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.
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.
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