Crisis on Infinite Earths #11 (February 1986)

The Crisis on Infinite Earths rages on! Last time, we saw the Anti-Monitor traveling to the dawn of time in an attempt to conquer the remains of the Multiverse. The Spectre, boosted by the magical power of every magician in the DC Multiverse, arm-wrestled with the Anti-Matter Antagonist. I have no idea what else to call what they were doing. The struggle then caused everything to shatter.

So, what happened next? Was the Anti-Monitor finally foiled? Did the heroes succeed in saving what was left of the Multiverse? Will I enjoy this comic? Well, let's take a look at the penultimate issue of this miniseries: Crisis on Infinite Earths #11!

The cover is...an interesting one. It really is a gigantic spoiler of what we'll be seeing in the comic. In the center of it all is Harbinger, looking rather intense. She's dealing with a LOT on that cover. Not as much as some of those heroes there, I can tell you.

"Aftershock"
Writer: Marv Wolfman
Penciler: George Perez
Inker: Jerry Ordway
Colorist: Carl Gafford
Letterer: John Constanza
Editors: Len Wein, Robert Greenberger, Marv Wolfman
Executive Editor: Dick Giordano

The story begins with the origin of...the universe.

It's a beautiful sunny morning in the city of Metropolis. The sun is shining, the birds are singing, everything is hunky-dory. One Clark Kent, aka Kal-L, aka the Earth-2 Superman, awakens in his apartment. He had this weird dream about a crisis and the end of everything...yeah, he really needs to stop eating pepperoni wraps before bed. He recognizes his apartment, but everything looks different. He wonders if Lois did some redecorating, then realizes that he doesn't really remember where he's been lately. Totally not strange or anything. But then again, considering Kal-L had been doing superhero work for about 50 years by that point, it probably isn't that strange for him.

He gets dressed and heads out to the Daily Star, the paper he's the editor of. He picks up a newspaper, and reads through it as he heads to his office. He takes a seat at his desk...but gets a surprise.

Kal-L realizes that he's on Earth-1, he's in the Daily Planet building, and he's in Perry White's office.  His Earth-1 counterpart finds him and gives the excuse that the elder Superman is his uncle. Kal-L is confused as to how he ended up on Earth-1. The two Supermen fly off to New York, where there is a warp zone bridge that'll take him back home. On the way, Kal-L advises Kal-El to settle down with his Lois. Were they dating at the time?

The two Supermen remember being at the dawn of time, the Spectre and the Anti-Monitor doing the whole weird arm wrestling thing, but then the Earth-1 Superman woke up in his office at the Daily Planet, like nothing ever happened. Nobody remembers the crazy weather, but there is reference to Supergirl's death. However, nobody seems to know how she died. It's weird. The two Supermen arrive at the warp zone in Washington Square.

There's no police cordon, and the warp zone appears to be gone. Kal-El asks a police officer where the cordon went, but the cop explains there was nothing here that needed one for months. The officer doesn't recognize Kal-L, thinking he's an old cosplayer who got the "S" on his costume wrong. They head to Central City. The Barry Allen Flash kept his Cosmic Treadmill there. Kal-L realizes that nobody really knew where Barry went to after he was cleared of murder. I think this was in Flash #350 (October 1985).

While flying to Central City, they notice a sign saying "Welcome to the Twin Cities. Central and Keystone." This really confuses both the Supermen, as Keystone City, the Jay Garrick Flash's traditional stomping ground, was on Earth-2. They arrive at the home of said Flash and his wife Joan. Joan, who is grilling some steaks, recognizes the Earth-1 Superman...but not the Earth-2 one...even though Kal-L is an old friend and he and Lois have had dinner with them a dozen times. Thankfully, Jay Garrick knows who they are.

Jay takes them to his lab, where he and Wally West are fixing up the Cosmic Treadmill. They know something weird is going on with this world. Barry Allen existed, and his trial was in the news. Jay tried calling Kal-L in Metropolis, but his phone number was nonexistent. It's almost as if this world...has combined aspects of both Earths 1 and 2. Hmmm...

The four heroes board the Cosmic Treadmill and start to run. They break the barrier to take them to Earth-2...but there's a problem.

There's no Earth-2. It's gone. Vanished. Kaput. Went bye-bye. The heroes are horrified, and Jay realizes that the Multiverse no longer exists. There's only one Earth, one universe. Kal-L realizes that this was why no one remembers him anymore. He tries to throw himself into the void in despair, screaming that's where he belongs. Kal-El restrains his elder counterpart, despite the older Kryptonian lamenting he has no home. The heroes are able to return to the now single Earth, destroying the Cosmic Treadmill in the process. Kal-L heard the void calling to him, like he belonged there.

Out in the time stream, the Forgotten Heroes (Animal Man, Dolphin, Adam Strange, Captain Comet, Atomic Knight, and Rip Hunter) discover that time has been realigned. The group encounter Brainiac's skull ship and investigate it. Adam Strange notes that the metal looks alive. That's because it is. They find Brainiac, and he seems...inert. Like he's dead.

The heroes gather at Titans Tower to discuss the odd changes to this world. Captain Marvel remarks he tried to get back to Earth-S, but it was gone. Uncle Sam notes the same thing happened when he and the rest of the Freedom Fighters when they tried to return to Earth-X. It's revealed that Harbinger gathered the heroes together because this new world is still in danger. She was thought to have lost her powers, but somehow got them back when this universe was formed. Many things have been changed and altered.

Kal-L asks how he could still exist, despite his entire life being wiped off this combined Earth's history. Well, he was there at the dawn of time. His presence there allowed him to continue to exist, despite his no longer being part of this new universe's history. Helena Wayne, the Earth-2 Huntress, remarks that some of the JSA are remembered, like Flash and Green Lantern...but she wasn't. She found someone else in her apartment. She checked around, and found that there's no record of her existing. Dick Grayson, the Earth-2 Robin, also did the same thing. He found there were records of him existing...as a 19-year-old living in Manhattan...his Earth-1 counterpart.

He went down to Wayne Manor, and found a teary-eyed Helena. There's no gravestone for her father, the Earth-2 Batman. You'd think there'd be one for the Earth-2 Catwoman as well, considering she was Helena's mother and a Wayne by marriage. She laments that this new Earth is a mixture of Earths 1 and 2...but she's a nonperson.

This actually makes sense. How? Well, look at this from a meta perspective. The Earth-2 JSA's Flash and Green Lantern? Jay Garrick and Alan Scott. The Earth-1 JLA's? Barry Allen and Hal Jordan. Distinctive characters, different people. This new Earth had room for both of them. But the two Supermen and Robins? Nope. Both of them were just different versions of the same character. They were both Clark Kent and Richard "Dick" Grayson, just the Earth-2 version were older. They were redundant.

Also, keep in mind this. Earth-1 was DC's "default" Earth at this point. Most of its characters came from there. Most of its stories were set there. Adaptations of DC characters in other media were based on the Earth-1 versions of characters. The cartoons, the movies? All based on Earth-1. So, it makes sense that the Earth-1 versions of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and Robin would be kept around. As for Helena Wayne, well...she was the daughter of versions of Batman and Catwoman that were no longer "canon". So, yeah. She had to go, too.

This confuses Helena Wayne. If this Earth had no "Golden Age/Earth-2" Batman or Catwoman...how does she still exist? Harbinger herself isn't sure. But she does know one thing: the Multiverse is no more. In fact, it never existed. There was one Earth, one universe. Always was now. She then goes on to give a basic primer of the history of this new combined world.

It's a great little primer, which shows various characters at their appropriate place in time, from Anthro at the dawn of humanity, Jon the Viking Prince at the Age of Vikings (If you ever watched the Justice League Unlimited episode "On Another Shore", you should be familiar with the Viking Prince), Bat Lash in the Old West, and Hans von Hammer, the Enemy Ace, in WWI. However, when this new Earth reached its WWII, things got really interesting. Many heroes who were active on various Earths during this era...now were all active together at the same time in the same place. The JSA, Sgt. Rock and Easy Company, the Blackhawks, the Freedom Fighters. All active in the same world.

Decades later, a rocket would flee the exploding planet Krypton. In it would contain the planet's last hope...and sole survivor. A prominent Gotham family was out walking, when a criminal would end that night in bloodshed.

Kal-L is in anguish. His Krypton never existed. But mostly...his Lois, his beloved wife of decades...is gone. He flies off in anguish, Kal-El going after him. After all, there are things he doesn't know...

Somewhere else, Deadman and the Phantom Stranger are talking, and they found the Spectre. The Angel of Vengeance clearly was knocked for several loops arm-wrestling the Anti-Monitor. In Las Vegas, Nevada, a detective convention is going down. Which is an appropriate place for a crime to go down. A cleaning lady discovers a dead body in a cloud of smoke. Jonni Thunder discovers an odd triangle near the corpse. Harvey Bullock recognizes the object as the Angler, the trademark weapon of the Wonder Woman villain known as the Angle Man.

In Salem, Massachusetts, Dr. Fate and Etrigan sense a great darkness coming. Fate then sees Amethyst, the Princess of Gemworld, being chased by villagers. Evidently, this village is stuck in the 15th century. However, she would get a savior.

 Meet Dr. Occult, a private detective who specializes in cases regarding the supernatural. He was created by the same guys who created Superman. Yup, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster created this guy. Using his magic talisman, he's able to calm the crowd down and make them back off. Some Shadow Demons attack, and Amethyst tries to fight them off with her own magic powers. Her attempt creates a big flash of light that makes her scream.

Etrigan and Dr. Fate arrive and are able to destroy the demons. Dr. Fate looks over the wounded Amethyst, who has ended up blind. Fate goes over to help her, but sees something in her. He then opens a portal to Gemworld. He helps her over, as he says her destiny is there. This leads to the events of Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld #13 (February 1986).

Back in New York, Kal-El is able to catch up with Kal-L and help him through his grief. In Paradise Island, the Earth-2 Wonder Woman and her daughter Fury find themselves confused, as this is not the Paradise Island they know. However, the Earth-1 Wonder Woman is able to find them and talk to them. Back at Titans Tower, the heroes also discuss some of the quirks of this new combined Earth.

One is Power Girl. She states that she is remembered, but Kal-L is not. Again, meta perspective. Power Girl may have been Earth-2's Supergirl, but she ended up being very distinct from her character-wise. This would cause problems for her down the line, but more on that next issue. Batman thanked Lex Luthor in jail, but Luthor denies ever doing it. In fact, he has no memory of ever being at Oa in the distant past. Since only the heroes were at the dawn of time, only they remember the old Multiverse. Beast Boy observes some bad weather coming.

Gorilla City ends up being besieged by Shadow Demons. This is just a little aside to check in on the injured Solovar, who is recovering from the events of issue 3. In Peru, the Challengers of the Unknown are collaborating with Cave Carson and his spelunking team to investigate some strange vibrations. And they find a warp zone.

Man, I hope it doesn't send them back a level. That would utterly suck. The electrical storms are covering the world. Pariah feels evil tugging at him, but he's not disappearing. It's cold. Cold as death. The antimatter effect overcomes Alex Luthor. A shadow covers the planet like a cloak. The sky gets dark and starry. The heroes realize where they are. They're in the anti-matter universe. Which means only one thing.

The Anti-Monitor is still alive. And he's going to get his revenge on the Earth and its heroes for foiling his dreams of the destruction of the positive universe.

This issue was actually really good. We get to see some of the aftermath of the Crisis and hints about the history of this new combined Earth. The scenes with Kal-L and the Earth-2 Robin and Huntress are rather heartbreaking, as after all they went through, their home is gone. Not only gone, but it never existed. That must really suck for them. You can tell they haven't quite got all their ducks in a row when it comes to the post-Crisis world's history yet as Superman talks about this world knowing about Supergirl. And that would lead to other problems for certain characters down the line, but more on that next issue.

This is definitely the most meta issues of the series, as keeping certain characters around while ditching others does make sense. As I said, the multiple versions of Superman, Robin, and Wonder Woman were redundant, so they had to go. It really shows that Crisis was not meant to be a full-on reboot, just do some housecleaning for the sake of simplicity.

George Perez's art is...well, what can I say about it that everyone else already has said about it? I don't think I can compliment it better than anyone else has ever had. It's awesome.

Next time, as I'm still in a Crisis mood, we're going to take a look at an earlier tale of inter-Earth adventures. Join me as we take join the JLA and JSA as they take on the Secret Society of Supervillains...

Pokemon: Detective Pikachu Trailer, My Thoughts

Earlier in the year, The Pokémon Company published a game developed by Creatures Inc. called Detective Pikachu for the 3DS in the US and Europe (It had been released in Japan in 2016). The game was an adventure game, focusing on a boy named Tim Goodman teaming up with a Pikachu with a knack for solving mysteries to...well, solve mysteries. I gave my thoughts on the trailer for the game here.

In 2016, Legendary Pictures announced they obtained the rights to make a live-action adaptation of the game. The film, which is a joint venture of Legendary and The Pokémon Company, will be distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. Rob Letterman, who co-wrote the film with Nicole Perlman, will be directing. A trailer has come out, so let's take a look!

Welcome to Ryme City. Yeah, that sounds kind of like a city in a Pokémon game.

I can't believe they got Ken Watanabe for this movie. Maybe he's a Pokémon fan.

Johto and Sinnoh. Heh. Gold, Silver, Crystal, Ruby, and Sapphire.

I'm guessing Tim Goodman's attempt to be a Pokémon trainer ended in disaster.

Yeah, because a stapler is going to stop a home invader.

In case you're wondering, the hat that Detective Pikachu is wearing? It's called a deerstalker. It's a type of cap.

It's a hat associated with Sherlock Holmes. It's become a symbol of detectives. I also have to admit, the CGI Pikachu looks incredible. Although Ryan Reynolds' voice, I have to admit, takes some getting used to. He sounds like he's still doing Deadpool to me, in a way.

Ha ha ha ha. That scene with Tim and Pikachu was hilarious. I wonder if they'll try to explain why only Tim can understand Pikachu.

Wow. Those Bulbasaurs and Morelulls look amazing. They look like they came right out of the games. And yeah, there was a bit of a tizzy over Jigglypuff's appearance here. It does make sense. In various games, Pokédex entries on the Pokémon did mention it having fur. And its curl on its head could be seen as hair. Also, I like the marker mic. Cute nod to the anime.

Wow, Charizard and Greninja look amazing, too. You can tell The Pokémon Company had some big influence over the designs here.

That Pikachu/Mr. Mime scene made me laugh so much. That was great!

Oh, please don't eat the Pikachu, Charizard.

Wow. I have to admit, I always thought Pokémon was one of those franchises that would be darn-near impossible to pull off in live-action. However, if this trailer is any indication, I think they may have managed to pull it off. The Pokémon look incredible, and this film sounds like it'll be a ton of fun and genuinely funny. I can't wait!

SNK 40th Anniversary Collection Launch Trailer, My Thoughts

Back in July, I gave my thoughts about the announcement of the SNK 40th Anniversary Collection, a...well, collection of games that is meant to celebrate the history of the company known as Shin Nihon Kikaku. SNK is what it's called for short. It means "New Japan Project". I remember being excited about it. Well, it's finally out, and there is a launch trailer! Let's take a look!

Celebrate in retro style, baby! Whoo! Cue up the synthwave!

I love the retro stylings of this trailer.

20 games in one. That's a bargain!

Rendered in cutting edge graphics! Basically, we're giving each game a nice wallpaper.

Save and rewind as you go? I imagine that will be handy. You mess up, you can save yourself and your high score. And it will be convenient to save your progress.

Interesting bunch of games there. I have to admit though, my knowledge of them is lacking. I have heard of Ikari Warriors and Psycho Soldier. I have Alpha Mission II on my Switch, so I am curious about playing the original here. I also want to give Crystalis a try. I do know Ozma Wars was their first arcade game. But hey, a whole bunch of new games I never heard of to try out. That's a plus.

So, we get twenty games now, and 11 more for free DLC? Sweet! I wonder what games will be arriving as DLC?

Well, this sunds like a ton of fun. I love old games, so I think I will pick this up.

Toy Story 4 Teaser, My Thoughts

In 1995, Disney-Pixar released the film Toy Story. This film would be two big firsts: Pixar's first feature-length film, and the first feature-length feature film to be entirely computer-animated. It would earn over $370 million dollars at the box office, and was also critically praised. It would be nominated for three Academy Awards, and spawn a franchise including two further films, TV specials, shorts, and an animated series. The third Toy Story movie would be the first animated feature to gross over $1 billion dollars at the box office.

It has become one of Disney-Pixar's most popular and beloved franchises. So, it makes sense that there would be more stuff coming from it. A teaser for the fourth Toy Story movie has come out, so let's take a look!

Well, this intro is rather bright and cheerful. ...It's going to get real dark momentarily, isn't it?

I wonder if they'll get a new voice for Mr. Potato Head considering Don Rickles had passed away last year. It was said he didn't record any lines for him for this movie before passing.

Wait...is that a spork?! Why is spork here?!

Well, at least the spork acknowledges that it doesn't belong here. And it really needs to switch to decaf.

IT'S FREAKING OUT! IT'S FREAKING OUT, MAN!

The crashing is hilarious. Nice work, Woody.

Yeah, you are not a toy, Mr. Spork. You are a bad LSD trip.

Well, this sounds fun. I have to admit, I was surprised that they are doing a fourth Toy Story, since it was a trilogy that ended very well. However, the idea of the other toys teaching a spork how to be a toy sounds too hilarious. I enjoyed the films (although admittedly, I have never seen the third one), so I want to see this one.

RIP Stan Lee

Today, I learned some shocking news. Today was a day that I think we all knew would come, but would never expect to come so soon. Stan "The Man" Lee, co-creator of some of the Marvel Universe's most iconic and beloved characters, had passed away at the age of 95.

A writer, editor, former editor-in-chief, and publisher, Lee was one of the big creative minds behind the Marvel Universe as we know it today. Alongside legendary artists Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko and writer (and younger brother) Larry Lieber, he co-created many characters like Spider-Man, the Hulk, the X-Men, Iron Man, Thor, Ant-Man and the Wasp, and Black Panther. He and Jack Kirby also brought together some of their creations to form the Avengers.

Lee is one of the reasons why I'm such a big fan of comics. Spider-Man is one of my favorite solo superheroes. The Avengers are one of my favorite superhero teams. Kurt Busiek and George Perez may have gotten me to fall in love with comics and the characters' histories, but without Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, that run of Avengers would have never existed. Without Lee and Ditko's genius, Spider-Man would have ever come to be.

My first major exposure to the Marvel Universe was actually in cartoons. I remember watching the 90s Spider-Man and X-Men cartoons, and like many of my age during that time, I loved them. I loved the action and social commentary of the X-Men cartoon, and the humor and jokes of Spider-Man. I still smile fondly when thinking of them. And Stan Lee helped make all that possible.

I admit, this was a bit hard to write. I have been having trouble coming up with the words to express my feelings about this, so my apologies if it comes off as awkward.

So, thank you, Mr. Lee. I wish I could have gotten to meet you in person and thank you for everything. I'm hoping you're back together with Joan. And I also hope you, Steve Ditko, Jack Kirby, Marie Severin, Flo Steinberg, and the rest of the original Merry Marvel Bullpen are back together again creating new wonders.

Thank you and goodbye, Stan! Excelsior!

Veterans' Day

Today is November 11. On this day in the United States, we celebrate Veterans Day.

What is Veterans Day? Well, it's a day that celebrates those who have served in the branches of the United States military. It's different from Memorial Day, which honors those who died in service. It also is different from Armed Forces Day. That is also celebrated in May, and that day honors those who are currently serving.

So, how did it come about? Well, on this day in 1918, an armistice was signed between the Allies and the Central Powers of Germany, which is credited for ending World War I. In later years, this day would be celebrated as Armistice Day. It would be made an official holiday in 1938.

In 1945, a man named Raymond Weeks, a veteran of World War II, had the idea that Armistice Day should be expanded to celebrate veterans of WWII as well. He had support for General, and future President, Dwight D. Eisenhower. In 1947, he held the first celebration in Alabama. He continued to do so until his death in 1985.

In 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower would sign into law a bill that would formally establish Veterans Day. For a brief time in the 1970s, Veterans Day was moved to the fourth Monday of October. It would get moved back to November 11 in 1978.

Veterans Day this year is very significant. You see, this year also celebrates the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I.

Veterans Day is a bit of an important day for me, personally. Both my father and my late paternal grandfather and grand-uncle have served this country. My grandfather was a Marine who served in Guam during WWII, and my great-uncle died on a submarine during that war. My dad served in the Air Force. So yeah, the military is a big deal for me.

I'm not very good at this kind of thing, so I just want to say...thank you. Thank you to everyone who has ever served this country. No matter which branch you served, no matter when you served, no matter what role you played, your service was appreciated. Thank you. Thank you very much.

Captain America #332 (August 1987)

When it comes to Captain America, Steve Rogers is often considered the one "true" holder of the mantle. You see, like many superheroes, the shield and uniform of Captain America has been worn and wielded by several other characters. Most recently, Sam Wilson, aka the Falcon, donned the mantle for a time. Bucky Barnes has also worn the suit and wielded the shield after Steve Rogers seemingly died. And when Cap gave up the uniform for the first time after his battle with the first Secret Empire, a bunch of guys wore the suit.

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.

4:59 PM. John Walker makes to the entrance of the Washington Monument. Thanks to his enhanced body, he's easily able to outrun the cops. Walker takes the steps, as he does not want to risk a power outage leaving him trapped in an elevator. There are nearly 900 steps to the top of the Monument, so Walker will need to take three at a time.

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...