Captain America Comics No. 1

As the 1940's began, many superheroes became quite popular. Some such as Superman have withstood the test of time. Others not so much. Captain America was one of the first major characters published by Timely Comics, the company that would eventually become Marvel comics. Some of the first charachters were Namor the Sub-Mariner, and the first Human Torch, an android covered in flames. While I will circle back to them, I think it is more important to talk about one of the first "patriotic" superheroes, and one who has become among the most influential in modern media. Captain America was the creation of Jack "The King" Kirby, who is famous as one of the premier comic book artists with titles ranging from Silver Surfer, The Fantastic Four, Thor. and The New Gods. His partner was Joe Simon created many comics, and helped Kirby create many comics such as Young Love, the first major romance comic, creating a genre that lived for many years, and while virtually unheard of today, they helped cement comic books major role in the 1950's.

Adolf socked in the jaw!

Captain America was written before WWII began in late 1940. The comic got a huge reaction, with over 1 million copies sold, but also provoking a mob of nazi supporters to threaten Kirby and Simon. It took the mayor of New York City, Fiorello La Guardia, to protect them with Guardia ordering police protection for Timely's offices. The comic itself was created very quickly, so some of it does look a bit rushed. Since the comic itself has four Captain America stories and two supplements I am going to cover the most important two, Meet Captain America and The Fantastic Tale of the Red Skull. 

 

We start our comic with something that I thought I wouldn't see again. That is a story without introducing the main character in the opening story. Just like both Batman origin stories, we don't get to see Captain America first, but instead get a weird intro. We see a bad guy at a munitions plant and then the next page he blows it sky high. In response Franklin Delano Roosevelt the current POTUS is commissioning a program to deal with the Nazi sabotage. We learn that the Nazi's have filled the armies ranks, and so the president has decided to deal with it. We then learn that the current head of the F.B.I. has arranged some sort of experiment. 

How many B-movies have this premise go horribly wrong?

The experiment is some sort of serum combined with Vita-Rays. The person in charge is a a Professor Reinstein. He has figured out how to make a man into a perfect specimen, increasing strength, reflexes and even intellegence. His guinea pig is Steve Rogers, who has been rejected because of his scrawny physique. The serum works and he grow bigger. This amazing serum however is about to vanish because a spy bursts out, shots Reinstein and shatters the serum. Many origin stories are actually very similar, with the results being unreplicatable. In recent years many comics in the Marvel continuity have even used this serum to explain the origins of other heroes, most notably the Ultimate Hulk, something that even made its way into The Avengers.

Because thats the definition of covert

Captain America is so named because he will safeguard America and represents America's strength. He demonstrates that, taking the assassin and punching him all over the building, eventually making the assassin land in some equipment which fry him to death. Steve sees no problem with this, and it shows the fact that Captain America is a soldier. He is willing to kill to get the job done, but doesn't go out of his way to kill people. He quickly does his job, smashing spy rings and keeping America safe from the Nazis. He is assigned to a military base undercover, namely Camp Lehigh. Bucky Barnes the camp mascot is enamored with the Captain. He wishes to meet him and he does, visiting Rogers at night and finding out that Rogers is Captain America. Of course Rogers decides to make Barnes his sidekick to keep his secret, because no Golden Age comic would be complete with a peppy young sidekick sent against firearms and thugs.

This comic is a good origin story, establishing why Captain America does what he does, as well as how he got his superpowers. Its a much more complete origin than Batman or Superman gets initially. This makes me much happier than the initial issues of Superman and Batman, even though I don't like Captain America quite as much as either of those, because I think he is a less interesting character.

Doomy Doom Doom Doom!

While I may like the first story for its excellent origin for the character, this one doesn't do that. We start with the cover image along with two panels inserted in the comic. I find this very frustrating, but it does get us into the story. Rogers is working with a Major Croy at the base, and has been threatened by someone called the Red Skull. Rogers and Bucky drive back to the base, leaving Croy to go to bed. As he is in the house, Croy is ambushed from behind. He is grabbed around the neck by what I can only assume is the Red Skull. The Skull stares him to death, and leaves him. The next day we learn that no one has been able to figure out why Croy is dead, and so Captain America and Bucky leave to go after the Skull, with Bucky deciding to go by himself. The Red Skull tells his henchman of his plan to go after officials while his team robs banks to fund the sabotaging efforts. Bucky eavesdrops but is caught and beaten up. The Skull having failed his evil overlords 101 class decides to use him as a hostage. The Captain bursts through the door and knocks out the thugs although the Skull escapes.

Private Rogers the next day witnesses a plane crashing on manuvers. The owner of the plane Mister Maxon laments the loss of the plane but not the men onboard. The general of the base gets a visit from the skull, who kills the general despite having a gun, and the Skull shows us a list of targets including Captain America and Bucky. The general's wife sticks up Red Skull, and instead of shooting the man with a red skull for a face and a swastika on his chest, she rushes over to her husband. Captain America bursts in and beats the Skull a bit before getting hit with a chair. Buck comes to save Captain America. They beat on the Skull, with Captain America breaking the red mask and learning that it is the airplane owner. I imagine this in about the same tone of voice as Velma from Scooby Doo. We learn that Maxon had used a hypodermic needle to inject people with a poison while he stared at them. This would create a myth about the Red Skull having a look of death. Maxon struggles to get his weapon but he rolls over his needle injecting himself. The next day military police learn that Maxon had been promised a position of power if Germany took over America. 

Why is this disappointing? Well Maxon isn't the actual Red Skull we know today. That goes to a Johann Schmidt, who is the Red Skull that we know today as Captain America's archnemesis. So the story serves as a bit of fake out for those who would expect an origin story for the Red Skull.

Overall I enjoyed these comics. They come in pretty large issues, unlike what I got with the Superman and Batman Chronicles, as they skip over any issue without those charachters. These have all the stories so include stories about Tuk Caveboy a pulp fantasy in stone age times and Hurricane, a character who looks like Hermes from the Greek mythologies, who is descended from Thor and yet is "the last living Greek God." While this makes no sense and he comes of as a copy of the early flash, it's not a terrible read.

I would recommend this comic for it's historical value and not really the artwork, but the writing is solid as well. It moves quickly, the plot is fairly reasonable. and they have a lot of ideas that will become really popular for the genre in the future, such as experimental superpower, superpowered prototype and a costumed villain rather than someone with an ominous name like Dr. Death. It's a pretty good read, and a good enough origin that I recommend this comic. I got my copy in Marvel Masterworks: Golden Age Captain America.