CAPTAIN AMERICA #158 - The Curse of 70's Marvel Writers
This is one of the first comic books I remember reading. I would've been 9 or 10 at the time and it just sort of appeared in our household. I was another few months away from actually buying one off the stands. The cover is pretty outstanding, especially to the eyes of a 9-10 year old, with those bright primary colors popping. The action practically jumps off the page. How could I resist?
(CAPTAIN AMERICA #158 cover-dated February 1973, on newsstands November 7th, 1972, with cover art by Sal Buscema)
It starts off in a standard way for a Marvel Comics - continued from last issue - with one of the oldest gimmicks in comic book writing - the villain is so sure he's finished off the hero, that he leaves them to die, VERY SPECIFICALLY leaving the means to save themselves, seemingly just out of reach.
(CAPTAIN AMERICA #158 cover-dated February 1973, on newsstands November 7th, 1972, with cover art by Sal Buscema)
I don't know why, as a kid, I found this funny, but I just did. Even now it just seems forced. That silly bird, and the unnatural way that Cap is speaking. Marvel Comics writers LOVED this type of pompous, over explanatory dialogue. I thought then, and still do now, that it just sounds goofy.
(CAPTAIN AMERICA #158 cover-dated February 1973, on newsstands November 7th, 1972, with cover art by Sal Buscema)
EVEN WORSE, is when Englehart turns to a narration voice on the ENTIRE page following. Oh my god, this is just torture to read. "Agony calls his Name...", "A Thunderous Pop..." (of the serum cap coming off???), and "A Soft Voice Calling, Crooning... Quit... Relax... Sleep!" LOL
(CAPTAIN AMERICA #158 cover-dated February 1973, on newsstands November 7th, 1972, with cover art by Sal Buscema)
Yeah... Amazing Spider-Man #33, it's NOT. So Cap and the Falcon split up.... the Falcon to find where this Viper character is, and Cap to try and find someone called the Cowled Commander.
Cowled Commander? I didn't really care. Seems like someone made up to try and spice the story up.
This Police Sergeant thinks it's Steve Rogers.
I wasn't a fan of Sal Buscema's art when I was younger. Later on I realized it was because they usually paired him up with a thin lined inker. Here though, he's inked by John Verpoorten, who really makes Sal's storytelling stand out.
I like the art in this issue.
(CAPTAIN AMERICA #158 cover-dated February 1973, on newsstands November 7th, 1972, with cover art by Sal Buscema)
Meanwhile the Falcon is talking to bad guys from Harlem - pretty cliche - and trying to tie this together with other Marvel Comics, including Spider-Man. At the time the Amazing Spider-Man book was the 3rd or 4th best selling comic in America, and Cap was... around the 30th (of what numbers we have available).
Spidey sold around 280,000 copies a month to Cap's 175,000.
Under Englehart it never got higher than about 185,000.
(CAPTAIN AMERICA #158 cover-dated February 1973, on newsstands November 7th, 1972, with cover art by Sal Buscema)
Here's a perfect example of Marvel Comics and how it worked with the Marvel Method. It's ass backward. Sal Buscema draws something and the writer - having nothing to really drive the plot with - simply explains what we can already see - and then adds clever quips to Cap's dialogue (sounding more like what you'd read in Spider-Man). It doesn't fit his character...
(CAPTAIN AMERICA #158 cover-dated February 1973, on newsstands November 7th, 1972, with cover art by Sal Buscema)
Having taken the 'serum' to save himself at the beginning of the story, Cap just now realizes it has GREATLY increased his strength... nice framing of this by Buscema. Thankfully HERE, Englehart lets the art mostly tell us what we can already see.
(CAPTAIN AMERICA #158 cover-dated February 1973, on newsstands November 7th, 1972, with cover art by Sal Buscema)
Falcon meanwhile goes to confront Viper, deciding to take a little sip of that serum himself!
(CAPTAIN AMERICA #158 cover-dated February 1973, on newsstands November 7th, 1972, with cover art by Sal Buscema)
Out of the blue, Cap's landlord tries to blackmail him. Not sure if this was followed up on or not. Didn't ever have enough interest to read further...
(CAPTAIN AMERICA #158 cover-dated February 1973, on newsstands November 7th, 1972, with cover art by Sal Buscema)
Lee, without Kirby, in the Silver Age, created some really lame ass villains with Dick Ayers and Don Heck*, that... didn't exactly leave their mark on the hobby. All of those Marvel writers from the 70's occasionally pulled them out to use and... well... they look a lot more silly than menacing. No wonder I never bothered to chase down the next issue!
* actually the Eel was with Steve Ditko.
(CAPTAIN AMERICA #158 cover-dated February 1973, on newsstands November 7th, 1972, with cover art by Sal Buscema)
In Cap #162, on the letters page, it praises this panel from the comic. Seems suspicious to me.
(CAPTAIN AMERICA #158 cover-dated February 1973, on newsstands November 7th, 1972, with cover art by Sal Buscema - The letter from Cap #162)
Speaking of suspicious....
(From CAPTAIN AMERICA #162's letters page )
Hey, if you're glad to see us back, leave a comment!
Thanks!
