User:Morgan695/sandbox5
| "The Strange Death of Captain America" | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Cover of Captain America #113 | |||
| Publisher | Marvel Comics | ||
| Publication date | February – May 1969 | ||
| Genre | Superhero | ||
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| Main character(s) | |||
| Creative team | |||
| Writer(s) | Jim Steranko | ||
| Artist(s) | Jim Steranko | ||
| Inker(s) |
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| Letterer(s) |
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| Editor(s) | Stan Lee | ||
"The Strange Death of Captain America" is a 1969 story arc by Jim Steranko that ran in 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 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 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 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 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
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.[1] 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.[1] 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.[1][2]
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." 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.[3] 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.[3]
Production
According to Steranko, the establishment of Rick Jones as the new Bucky was a directive from Stan Lee.[4]
Steranko stated that he used actor Burt Lancaster as reference for both the visual appearance and personality of Steve Rogers.[5]
Steranko designed a new logo for the series.[1]
Climax of the story is a reference to "Spy Ambush" from Captain America Comics #10 (1942)[6]
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.[6] 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".[7]
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".[8]
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".[9] 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".[10]
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".[3] While Steranko's run does not address this dichotomy as directly as subsequent story arcs such as "Secret Empire" (1974), Hayton and Albright
"the confusion of a time of transition and uncertainty".
Notes
References
- ^ a b c d DiBello, John (April 3, 2014). "Jim Steranko: Three Issues of Captain America and the Truth". 13th Dimension. Retrieved April 15, 2024.
- ^ Cronin, Brian (February 21, 2019). "Look Back: Jim Steranko's Captain America Has An Explosive Finale!". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved April 15, 2024.
- ^ a b c Hayton & Albright 2009, p. 19.
- ^ "Captain America #111". Grand Comics Database. Retrieved April 15, 2024.
- ^ Labrecque, Jeff (July 31, 2014). "The Infinitely Incredible, Impossible Life of Jim Steranko". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
- ^ a b "Captain America #113". Grand Comics Database. Retrieved April 15, 2024.
- ^ Cronin, Brian (March 16, 2019). "Comic Legends: Who Really Scripted Jim Steranko's Captain America?". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved April 15, 2024.
- ^ "Jim Steranko's Captain America: A 50th Anniversary Celebration". ArtCenter College of Design. Retrieved April 15, 2024.
- ^ Cereno, Benito (March 29, 2017). "Reading List: The Ten Essential Captain America Stories". Comics Alliance. Retrieved April 15, 2024.
- ^ Cabaniss, Nathan (May 3, 2023). "10 Best Captain America Runs of All Time". ScreenRant. Retrieved April 15, 2024.
Bibliography
- Steranko, Jim (1970). The Steranko History of Comics, Vol 1. Supergraphics.
- Weiner, Robert, ed. (2009). Captain America and the Struggle of the Superhero: Critical Essays. McFarland & Company. ISBN 978-0786437030.
- Hayton, Christopher J.; Albright, David L. (2009). "O Captain! My Captain!". In Weiner, Robert (ed.). Captain America and the Struggle of the Superhero: Critical Essays. pp. 15–23.
Further reading
- Stewart, Alan (November 4, 2018). "Captain America #110". Attack of the 50 Year Old Comic Books.
- Stewart, Alan (February 3, 2019). "Captain America #113". Attack of the 50 Year Old Comic Books.