The Strange Death of Captain America

Last updated

"The Strange Death of Captain America"
CaptainAmerica113.jpg
Cover of Captain America #113
Publisher Marvel Comics
Publication dateFebruary – May 1969
Genre Superhero
Title(s)
Captain America #110, 111, 113
Main character(s)
Creative team
Writer(s) Jim Steranko
Artist(s)Jim Steranko
Inker(s)
Letterer(s)
Editor(s) Stan Lee

"The Strange Death of Captain America" is a 1969 story arc written and illustrated by Jim Steranko published in Captain America , an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics. The story follows the superhero Captain America as he struggles with his lack of a secret identity, while taking on Rick Jones as his new sidekick and fending off the neo-fascist terrorist group Hydra under its new leader Madame Hydra.

Contents

Steranko began working at Marvel in the late 1960s, having gained a profile as a popular illustrator and comic book artist on the basis of his avant-garde and surrealist art style. In developing his run on Captain America, Steranko sought to reverse what he saw as deviations from the World War II-era story formulas that had initially generated acclaim and popularity for the character. His run is distinguished by its use of a cinematically influenced aesthetic, characterized by heavy use of answering shots, pan and tracking sequences, dramatic lighting, and reaction inserts.

"The Strange Death of Captain America" has been acclaimed by comics critics and creators. Despite its short length of only three issues and the later reversal of several of the changes made by Steranko to the character's status quo, it is regarded as highly influential in the editorial history of Captain America, with scholars considering the story arc as transitional point from the character's origins as a patriotic wartime hero towards stories that were more responsive to the changing political realities of the post-war era.

Plot

At Avengers Mansion in New York City, the Hulk's sidekick Rick Jones finds the uniform of Bucky Barnes, the deceased sidekick of Captain America. Jones dons the uniform and asks Captain America to make him his new sidekick, a request he rejects. Suddenly, they are alerted that the neo-fascist terrorist group Hydra is attacking the city's water's supply. Captain America defeats the Hydra henchmen with assistance from Jones, and agrees to take Jones on as his new partner.

Later, Captain America is ambushed by Hydra assassins under the command of its new leader Madame Hydra while in the guise of Steve Rogers, his civilian identity; he reflects on how his lack of a secret identity exposes himself and his companions to danger. Shortly thereafter, Jones experiences a violent psychedelic hallucination after he picks up a letter from Hydra laced with a psychoactive gas intended for Captain America. In a confrontation between Captain America, Jones, and Hydra, Captain America is shot and falls into a river; only his shirt and a mask with Steve Rogers' facial features, both riddled with bullet holes, are recovered.

The revelations that Captain America is dead and that "Steve Rogers" was a false identity become public. A funeral held by the Avengers is attacked by Hydra, though Captain America suddenly appears to join the fight. In the ensuing confrontation, Hydra is beaten back and Madame Hydra dies. Captain America privately reveals to the Avengers that he is Steve Rogers, that his death was a ruse, and that as Captain America has returned while the public believes Steve Rogers to be dead, he once again has a secret identity.

Development

Context

Captain America was revived as a standalone ongoing comic book in 1968, following a five-year period in which stories starring the title character were published in the anthology series Tales of Suspense . [1] The revival was initially written and edited by Stan Lee with art by Captain America co-creator Jack Kirby, both of whom had authored stories featuring the character dating back to the 1940s. [1] Many of the comics in Lee and Kirby's revival of Captain America were referential to the character's roots as a patriotic World War II-era superhero; stories featured, for example, an Adolf Hitler impersonator and the Nazi villain Red Skull as antagonists. [1] [2]

Jim Steranko began working for Marvel in the late 1960s, after previously working at Harvey Comics as writer and illustrator for the comic Spyman under editor and Captain America co-creator Joe Simon. His first work at Marvel was as inker for the ongoing feature "Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D." in the anthology Strange Tales , which was also illustrated by Kirby; Steranko would later assume Kirby's role as illustrator for the series. [3] By the time his run on Captain America began in 1969, Steranko had already achieved a high degree of acclaim and notability for his avant-garde art style, which draws inspiration from op art and artists associated with the surrealist movement such as Salvador Dalí. [3]

Production

"To my viewpoint, Marvel didn't know what to do with [Captain America] and tried a number of scenarios, all of which were inappropriate and rejected by readers. By the time I got there, they had revealed his secret identity and put him in situations that made him interchangeable with any of the Marvel heroes. I restored the secret identity and hoped to maneuver him back into the patriotic forum for which he was created."

– Jim Steranko [4]

After publishing Captain America #109 (January 1969), which features a retelling of Captain America's origin story, Kirby departed as the regular artist for the series. [5] Steranko requested and was given authorship of Captain America by Lee in part to resolve a dispute between the two: Steranko had quit "Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D." after Lee placed a fill-in issue in the middle of Steranko's run that Steranko felt had broken the series' continuity. [6] Comics scholar Ben Saunders notes how Steranko's run on "Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D." had elevated that title from a "second-tier strip into a fan favourite", and that Lee "clearly hoped that Steranko would bring a fresh feel to Captain America's adventures, too". [7]

Steranko sought to reestablish what he saw as "the formula that had made [Captain America] a cultural icon". [6] To this end, he had three primary goals for his run: the first was to reestablish Captain America's secret identity, following his unmasking in Captain America #105 (1968). Steranko felt this decision had diminished "the universal mystique once surrounding" the character, and made him "something less than the quintessential symbol of patriotism". [8] He also sought to resolve the character's ongoing guilt over the death of his wartime sidekick Bucky Barnes, and to introduce new villains who were more contemporary than the World War II-era adversaries the character continued to face. [8] The former was resolved through the introduction of Rick Jones as the new Bucky – that the new Bucky would be Jones was a directive from Lee, according to Steranko [9] – while the former was resolved through the addition of Hydra, who Steranko had previously used as villains in "Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.", to Captain America's rogues' gallery. [8]

An excerpt of Rick Jones' hallucination in Captain America #111, showcasing Steranko's surrealist art style SterankoCaptAm-page.jpg
An excerpt of Rick Jones' hallucination in Captain America #111, showcasing Steranko's surrealist art style

In developing the artwork for his run, Steranko traded the self-described "zap art style" he had used for "Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D." in favor of one he described as "more expressive and sophisticated, more worthy of [Captain America's] historical eminence". [8] To this end, he developed a more cinematic aesthetic characterized by its use of answering shots, pan and tracking sequences, dramatic lighting, and reaction inserts. [8] Steranko's art in general is highly referential, to both comics and other media: the climax of "The Strange Death of Captain America" is a reference to the story "Spy Ambush" from Captain America Comics #10 (1942), [2] [10] while Rick Jones' hallucination is influenced by Alfred Hitchcock's 1945 film Spellbound . [11] Steranko used actor Burt Lancaster as reference for both the visual appearance and personality of Steve Rogers, [12] stating that he drew the character as "a living powerhouse" by "layering muscle on top of muscle" to achieve anatomy that was "realistic, yet of ultrahuman proportion". [11] Steranko also designed a new logo for the ongoing Captain America comic book. [1]

Beyond Steranko, creative staff for "The Strange Death of Captain America" included Joe Sinnott and Tom Palmer as inkers, and Sam Rosen and Artie Simek as letterers. [2] The centerspread in the run's final issue was penciled, inked, lettered, and colored by Steranko, and was the first time that Marvel had published a spread that had been fully illustrated and formatted in this manner by a single individual. [11]

Credit for authorship of "The Strange Death of Captain America" has been the subject of dispute. According to the Grand Comics Database, Steranko stated in a 1970 interview published in Fantastic Fanzine that he plotted the issues while the dialogue was written by Lee. [9] [10] Steranko has subsequently downplayed Lee's involvement and expressed frustration over not receiving full authorship credit for "The Strange Death of Captain America", as this has impacted his royalty payments for reprints of the story arc. Brian Cronin of Comic Book Resources notes that Lee is not credited as a writer of any of the issues in Steranko's run, and that Steranko has stated that he was paid a full writing credit for his issues of Captain America; Cronin hypothesized that Lee's direct role in the story was likely limited to dialogue adjustments. In 2015, Steranko stated in a post on Twitter that Marvel was now crediting him as the sole author of "The Strange Death of Captain America". [13]

Release

"The Strange Death of Captain America" was originally published in Captain America issues #110 (February 1969), #111 (March 1969), and #113 (May 1969); Captain America #112 (April 1969) is a fill-in issue written by Lee and illustrated by Kirby, as Steranko missed the publication deadline. [2] [lower-alpha 1] The series has been anthologized several times, notably as a Marvel Masterworks edition published in 2006, [16] and as part of the Captain America volume of the Penguin Classics Marvel Collection published in 2022. [17]

Reception

Critical response

Jim Steranko in 2012 10.12.12JimSterankoByLuigiNovi1.jpg
Jim Steranko in 2012

"The Strange Death of Captain America" has been acclaimed by comics critics and creators. In its commemoration of the story arc's fiftieth anniversary, the ArtCenter College of Design wrote that "many still consider [it] the greatest Captain America story ever told, for both its story and its art" and noted its reputation as "a tour-de-force of [Steranko's] verbal and visual storytelling skills and talents that branded him the Jimi Hendrix of Comics". [18] Writer Ed Brubaker cited Steranko's run as an influence on his own run of Captain America, particularly his storyline "The Winter Soldier", [19] and writer-producer Jeph Loeb described the run as "one of the things that helped define what it is that I do". [14]

On its list of "The Ten Essential Captain America Stories", Comics Alliance ranked "The Strange Death of Captain America" first, commending its "psychedelic visuals" and calling its two-page spread artwork "some of the greatest in comics history". [20] Screenrant listed Steranko's run second on its list of the "10 Best Captain America Runs of All Time", describing it as containing "perhaps the most important comics in Cap's history" and offering praise for its "vivid, boundary-breaking style, with inventive layouts and pop-art psychedelia". [21]

Legacy

Lee would ultimately not maintain many of the changes introduced to Captain America by Steranko. Rick Jones departed Captain America to join up with Captain Mar-Vell in Captain Marvel #17 (October 1969), and Marvel's first African-American superhero Falcon was introduced as Captain America's new sidekick shortly thereafter; [22] Madame Hydra would also be revived in Captain America #180 (December 1974) with the new name "Viper". [10] Captain America's questioning of his place in the world as a 'man out of time' would quickly return as a recurring plot and thematic element of the series, contrasting Steranko's desire to position the character as a more iconoclastic and mythic figure. [7]

Despite these reversals and the general brevity of Steranko's run, "The Strange Death of Captain America" is nevertheless regarded as highly influential in the editorial history of Captain America. [1] [2] Comics scholar Ben Saunders writes that its contemporary artwork belies its status as "an essentially nostalgic approach to the character and concept", [7] representing "the last serious effort to revive the World War II formula that first established the character as a national icon–the last attempt to present Captain America as an uncomplicated symbol of the American fighting spirit, without qualms or misgivings, and mercifully free of psychological trauma". [23] He writes that the ultimate abandonment of this formula "reflects less upon [Steranko] than it does upon the historical transformation of American society in the years since the war", [23] and that subsequent changes such as the introduction of Falcon were a "recognition that American society was continuing to evolve, and that Captain America needed to evolve with it, if he hoped to survive". [23]

Comics scholars Christopher Hayton and David Albright similarly argue that "The Strange Death of Captain America" was significant as a moment "of transition and uncertainty" for Captain America, as the character moved from his origins as a patriotic wartime hero to one who represented "the dichotomy that was developing in public consciousness between American ideals and American practice". [3] Subsequent Captain America stories, such as "Secret Empire" (1974), would address this dichotomy directly. [24]

Notes

  1. Captain America #112 is a summary of Captain America's backstory, framed as a recollection by the superhero Iron Man as he reflects on Captain America's death. Kirby reportedly produced the penciled artwork for the issue's interior pages and cover in just two days. [14] [15]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Captain America</span> Marvel Comics superhero

Captain America is a superhero created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby who appears in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Captain America Comics #1, published on December 20, 1940, by Timely Comics, a corporate predecessor to Marvel. Captain America's civilian identity is Steve Rogers, a frail man enhanced to the peak of human physical perfection by an experimental "super-soldier serum" after joining the United States Army to aid the country's efforts in World War II. Equipped with an American flag–inspired costume and a virtually indestructible shield, Captain America and his sidekick Bucky Barnes clashed frequently with the villainous Red Skull and other members of the Axis powers. In the final days of the war, an accident left Captain America frozen in a state of suspended animation until he was revived in modern times. He resumes his exploits as a costumed hero and becomes leader of the superhero team the Avengers, but frequently struggles as a "man out of time" to adjust to the new era.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jack Kirby</span> American comic book artist (1917–1994)

Jack Kirby was an American comic book artist, widely regarded as one of the medium's major innovators and one of its most prolific and influential creators. He grew up in New York City and learned to draw cartoon figures by tracing characters from comic strips and editorial cartoons. He entered the nascent comics industry in the 1930s, drawing various comics features under different pen names, including Jack Curtiss, before settling on Jack Kirby. In 1940, he and writer-editor Joe Simon created the highly successful superhero character Captain America for Timely Comics, predecessor of Marvel Comics. During the 1940s, Kirby regularly teamed with Simon, creating numerous characters for that company and for National Comics Publications, later to become DC Comics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Silver Age of Comic Books</span> Mid-1950s to 70s era of comic books

The Silver Age of Comic Books was a period of artistic advancement and widespread commercial success in mainstream American comic books, predominantly those featuring the superhero archetype. Following the Golden Age of Comic Books, the Silver Age is considered to cover the period from 1956 to 1970, and was succeeded by the Bronze Age.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jim Steranko</span> American artist (born 1938)

James F. Steranko is an American graphic artist, comic book writer/artist, comics historian, magician, publisher and film production illustrator.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Buscema</span> American comic book artist

John Buscema was an American comic book artist and one of the mainstays of Marvel Comics during its 1960s and 1970s ascendancy into an industry leader and its subsequent expansion to a major pop-culture conglomerate. His younger brother Sal Buscema is also a comic book artist.

<i>Tales of Suspense</i> Comic

Tales of Suspense is the name of an American comic book anthology series, and two one-shot comics, all published by Marvel Comics. The first, which ran from 1959 to 1968, began as a science-fiction anthology that served as a showcase for such artists as Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, and Don Heck, then featured superheroes Captain America and Iron Man during the Silver Age of Comic Books before changing its title to Captain America with issue #100. Its sister title was Tales to Astonish. Following the launch of Marvel Legacy in 2017, Tales of Suspense was once again resurrected at issue #100, featuring the Winter Soldier and Hawkeye in a story called "The Red Ledger".

Strange Tales is a Marvel Comics anthology series. The title was revived in different forms on multiple occasions. Doctor Strange and Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. made their debuts in Strange Tales. It was a showcase for the science fiction/suspense stories of artists Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko, and for the groundbreaking work of writer-artist Jim Steranko. Two previous, unrelated magazines also bore that title.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bill Everett</span> American comic book artist

William Blake Everett was an American comic book writer-artist best known for creating Namor the Sub-Mariner as well as co-creating Zombie and Daredevil with writer Stan Lee for Marvel Comics. He was allegedly a descendant of the childless poet William Blake and of Richard Everett, founder of Dedham, Massachusetts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fighting American</span> 1954-1955 superhero comic book

Fighting American is a superhero created in 1954 by the writer-artist team of Joe Simon and Jack Kirby. Published by the Crestwood Publications imprint Prize Comics, it was, contrary to standard industry practices of the time, creator-owned. Harvey Comics published one additional issue in 1966. One final inventoried tale was published in 1989, in a Marvel Comics hardcover collection of all the Fighting American stories.

Young Allies is the name of three superhero teams appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.

Carl Burgos was an American comic book and advertising artist best known for creating the original Human Torch in Marvel Comics #1, during the period historians and fans call the Golden Age of comic books.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeffrey Mace</span> Comics character

Jeffrey Solomon Mace, also known as the Patriot and Captain America, is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created during the 1940s, a period fans and historians call the Golden Age of Comic Books. As the Patriot, he first appeared in Human Torch Comics #4, published by Marvel's 1940s precursor, Timely Comics.

The Alley Award was an American annual series of comic book fan awards, first presented in 1962 for comics published in 1961. Officially organized under the aegis of the Academy of Comic Book Arts and Sciences, the award shared close ties with the fanzine Alter Ego magazine. The Alley is the first known comic book fan award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Betsy Ross (character)</span> Marvel Comics character

Betsy Ross is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in Captain America Comics #1. Betsy Ross is Captain America's early love interest and supporting character in American comic books published by Marvel Comics during the 1930-1940s period known to historians and collectors as the Golden Age of Comic Books. She then debuted as the superheroine Golden Girl in Captain America Comics #66.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Valentina Allegra de Fontaine</span> Fictional comic book espionage agent

La Contessa Valentina Allegra de la Fontaine is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-artist Jim Steranko, she first appeared in the "Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D." feature in Strange Tales #159.

<i>FOOM</i>

FOOM was Marvel Comics' self-produced fan magazine of the mid-1970s, following the canceled Marvelmania and preceding Marvel Age. Running 22 quarterly issues, it was initially designed and edited by comic book writer-artist Jim Steranko.

<i>Captain America</i> (comic book) Comic book titles featuring the character Captain America

Captain America is the name of several comic book titles featuring the character Captain America and published by Marvel Comics, beginning with the original Captain America comic book series which debuted in 1968.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bucky Barnes</span> Marvel Comics fictional character

James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Originally introduced as a sidekick to Captain America, the character was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby and first appeared in Captain America Comics #1. Barnes' original costume and the Bucky nickname have been used by other heroes in the Marvel Universe over the years.

<i>Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.</i> American comic book series

Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. is the title of several American comic book series published by Marvel Comics focusing on the various adventures of the character Nick Fury while working for the fictional organization S.H.I.E.L.D.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. (feature)</span>

"Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D." is a feature that was in the comics anthology Strange Tales which began in 1965 and lasted until 1968. It introduced the fictional spy agency S.H.I.E.L.D. into the Marvel Comics world and reintroduced the character of Nick Fury as an older character from his concurrently-running series Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos, which was a series set during World War II. The feature replaced the previously running Human Torch feature in the book and ran alongside the Doctor Strange feature. After the feature ended, a comic book series was published which has had several volumes as well as a comic strip. The feature was originally created by the duo of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby who also created the original Sgt. Fury series but it was later taken over by artist and writer Jim Steranko. The feature was often censored by the Comics Code Authority due to Jim Steranko's provocative art; this art helped change the landscape of comics which Steranko continued with in the 1968 ongoing series. Much of Nick Fury's supporting cast originated in the feature and many of the devices used by these characters were often used in other comics published by Marvel.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 DiBello, John (April 3, 2014). "Jim Steranko: Three Issues of Captain America and the Truth". 13th Dimension. Retrieved April 15, 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Cronin, Brian (February 21, 2019). "Look Back: Jim Steranko's Captain America Has An Explosive Finale!". Comic Book Resources . Retrieved April 15, 2024.
  3. 1 2 3 Hayton & Albright 2009, p. 19.
  4. Morse 2007, p. 33.
  5. Saunders 2022, p. xxxv.
  6. 1 2 Steranko 2022, p. 348.
  7. 1 2 3 Saunders 2022, p. xxxvi.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 Steranko 2022, p. 349.
  9. 1 2 "Captain America #111". Grand Comics Database . Retrieved April 15, 2024.
  10. 1 2 3 "Captain America #113". Grand Comics Database . Retrieved April 15, 2024.
  11. 1 2 3 Steranko 2022, p. 351.
  12. Labrecque, Jeff (July 31, 2014). "The Infinitely Incredible, Impossible Life of Jim Steranko". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved April 11, 2024.
  13. Cronin, Brian (March 16, 2019). "Comic Legends: Who Really Scripted Jim Steranko's Captain America?". Comic Book Resources . Retrieved April 15, 2024.
  14. 1 2 Morse 2007, p. 34.
  15. Rizzo, Marco; Licari, Fabio (2021). Marvel's Captain America: The First 80 Years. Titan Publishing Group. p. 61. ISBN   978-1787737174.
  16. "Marvel Masterworks: Captain America Vol. 3 (Hardcover)". Marvel Comics . Retrieved April 16, 2024.
  17. "Captain America". Penguin Random House . Retrieved April 16, 2024.
  18. "Jim Steranko's Captain America: A 50th Anniversary Celebration". ArtCenter College of Design . Retrieved April 15, 2024.
  19. Sava, Oliver (July 20, 2011). "Interview: Ed Brubaker". The A.V. Club . Archived from the original on November 3, 2019. Retrieved November 22, 2023.
  20. Cereno, Benito (March 29, 2017). "Reading List: The Ten Essential Captain America Stories". Comics Alliance . Retrieved April 15, 2024.
  21. Cabaniss, Nathan (May 3, 2023). "10 Best Captain America Runs of All Time". ScreenRant . Retrieved April 15, 2024.
  22. Saunders 2022, pp. xxxvi–xxxvii.
  23. 1 2 3 Saunders 2022, p. xxxvii.
  24. Hayton & Albright 2009, p. 20.

Bibliography

Further reading