Reprints Captain America and The Falcon #169-176
Written by Steve Englehart.
Penciled by Sal Buscema.
Inked by Vince Colletta.
Captain America, known as Steve Rogers in his personal life, has always fought for his country and pushed it to uphold its ideals.
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| Left: Falcon talks about his desire for super powers; Right: Cap watches Harderman's campaign ad. |
Cap is flabbergasted when he sees a campaign ad that attacks him. It's narrated by an advertising wizard named Quentin Harderman. It paints the superhero as an out of control vigilante who acts as a law unto himself. The ad is sponsored by an organization called the Committee to Regain America's Principles. They believe Captain America is a serious threat to the American way of life. In reality, the Committee is a front for the criminal organization that calls itself the Secret Empire!
At the same time, Captain America's partner the Falcon (known as Sam Wilson when he's not fighting bad guys) is feeling like a fifth wheel. He doesn't believe he's pulling his weight in his crime-fighting partnership with Cap and is in search of more power. He takes off for the African nation of Wakanda. The Black Panther, Wakanda's monarch, has promised to help Falcon become more powerful.
After watching the ad, Captain America decides to confront Harderman face-to-face at his office. Harderman says he'll back off his campaign if Cap will participate in a charity boxing match. But when Cap shows up for the bout, he recognizes his opponent as his old enemy, the Tumbler! Captain America chases the Tumbler, but the villain suddenly dies when Cap grabs him. Harderman (who is responsible for Tumbler's death) immediately blames Cap and labels him a murderer. The public quickly turns on Captain America, which deeply hurts the Avenger.
Branded a criminal, Captain America is attacked by a man who calls himself Moonstone. He has super-strengh, eye-blasts and the ability to disappear and reappear at will. Cap is distracted, under stress, and is easily defeated by Moonstone in a short battle. Harderman is there to praise Moonstone and declares him a hero.
The next morning, Captain America wakes up in a jail cell. He is freed by a jailbreak, but it's part of the Secret Empire's plan to demonize Cap, who is now a fugitive.
At the same time, Captain America's partner the Falcon (known as Sam Wilson when he's not fighting bad guys) is feeling like a fifth wheel. He doesn't believe he's pulling his weight in his crime-fighting partnership with Cap and is in search of more power. He takes off for the African nation of Wakanda. The Black Panther, Wakanda's monarch, has promised to help Falcon become more powerful.
After watching the ad, Captain America decides to confront Harderman face-to-face at his office. Harderman says he'll back off his campaign if Cap will participate in a charity boxing match. But when Cap shows up for the bout, he recognizes his opponent as his old enemy, the Tumbler! Captain America chases the Tumbler, but the villain suddenly dies when Cap grabs him. Harderman (who is responsible for Tumbler's death) immediately blames Cap and labels him a murderer. The public quickly turns on Captain America, which deeply hurts the Avenger.
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| Cap is defeated by Moonstone, whom Harderman then declares a hero. |
Branded a criminal, Captain America is attacked by a man who calls himself Moonstone. He has super-strengh, eye-blasts and the ability to disappear and reappear at will. Cap is distracted, under stress, and is easily defeated by Moonstone in a short battle. Harderman is there to praise Moonstone and declares him a hero.
The next morning, Captain America wakes up in a jail cell. He is freed by a jailbreak, but it's part of the Secret Empire's plan to demonize Cap, who is now a fugitive.
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| Falcon gets wings, while Captain America is busted out of jail. |
When the Falcon returns from Wakanda, he is wearing a winged harness (built by the Black Panther) that allows him to fly. He arrives in New York just in time to help Captain America prove his innocence. After another failed battle with Moonstone, the heroic duo escapes and is forced underground. Through some "detective" work, they theorize that Moonstone is from Nashville and hitchhike to the Music City.
When they arrive in Nashville, the heroic duo is attacked by the sonic scream of the Banshee! He thinks Cap and Falcon are mutant hunters. Their brief battle is broken up by Professor X, Marvel Girl, and Cyclops of the X-Men. They learn that in addition to framing Captain America, the Secret Empire has been hunting down and capturing mutants. Cap and Falc gain new allies, the X-Men will help them take down the Secret Empire. Captain America is very grateful to have the X-Men stand with him against their common foe.
Before they can tackle the Empire, they're surrounded by Nick Fury, who's accompanied by (in Fury's words) "the pride o' S.H.I.E.L.D. and maybe half o' the Tennessee State Police!" But the heroes are able to escape without harming Fury or any of the agents.
Using disguises, Falcon and Captain America eventually infiltrate the Secret Empire. They come face to face with the Empire's leader, who is known only as Number One.
Cap, Falcon and the X-Men team up and battle the Secret Empire. The final battle takes place on the White House lawn, where Captain America learns a shocking secret about Number One.
It turns out the Secret Empire has ties to the highest levels of power in the United States. This makes Steve Rogers very disillusioned about his country and he questions his desire to remain Captain America.
Could this be the end of his career as Captain America?
As if that's not enough, Falcon and Black Panther team up to stop the crimelord known as Stoneface. Plus, appearances by Captain America's Avengers teammates Iron Man, Thor and the Vision!
J.A. Morris says:
This is one of the definitive arcs of Captain America's 73-year history, and one of the best multi-part sagas of the Bronze Age.
When they arrive in Nashville, the heroic duo is attacked by the sonic scream of the Banshee! He thinks Cap and Falcon are mutant hunters. Their brief battle is broken up by Professor X, Marvel Girl, and Cyclops of the X-Men. They learn that in addition to framing Captain America, the Secret Empire has been hunting down and capturing mutants. Cap and Falc gain new allies, the X-Men will help them take down the Secret Empire. Captain America is very grateful to have the X-Men stand with him against their common foe.
Before they can tackle the Empire, they're surrounded by Nick Fury, who's accompanied by (in Fury's words) "the pride o' S.H.I.E.L.D. and maybe half o' the Tennessee State Police!" But the heroes are able to escape without harming Fury or any of the agents.
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| The heroes pull off a daring escape from Fury & S.H.I.E.L.D. |
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| Sam and Steve go undercover & wind up the Secret Empire's hideout. |
Cap, Falcon and the X-Men team up and battle the Secret Empire. The final battle takes place on the White House lawn, where Captain America learns a shocking secret about Number One.
Could this be the end of his career as Captain America?
As if that's not enough, Falcon and Black Panther team up to stop the crimelord known as Stoneface. Plus, appearances by Captain America's Avengers teammates Iron Man, Thor and the Vision!
J.A. Morris says:
This is one of the definitive arcs of Captain America's 73-year history, and one of the best multi-part sagas of the Bronze Age.
Story:
Steve Englehart writes a great story here, filled with action and drama. It's one of Englehart's crowning achievements. We see the very symbol of America's ideals libeled as a murderer, stripped of his assets and forced to hitchhike to get around.
The Secret Empire contains an almost perfect mix of action and drama. We get one great fight scene after another. In between, we see Steve slowly losing his faith in his country. The last issue reprinted here consists of nothing but Cap talking to his friends (and himself) about whether or not he will continue his crime-fighting career. But like the rest of the book, it makes for great reading.
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| Falcon and Black Panther take battle Stoneface. |
The way the American public turns on Cap is believable. Harderman is shown to be an expert at telling "The Big Lie." It's been said that the bigger the lie, the more people will believe it. This has been proven in real life more than once, and it works here for Harderman and the Secret Empire.
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| Falcon tries to talk Cap out of quitting. |
One thing that makes this saga special is the villains. Most of them are B- and C-list criminals. Harderman and Moonstone are one-shot villains. The Secret Empire appeared in a few more stories before and after this, but they've never been heavy hitters in the Marvel Universe. It's interesting that the villains that make Cap question his future as a hero have no ties to his arch foes (Red Skull, Zemo, etc). Behind the scenes, we're shown that the original Viper worked with Harderman to begin the campaign against Captain America. While Tumbler existed before this story, his only prior appearance was 8 years before this story. It's to Englehart's credit that I read this story more than once before I noticed its lack of major villains.
The original X-Men's appearance here is also worth noting. This story took place when the X-Men comic book series was nothing but a reprint title. The mutants made sporadic guest appearances in other series between 1970 and 1975. During that time, Englehart wrote solo stories that featured the Beast in Amazing Adventures. Englehart does a nice job tying those stories to the Secret Empire storyline as well. A year or so after this story, the X-Men series was revived and they went on to become the most popular superhero team of all time.
It may seem silly to say this about a 40-year-old story, but I won't "spoil" who is behind Number One's mask. Since I have a degree in History (minor in Poli-Sci!), I should point out that Harderman's name is a reference to H.R. Haldeman, Chief Of Staff in the Nixon White House, who was convicted for his role in the Watergate scandal. And Harderman's Committe to Restore America's Principals is an obvious reference to the Nixon campaign's Committee for the Re-Election of the President.
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| Number One's speech is interrupted by Captain America, and Moonstone gets run through a tree! |
Art:
Penciler Sal Buscema and inker Vince Colletta make a great art team here. It's some of their best work. I've mentioned in other reviews that Colletta is far from my favorite inker, often over-inking and obscuring the pencilers. But he's great here, an asset to Buscema. And Sal draws many great battle and action scenes in The Secret Empire.
How does it look:
Great, as all pages scanned and posted above will demonstrate. Here's one more:
Captain America and the Falcon:The Secret Empire is highly recommended to fans of Bronze Age stories and all Captain America fans. It's a product of (and a reaction to) Watergate-era America, but it's also a great story that's still highly entertaining four decades later.
J.A. Morris's rating:
4 Sals!
Coming tomorrow, Part 2 of this blog's first ever two-part review! Check back here for my review of the tpb that reprints the follow-up to the Secret Empire saga!
Penciler Sal Buscema and inker Vince Colletta make a great art team here. It's some of their best work. I've mentioned in other reviews that Colletta is far from my favorite inker, often over-inking and obscuring the pencilers. But he's great here, an asset to Buscema. And Sal draws many great battle and action scenes in The Secret Empire.
How does it look:
Great, as all pages scanned and posted above will demonstrate. Here's one more:
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| Mutants good & evil are attached to a machine that siphons their brain energy! |
J.A. Morris's rating:
4 Sals!
Coming tomorrow, Part 2 of this blog's first ever two-part review! Check back here for my review of the tpb that reprints the follow-up to the Secret Empire saga!
Ooh, J.A. -- you'll be entering territory that Karen and I have been scared of, and that's the back half of the Nomad tpb wherein Mr. Frank Robbins show's up on the art chores. A chore, indeed!
ReplyDeleteNice summation -- great scans, too!
Doug