Comic Review Meet Captain America

COMIC REVIEW MEET CAPTAIN AMERICA 1941

Joe Simon & Jack Kirby’s first ever Captain America story, set in World War Two after America joined the conflict. This is reproduced in Marvel’s The Definitive Captain America

As the US army recruits its soldiers, any ruthless spies also enlist, supporting the Nazis. The American government is driven to desperate measures and creates a super-soldier serum able to turn men into super-strong and hyper-intelligent soldiers. Only one such soldier is created in this rather Master Race like plan, Steve Rogers becomes Captain America. He is a weakling, too frail in body to even be allowed to enlist until the serum creates his instant muscles.

A spy witnessing the creation of the soldier in the test centre kills the scientist responsible for the serum and the only supply of the serum too, ensuring that the patriotic hero will be the only one of his kind.

The Captain becomes an iconic media hero, fighting spies and stopping sabotage plans, as seen in headlines of his many early exploits. Though his uniform is much as we see it in later Captain America stories, his shield is a triangular one, rather than the round one he would later wield.

When a precocious young army mascot, Bucky Barnes accidentally sees Steve Rogers changing into his Captain America uniform, the Captain hits on a novel if rather unconvincing solution to how to stop the kid from talking – he enlists him as a superhero sidekick, and gives him his own superhero outfit even though the child has no powers whatsoever.  In many ways, Bucky was to Captain America what robin was to Batman. There is no hint here of the tragic end the boy would face later in the series.

Some of the elements of the film are here, though the most famous villain, The Red Skull, would not appear for until a future issue. The original comic book cover depicts Captain America punching Hitler, though sadly, we see nothing of that taking place in the story itself.

A neat touch in the graphic collection use of the story is the inclusion of the original ad inviting young American readers to join The Captain’s fan club, Sentinels Of Liberty, for just 10 cents. I would have probably signed up at such an impressional time myself, had I been born in America.

Arthur Chappell