CAPTAIN AMERICA: C/D

Message Bookmarked
Bookmark Removed

Never done, believe it or not!

Scuttlebutt about the actual books, the character, the life & times in which he's thrived, the loopy notion I have in my head that Jon Hamm (from Mad Men) would make a pretty keen Steve Rogers on the big screen, etc etc etc etc.

David R., Wednesday, 13 August 2008 13:07 (sixteen years ago) link

I bought the first four of the Brubaker GNs, and was a bit underwhelmed--it's a little humourless, and even in book format it seems too decompressed. For once, I could have used a couple of tacky patented Mark Millar "yesss!" moments. The art is nice, though. And at least it's doing something different. But in terms of repurposing a superhero book as genre fiction, I think Queen & Country and even X-Factor do it better.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a5/Captain_America_350.jpg

I bought this double issue when I was 11, though, and I remember finding it endlessly fascinating, especially the parade of old Captain Americas, and the Nazi Captain America. It was probably the only Marvel comic in my collection for about five years...

Chuck_Tatum, Wednesday, 13 August 2008 13:44 (sixteen years ago) link

Hey, they're almost making a little swastika with their arms and legs.

Chuck_Tatum, Wednesday, 13 August 2008 13:46 (sixteen years ago) link

Mark Gruenwald's Captain America was my favorite comic when I was a kid. Not all of it holds up well, but the Streets of Poison arc is still fun.

Brubaker's Captain America is the book that got me back in the habit. The first twelve or so issues are fantastic. It dipped a bit with 21st Century Blitz, but since the death it's back to being the first comic I read whatever week it comes out.

Garrett Martin, Wednesday, 13 August 2008 14:10 (sixteen years ago) link

Search: The pre-Heroes Reborn Cap by Waid and Garney, and the first couple of issues after the return from the Liefeldverse. From the third issue of that series onwards, it became more of a hit and miss, but the Cosmic Cube issues with the red skull and, especially, "Man Without a Country". They really emphasized on making the Captain a really cool, larger than life character. Think of the Batman Morrison wrote on JLA, then remove all of the darkness. Or maybe a more understated James Bond.

The Brubaker/Epting issues are also worthwhile. The stories are darker and not that Cap-centric; it feels like a Nolan version of the character.

I'd also search for the General Glory parody in Giffen's JLI. It's not everyone's cup of tea; I've heard people saying there's too much humor there and too little superheroics. But I loved it back then and was surprised recently when I re-read it and found out how well it still holds up.

Destroy: The thing with Mark Gruenwald is that, even though he had its moments, he stayed there too long and the series was a train wreck by the time Waid and Garney came on board.

I also dislike the Ultimate Cap very strongly.

Wally West, Wednesday, 13 August 2008 19:27 (sixteen years ago) link

I wanted to say:

"but the Cosmic Cube issues with the red skull and, especially, "Man Without a Country are still my favorite stories"

Or something like that.

Wally West, Wednesday, 13 August 2008 19:28 (sixteen years ago) link

it feels like a Nolan version of the character.

Christopher, not Graham.

Wally West, Wednesday, 13 August 2008 19:30 (sixteen years ago) link

the golden age cap is as gung-ho and racist as you might expect, but it's also undeniably thrilling to see jack kirby pretty much singelhandedly creating modern dynamic superhero comics storytelling. fifties cap includes some interesting early john romita superhero work that still shows his massive debt to caniff.

the revived 60s cap stories in TALES OF SUSPENSE are on the whole pretty lightweight, but kirby was obviously enjoying himself, and when he's inked by joe sinnott or 'frank ray' (aka frank giacoia) the artwork is peerless. unfortunately a lot of the later sixties kirby stuff, after cap was finally given his own full-length comic book, is submerged under some seriously heavy-handed syd shores finishing, up there w/ colletta in the crimes-against-kirby stakes.

once kirby left marvel, you get a few wonderful steranko issues and then stan lee set in motion the first of many similar storylines where cap starts to question his identity/function/iconographic status in a post-viet nam world and goes off to find/validate himself blahblah. again, its not exactly what you'd call 'deep' but some of it is so beautifully drawn by gene colan and joe sinnott (an incredibly underrated combo) you won't care.

steve englehart's long run on the title - starting with issue 153 - is extremely satisfying, w/ cap fighting a shadowy watergate-esque political conspiracy and then registering his disgust w/ Amerikkka by becoming Nomad for a good six issues or more. The art is mostly by Sal Buscema at his functional best, though some of the later Englehart issues are drawn by the insanely great/kinetic frank robbins.

kirby's return to cap in the 70s was not his finest hour, tho' The Swine storyline (206-207) is really good fun and there's always Arnim Zola...once the king departs again there are a few typically deranged Gerber issues and a brief but justly celebrated run by Roger Stern, John Byrne and Joe Rubinstein...and after that I check out...fuck Mark Waid, i can spot a DC fifth columnist a mile off

Ward Fowler, Wednesday, 13 August 2008 20:51 (sixteen years ago) link

fuck Mark Waid, i can spot a DC fifth columnist a mile off

Well, he did write one of the best Fantastic Four runs ever!

Wally West, Wednesday, 13 August 2008 21:23 (sixteen years ago) link

some of the worst FFs i've ever read - meeting jack kirby in heaven ffs

Ward Fowler, Wednesday, 13 August 2008 21:51 (sixteen years ago) link

FFS ffs

energy flash gordon, Wednesday, 13 August 2008 22:20 (sixteen years ago) link

I'm reading through Brubaker's run right now, and just got to the 65th Anniversary Let's All Draw Like Darwyn Cooke Special, and I have a question out there for any continuity people. The last few pages make it clear that this is supposed to be an in-continuity thing, what with the giant robot and the Latverian connection and everything, and that's fine. I checked around on Wikipedia and Nick Fury's still supposed to have been alive in WWII and is still around thanks to a handwave called the Infinity Formula. Fine. But...what's Dum Dum Dugan's excuse? Was he replaced by a Skrull in 1949, or what?

Telephone thing, Friday, 22 August 2008 07:15 (sixteen years ago) link

It's comics?

Matt M., Friday, 22 August 2008 16:42 (sixteen years ago) link

I will choose to believe it's the result of his hat, which is clearly magical.

Telephone thing, Friday, 22 August 2008 18:37 (sixteen years ago) link

Didn't Faustus look a bit like Dugan after he shaved this last issue?

Oilyrags, Friday, 22 August 2008 20:04 (sixteen years ago) link

SHOCKED!

Dr. Superman, Friday, 22 August 2008 20:42 (sixteen years ago) link

three weeks pass...

Hey y’all! Should I read CAPTAIN AMERICA? I was keen on SLEEPER (which enthralled with its bleak ‘n brutal antics and perverse panel placement, despite basically spinning its wheels every other issue) but find Brubaker’s DAREDEVIL kinda turgid (not so much a blood-n-gristle supa’ero comic in the “urban avenger” mold as a beautifully illustrated series of not-that-compelling plot points – I’m tempted to go on with my criticism and probably will, someday), so it could go either way with me.

R Baez, Wednesday, 17 September 2008 19:35 (sixteen years ago) link

If you have to ask, you need to read the first year+ of Bru's run ASAP.

David R., Wednesday, 17 September 2008 19:41 (sixteen years ago) link

OYYYYY...WHAT CAN I SAY?:

I care little for the art: stilted figures overlayed with a chunky texture. Plus, I got #26 for free and found watching Bucky brood during a brawlfest in a bar not exactly my thing.

R Baez, Wednesday, 17 September 2008 19:49 (sixteen years ago) link

what the hell is this "America First" Howard Chaykin thing in the Dec. solicits???

Dr. Superman, Wednesday, 17 September 2008 22:04 (sixteen years ago) link

Hm, it's not Criminal or Catwoman or Gotham Central good, but it's pretty involving. I've only read the first 16 issues or so. Nothing much really happens, but you don't really notice it.

Chuck_Tatum, Thursday, 18 September 2008 00:06 (sixteen years ago) link

(Incidentally, the Bru/Rucka story that just wound up on Daredevil was pretty great.)

Chuck_Tatum, Thursday, 18 September 2008 00:07 (sixteen years ago) link

HVN'T RD THT.

Libraried a copy of HELL TO PAY VOL. 2 (the end of HTP V.1 where I told my lcs enuff zenuff), and found same dull, detached gymnastics as always. I'll get ahold of Bru/Ruck soon, probably.

R Baez, Friday, 19 September 2008 18:31 (sixteen years ago) link

Oh man burn on you, Red Skull!

There is no Grodd but Mallah and Congorilla is His Prophet. (Oilyrags), Thursday, 25 September 2008 15:37 (sixteen years ago) link

"what the hell is this "America First" Howard Chaykin thing in the Dec. solicits???"

I guess he is going to do a mini-series about the 50s Captain America set during the Red scare days, which thematically seems kind of up Chaykin's alley. Sadly going from other comic boards, a bunch of the younger Marvel zombies hate Chakyin's artwork on all the current Marvel books. Personally, I think they are a bunch of dolts, but hey I'll admit I wasn't the biggest fan of Steve Ditko when I was a kid either (although I like it better now), so maybe it is a generational thing.

earlnash, Thursday, 25 September 2008 21:49 (sixteen years ago) link

Sadly going from other comic boards, a bunch of the younger Marvel zombies hate Chakyin's artwork on all the current Marvel books.

It's not just the kids, grandpa. Have you seen his work lately? He was on the short-lived OYL Hawkgirl revamp (ass), the short-lived post-Civil War Blade regular series (hey more ass), and he's doing his thing now on Punisher War Journal (started off OK, but lo and behold has quickly returned to ASS).

David R., Thursday, 25 September 2008 22:11 (sixteen years ago) link

I've just seen the issue of Punisher MAX, that Guy Gardiner series and thumbed through the Blade books for his more recent artwork. I dunno, it didn't look that bad to me or that much different than Howard Chaykin ever looked. Chaykin's character faces always looked kind of similar, Rueben Flagg looked like The Shadow and looked like the guy from Time2 and not that different from the Punisher now. His layouts were not as crazy as American Flagg or anything, but then again it is Blade. I kind of liked the little bit I read on the Blade and would pick them up out of a dollar bin or if I found the trades cheap. It wasn't anywhere near as off as some of the more recent artwork from his contemporaries like John Byrne or Frank Miller, whose artwork on stuff looks really weak compared to their 80s output. Miller's artwork on that Dark Knight Strikes Again looked really bad, kind of like he did the whole thing with a Sharpy or something.

earlnash, Thursday, 25 September 2008 22:46 (sixteen years ago) link

four months pass...

oooh
http://vancouver.en.craigslist.ca/tag/1022987356.html

Oh Why, Sports Coat? (Dr. Superman), Wednesday, 11 February 2009 19:32 (fifteen years ago) link

You can't afford NOT to!

Magdalen Goobers (Oilyrags), Wednesday, 11 February 2009 19:38 (fifteen years ago) link

Both in great condition, except the letter "A" on caps hood has faded away.

The Bush years were hard on everyone.

Oh Why, Sports Coat? (Dr. Superman), Wednesday, 11 February 2009 21:07 (fifteen years ago) link

so is he still dead?

Tracy Michael Jordan Catalano (Jordan), Wednesday, 11 February 2009 21:33 (fifteen years ago) link

As of the last issue I read, yes.

Magdalen Goobers (Oilyrags), Wednesday, 11 February 2009 21:34 (fifteen years ago) link

Oh, in terms of classic? The first 2/3rds or so of Kirby's run on CAPTAIN AMERICA in the middle 70s is pretty ace. If you like that sort of thing. Even I'll admit that it gets a bit dodgy around the time of Arnim Zola (no matter how cool a villain he is), but MADBOMB is just great stuff.

Matt M., Thursday, 12 February 2009 18:30 (fifteen years ago) link

one month passes...

lol

rip dom passantino 3/5/09 never forget (max), Wednesday, 1 April 2009 19:32 (fifteen years ago) link

two months pass...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/8102532.stm

Post your guesses here: super-soldier serum healed him/held him in suspended animation? One of Fury's LMDs? Mephisto had him playing 20 Questions in hell?

unicorn poop evaluator (WmC), Tuesday, 16 June 2009 19:20 (fifteen years ago) link

the loopy notion I have in my head that Jon Hamm (from Mad Men) would make a pretty keen Steve Rogers on the big screen

I've always had Jon Hamm down as Superman myself.

chap, Wednesday, 17 June 2009 14:42 (fifteen years ago) link


You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.