Tales of Suspense #75, Story B

Featuring: Captain America
Release: December 9, 1965
Cover: March 1966
12 cents
Stan Lee, script
Jack Kirby, layout
Dick Ayers, pencil
J. Tartaglione, inks
Artie Simek, lettering
Irving Forbush, cheerleader
10 pages

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But, there was one other! Our lives touched for only a short time– but I’ve never forgotten her! I can still remember our final date– when she whispered to me thru trembling lips… “I’ll wait till you return, Steve! No matter how long– no matter what happens– I’ll wait for you, my darling…!”

We read this issue’s Iron Man story a little while ago, in which Happy had turned into a Freak. We saved this story to make sure it tied into to the issue of Strange Tales that referenced it.

It was a tricky call for reading order, as I don’t like to separate issues, so I’d prefer to have read this story with the Iron Man story, and continuity-wise, the issue of Strange Tales we’re tying into doesn’t fit in where we left off with the Iron Man story. But I just couldn’t find a good way to juggle all the things I’m juggling to assemble a reading order.

This is a good comic with lots going on to talk about. I had to make a checklist for myself to ensure I covered the 10 most important points.

Though we’d taken a pause in reading Cap’s story, there is no break between the beginning of this story and the end of the last. As we open, Cap is hurtling toward the sea after the defeat of the Sleepers.

Except last seen, he had a working parachute. Sometime between the issues, his parachute seems to have failed, so we get a dramatic opening.

We cut to some shadowy figures observing a test of Inferno 42. Nick Fury was aware of this item and had sent an agent to retrieve it. We learned this in Strange Tales #142. Also in that story, Fixer referred to a mysterious organization that was his benefactor, known as Them. Is that who these shadowy figures are?

Back to Cap, we get a great moment. The sailors are in awe of him. One had idolized him as a child.

I have a notion in my head of who these characters are, formed from reading decades of comics beyond these. Cap inspiring awe in those around him is part of my basic image of Cap. But it’s not necessarily something we’ve seen a lot of in these early comics. We did see examples in Cap’s return in Avengers #4. But it’s not yet that common, so every such example is notable, as together they will form the basis for that aspect of Cap’s character.

Cap’s stories, like most of these comics with the notable exception of Spider-Man, had focused on action. Action, action. So we get a rare quiet moment for Cap to self-reflect on his life. Where he’s been, where he’s going.

What does he do when he’s not Cap? The impression we’ve gotten so far is not much. No hint he has some other job. Quite the opposite. We saw him briefly take a job as a boxer, but that didn’t pan out. So we assume he’s normally unemployed. We learn here that his room is on loan from Tony Stark.

Is it in the same mansion that Stark lends the Avengers? Does Cap just live and work there? Unclear, but I’m assuming the answer is yes.

Here then we also see this notion that Captain America is a man out of time, owing to spending almost 20 years frozen in ice.

We get another interesting detail. That Cap’s memories are blurred. Perhaps no more than my own memories of 20 years ago are blurred. But this small detail is worth noting as it may help explain some inconsistencies in Captain America’s story down the line.

Captain America remembers his dead teenage sidekick, Bucky. He wonders what became of Sgt. Duffy. And he remembers a woman.

We knew well one girlfriend of Cap’s in the 1940s comics. Her name was Betty (or Betsy) Ross. After the war, when Bucky had been shot, she took Bucky’s place as Cap’s sidekick in the guise of the Golden Girl. But those were the 1940s comics. According to 1960s continuity, Cap and Bucky had no post-war adventures. Bucky was killed and Cap frozen in the waning days of the war.

Anyways, this girl Cap remembers isn’t named. But it doesn’t seem to be Betty Ross. He seems to be hinting at somebody else. Somebody we don’t know.

We see only one panel from their relationship, but that panel alone will be enough to cause continuity headaches, as it will be hard to reconcile with what else we learn about the woman. So note it.

I like to put a quote from the story atop these blog posts. This page alone leaves me spoiled for choice. I finally went with the quote about the woman, as it’s significant. But several others could have worked.

But, the man who has been a hero to two generations of freedom-loving fans the world over is far from being a legend! Instead, as we see him now, the next day, he’s a thoughtful, lonely, melancholy figure, trying desperately to adjust to a world that seems to have passed him by…!

The room I live in belongs to Tony Stark! And the time I live in belongs to others– who were born twenty years after me! The only thing that’s rightfully mine is the past– all the memories I can never escape!

Today, it’s all behind me! This is a new world– a new age! An age of atomic power, space exploration, social upheaval– yet, an age over which the threat of war hangs heavy once again! And, so long as danger beckons, there is still a need for an old relic like Captain America! A need that must be met!

There’s a lot of discussion and controversy these past few decades about whether Cap uses guns, or even whether he ever used them in the war. Some writers have insisted he did not. We see here that he at least has a few guns at home.

I think I recall a couple 1940s comics with him picking up a gun, but I’m having trouble proving that at the moment.

Thanks to reader Mark Andrew for pointing out Captain America Comics #38. A gun-wielding Cap was neither common nor unheard of in the 1940s.

Here’s a picture of a gun-wielding Cap in the 1944 film.

Cap’s reflections on his shield are also important. He notes the shield has become a part of him. We’ll pay attention to the significance of the shield over the years. Sometimes it seems more or less important than others.

Then we get another interesting quote. “It’s Steve Rogers who’s the legend– and Captain America who is the reality! Perhaps I was born to be a red-white-and-blue Avenger– and nothing more!”

Stan Lee earned his paycheck this issue.

This is a common modern discussion about superheroes, particularly Batman. If these characters all have dual identities, which is who they truly are, and which is the disguise. A similar quote even made it into Nolan’s Batman movie, where Katie Holmes’ character tells Bruce Wayne: “No, this is your mask. Your real face is the one the criminals now fear.”

Wow. That’s a lot of preamble we had. Haven’t even gotten to the story yet, which is an espionage thriller. Still, let’s see how am I doing with my checklist. About halfway through it.

Now Cap sees a woman on the street who reminds him of the woman he knew during the war. He finds the resemblance uncanny, but it may be his mind and blurred memories playing tricks.

She’s holding a cylinder and swaps it with another man’s cylinder in what’s meant to look like an accident.

Cap gets involved. As does a new super-villain called Batroc the Leaper, a master of La Savate, the French art of kickboxing.

Let’s see what he has to say.

“mon ami” … “Sacre bleu” … “Zut alors” …

I think Batroc may be French.

It turns out Cap’s memories aren’t playing tricks on him. As she also recognizes Steve Rogers, though they don’t talk this through. She just recalls her sister’s descriptions of a man she knew in the war named Steve Rogers. But of course this person is too young to be that man, she assumes.

Here’s Stan earning his salary again: “If he delivers it to the enemies of SHIELD, freedom will vanish from the face of the Earth!”

Cap fights Batroc, and the woman recovers the cylinder. But Batroc notices it was cracked. He knows this means that the entire city could blow up in 30 minutes. The woman doesn’t know this, and has fled with the cylinder.

This reminds us of a story with Human Torch and the Eel, where the villain had stolen a thing, not realizing it was going to blow up.

Oh, and the woman is revealed to be an Agent of SHIELD. The very one Nick Fury had been referring to, who was supposed to recover Inferno 42.

Some key facts about this girlfriend of Cap’s from the war: She knew he was Steve Rogers. We saw their final parting depicted. She made him a promise to wait for him.

We’ll learn more about this woman in the issues to come, not all of it consistent.

Reviewing my checklist, there’s only one thing left to note. Batroc is a villain with something of a moral compass. When the city is in danger, he’s ready to team up with Cap to save it. Of course, he’s also saving himself by doing so. But he could probably also save himself by getting as far away as quickly as possible. It seems like he really doesn’t want to see New York get destroyed. He just wanted a paycheck. It’s an imperfect morality, as he was willing to risk the city’s destruction in the abstract by delivering this weapon to an evil organization. It took an immediate threat to get him to work with the hero.

In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Batroc is portrayed by MMA champion Georges St-Pierre.

Quite the comic.

Rating: ★★★½, 67/100
Significance: ★★★★★

This introduces both one of Cap’s most significant villains and his most significant supporting character, though it doesn’t name her. That’s just the edge of being worth 5 stars for significance.

There have been a lot of good comics, by this point, so the Best We’ve Read is getting tight. Fantastic Four Annual 1 is one of the great early FF issues, and the issue that set the template for the modern version of Sub-Mariner, by introducing Atlantis and Krang and the modern version of Dorma. But we’re kicking it off the list in favor of this Captain America story. I’m sad to see it go, but this issue has earned its spot.

It’s the first Captain America story to make the cut. Perhaps the title is on the upswing.

I read this story in Marvel Masterworks: Captain America vol. 1.

Characters:

• Captain America/Steve Rogers
• Batroc the Leaper
• Captain America’s WWII girlfriend
• Female SHIELD Agent who may be the sister of that girlfriend.

Story notes:

• Shadowy figures observe test of Inferno 42, destroying a model of New York. Nick Fury is tracking this.
• Inferno 42 extracted chemically from a meteor; agent who discovered it killed by organization.
• A sub-microscopic amount destroyed the model city. A larger amount?
• Master cylinder stolen by an Agent of SHIELD.
• Shadowy figures conclude Batroc can get the better of SHIELD.
• Captain America straightens into a dive posture to survive his fall to the sea.
• Cap’s memories are blurred.
• Cap remembers Bucky Barnes.
• Cap wonders what became of Sgt. Duffy
• Cap has a set of guns at home.
• One week until next Avengers meeting.
• Cap reflects how his shield is truly a part of him.
• Girl reminds Captain America of someone, and he notices her clutching a cylinder. She resembles the girl he knew in the war.
• Man bumps into lady and trades cylinders; she seemed okay with it.
• Batroc pursues the man.
• Steve reminds her of a boy her older sister knew, a boy named Steve Rogers.
• Captain America recognizes Batroc, the master of La Savate.
• Batroc a mercenary.
• Cylinder dropped during fight. If cracked, it will soon start to glow. It will destroy the entire city in 30 minutes.
• Agent disappears behind fake wall.

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Strange Tales #143, Story B	Reading order	Tales of Suspense #76, Story B
Tales of Suspense #75	Tales of Suspense	Tales of Suspense #76