Featuring: Captain America
Release: April 30, 1942
Cover: July 1942
10 cents
Story by: Stan Lee
Art work by : Al Avison
24 pages
| Previous | Next | |
|---|---|---|
| Captain America Comics #7 | Prelude | Young Allies #4 |
| Sgt. Fury #16 | Reading order | Tales of Suspense #65 |
Joe Simon and Jack Kirby created Captain America and were the driving force and primary creators behind the first 10 issues. But they left for the competition, for the company that would be DC.
That perhaps understates what happened. They learned publisher Martin Goodman had been cheating them out of royalties with shady accounting practices, and so started considering leaving the company. Goodman learned of their intentions and fired them before they could quit, losing his most successful creators in the process.
Stan Lee, now 19 years old, has since taken over the role of editing the Captain America stories, and had long been the writer on many backup features in the series, including Headline Hunter, Hurricane, Father Time, and the Imp.
This is his first credited Captain America comic story. (His first Captain America story was the prose piece in issue 3.)
His distinctive narration style is already recognizable even at a young age, filled with excitement and hyperbole. “…most dangerous adventure of their amazing, thrill-packed careers!”
We get a cool double splash page for the feature image.
Was he wearing his skull mask in prison? Why?
Red Skull apparently died at the end of most of his appearances, but he was captured at the end of issue 7, so opening with him in prison is correct. Somebody is paying attention.
Apparently months pass without Captain America learning about the Red Skull’s escape.
Archery is the Red Skull’s new shtick.
Bucky is seriously wounded by the Red Skull’s arrow.
Perhaps there is a lesson to be learned about taking a young child into battle against dangerous maniacs, but Captain America won’t be learning it. Only after Bucky dies by falling into the ocean from an exploding rocket and is later seriously injured by a gunshot will Captain America sort of learn this lesson.
Red Skull learns Captain America’s secret identity, unmasking him, learning his name, and that he is a soldier at Camp Lehigh.
Learning Captain America’s identity seems like a significant development in their relationship. I’m sure it won’t be forgotten entirely by the Skull’s next appearance.
Red Skull then disguises himself as Captain America and commits a series of crimes. I appreciate that he always wears the Captain America mask over his Red Skull mask. The perfect disguise.
This is not the first time he has attempted to frame Captain America and not even close to the last time he will disguise himself as Captain America.
Here’s a cool page.
Meanwhile, Captain America remains a prisoner in the Skull’s dungeon. Bucky must recover enough from his injuries to rescue his partner.
In the end, Red Skull falls to his death.
Surely, this is the last of him.
However, Red Skull will somehow appear again, next in Young Allies #4. Which I have gone back and forth many, many times on whether I wish to cover or just skip. I really hate the Young Allies.
Rating: ★★★½, 60/100
I read this story in Marvel Visionaries: Stan Lee. You can also find it on Kindle.
Characters:
- Red Skull
- Captain America
- Bucky
- Sergeant Duffy
- Brute Benson
- Duke Shores
- Igor
Story notes:
- Red Skull escapes from prison.
- Red Skull practicing archery outside Camp Lehigh.
- Brute Benson, muscle man and killer; Duke Shores, crime organizer and con man; Igor, man of a thousand nameless terrors.
- Bucky seriously wounded by Skull’s arrow.
- Red Skull learns Captain America secretly a soldier.
- Skull’s hideout at 22 Black Road.
- Skull unmasks Captain America and goes through his wallet to learn his name.
- Word balloons out of order.
- Red Skull disguised as Cap; newspapers report Captain America a traitor.
- Steve enduring as prisoner; rescued by Bucky.
- Recommendation to buy war bonds.
| Previous | Next | |
|---|---|---|
| Captain America Comics #7 | Prelude | Young Allies #4 |
| Sgt. Fury #16 | Reading order | Tales of Suspense #65 |
I freakin’ love Golden Age Cap at least till everyone stopped imitating Kirby.
There is an error in this article. The Red Skull was not captured at the end of Captain America #7, but at the end of Young Allies #1. This fact suggests that the story in Young Allies #1 takes place AFTER Captain America #7.