Captain America
Comic Book Easter Eggs – Captain America Visits a Bar Filled With Easter Eggs!
Every week, I will be sharing with you three comic book “easter eggs.” An easter egg is a joke/visual gag/in-joke that a comic book creator (typically the artist) has hidden in the pages of the comic for readers to find (just like an easter egg). They range from the not-so-obscure to the really obscure. So come check ‘em all out and enjoy! Also, click here for an archive of all the easter eggs featured so far! If you want to suggest an easter egg for a future column, e-mail me at bcronin@comicbookresources.com (do not post your suggestion in the comments section!).
Today we look at an issue of Captain America by Mark Gruenwald, Rik Levins and Danny Bulanadi where Captain America, Hawkeye and Iron Man visit a bar that is packed to the gills with easter egg cameos.
Enjoy!
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Drawing Crazy Patterns – Captain America’s Unbreakable Shield Breaking
In this feature, I spotlight five scenes/moments from within comic book stories that fit under a specific theme (basically, stuff that happens frequently in comics). Here is an archive of all the patterns we’ve spotlighted so far.
This week, based on a suggestion from reader Stephane S., we take a look at five instances where Captain America’s unbreakable shield was broken…
Enjoy!
The Abandoned An’ Forsaked – The Long and Short of Arnim Zola’s Back Story
Every week, we will be examining comic book stories and ideas that were not only abandoned, but also had the stories/plots specifically “overturned” by a later writer (as if they were a legal precedent). Click here for an archive of all the previous editions of The Abandoned An’ Forsaked. Feel free to e-mail me at bcronin@comicbookresources.com if you have any suggestions for future editions of this feature.
Today, based on a suggestion by reader Charlie E., we take a look at the differing takes on the back story of the Captain America villain, Arnim Zola.
What I bought – 21 November 2012
Ah! but it was something to have at least a choice of nightmares. (Joseph Conrad, from Heart of Darkness)
She Has No Head! – The Good, The Bad, and the Very Hilarious in Superhero Halloween Costumes
If you've got a cool $4,5000.00 you can have this replica Wonder Woman costume.
I’m exhausted and I love October, let’s do something fun!
What did I find when I started hunting for superhero Halloween costumes? Right out of the gate I’ll tell you I’m going to mostly avoid talking about the bizarre “super sexy superhero” thing because it’s just too easy, and also other’s have already done it before and better. Although this new “sexy Robin” is almost as good as some of those we’ve seen in recent years – like “Sassy Ninja Turtles” and “Sexy Spider-Girl.”
Let’s start with something that’s actually kinda good. You know there are bound to be a few Black Widow’s roaming around this year, and while many of the Black Widow costumes out there are complete shit, this one, which is a bit more pricey, actually looks pretty good:
Frantic as a cardiograph scratching out the lines, Day 193: Captain America (volume 4) #2
Every day this year, I will be examining the first pages of random comics. Today’s page is from Captain America (volume 4, according to the indicia, although I don’t know if Marvel counts the 1940s iteration) #2, which was published by Marvel and is cover dated July 2002. Enjoy!
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Frantic as a cardiograph scratching out the lines, Day 105: Captain America #450
Every day this year, I will be examining the first pages of random comics. This month I will be doing theme weeks (more or less), with each week devoted to a single writer. This pseudo-week: Mark Waid. Today’s page is from Captain America #450, which was published by Marvel and is cover dated April 1996. Enjoy!
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Committed: Regarding Male Superheroes as Sex Objects
As someone who spent her entire youth having inappropriate thoughts about superheroes, I’ve always understood that women aren’t the only ones being physically objectified in comic books, and men are being depicted as basically naked and entirely perfect as well. Finally it seems that the rest of the female population is catching on.
Sunday Brunch: 10/10/10
Sunday? Again? Already? Here we go, then. Links, cartoon review, ruminations on the cud of the industry.
CHALLENGE OF THE WEEK: Invent a sidekick for a superhero who has never had a sidekick.
Sunday Brunch: 10/3/10
Finally, it returns…! Beneath the fold, I discuss recent episodes of Batman: The Brave and the Bold, and survey this wretched hive of scum and villainy we call the comics internet.
QUESTION OF THE WEEK(S): What would EC Comics look like, feel like, read like today, if the company never closed its doors?
Into the back issue box #54
I bought a bunch of these comics at a sale my comics shoppe was having, so that’s the reason a lot in a row have been standard DC and Marvel superhero books. Sorry about that. On the one hand, a lot of people have already read these, so they can reminisce about them. On the other hand, while some of these might be mediocre, none of them have been eye-bleedingly bad, like we occasionally get with this series. Those are definitely more fun to write, I’ll tell you that much, and probably to read as well. C’est la vie! Today, it’s another fairly standard mid-1980s Marvel superhero book. Check out its identity after the cut!
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The political leanings of superhero comics … revealed!
No, this isn’t another post about Captain America #602. It’s partly inspired by that, but it’s much more far-reaching than that. You recall that every once in a while I like to generalize about comics in such a way that it sends people into paroxysms of rage? Well, here’s another one of those posts! They’re always fun, aren’t they?
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There Was This Other Time That Captain America Was Unstuck In Time
And it made for a pretty fun story back then. I’ve been reading it in small increments for a week.* It has nothing in common with Captain America: Reborn at all other than Cap time traveling from one era to another, because it’s a ’70s Kirby story.
So this isn’t a “Ed Brubaker totally ripped off the King!” post or anything. They share a main character and a similar gimmick, but are different works and should be judged on their own merits. This also isn’t going to include scans recapping the story and pointing out how goofy awesome it is. What does this look like, the ISB?** I really just wanted to point out the one similarity between the two stories and that’s it.
Except for this. I will be greatly disappointed if Mr. Buda isn’t involved in Reborn somehow. On the other hand, I will be inappropriately delighted if it turns out he was the one who orchestrated the whole Brubaker run to teach everyone (including the Red Skull) a lesson about American history,*** which will be summed up with everyone interacting with a plucky group of kids from many different cultures. Including the Red Skull, again.
*Because, as much as I love Kirby, there’s only so much of his ’70s work of his I can read, that doesn’t have the Fourth World characters or Devil Dinosaur at least, at a time. Or so much concentrated awesome I can handle at a time. Not sure.
**That may be my most obligatory Sims link yet.
***The only reason I’m doing this foot note is to shoe horn the phrase “Cap’s Magical History Tour” in to this post. Because that’s what Bicentennial Battles is, really.****
****I should also mention that the captions after Cap watches the Atomic Bomb test probably melted Jonathan Lethem’s brain, if he ever read it. And anyone who didn’t like Kirby prose, really. You know, big fat jerks.
Did Everyone Else Already Know This?
Where I talk about digital comics and lipstick lesbian vigilantes. You know, the future of the artform. Continue Reading »
