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| Image copyright MARVEL COMICS |
The cover said it all - CAPTAIN AMERICA LIVES AGAIN! And he certainly did, in the pages of The AVENGERS #4. True, a stand-in had first appeared in STRANGE TALES #114 to see how the comics buying public would respond to the return of the super-soldier from World War II - which was obviously in a positive way, as this time it was the real deal. The shield-slinger was back and Marveldom would never again be the same!
Really this is where The Avengers properly begins as the Hulk in the team was just ludicrous - but Marvel had so few characters at this point that he'd had to be included I suppose. The inclusion of the Hulk in the movie version is equally stupid but I don't give a flying f**k about the movie Avengers. (And yes, I know the Hulk was in the Defenders but that was a "non-team" with a looser, unofficial structure so including the Hulk seemed more acceptable). Anyway, bringing back Captain America was a stroke of genius.
ReplyDeleteThey'd brought him back only a few years before (in the '50s), but he didn't hang around for long. That part of his history was ignored for a long while, then retroactively fitted into continuity, with it being explained that it wasn't the real Captain America, but a stand-in - Steve Rogers identity and all.
ReplyDeleteI agree with CJ, the Hulk as an Avenger? You might as well make an atomic bomb with a loose connection your member. It's ludicrous having him even associate with people since he is the ultimate misunderstood monster character.
ReplyDeleteI liked it when there was an unwritten rule that Spidey, Hulk, Daredevil and other characters would stay in their books and not join. Now the Avengers will accept any old Johnny-come-lately into their ranks - all as a result of Marvel letting those rules lapse. The result being the totally diluted bland multiple titles of today.
ReplyDeleteI think it was the fact that The Hulk was such an unlikely member that drew readers in to those first few issues, Phil - I doubt that he was ever intended to be a long-term member, just the catalyst for the group's formation and the cause of some friction in #s 2 & 3 (and 4 & 5, as he appeared in them also).
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Yeah, Chris, Spidey just doesn't belong in a team - the character works better as a loner and outsider. However, Marvel/Disney are presumably just exploiting his higher profile from the movies to shift a few more comics - hence his appearance in other mags than his own.
Agree on all counts. I'm OK with Spider-Man or the Hulk in occasional team-ups or crossovers, but they don't work well as permanent members of a team. The Defenders being an exception to that rule, since they were an informal "non-team" (in the beginning, at least).
ReplyDeleteBut, as you say, it makes sense (financially, not artistically) for Marvel/Disney to do crossovers and team-ups with their biggest stars, to boost sales.
Comic Covers Snap: Captain America #337 (1987 or '88).
Thanks for that, TC, I'll look that cover up first chance I get. I won't know if I've got it or not 'till I see it.
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