Captain America #358 (Late September 1989)

Sometimes, I admit, I have troubles picking what comic to review for this blog every week. But this week was not one of those. July 4th was this week, and I also saw Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny last Sunday (I quite enjoyed it), I figured that this would be the best time to not just look at a Captain America comic. Not just a Captain America comic, but also one that was part of a story that showed him going on an Indiana Jones-style adventure. And luckily, Mark Gruenwald did provide such a story during his long tenure on Cap's book during the 1980s/1990s: The Bloodstone Hunt.

I have talked about The Bloodstone Hunt before, in my review of Captain America #357 (Early September 1989). Basically, it told the tale of Baron Zemo and his allies, Batroc's Brigade, as they sought out pieces of the Bloodstone, the stone that for millennia lied in the chest of the immortal monster hunter known as Ulysses Bloodstone. After the stone was removed from his chest, it became a monster, it was destroyed, and the pieces of the stone ended up scattered all over the Earth. Ulysses himself died saving the world from the crystal monster. And now Captain America must stop Zemo from uniting the pieces of the Bloodstone. So, with that out of the way, let's look at Captain America #358!

The cover is a Kieron Dwyer and Al Milgrom piece. It's pretty awesome, depicting Captain America trying to keep himself from getting crushed by a spiky ceiling. It's an eye-catcher, making someone want to read this comic. 

"Bones of Contention"
Writer: Mark Gruenwald
Penciler: Kieron Dwyer
Inker: Danny Bulanadi
Colorist: Gregory Wright
Letterer: Jack Morelli
Editor: Ralph Macchio
Editor-in-Chief: Tom DeFalco

The story begins with Captain America rappelling to catacombs far below the streets, sewers, and subways of Manhattan. He has not just his trusty indestructible shield, but also a light and a transmitter. When he tries to get his bearings, the Sentinel of Liberty gapes at a shocking sight.

Cap identifies the remains as Moloids, the subjects of the Mole Man. He gets a feeling they didn't die of natural causes. His theory is proven right when spikes shoot out at him from all sides. He manages to get past them, only to end up on a trap door that threatens to drop him into a lava pit. The floor panels also sprout spikes. Yeah, no kill like overkill.

But, not to worry. Cap uses the spikes as improvised handholds to climb back out. He then sees a wall come down. He manages to get under it and tries to catch his breath. After all, even a super-soldier has limits to his stamina. However, another wall comes down. Cap isn't able to get past it, leaving him trapped. 

The ceiling sprouts spikes and starts to come down. And the floor gets spiky, too.

Luckily, Cap had packed a little spelunking kit. Can't go spelunking without a proper spelunking kit, after all. That's just simple common sense. 

In his little spelunking kit, he has a blasting cap. He uses it to blow his way out of the trap.

And then Cap accidentally causes a cave-in.

Once he escapes, Cap finds himself in another chamber...and some more dead bodies within it.

This new Living Dead film is weeeeeird....

It's an unusual sight. Three dead men, one dead woman, and...a dead dolphin of all things. The humans are clad in bizarre costumes. Yeah, Cap unknowingly stumbled on the final resting places of the Conspiracy, the group that killed Ulysses Bloodstone years earlier in Rampaging Hulk #8 (January 1978). He notes the signal his transmitter is picking up is getting stronger than ever. He follows it to a pit. The good captain kicks a rock down the hole to check its depth, and notices he never heard it land...and there's a pinprick of light at the bottom.

Cpa uses his rope to rappel down the hole. The hole has a powerful updraft, and Cap tries to get a foothold. He ends up discovering a coffin.

Cap opens it and finds the person he was looking for: Diamondback. She had been locked in the box with the skeleton of Ulysses Bloodstone in the last issue. Cap grabs the skull, and then the two then head back to Avengers Island. Avengers Support Team member Fabian Stankiewicz equips the skull with a handle and a radiometer. 

"We totally desecrated the remains of this man. We are the good guys!"

The skull emits a strange radiation, presumably due to its millennia of being exposed to the energies of the Bloodstone. And it's picking something up south-southeast from the Island. Cap and Diamondback fly off in a Quinjet piloted by John Jameson. The Skull Radiometer guides them to the Amazon Rainforest. And since there's nowhere for the Quinjet, they're going to have to take...a leap of faith.

Don't worry, Cap and Diamondback have parachutes. And Ms. Leighton is having the time of her life.

It was at that moment that Diamondback realized...she effed up.

See? Having a blast already! Yeah, she's having a tough timekeeping up with Cap, and laments that she should have stayed in Australia with the X-Men, as shown in X-Men Annual #13 (1989). Diamondback trips over an Incan idol, and the two costumes characters end up being held at spear-point by what appears to be Incans.

"Uh, Cap? Did we end up in a serial?"

As the Incans take Cap and Diamondback to a pyramid, Cap wonders if this is how they treat all their "guests"...or did Batroc somehow pull a Belloq from Raiders of the Lost Ark and managed to inform the tribe of them? The chieftain provides an answer in the form of ordering a raising of a wheel. Not a wheel of fortune, but a wheel of death.

This reboot of Wheel of Fortune is weeeeeeeird...

Baron Zemo and Batroc's Brigade are already tied up to it, and now it will be Cap and Diamondback's turn next...after getting sent to dreamland thanks to a couple blowdarts to the neck.

I enjoyed this comic. It was a fun little ride. It's neat seeing Captain America have an adventure that seemed out of the adventure serials that inspired Spielberg and Lucas. Certainly shows the versatility of the superhero genre. I do think it can be argued that the portrayal of the "Incas" in the issue can be seen as a bit problematic for lack of a better term, and that would be understandable. This still was an exciting issue, and a wonderful part of an underrated storyline.

 I got some laughs out of Diamondback, poor girl was so in over her head. Special shout-out to Kieron Dwyer for her facial expressions. He's very good at that. I consider that his big strength as an artist. 

If you want to read this for yourself, I recommend tracking down the 2010 trade paperback Captain America: The Bloodstone Hunt or the 2018 trade Captain America Epic Collection Vol. 15: The Bloodstone Hunt. thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! Stay safe, stay healthy, stay home, wash your hands often, wear a mask, and get your vaccine/booster! See you next time!