But how did Captain America come to be? What happened to remake frail Steve Rogers into the Sentinel of Liberty? Well, his origins were told in Captain America Comics #1 (March 1941). In 1981, for Cap's 40th Anniversary, Roger Stern and John Byrne would re-tell the origin, giving it more depth. According to Stern himself, he and Byrne wanted to streamline the origin, as there were several takes on it at the time.
Issue #255 would end up being the final issue of their nine-issue run. Work was started on issue number ten, but I believe they both got booted off the book before work was completed. I have talked about Stern and Byrne's run before in my reviews of Captain America #248 (August 1980) and Captain America #250 (October 1980). It's one of my favorite runs on Cap's book, so it's always fun to return to it.
So, with that out of the way, let's take a look at Captain America #255!
The cover is pretty awesome. It's the perfect way to celebrate an anniversary like this. You have Cap and Bucky front and center, in front of Cap's first shield. The images of the planes dropping bombs and him punching Nazis are a reminder of just how long Cap has truly been around, both in and out of universe. It is a callback to Cap's roots as one of the many superheroes of the Golden Age. I just love this cover so much.
"The Living Legend"
Writer: Roger Stern
Artist: John Byrne
Inker: Joe Rubinstein
Letterer: Joe Rosen
Colorist: Bob Sharen
Editor: Jim Salicrup
Editor-In-Chief: Jim Shooter
The story begins with a trip to the White House. The time: June, 1941. A courier from G-2 (The US Army's intelligence arm) has come to the White House to deliver something to the then-president: Franklin Delano Roosevelt. What is the item?
It's a dossier. A complete dossier on Operation: Rebirth. Roosevelt takes the dossier and starts looking through it. He learns about Operation: Rebirth's one success: a young man from the Lower East Side of New York City named Steve Rogers. Rogers grew up during the Depression, his father dying when Rogers was young. His mother? She had to struggle to keep a roof over their head. Despite this, the future Captain America was able to keep up with his schooling. Perhaps due to his need for some sort of escape, Steve Rogers became a fan of fantasy novels.
Rogers would also develop another talent: Art. Yup, in the comics, Steve Rogers is a talented artist, even had a job drawing a comic book for a while. It was homaged in Captain America: The First Avenger with a scene of Steve drawing himself as a dancing monkey. However, kids can be cruel, so he kept this talent hidden. The Depression wore on, and Sarah Rogers worked hard to provide for herself and her son. However, pneumonia would claim her life.
On his own, Rogers supported himself by finding a job as a delivery boy. One day, he went to a theater to watch a movie. During that time, theaters would play newsreels before a movie, and Rogers would see a newsreel showing the Nazis rampaging through Europe. The sight lights a fire in the young man. Inspired by his newfound desire to stop the Nazis, Steve tries to volunteer for military service, but is found too frail to serve. Rogers begs the doctor to pass him, and a general overhears this.
He introduces himself as General Chester Phillips, whom you may know from Captain America: The First Avenger, portrayed by Tommy Lee Jones. Phillips asks Steve if he really is serious about wanting to help his country. Steve confirms he is. In a short time, the young man is on his way to Washington, D.C., where he is taken to a small curio shop in town.
An old lady demands that the group identify themselves. You see, the curio shop is a front, a way to hide a little project called "Operation: Rebirth". And the old lady...is not an old lady.
Underground, Steve Rogers is introduced to a Professor Reinstein...in reality, the biochemist Abraham Erskine. It was believed he died in a car crash last year, but it turns out that it was obviously faked, so he could work for the American government in secret. The doctor and his assistant warn Steve about this little experiment here. It could give Rogers the strong body he needs to help stop the Nazis...but it could also kill him. Steve is willing to take that risk.
Over the next few weeks, Steve is subjected to testing, while Erskine refines his serum. Eventually, the serum is ready to go. A group of men are invited to watch the experiment, including General Phillips, and a man known as Special Agent Clemson. Erskine injects Steve with some of the serum, and then he gives Steve a big test tube filled with an oral form of the compound. Steve is intended to he the first of a new breed of super-soldier, a new group of fighting men that will defend the world from the Nazi menace!
Finally, Erskine uses a machine to blast Rogers with "vita-rays". Steve's body undergoes an incredible transformation.
From zero to hero in seconds! Charles Atlas would be proud. I think the "millions of cells" line also came from the original Golden Age comic. Kudos to Stern and Byrne for finding a way to incorporate it. Steve is in awe of his change. He's gained the power to match his convictions. The diginitaries are amazed and delighted by this...except for one.
The dignitary, revealed to be Nazi spy Heinz Kruger, shoots into the chamber, killing Dr. Erskine. Erskine left no backups or notes on how to recreate the super-soldier serum because reasons. Erskine dies in Steve's arms, and the enraged Rogers grabs the spy. Kruger taunts Rogers, and gets knocked into some machinery, shocking him to death. But thanks to Kruger, Steve Rogers is now the only Super Soldier. The comics have established that over the years since Operation: Rebirth, there were attempts to recreate the Erskine serum, but the results were...let's just say it never ended well.
Since Rogers was the only Super Soldier, they had to change their plans. For the next three months, Steve Rogers would be trained by some of the finest athletes and martial artists the world had to offer, while also being taught the finer points of military tactics and strategy. This would mold the young man into one of the world's greatest fighters and strategists.
There's a very special mission for Rogers. Colonel Phillips explains to him that over in Europe, there is a special agent wreaking havoc and terror. His name? His actual name was unknown, but he is referred to as the Red Skull. Some in the Nazi high command fear him even more than Adolf Hitler himself. What Phillips wants Rogers to be is the counter to the Skull, a figure that will inspire hope and the fight for liberty. The colonel gives Rogers a package. What's in the package? A special uniform made just for him.
Three nights pass. A car is driving a colonel to a top-secret location out in the back roads of Maryland. The car gets a flat. The driver investigates and finds that someone has put a bunch of spiked barbs on the road. A group of fifth columnists ambush the car, planning to kidnap the colonel. But the colonel has a Star-Spangled guardian angel.
CAPTAIN AMERICA LEAPS IN ON A MOTORCYCLE AND SMACKS SOME FIFTH COLUMNISTS WITH IT! AWESOME! Cap easily beats the holy tar out of the kidnappers, even foreshadowing his getting a throwable shield in the process. He introduces himself, and rides away. The next night, a group of Nazi Bund leaders are meeting in a New York warehouse. They're discussing the rumors they heard of some new government super-agent. Cap bursts in, conforming the rumors. He easily beats the men down, allowing FBI agents to take the Bundists in.
The leader of the Bund escapes, but Cap pursues him. He is able to chase the man to an alley's end. The Bundist leader grabs a pipe and takes a swing at Cap. The Sentinel of Liberty is able to dodge the pipe, but it catches the wings on Cap's mask, and knocks it ajar. A newspaper man nearby manages to get a picture, but Cap's secret identity is thankfully still intact.
As Cap knocks out the Bund leader, he thinks he's going to have to get his mask redesigned to prevent this happening again. That adventure would help deal a severe blow to Fifth Columnist activities in the US.
The dossier than recounts an adventure in which Cap foiled an attempt to steal a new bomb-sight from the Grumman aircraft plant. The thieves were Axis agents posing as US Armed Forces personnel. Two weeks later, Cap foiled an attempt to bomb some shipyards. And last week, Captain America foiled one incredible plot: An attempt to destroy Hoover Dam, back then known as Boulder Dam. The nation owes a great debt to the good Captain.
Roosevelt is eager to meet Cap, and the man himself arrives. The President notices that Cap's costume has changed. The mask is now connected to the rest of the suit. Which makes Cap happy, as 1) He won't have to worry about his mask being knocked ajar anymore, and 2) he has some protection for his neck. Roosevelt also has one more new gift for the Captain.
Yup, a brand new shield! It's his iconic round shield. A better, stronger shield, created in an accident with unique properties. Roosevelt tells Cap that the Army has devised a way for him to move about secretly, while still being available for special missions. What's the plan? Well, it involves the Star-Spangled Man with a Plan to go to Camp Lehigh...
Basically, Steve is undercover as a Gomer Pyle-esque private, clumsy and unrefined. A young man tells his drill sergeant, Sgt. Duffy, that a 'Colonel Feeney' wants to see him. But the recruit is playing a prank. There is no Colonel Feeney, like there is no spoon. He and Rogers become friends. Who is this guy? One James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes. Yup, the future Winter Soldier himself.
Bucky would eventually go on to discover Cap's identity, and become his sidekick. The story skims over his adventures with The Invaders, his battles with various supervillains and super-Nazis, the supposed death of Bucky and his falling to cryogenic suspension. And finally, his discovery by the Avengers and becoming one of Earth's Mightiest Heroes.
I got that scan from Google because as I have said before, my tablet scanner hates double-page spreads, and would murder me if I tried another one. The time: Today. At an apartment building in Brooklyn Heights, a red-gloved hand opens a window. Captain America has returned home. He's tired, but he has some ad storyboarding work to get done. He turns on the TV for some background noise, and he listens to some news.
As the broadcaster rattles out the headlines, Steve Rogers thinks about how tired he is. He wonders if this double life thing is really worth it. The newscaster then makes another announcement: Captain America saved 5,000 lives at MSG by calming down a panic of some kind. With the network's broadcasting day concluded, the TV starts blaring the national anthem. The story ends with Cap deciding it's worth it.
This issue is actually really good. It manages to expand on Captain America's Golden Age origins, and basically gives us a look at Cap's early days as the Sentinel of Liberty. The story is really just a big flashback, so I would not expect any "current-day" action from Cap. However, this origin retelling provides plenty of action in the form of seeing some of his early adventures. It feels a little like a Golden Age comic, with several stories. Also, it's fun seeing Cap beat up Nazis. John Byrne does some great artwork here.
I love Roger Stern and John Byrne's run on Cap's book, and its a real shame that it was so short at only nine issues. But there's some fun stories in that short run, and I highly recommend it. I you want to read it, I recommend tracking down the trade paperback Captain America: War and Remembrance. The run was originally collected under that name in 1990, but it was reprinted in 2007, I believe. If you love Cap, you'll enjoy this run.
Next time, we return to the DC Universe as the Crisis on Infinite Earths rages on, and we see our first major casualty...
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