Cover for 1990 Edition
Captain America: War And RemembranceReprints Captain America #247-255.
Written by Roger Stern.
Penciled by John Byrne.
Inked by Joe Rubenstein.
Note:This review is based on the 1990 tpb edition of this book. Another edition was published in 2011 and I don't know how it looks or if it contains the same introductions or "bonus" pages. I've also posted covers of more recent editions of this title throughout the review.
Captain America is a member of the Avengers and a living legend of World War II, but the back story of his alter-ego, Steve Rogers is shrouded in mystery.
Steve is having trouble remembering his past. He spent more than a decade in suspended animation and wonders if his memories are real, imagined or planted. He sets out to uncover his true past.
Cover for 2007 edition
In the process, Steve, as Captain America encounters various villains:
Baron Strucker, the former Nazi turned head of Hydra!
Machinesmith, master of robotics! He builds robot replicas of many Marvel heroes & villains and sends them after Cap!
Dragon Man, a giant flying super-strong android. He has the mind of a child, but Dragon Man is one of the most dangerous beings in the Marvel Universe!
Batroc the Leaper teams up with the deadly, demented Mr. Hyde! They take control of a supertanker and hold it for ransom...a ransom that Captain America must deliver!
Cap is called to England to help fight an old foe: The Nazi vampire known as Baron Blood!
Cover for 2011 Hardcover edition
But it's not all doom and danger.
Steve has recently relocated to Brooklyn Heights and is attempting to establish a career as a graphic designer. He's getting to know his neighbors, Joshua Cooper and Mike Farrell. They're eventually joined by a new neighbor, Mike's old friend Bernadette "Bernie" Rosenthal. Steve and Bernie are attracted to each other from the moment they meet, even if Steve's musical tastes are dated (just like Steve himself).
During the election season, Cap is asked to run for President of the United States by a 3rd Party! Will he accept?
Last but not least, Cap's origin story and his first adventure are retold, narrated by none other than President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
Guest stars include Nick Fury, Dum Dum Dugan, Union Jack and the Avengers!
Review:
These issues were some of the first Captain America stories I ever read. And what a great introduction to the character.
Alternate cover for 2011 Hardcover edition
Story:
Roger Stern really gets Captain America and Steve Rogers. The man out of time shtick has been done before (and since), but Stern doesn't use it to ring out cheap laughs or melodramatic hysterics. I like the supporting cast he created for Steve too. Bernie would become Cap's girlfriend, and eventually his fiance before she was written out.
I especially enjoyed the Baron Blood section of the book. It feels like Stern was going for a "Universal Horror" vibe with a little bit of "Hammer Dracula" thrown in for good measure. Plus, Baron Blood is a Nazi vampire! Talk about a personification of evil!
The story where Captain America becomes a candidate for President is also excellent, and it makes for a great read during an election year. It shows why Cap should never run for office.
And the last tale in the book is a great retelling of Cap's origin and early days. It's been told and retold many times since 1940, but this is the definitive version as far as I'm concerned.
Hyde & Batroc concoct a scheme;Bernie visits Steve
Art:
John Byrne does a great job penciling here. I've said in other recent posts here that Byrne was on fire at this time. If you enjoyed his work in X-men, Fantastic Four and Avengers, you'll like this book. Joe Rubenstein isn't Terry Austin, but his inks compliment Byrne's work very nicely. Check out Byrne & Rubenstein's maniacal depiction of Mr. Hyde in the scanned page above.
How does it look?:
Great. Take a look at the scan below, taken from the tpb:
Dragon Man attacks Cap!
Extras:
Two nice introductions by Stern and Jim Salicrup, who was editor of Captain America when the stories were published.
We also get a few (previously unpublished) pages of what Cap #256 would have look like, if Stern, Byrne & Rubenstein had continued on the book. It's a shame they couldn't have given us another issue or two.
Captain America: War And Remembrance is a great collection of Bronze Age Cap stories. It was my introduction to the character back in 1980 and it's still great 32 years later. Pick up this reprint book ASAP, in any edition!
My rating:
4 Sals!
