Featuring: Captain America
Release: May 19, 1954
Cover: September 1954
10 cents
By: John Romita
6 pages
We bring Captain America’s very short 1950s revival to a close with the final story of the final issue. We read the first story of this issue, where Captain America fought Electro. We skipped the terrible racist second story and we skipped a Human Torch story and a prose story.
This might be the best Captain America story of the era, but it’s a low bar to clear.
The story concerns Chuck Blayne, a television pundit who has become very influential amongst children. Captain America does not like what he has to say, even comparing his words to Hitler’s.
Blayne’s plans seems subtle and insidious, to influence the hearts and minds of America’s youth. Then he goes and plants a bomb at the UN. So much for subtlety.
It ends with Cap making a speech. Captain America is at his best when speechifying, even if his ideals are a little off in this era.
This is the final story of the final issue of Captain America (for the second time). His new series lasted only 3 issues. Cap also had a few other appearances in Young Men and Men’s Adventures, but all put together he was still back less than a year. Back into character limbo for a decade he goes.
Now what for Marvel (then Atlas) given that their superhero revival failed them? Well, they’ll keep throwing genres at the wall and seeing what sticks. We’ve already read Black Knight. That’s their attempt at medieval stories soon after this comic. That effort fizzles even faster than the superheroes.
Plenty more genres where those came from. Horror. Romance. War. Westerns. Jungle tales. Police stories. Spy thrillers. You can always tie into existing properties from other media.
As for this blog, we’re focused mostly on the Marvel superhero revival that lasted. It started in 1961 and has no signs of slowing down almost 60 years later. We are now primed to see the return of Captain America in 1964.This time to stay.
Rating: ★★★☆☆, 53/100
I read this story in Marvel Masterworks: Atlas Era Heroes vol. 2. You can also find it on Kindle.
Characters:
- Captain America/Steve Rogers
- Bucky
- Chuck Blayne
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Going to have to assume you are a millennial with your arrogant and ignorant take on this. Or else you’re just really stupid.
Going to have to assume you’re a boomer if you’re getting this upset over an opinion. Or else you’re just really bigoted.