User:Morgan695/sandbox5: Difference between revisions

{{distinguish|The Death of Captain America}}

{{suppress categories|{{Infobox comics story arc <!--Wikipedia:WikiProject Comics-->

| title = The Strange Death of Captain America

| image = Test.png

| imagesize =

| caption = Cover of ''[[Captain America (comic book)|Captain America]]'' #113

| alt =

| publisher = [[Marvel Comics]]

| date =

| startmo = February

| startyr = 1969

| endmo = May

| endyr = 1969

| genre = [[Superhero comics|Superhero]]

| titles = ''[[Captain America (comic book)|Captain America]]'' #110, 111, 113

| main_char_team = {{ubl|[[Captain America]]|[[Viper (Madame Hydra)|Madame Hydra]]|[[Rick Jones (character)|Rick Jones]]}}

| writers = [[Jim Steranko]]

| artists = Jim Steranko

| pencillers =

| inkers = {{ubl|[[Joe Sinnott]] (#110, 111)|[[Tom Palmer (comics)|Tom Palmer]] (#113)}}

| letterers = {{ubl|[[Sam Rosen (comics)|Sam Rosen]] (#110, 111)|[[Artie Simek]] (#113)}}

| editors = [[Stan Lee]]

| colorists =

| CEheader =

| TPB =

| ISBN =

| TPB# =

| ISBN# =

| cat =

| cat+# =

| sortkey = {{PAGENAME}}

| self-titled = y

| nonUS =

}}}}

"'''The Strange Death of Captain America'''" is a 1969 [[story arc]] by [[Jim Steranko]] that ran in ''[[Captain America (comic book)|Captain America]]'', an [[American comic book]] series published by [[Marvel Comics]]. The story follows [[Captain America]] as he reckons with his lack of a [[secret identity]].

Despite the brevity of Steranko's run, his time on ''Captain America'' significantly

==Plot==

At [[Avengers Mansion]] in New York City, the [[Hulk]]'s sidekick [[Rick Jones (character)|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 fascistic terrorist group [[Hydra (comics)|Hydra]] is attacking the city's water's supply. Captain America defeats the Hydra henchmen with assistance from Jones, and he agrees to take Jones on as his new partner.

Later, Captain America is ambushed by Hydra assassins under the command of [[Viper (Madame Hydra)|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 revelation that Captain America is dead and that "Steve Rogers" was a false identity become public. A funeral held by the [[Avengers (comics)|Avengers]] is attacked by Hydra, though Captain America suddenly appears to join the fight; in the ensuing conflict, Hydra is beaten back and Madame Hydra is killed. 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===

[[File:10.12.12JimSterankoByLuigiNovi1.jpg|left|thumb|upright=0.8|[[Jim Steranko]] in 2012]]

''[[Captain America (comic book)|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 ''[[Strange Tales]]''.<ref name="13thDimension"/> The revival was initially written 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.<ref name="13thDimension"/> Many of the comics in Lee and Kirby's revivial of ''Captain America'' were referential to the character's roots as a patriotic wartime superhero; stories featured, for example, an [[Adolf Hitler]] impersonator and the Nazi villain [[Red Skull]] as antagonists.<ref name="13thDimension"/><ref name="CBRLookBack"/>

[[Jim Steranko]] began working for Marvel in the late 1960s, after previously working at [[Harvey Comics]] as writer and illustrator of the comic book ''[[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. (feature)|Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.]]" in the anthology ''[[Strange Tales]]'', which was illustrated by Captain America co-creator [[Jack Kirby]]; he would later assume Kirby's role as illustrator for the series.{{sfn|Hayton|Albright|2009|p=19}} Steranko was renowned for his experimental art style, drawing inspiration from [[op art]] and artists associated with the [[surrealist]] movement such as [[Salvador Dalí]]; by the time he began his run on ''Captain America'' in 1969, he was among the most lauded comic book artists in the medium.{{sfn|Hayton|Albright|2009|p=19}}

===Production===

[[File:Test.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Rick Jones' psychedelic hallucination in ''Captain America'' #111, showcasing Steranko's signature [[surrealist]] style]]

According to Steranko, the establishment of Rick Jones as the new Bucky was a directive from Stan Lee.<ref name="GCD110"/>

Steranko stated that he used actor [[Burt Lancaster]] as reference for both the visual appearance and personality of Steve Rogers.<ref name="EW"/>

Steranko designed a new logo for the series.<ref name="13thDimension"/>

Climax of the story is a reference to "Spy Ambush" from ''Captain America Comics'' #10 (1942)<ref name="GCD113"/>

Credit for authorship of "The Strange Death of Captain America" has been disputed. 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 ''Captain America'' editor [[Stan Lee]].<ref name="GCD113"/> Steranko has subsequently 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".<ref name="CBRDispute"/>

===Release===

"The Strange Death of Captain America" was originally published in ''Captain America'' issues #110 (February 1969), #111 (March 1969), and #113 (May 1969).

==Reception and legacy==

"The Strange Death of Captain America" has been acclaimed by comics critics. In its commemoration of the run's fiftieth anniversary, the [[ArtCenter College of Design]] opined that "many still consider ["The Strange Death of Captain America"] 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".<ref name="ArtCenter"/>

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".<ref name="CA"/> ''[[Screenrant]]'' listed the run in 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".<ref name="ScreenRant"/>

Comics scholars Christopher Hayton and David Albright write that "The Strange Death of Captain America" represents a transitional period in the editorial history of 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".{{sfn|Hayton|Albright|2009|p=19}} While Steranko's run does not address this dichotomy as directly as subsequent story arcs such as "[[Secret Empire (1974 comic)|Secret Empire]]" (1974), Hayton and Albright

"the confusion of a time of transition and uncertainty".

==References==

{{reflist|refs=

<ref name="13thDimension">{{cite web |last1=DiBello |first1=John |title=Jim Steranko: Three Issues of Captain America and the Truth |url=https://13thdimension.com/jim-steranko-three-issues-of-captain-america-and-the-truth/ |website=13th Dimension |access-date=April 15, 2024 |date=April 3, 2014}}</ref>

<ref name="ArtCenter">{{cite web |title=Jim Steranko's Captain America: A 50th Anniversary Celebration |url=https://www.artcenter.edu/connect/events/jim-sterankos-captain-america-a-50th-anniversary-celebration.html |website=[[ArtCenter College of Design]] |access-date=April 15, 2024}}</ref>

<ref name="CA">{{cite web |last1=Cereno |first1=Benito |title=Reading List: The Ten Essential Captain America Stories |url=https://comicsalliance.com/ten-essential-captain-america-stories/ |website=[[Comics Alliance]] |access-date=April 15, 2024 |date=March 29, 2017}}</ref>

<ref name="CBRDispute">{{cite web |last1=Cronin |first1=Brian |title=Comic Legends: Who Really Scripted Jim Steranko's Captain America? |url=https://www.cbr.com/captain-america-jim-sterano-stan-lee-scripting/ |website=[[Comic Book Resources]] |access-date=April 15, 2024 |date=March 16, 2019}}</ref>

<ref name="CBRLookBack">{{cite web |last1=Cronin |first1=Brian |title=Look Back: Jim Steranko's Captain America Has An Explosive Finale! |url=https://www.cbr.com/captain-america-jim-steranko-finale/ |website=[[Comic Book Resources]] |access-date=April 15, 2024 |date=February 21, 2019}}</ref>

<ref name="EW">{{cite web |last1=Labrecque |first1=Jeff |title=The Infinitely Incredible, Impossible Life of Jim Steranko |url=https://ew.com/article/2014/07/31/infinitely-incredible-impossible-life-jim-steranko/ |website=[[Entertainment Weekly]] |access-date=April 11, 2024 |date=July 31, 2014}}</ref>

<ref name="GCD110">{{cite web |title=Captain America #111 |url=https://www.comics.org/issue/22590/ |website=[[Grand Comics Database]] |access-date=April 15, 2024}}</ref>

<ref name="GCD113">{{cite web |title=Captain America #113 |url=https://www.comics.org/issue/22718/ |website=[[Grand Comics Database]] |access-date=April 15, 2024}}</ref>

<ref name="ScreenRant">{{cite web |last1=Cabaniss |first1=Nathan |title=10 Best Captain America Runs of All Time |url=https://screenrant.com/best-captain-america-runs-all-time-marvel-comics/ |website=[[ScreenRant]] |access-date=April 15, 2024 |date=May 3, 2023}}</ref>

}}

===Bibliography===

{{refbegin}}

*{{cite book |last1=Steranko |first1=Jim |author1-link= |title=[[The Steranko History of Comics|The Steranko History of Comics, Vol 1]] |date=1970 |publisher=Supergraphics}}

*{{cite book |editor1-last=Weiner |editor1-first=Robert |title=Captain America and the Struggle of the Superhero: Critical Essays |url=https://archive.org/details/captainamericast00wein |url-access=limited |date=2009 |publisher=[[McFarland & Company]] |isbn=978-0786437030|ref=none}}

**{{cite book |last1=Hayton |first1=Christopher J.|last2=Albright |first2=David L. |pages=15–23 |chapter=O Captain! My Captain! |editor1-last=Weiner |editor1-first=Robert |title=Captain America and the Struggle of the Superhero: Critical Essays |date=2009 }}

{{refend}}

==Further reading==

* {{cite web |last1=Stewart |first1=Alan |title=Captain America #110|url=https://50yearoldcomics.com/2018/11/04/captain-america-110-february-1969/ |website=Attack of the 50 Year Old Comic Books |date=November 4, 2018}}

* {{cite web |last1=Stewart |first1=Alan |title=Captain America #113 |url=https://50yearoldcomics.com/2019/02/03/captain-america-113-may-1969/ |website=Attack of the 50 Year Old Comic Books |date=February 3, 2019}}