Featuring: Captain America
Release: February 10, 1941
Cover: April 1941
10 cents
By: Joe Simon and Jack Kirby
15 pages
Notice that for the second issue in a row, Captain America is attacking Adolf Hitler on the cover. A disappointing thing about the first issue was that the scene was not reflected inside the comic. This comic makes up for it with this second story. Which is of course why we are reading it. To actually see Cap sock Hitler.
Note that it’s February 1941. Still 10 months before America enters the war. But Joe and Jack aren’t shy about letting their opinions out. They inform us that Cap and Bucky head to “Nazi enslaved France”. Quite the strong language.
And our heroes visit a concentration camp. 1941 Americans wouldn’t appreciate the full magnitude of the horrors of the concentration camps, but these creators knew enough to recognize evil when they saw it. Can we do the same?
When Hitler does show up, the comic treats him as a buffoon. Faced with Captain America and Bucky, Hitler and Goering argue over which of them should take the teen sidekick, as both are afraid to confront Captain America. Bucky shows them what’s what by beating the top Nazis all by himself.
Looking at this one panel brings to mind the famous Jim Steranko panel from Captain America #113 (1969). Coincidence or inspiration? Or am I just imagining a resemblance?
The main plot involves an American millionaire planning to donate money to the British war effort. The man is considered a hero by Americans, including the government. In reality, Americans of the time seemed very reluctant to aid Britain, and Congress had signed several Neutrality Acts which made any aid to Britain cumbersome. FDR had felt the need to pledge non-intervention in order to win the election. If Americans really wanted to help with the war, they should not rely on the whims of the wealthy.
When the millionaire is kidnapped, Cap and Bucky go undercover to look for him. We will ask no more questions.
We’ve now covered the first two Cap stories in this issue. This comic has one more Captain America comic story and a Captain America prose story, as well as adventures with Tuk, Caveboy, and Hurricane, Son of Thor. We’ll move on to issue 3 and consider that issue’s prose story.
Rating: ★★★½, 60/100
I read this story in Golden Age Captain America Omnibus vol. 1. You can also find it in Marvel Masterworks: Golden Age Captain America vol. 1. Or on Kindle.
Characters:
- Adolf Hitler
- Captain America
- Bucky
- Henry Baldwin
- Rogers’ Sergeant
- 3-21
- Hermann Goering
Story notes:
- Henry Baldwin captured by Fifth Column.
- Cap and Bucky dress as woman and son.
- Cap and Bucky take clipper ship to Europe. Baldwin and Nazis are aboard; ship docks in Lisbon.
- 3-21 disguised as Baldwin to sign pact with Mussolini.
- Cap and Bucky head to Berlin, then to London.
- Baldwin held at concentration camp in Black Forest.
- Rogers declared AWOL by Sergeant while in Europe.
Next post: Captain America Comics #3, Text story
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