But becoming Nomad in the 1970s would not be the only time the Star-Spangled Man with a Plan would give up the suit. Mark Gruenwald would also use the idea of Steve Rogers being forced to give up the Cap mantle. And like the Nomad saga, Rogers' giving up the mantle would also be because of the government, but because of a theme Gruenwald liked to use in his work. So, what would happen if Steve Rogers was forced back into his old wartime role of mascot? Let's find out in Captain America #332!
The cover is a Mike Zeck and Klaus Jansen piece, depicting Captain America standing with his head down. Behind him is the flag, the stripes forming into blood flowing on the ground. The cover also cleverly uses the cover's logo by announcing "Captain America No More!" The crying Lincoln on the corner is a nice touch. I like the cover, and I'm surprised it hasn't been homaged much. I think this should be a more famous cover.
"The Choice"
Writer: Mark Gruenwald
Penciler: Tom Morgan
Inker: Bob McLeod
Colorist: Ken Feduniewicz
Letterer: Diana Albers
Editor: Don Daley
Editor-in-Chief: Jim Shooter
The story begins early in the morning in Washington D.C. It's 6:05 AM, and a man is parachuting towards the Washington Monument.
I bet that dude never sleeps. He prepares to make himself comfortable on the monument, and unfurls a large banner saying "MAKE WAR SOME MORE", calling himself "Warhead." Two cops spot it and think he may be a jumper, so they call for back up. Warhead carefully unpacks his backpack, but the wind up there blows off his rations.
Despite this setback, he has something else in his bag: A thermo-nuclear device. At least, he claims it's one. About an hour and a half later, the scene shifts to the Pentagon. Our hero, the Star-Spangled Man with a Plan, is getting checked through the security. It takes about another half hour. Once that is done, he's able to meet one General Wexler. You see, a couple days earlier, Cap had a bit of a run in with a military group called Division N, who created a super-soldier called G.I. Max. This occurred in the previous issue. Wexley is in charge of human resources research, so Cap figures he may know something about it.
Wexley asks what Cap wants. The Star-Spangled Avenger wants to file a citizen's protest. You see, a man named Curtiss Jackson, aka the Power Broker, was involved with Division N. Cap is disgusted by this, as Jackson was connected to various superhuman threats various heroes had faced over the years. Wexley can't comment on whether the actions of Division N were sanctioned by him or the department, but he will look into it.
He does note that Cap seems to be awfully sensitive about the idea of the government creating more super-soldiers. It's not hard to understand why. Cap was the only really successful product of Project: Rebirth. Naturally, it led to more attempts to recreate him, like the success of Wolverine would ultimately lead to the creation of X-23. However, these attempts would end in failure. Cap then gets visited by a pair of FBI agents. They tried to call him earlier, but Cap was on a case, so he was incommunicado at the time.
Back at the Washington Monument, a crowd has gathered around. A cop alerts Warhead that a helicopter is coming to bring him down, thinking he's a jumper. Yeah, I think the banner he's putting out says that he's not trying to kill himself. Warhead demands no helicopters, firing at the crowd below. Captain America is taken to a strange hidden place.
He recognizes the heads of the FBI and CIA, and the Presidential Seal is on the wall behind them. The group introduces themselves as The Commission, who would eventually be known as The Commission on Superhuman Activities. They operate directly under the President himself. They operate under a specific purview: they watch over superheroes. They were the ones who formed the Freedom Force team, who the Avengers encountered in Avengers Annual #15 (1986). They have been evaluating Cap recently, and they found some things.
Project: Rebirth was funded by the US Government. When Steve Rogers volunteered to be a test subject for it. As part of that, he signed a contract saying he'd serve the country on an official basis until relieved of duty by the President. With the death of Abraham Erskine, Project: Rebirth was discontinued. As such, Cap was made into a symbol and official mascot. As such, government employees designed and made his uniform and shield. Cap also disappeared on May 2, 1945. Since he was never declared dead nor was he ever discharged from his duties, all of the agreements he made when he volunteered for Project: Rebirth are still legally binding.
So, what's the point of this? Well, the Commission wants Cap to work for them as per terms of the contract. However, Cap feels he has been doing that since his revival. His solo adventures, his work with SHIELD and the Avengers. It's all been in service to his country, if not the world. The Commission responds that his service to those independent agencies is not a substitute.
Cap wonders why they're bringing this up now instead of back when he was first revived, but the Commission says they cannot be held accountable for the past administrations' unwillingness to do something about this. So, what do they want? Well, basically, they want to control what Captain America does. The only superheroic work they want him to do is work assigned to him by them. Cap wants to know what happens if he refuses. The Commission says he can't refuse. Cap argues that it's a free country.
The Commission reminda Cap that the government owns his uniform, his shield, and even his superheroic sobriquet. They remind him that he pledged to serve his country, and since they are America, he serves them. Cap, however, is used to operating pretty much independently. The Commission grants him 24 hours to think on this, but they warn him. If Rogers refuses to comply, then they will find a new man to be Captain America. And I presume they will sue him.
10:42 AM. Atlanta, Georgia. One John Walker (at the time going as the Super-Patriot) is doing lots of pushups. His manager, Ethan Thurm, is watching Wheel of Fortune. Mush to Thurm's annoyance, the show is interrupted by a newsflash. The reporter talks about Warhead's actions on the Washington Monument. Seeing dollar signs in his eyes, Thurm convinces Walker to head out there and stop the guy. Walker reminds Thurm that they're holding a rally that night. Thurm cancels it, saying stopping Warhead would bring much more publicity.
Washington Monument, 10:51 AM. Warhead is tinkering with a bomb and is being observed by a police helicopter. The madman notices it and angrily tosses a hand grenade. He gets back to work, but notices that it's starting to sprinkle a bit. At 11:19 AM, Cap returns to his apartment, and he wants someone to talk to. He tries to call his former beau Bernie Rosenthal, but she's at a class at the moment. She's studying to be a laywer. So, he calls on some old friends for advice.
In case you're wondering, Dennis Dunphy is Demolition Man/D-Man, and Monica Rambeau was Captain Marvel at the time. Steve Rogers is left conflicted. If he goes back to the mascot role he had back in WWII, then he'd compromise what he made Captain America into: A symbol of America at its brightest.
1:33 PM, Washington Monument. Warhead finally makes his demand. Basically, he wants America to enter another war. He doesn't care who America declares war on, he just wants a war.
Yeah, this one VERY insecure dude.
2:55 PM. The Super-Patriot arrives. John Walker is understandably reluctant to do this. Warhead has claimed to have a nuclear device, and he's crazy enough to detonate the thing. But Thurm convinces him that he'll be a national hero for stopping him. Walker offers his help to a cop, but the cop is unwilling to hear him out. Walker breaks a wooden police barrier in half as a demonstration of his superhuman strength. The cop simply tells him to get lost before he arrests Walker for destroying police property. Walker heads back to Thurm, saying he wants to get out of town before Warhead blows it up.
3:21 PM. Back in his apartment, Cap thinks about what would happen if he accepted the Commission's demand...or if he refused.
He gets a call from Inger Sullivan, the Avengers' lawyer. She tries to get Cap to give her an copy of the original contract he signed, so they can fight the Commission in court. Cap hangs up. The time is 4:16 PM.
4:58 PM. The rain is coming down. John Walker returns to the scene of Warhead's insanity, in disbelief. As much as he thinks Ethan is nuts, the manager does make a good point: If you want to be bigger than Captain America in the fame thing, you can't just run your mouth. You actually have to do things. Walker spies some fireworks, which is Ethan's signal to move. He throws off his coat and hat, and leaps into action.
5:02 PM. Warhead starts yelling, firing at the crowd. The cops manage to catch Ethan and put him in custody. Warhead reveals where he got his nuke: Advanced Idea Mechanics.
5:15 PM. Cap is still puzzled over what to do next. He calls up a young friend of his named Hiram "Ram" Riddley. Ram is one of the young volunteers that operated Cap's hotline at the time. Hiram is so excited to get to talk to Cap, as thanks to him, Ram has managed to make friends. Cap enjoys the talk, but he's still down. If he agrees to the Commission's demand, he'll have to shut down the hotline. But if he gives up being Cap, people will lose faith in him. I'm not so sure about that, Steve. America loves a rebel.
5:59 PM. John Walker prepares to climb the side of the Washington Monument. He's got to work fast. If Warhead DOES have a nuke, the first priority will be disabling it. He sets off to be the hero.
Wait, does John even KNOW how to disable a nuke? Warhead spots him and fires his gun. Walker tries to scramble away, but hopes he can buy some time. If Warhead is worried about him, he won't be able to arm his nuke. Walker pulls out a shuriken from a bag he has, and throws it. The shuriken hits Warhead in the temple, making the madman drop his Uzi. Walker make his move...
Well, you gave it your best shot, John. Naw, his costume's made of Kevlar. His chest will be hurting, but he'll be okay. John is able to take advantage of Warhead's thinking he won and toss him off the building. But Warhead doesn't plan to go out splatting on the ground like a tomato. He has one last grenade...
6:19 PM. Walker is able to get the nuke safely down.
6:40 AM. Cap leaves his hotel room, having made his mind up. He picks up a newspaper and reads about the Super-Patriot's foiling of Warhead.
8:08 AM. Steve Rogers faces the Commission. He tells them that in good conscience, he cannot accept their terms of employment. He cannot go back to being a mere soldier, as he feels he made Captain America more than that. If Rogers were to accept the terms the Commission demand, he would have to compromise his ideals. That is something he cannot do. As such, he hands the Commission his shield and uniform. The story ends with him walking away, the uniform and shield lying on the table.
8:12 A.M. It's the end of an era. Steve Rogers has seemingly given up being Captain America for good.
This story is really good. It would become the beginning of what I consider one of the very best and most criminally underrated Captain America sagas. There is a theme here that is regularly used in Gruenwald's work, and it's basically "Stick to your principles. You may suffer in the short run, but in the long run, you will win out." And it shows here. Cap refuses to compromise his principles, and he ends up having to give up his costume and identity as Captain America. However, as time would show, he'd get it back.
I liked the usage of the timestamps, giving the impression of a countdown. Even though it wasn't an actual countdown, you get the idea that something is going to happen. I also liked the parallel of John Walker doing a heroic act while Steve Rogers seemingly has given up. It shows that Walker had potential, and helps show why the Commission would give him the Captain America identity. He saw himself as the American Hero of the 80s, now he's going to have a shot at proving it. Tom Morgan's art is perfectly fine, I have no complaints about it.
Mark Gruenwald's work on Captain America is criminally underrated, in my mind. I don't see many people talking about it, and it's a real shame. I'm a big fan of it, and "Captain America No More" is one of my absolute favorite storylines from that run. Well, that and "The Bloodstone Hunt". If you want to read it for yourself, I recommend hunting down the 2011 trade paperback Captain America: The Captain.
Next time, we travel to the DC Universe as the Crisis on Infinite Earths rages on...
No comments:
Post a Comment