{"id":19897,"date":"2019-04-08T08:00:32","date_gmt":"2019-04-08T08:00:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/?p=19897"},"modified":"2019-04-04T15:48:23","modified_gmt":"2019-04-04T15:48:23","slug":"captain-america-marvel-masterworks-volume-7","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/2019\/04\/08\/captain-america-marvel-masterworks-volume-7\/","title":{"rendered":"Captain America Marvel Masterworks volume 7"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"\"\"
\nBy Gerry Conway<\/strong>, Steve Englehart<\/strong>, Steve Gerber, Sal Buscema<\/strong>, John Romita<\/strong> & various (Marvel)
\nISBN: 978-0-7851-8799-8 (HB)<\/p>\n

Created by Joe Simon & Jack Kirby in an era of frantic patriotic fervour, Captain America<\/strong> was a bombastic, dynamic and highly visible response to the horrors of Nazism and the threat of Liberty’s loss.<\/p>\n

He faded away during the post-war reconstruction but briefly reappeared after the Korean War: a harder, darker sentinel ferreting out monsters, subversives and the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153commies\u00e2\u20ac\u009d who lurked under every brave American kid’s bed. Then he vanished once more until the burgeoning Marvel Age resurrected him just in time for the turbulent, culturally divisive 1960s.<\/p>\n

By the time of the tales gathered in this seventh Masterworks volume (available in luxurious hardback and accessible eBook formats) – comprising issues #149-159 of Captain America and the Falcon<\/strong> from May 1972 to March 1973 – the Star-Spangled Avenger had become an uncomfortable symbol of a troubled, divided society, split along age lines and with many of the hero’s fans apparently rooting for the wrong side. Now into that turbulent mix crept issues of racial and gender inequality\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n

Following a fond, forthright and informative reminiscence from scripter Steve Englehart in his Introduction<\/em>, the action opens here with the Star-Spangled Avenger – now increasingly at odds with super-scientific government spy-agency S.H.I.E.L.D. (which back then stood for Supreme Headquarters International Espionage Law-enforcement Division) and its Director Nick <\/em>Fury<\/em>. The troubled hero is also attempting to revive his secret identity as a New York beat cop\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n

Gerry Conway assumed the writing chores for issues #149-152, an uncharacteristically uninspired run that began with ‘All the Colors\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 of Evil!’<\/em> (illustrated by Sal Buscema & Jim Mooney) wherein Gallic mercenary Batroc<\/em> resurfaces, kidnapping ghetto kids for an unidentified client\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n

This turns out to be the alien Stranger<\/em> (or at least his parallel universe incarnation Jakar<\/em>) who intervenes personally in ‘Mirror, Mirror\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6!’<\/em> (inked by John Verpoorten) but is still defeated far too easily.<\/p>\n

‘Panic on Park Avenue’<\/em> (Buscema & Vince Colletta) pits Cap against enfeebled villains Mr. Hyde<\/em> and the Scorpion<\/em> as Conway sought to retroactively include Captain America in his ambitious Mr. Kline<\/em> Saga. Android copies of the super-creeps had attacked Daredevil<\/em> and the Black Widow<\/em> in their own comicbook and here we discover what happened to the originals during that period. Assuming S.H.I.E.L.D. was responsible for their woes, the thugs target Steve Rogers and his secret agent girlfriend Sharon Carter<\/em> with disastrous results, climaxing with the Frank Giacoia inked ‘Terror in the Night!’<\/em> featuring all-out battles and new plot-complications for officer Rogers and his hard-boiled boss Sgt. Muldoon<\/em>\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n

Captain America and the Falcon<\/strong> #153 heralded a renaissance and magical return to form for the Sentinel of Liberty as Steve Englehart came aboard, hitting the ground running with a landmark epic rewriting Marvel history and captivating die-hard fans simultaneously.<\/p>\n

The wonderment opens with ‘Captain America\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 Hero or Hoax?’<\/em> (inked by Mooney) as Falcon, Sharon and Cap endure an acrimonious confrontation with Nick Fury and decide to take a break from S.H.I.E.L.D.<\/p>\n

While Sam Wilson<\/em> goes back to Harlem – splitting his time between social work, chasing sexy activist Leila<\/em> and stamps his mark on the local gangs as the Falcon – Steve and Sharon book a holiday in the Bahamas, but it isn’t long before Falcon catches Captain America committing racist attacks in New York. Enraged, Falcon tracks him down but was easily beaten since supposed partner has somehow acquired super-strength and a resurrected Bucky Barnes<\/em>\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n

In ‘The Falcon Fights Alone!’<\/em> (Verpoorten inks) the maniac impostors claim to be \u00e2\u20ac\u0153real\u00e2\u20ac\u009d American heroes and reveal what they want: a confrontation with the lily-livered, pinko wannabe who has replaced and disgraced them…<\/p>\n

Even after torturing their captive they are frustrated in their plans until the faux Cap tricks the information out of the Avengers<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Battered and bruised, Falcon heads to the holiday refuge but is too late to prevent an ambush wherein Steve Rogers learns ‘The Incredible Origin of the Other Captain America!’<\/em> (Frank McLaughlin inks and including repurposed excepts from the 1950s comics by John Romita): a brilliant piece of literary sleight-of-hand that ties up the Golden Age, 1950s revival and Silver Age iterations of the character in a clear, simple, devilishly clever manner, leading to an unbelievably affecting fabulously gratifying conclusion in ‘Two into One Won’t Go!’<\/em><\/p>\n

After meeting and defeating a shade of the nation’s ugly past, Rogers hopes for less troublesome times, but instead ‘Veni, Vidi, Vici: Viper!’<\/em> (plotted by Englehart, scripted by Steve Gerber, with Sal Buscema & John Verpoorten illustrating) begins an epic, engrossing storyline by introducing a despicable advertising executive-turned snaky super-villain ostensibly working for an enigmatic boss named the Cowled Commander<\/em>.<\/p>\n

It transpires that corrupt connections at the police precinct where Rogers serves have been stirred into murderous action by our hero’s presence, leading to good cops being framed, bombs in offices and the Viper<\/em> taking out survivors with lethally experimental poisonous darts\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n

When Falcon follows news of Cap’s death he also succumbs to toxins until ‘The Crime Wave Breaks!’<\/em> (Englehart, Buscema & Verpoorten) sees last-second salvation, a ramping-up of criminal activity and Rogers’ abduction, leading to a ‘Turning Point!’<\/em> wherein super-scum-for-hire Porcupine<\/em>, Scarecrow<\/em>, Plantman<\/em> and the Eel<\/em>‘s ill-conceived attack give the game away and expose a hidden criminal mastermind in the heroes’ midst\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n

Wrapping up the patriotic revival is a stirring short selection of original art.<\/p>\n

Any retrospective or historical re-reading is going to turn up a few cringe-worthy moments, but these tales of matchless courage and indomitable heroism are fast-paced, action-packed and depicted by top rank artists and storytellers. Here Captain America was finally discovering his proper place in a new era and would once more become unmissable, controversial comicbook reading, as we shall see when I get around to reviewing the next volume\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6
\n\u00c2\u00a9 1972, 1973, 2017 Marvel Characters, Inc. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Gerry Conway, Steve Englehart, Steve Gerber, Sal Buscema, John Romita & various (Marvel) ISBN: 978-0-7851-8799-8 (HB) Created by Joe Simon & Jack Kirby in an era of frantic patriotic fervour, Captain America was a bombastic, dynamic and highly visible response to the horrors of Nazism and the threat of Liberty’s loss. He faded away … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “Captain America Marvel Masterworks volume 7”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[74,72,79],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19897","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-captain-america","category-marvel-masters-masterworks","category-marvel-superheroes"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4AFj-5aV","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19897","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19897"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19897\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19897"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19897"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19897"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}