working for the Red Skull by firing a bazooka at a transmitter tower and blowing it up.    The female co-worker giggled in delight.   

If that paragraph didn’t sell you on this book, I don’t know what will.    Comics in the 90’s are mostly known for big guns and small pouches.    That’s not exactly Cap’s motif, but the book still fits into the era well.    There’s plenty of action, but to my surprise, there are some well-written stories, even the ones that are kind of silly at first glance.    It made me happy that I not only got what I was looking for, but more.     

        

Scarecrow and the World Trade Center in the background

Admittedly, the volume doesn’t start off on good footing.    There’s a team-up with Ghost Rider that’s as strained a pairing as you would imagine, as they fight a Captain America villain that’s gone supernatural in abilities, the Scarecrow.    Still, one of Cap’s best abilities is being able to work with anybody in an allied cause.   

This was some sort of stand-alone special, kind of like the original Marvel graphic novels of the 80’s.    It’s an odd interlude, especially when Batman shows up at the end with his lawyers claiming copyright infringement on one of his villains.    (The Scarecrow in this even has about the same powers as the DC one.)    This story probably features the best art in the volume.    That’s not saying much.    You’re not going to be overly impressed with the art in this.    It’s functional and gets the storytelling job done, but no more.                         

The book outright trips next with an annual that ties into a company-wide storyline, Citizen Kang.    That doesn’t mean it has to be bad, but this one really is.    Captain America somehow goes backward in time and meets Gilgamesh from the Eternals.    They’re fighting the rock men from Saturn that Thor faced in his origin story (9-26-19).  That’s several deep cuts in the lore.    Nothing really happens and the story is continued in another annual, where there’s hopefully more action.

There’s also a Falcon story where he’s doing youth outreach in the ‘Hood and fighting the Taskmaster.    (Rolls eyes.)    There’s an origin story of Kang, technical details of Cap’s plane and shield, and Cap’s top 10 villains.    It’s a grab bag where you come away with nothing.

Still, from reading blurb on the back of the book, I was looking forward for things to come and was rewarded.    Cap is going out with a reformed super-villain, Diamondback, who wants to track down her former teammate, Snapdragon.    Nick Fury finds the woman for them.    She’s on AIM’s island where they’re holding a trade show for super villains.    Sounds like a peach of a vacation spot for Cap and his girlfriend.

With Falcon in tow, they’re all disguised as villains they know are currently out of action.    AIM insists on disarming all the guests when they arrive, which works out well for the group later.    Cap’s old foe, Batroc, confronts him while he’s dressed as Crossbones, who owes Batroc a bet on a fight.    Specifically, Cap has to fight five unarmed opponents in an arena filled with supervillains.    Of course, Cap takes him up on it.    He can’t blow his cover and surely this won’t be any big deal.    (Bonus points if you can name all of the villains in the picture.    I can only name a couple.)

Of course you can this coming.    Cap’s cover gets blown and he has to fight everybody!    Thank goodness, he brought backup.    Errr . . . Falcon is off fighting Shang-Chi (?), who just showed up on the island chasing his own lead.    Meanwhile, Diamondback has found Snapdragon and strangles and drowns her.     

  

Captain America is doing fine.    Don’t worry.   

Meanwhile, Batroc is sitting back watching the show with some popcorn.    Thankfully, at least Falcon and Shang-Chi come to help Cap.    The group finally reunites to get past AIM’s defenses and escape.    Whew!

Meanwhile in the Savage Land, Ka-Zar has been captured by AIM agents there and brought to face the Saur-Lords.    By coincidence, Black Panther, whom Captain America and his group were visiting, is headed there, because somebody in the Savage Land is undercutting Wakanda’s monopoly on Vibranium.    Cap does question the suppression of free trade aspect of this investigation, but goes along with the mission anyway.   

Multiple fight scenes later, Ka-Zar has been mind-controlled and Cap has teamed up with Ka-Zar’s saber-toothed kitty, Zabu.    Black Panther meets a native girl, who is then captured by one of the Saur-Lords.    Diamondback is having guilty flashbacks about killing Snapdragon.    Falcon is captured and seemingly mind-controlled as well, and leads the group into an ambush.    Reverse Uno!    He’s not mind-controlled and everybody’s ready for a fight.   

 

The group takes out the Saur-Lords, but then the giant robot shows up!    Pshaw.    Like this is a challenge.    Okay, it’s a challenge without Thor there with just a bunch meta-human brawlers, but don’t underestimate their resourcefulness.       

The next issue is the real challenge . . . for the readers, because it features D-Man.    Ah, this actually isn’t the cover for the issue in the trade, but it may as well be.    Not hard to figure out why this character didn’t catch on.

At least we get something better looking next, as Cap teams up with Silver Sable and her Wild Pack.    Roll Call: Battle Star! umm. . . Four other people that aren’t named in this issue as far as I could tell.    They’re after Viper, who is working for the Red Skull.   

He double crosses her because her scheme to destroy the US is too much like his scheme from back in the 80’s.    (I know this, because I had that issue, #263.)    As shown at the top, Cap ruins Viper’s plan with a bazooka.       

Here’s more Silver Sable.

It’s another annual next.    Oh, boy.    Cap meets a new Puerto Rican hero, Bantam.    He’s a boxer, whose costume has Rooster stylings and he wears boxing gloves in combat.    I’m going to subvert your expectations here.    It’s actually pretty well written.    Yes, it’s ridiculous-looking, but it sort of reminds me of something like an episode of Miami Vice, but with drugs making people super-powered, instead just high.    I thought I might groan to death when I previewed this part of the book, but I really was pleasantly surprised.   

Then I was really dreading the final four issues in the book.    Captain American isn’t even them!    It’s John Walker, who was Captain America at one point (plenty of guys on that list), and basically has his powers and a shield.    Walker would be like Rogers, if no one respected him and he was kind of a jerk.    Even without the similar costumes, you can easily tell these guys apart.    He’s not quite as bad as the Captain America from The Ultimates, at least.   

This is a good thing, actually.    It’s a different take on a patriotic superhero.    Captain America is probably the better version, but he’s also the one most likely to quit if he doesn’t like the politics involved.    Walker has his moments of self-reflection and doubt, but he doesn’t give up on the mission.   

The series is the conclusion to the Scourge storyline that worked through various Marvel titles for a few years.    Scourge was a vigilante that killed criminals.    This story played out kind of like a Reacher movie, but with superpowers.    The ending was maybe a little rushed and not quite the big-budget finale that it seemed to be leading up to, but darned if it wasn’t entertaining.    I’m not sure why it was in this book, but where else were they going to put it and it was too good to bury forever.         

Yep, this was how best to do Captain America.    I did like those Jim Steranko issues from the 60’s and it’s okay that the character has some angst about his past, but Captain America should mostly be kicking ass.    Another thing is that Cap seems to work best with a group or a partner.    His best qualities come out in comparison to others.    Who wouldn’t want Captain America leading a mission to an island full of supervillains?   

Yes, this was mostly a fun one.    I’d recommend this for a good time.

Comics Review: The Rocketeer--Thrills, Spills, and Chills

The Rocketeer is my third favorite Disney film. (Tron and Tron: Legacy are #1 and #2, respectively. No, their animated films don’t rate with me, nor their Star Wars. I do like several of their MCU films.) I am also a big fan Dave Stevens’ artwork. I got an issue of Back Issue featuring an interview (1-20-25) and I saw a documentary about him. I’ve also bought a recent Rocketeer comic (5-24-22), though the series was not done by Stevens. Shamefully, I did not own any of Stevens’ original comics. I’d never read them.

I actually remember the first time I saw Stevens’ artwork. I was at the comic book store in El Paso and the owner, Mickey, was doing a commissioned drawing of this picture of Betty. It was somewhat mesmerizing. Mickey was a good artist and doing a really good copy of it, as well. He might have mentioned what he was drawing, but I didn’t have any opportunity to buy the comic at the time, if he even had a copy there.

Stevens passed away in 2008, too young, at 53. The Rocketeer was almost the least of his art projects, but easily what he was best known for. (His commercial artwork was very impressive.) He only did two Rocketeer stories, which were serialized in Pacific Presents and at some other independent publishers. Stevens had plenty more ideas, but comic book work just didn’t pay as well as commercial work. Also, he didn’t work that fast, especially as a perfectionist. This panel of Butch the bulldog is famous for holding up an entire issue for weeks as he wasn’t satisfied with the dog’s paw.

Stevens’ Rocketeer has been reprinted multiple times. I could scarcely believe running into this IDW (the current Rocketeer publisher) reprinting on shelves at Barnes & Noble. Was it a mirage? I didn’t argue. I just grabbed it and ran to the register. It is in the compact format with slick pages. On some level, I sort of wished for a full-size version or even a gallery edition (like the Warlock book I bought later). About a third of this 360+ page book is Stevens’ original work and the rest features short stories by an all-star group of creators. For $14 bucks, this was an absolute steal.

The Rocketeer was a work of personal passion for Stevens. He loved Art Deco and the 30’s/40’s era. Our hero, Cliff Secord, is essentially a self-portrait. Peevy is his animator friend, Doug Wildey. Betty is 50’s pinup queen, Bettie Page. Dave’s relationship with Bettie is a whole another story. You can look that up yourself.

If you’ve watched the movie, you’ll find elements of it in the comics, but they do not correspond. Stevens, working on a serialized story, wasn’t just making it up as he went along with each chapter; he was doing it page-by-page. It’s amazing that it’s coherent at all. When Disney made the movie, the first thing the screenwriters had to do was create an actual villain and a plot.

In the first story, it’s basically Cliff finding the jetpack, being reluctant to give it up, and being chased by the jetpack’s owners. Cliff’s overriding motivation in this is being jealous about his girlfriend, Betty, who gets mixed up in the affair.

This leads into the second story, as Cliff follows Betty to New York, trying to keep her from leaving the country. Cliff’s very dark backstory from his time in the circus comes up while there. He teams up with a character reminiscent of the Shadow (or a combination some other pulp characters) and he stops a murder. Betty does return home to be with Cliff.

I’m kind of glossing over the story, and its fine, but the reason to buy this, or any other Rocketeer reprint, is for the artwork. It’s just stunning. The rest of the volume could have been crap and it would have still been worth it.

It’s not crap. It’s mostly 8-page stories by some the best comic book writers and artists in the industry. The Rocketeer and Dave Stevens had a lot of admirers. There’s a bunch of stories in here and they vary widely in styles, but still keep the setting and dynamic between Cliff and Betty.

The Mike Allred story is a direct sequel to Stevens’ work, but the stories are all episodic. Keeping with the original, there’s not a coherent timeline for Cliff’s adventures, other than WWII happens and the Rocketeer is involved. In a couple of stories, it’s established how he works for the government and he fights in both theaters of the war.

You might wish for more than the peek that these stories give you. I’m sure some of the creators would have liked to have done more. The series editing seemed to be really light in terms of the stories given who was involved in creating them. (A couple of anachronisms slipped in. Dave was a stickler for being authentic in his stories.) The new issue that I bought a couple of years ago, Rocketeer: The Great Race, would give creators more space to work.

It’s hard to pick a favorite among the short stories. There’s a few clunkers. Given the pulp nature of most of them, they’re a bit exhausting to read, so pace yourself. Certainly, Bill Sienkiewicz gets the prize for the oddest, as he illustrates a cartoon spoof of the Rocketeer. Between the stories are pinups by Stevens and others, including Alex Ross paintings.

Okay, this one is a classic. Perhaps the best compliment I can pay is that this trade leaves you wanting more. A lot more.

Texas Rangers Yearbook and Magazine

Jessie, an officer where I work, went to a couple of Ranger games for his birthday in April. I asked for a program or a yearbook from the trip. (I have no shame.) They were playing the Pirates. He did see Aggie great, Nick Gonzales, there playing for the other team. Jessie hit the gift shop at the stadium and bought quite a bit and was nice enough to remember me and toss these in.

Rangers Magazine April 3-29, 2026

This was the first program of the season. It begins with an interview with the new manager, Skip Schumaker. There’s an article about Jacob deGrom and Nathan Eovaldi being at the top of the Rangers’ pitching rotation. There’s a report on Rangers playing in the World Baseball Classic. (None of them played for the US team.) There’s an article on Brandon Nimmo, a new free agent arrival. Then there’s a broadcaster discussion about Schumaker. Nothing in here is hard-hitting journalism; its puff pieces about the team.

I liked this story about Taunee Taylor. She was the Senior Director of Player and Family services. She just retired after 44 years of assisting player families, handling fan requests, and working with charities. The players were effusive in their praise of her service to them.

Okay, here’s the crux of this. Here’s the new food items at the ballpark. This includes the famous Rally Sombrero. It’s a plate of nachos that can be worn as a hat. (Jessie saw these at the park). I was intrigued by the jumbo chili dog “double-battered and served on a split buttermilk biscuit with country gravy.”

I’m not sure if Jessie got a giveaway at the games he went to. I think he missed out. There was a blank scorecard in the magazine. I teased Jessie about not even trying to fill it out. (There’s instructions right there with it!) There’s a Guest Guide, also. Surprisingly, you are allowed to bring in a bottle of water and a bag of food.

Here’s your seat pricing at the ballpark. There’s no listed prices. The stadium features “Dynamic pricing.” This means the cost of the seat changes based on the opponent, who’s pitching, playoff implications, and how the team is doing in general. It’s not easy to plan a trip to the ballpark in advance based on those conditions.

2025 Texas Rangers Yearbook

I actually have a few yearbooks. I have a large, pretty Yankees one, two Dodger yearbooks (7-19-17), and a hockey yearbook (12-10-21). Given my general hatred for those two teams, it seems strange that I have them, but I’d asked for them from people who were in the area and they are cool. The hockey yearbook was on the newsstand. I apparently didn’t like it.

(It occurs to me I should blog sometime about the other yearbooks, the three Rockies programs, the Diamondbacks program, and the Hall of Fame yearbook I have. As many blogs as I write, I’m constantly surprised by how many things I haven’t written about. Either that, or I just can’t find the posts.)

This yearbook came out before manager Bruce Bochy retired. It features an article about him and his career. There’s an article on Elvis Andrus being inducted into the Ranger Hall of Fame and an article about RSN, the new Rangers Sports Network. The bulk of the book is full-page pictures of most of the Rangers players from the team.

There’s lots of ads in this, but I was captivated by the ads for One Ranger Way. This is a luxury condo right in between Globe Life Field and AT&T Stadium. You’re steps away from the ballpark and they broadcast away games in the lounge. Now, I have a life goal. Actually, I’m not sure how much I’d like to live in the Metroplex, but it’d sure be nice to be able to watch Ranger games on TV over-the-air and listen to their games on a nice clear FM station (instead of a weak, out-of-town AM station).

There was also an ad for an Indy Car race with the track going around the two stadiums. Hmph, this ruckus might disturb my comfortable living at One Ranger Way. Regrettably, I didn’t get to see this race when it happened.

It’s a nice souvenir, but nothing very informational. You’d kind of wish that these yearbooks would actually talk about the season in review (even if it was lousy, like the Rangers’ season was last year). If you’re at a Major League ballpark, I would recommend getting a program or a yearbook as a keepsake.

Comics Review: Archie Jumbo Comic Magazine #1

I’d seen this magazine offered on the Archie website and was interested in ordering it, but held off. Because of the format, I assumed I’d be able to find it on the newsstand at Barnes & Noble. It never showed up there. I read it online on an “archive” website. Though it was kind of neat, I didn’t want to go to the trouble of ordering it, especially since you only get free shipping on preorders of new comics. Finally, I found it at Wal-Mart. This happened when I found the magazine rack, which they had moved and virtually hidden in the store. I was lucky to get this.

The magazine is 100+ pages on white, kind of pulpy paper, but decent quality. Priced at $15, it’s all reprints spread out from different decades of Archie. The short stories are interspersed with little articles written in the first person by Archie himself. There are, I think, reprinted Archie encyclopedia entries for the main characters. It is meant to be a commemorative celebration for Archie’s 85-th anniversary.

40’s Archie comics are not often reprinted in modern Archie comics. They look a bit primitive, but are funny.

However, we do have this Sunday page from Bob Montana from the Archie comic strip, which I own (and never reviewed, but its great).  This is absolute peak Archie.

One thing that got my interest was a few stories from the 50’s. The comics had more of a cartoony style. Again, these aren’t heavily reprinted today. I like them, but haven’t seen much of them.

Here’s a pin-up with Veronica from her short hair era in the 60’s. She looks so cute.

Here’s a modern Veronica from the 70’s. She’s not having a good time at the concert with Jughead.

This genuinely surprised me: it’s Archie and friends playing Dungeons & Dragons from the 80’s. This must have come out before the “controversy.” It is somewhat accurate with the polyhedral dice and the boys playing for hours, however, who’s the DM? Also reprinted from the 80’s in this magazine, Archie and Jughead encounter E.T. From the 90’s, Betty experiments with the “grunge” style and her parents think she’s dressed to help them paint the house.

I think this is from maybe the early 2000’s. Veronica gets in an online fight with a teen advice columnist, Jessica Love Hubert. The name sounds like “Jennifer Love Hewitt,” but it doesn’t look like her and I don’t remember her doing a teen advice column. It’s a mystery, but fun. Dan did a nice job designing “Jessica.”

This was a recent new digest story with the Kennedy Brothers’ art showcasing all of the variations of Archie over the years. I’d seen this before, but appreciated seeing the artwork in a larger format.

This is what Archie Comics should be doing instead of their current sort-of digest, which replaced their digest line. That one digest looks lonely on the rack given that there used to be four there at any given time. Using the magazine format would fit in better with the rest of the rack, but it needs to be $10. Maybe they could reduce the page count and print it on cheaper paper. One of the reasons I bought this was to support this format. Hopefully, they’ll consider it.