Featuring: Captain America Release: March 1, 1948 Cover: April 1948 10 cents 12 pages
I don’t see any credits in the issue, so I’ll refer you to the GCD for their take on attribution.
Captain America and Bucky are tracking a villain named Lavender and catch up to her during an ambergris heist.
I did not know anything about ambergris before reading this comic. Apparently, it is fecal matter occasionally released by sperm whales who have digested squid. It was used for centuries to make perfume and is extremely valuable. It has been illegal to buy or sell in America for about 50 years now, but apparently was not illegal in 1948. Hence, Lavender plans to steal some.
Featuring: Captain America Release: August 15, 1946 Cover: November 1946 10 cents 16 pages
The table of contents for the entire issue credits: Syd Shores as art associate, Stan Lee as editorial and art director, and Al Sulman as editor. Syd Shores also seems to have drawn this story.
It is clear that Syd Shores is no Jack Kirby. Kirby’s direct involvement with drawing the character only lasted about a year. He was then overseeing the creation of the stories by other creators before being drafted into the US Army. It would be more than 20 years before he returned to Captain America. Shady royalties practices on the part of publisher Martin Goodman may have helped keep him away from the company.
It is 1946. World War II is over. What does Captain America do now? Steve Rogers could hang up the stripes for good, but he chooses not to. He and Bucky continue their partnership as crimefighters.
Featuring: Captain America Release: October 28, 1942 Cover: December 1942 10 cents 15 pages
I don’t see any credits. Except for the publisher and “editorial and art director”. The GCD credits the art to Al Avison and Syd Shores.
“Jap Buster Johnson”? Ouch.
We continue our survey of early Captain America comics in preparation for Avengers #4. We started out with some significant milestones and will mostly focus on significant milestones. But I wanted to get a sense of who Captain America was in a run-of-the-mill story, not in any way a milestone. This story fit the bill for its insignificance.
It was chosen specifically because there is a connection to Medusa, which will also tie into Avengers #4.
Featuring: Jack Frost Release: April 20, 1941 Cover: August 1941 10 cents Story by: Stan Lee 6 pages
A bit of an interlude from our run of old Captain America Comics.
I’ve gotten in the habit of reading these Golden Age superheroes when their namesakes were introduced, but I missed this one. Iron Man fought the new Jack Frost in Tales of Suspense #45. Perhaps that would have been a good time to introduce the Golden Age superhero of the same name. But we didn’t.
I’d say I didn’t have the idea of going back to look at namesakes in my head yet, but that’s clearly not true. Our second post goes back to 1939 to meet the original Human Torch for no reason other than we’d just introduced the new one in Fantastic Four #1. And then a couple posts later, the introduction of the new Gorilla Man gave us all the excuse we needed to meet the original gorillamen. I guess I should admit that I just forgot about Jack Frost.
I thought of him now because we just read Stan Lee’s first Marvel story, and this features Stan’s first superhero co-creation.
Stan created Jack Frost along with the uncredited Charles Nicholas.
Also, I wanted to read the Captain America story from USA Comics #6, which had me anyway looking at the first issue of USA Comics.
And, man if that dude left suspended in a block of ice isn’t good foreshadowing for what’s coming…
Maybe this is a fine time to read this story. Or maybe I should rearrange things to place it back alongside Tales of Suspense #45. Plenty of time to decide that, I guess.
Featuring: Captain America Release: March 17, 1941 Cover: May 1941 10 cents By: Stan Lee 2 pages
Marvel comics up through the 1960s have often included short prose stories. We haven’t covered any yet in detail, as none have been sufficiently relevant. In the 1960s, they have been short one-off tales of science fiction or fantasy.
The first two Captain America comics also each featured a text story we did not cover. We have not even covered all the Captain America comic stories from those first two issues. We are just doing a brief scan of Captain America’s history prior to his return in 1964.
Why cover this particular text piece? The author is notable.
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.
Featuring: Captain America Release: February 10, 1941 Cover: April 1941 10 cents By: Joe Simon and Jack Kirby 15 pages
This comic was released on my birthday, just 40 years early.
Our buildup to Avengers #4 continues.
Once again, the cover of the comic shows Captain America directly confronting Hitler, this time without the satisfying sock to the jaw. The interior of the first issue disappointed, as Captain America and Hitler did not actually meet. This issue will rectify that, but not with this story. We’ll see Hitler in the next post, concerning “Case No. 2”.
The title of the story alone–“The Ageless Orientals Who Wouldn’t Die”– tells you that this comic is probably extremely inappropriate, and it is. Popular culture depictions of Asian characters were problematic for decades. This comic at least only features giants, not meant to represent actual people.
Featuring: Captain America Release: December 20, 1940 Cover: March 1941 10 cents By: Joe Simon and Jack Kirby 7 pages
The issue’s Table of Contents lists each chapter as a “Case”. The first was “Case No. 1”. This story is “Case No. 2”. Cases 3 and 4 seem to have actual titles, but this one does not.
We read the first “Case” in this comic a little while ago, because I thought Captain America was returning in Strange Tales #114. I was mistaken. I was fooled by the Acrobat in disguise, just like the whole town of Glenville. But I just peeked at the cover of Avengers #4, and it looks like this time Captain America is really going to return.
Yes, I know the old saying. “Fool me once, shame on… shame on you. Fool me… can’t get fooled again.”
But I have a really good feeling that this actually is Captain America. Hence, I would like to review a smattering of his 1940s and 1950s appearances to get a sense of who this fella is and what’s he’s about.
This story is notable for being the first mission of Captain America and Bucky. We learned their origin in “Case No. 1”. Now it’s time for them to go into action.
It’s 1940. Europe is at war. America has stubbornly remained neutral. But there are Axis spies and saboteurs on the homefront, and Captain America and Bucky are ready to deal with them.
Featuring: Wasp Release: February 4, 1964 Cover: May 1964 12 cents Story plot: Stan Lee Script and art: Larry Lieber Inking: George Bell Lettering: Sherigail 5 pages
This is the first lettering we’ve seen attributed to “Sherigail”, a pseudonym for Morrie Kuramoto. The name is a combination of both his wife and daughter’s names.
I originally attributed the lettering to Ray Holloway. Thanks to Nel Yomtov for the correction.
I recognize that “gypsy” is an outdated and offensive word, but it’s in the title of the comic, and it’s how the comic describes the strange alien visitor.
Though the era of weird tales is ending, through the Wasp’s stories we get two more in this title.
Featuring: Giant-Man and Wasp Release: February 4, 1964 Cover: May 1964 12 cents Story by: Happy Stan Lee Art by: Heroic Dick Ayers Lettering by: Honest Art Simek 18 pages
For the third comic in a row, I feel the need to point out that we are reading a February comic when not yet done with the January comics. I have reasons.
Please recall that Hulk and Namor remain at large.
How does Wasp feel about not getting her name on the jackets?
Actually, you often look foolish and clumsy. Do you have any footage of your recent battle against El Toro?
Human Top is Dr. Pym’s third repeat villain, after Egghead and Porcupine. Returning villains have become much more common across all the titles these last couple months, now that a staple has been built up.
