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Captain America: Patriot #4: Review

Nov 2010
Karl Kesel, Mitch Breitweiser

Story Name:

Part 4: Patriot

Review & Comments

Rating:
4 stars

Captain America: Patriot #4 Review by (December 15, 2010)
Comments: Betsy Ross is revealed to be the aunt of Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross, whose childhood pal is Franklin Storm (Sue and Johnny’s dad). The Vanguard passwords “Spa Fon” and “Squa Tront” are a comics in-joke reference to EC comics, though probably not well-known (if known at all) in June 1950. The soldiers mention the planet Pellucidar, which is the prehistoric world at the center of the Earth in the series by Edgar Rice Burroughs, and not a planet, even a fictitious one. Danny Kotarski is the name of the guitarist for the rock band Nightmare Industry but that seems to be a coincidence.


Captain America: Patriot #4 Review by (January 18, 2011)
This issue takes place after all the Golden Age comics that are considered Jeff Mace's appearances, whether as Patriot or Captain America. It runs from Feb50-Mar50. Jeff's last issue as CA was Captain America Comics #74 dated Oct49. This issue explains why Jeff stopped being CA, and Betsy Ross stopped being Golden Girl, making room for the 50s 4th version of CA. ***** Fred Davis/Bucky also reappears as a government agent, too injured by his shooting to be Cap's partner. In fact Fred did make a single GA reappearance in a story in CAC#71. Here he was fully recovered and became Bucky again. But this wasn't followed up, and GG continued to accompany Cap. ***** JM's retirement as a reporter was first imagined by J. M. DeMatteis in CA Annual #6. But even 2004's Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Golden Age doesn't mention him marrying Betsy. I like the fact that Betsy becomes a teacher, the role that she already had in the GA from CAC#62. However this doesn't explain how Betty Ross was connected to the 50s Cap. DeMatteis added a finale to Patriot's story in 1982/3 in CA Annual #6 and CA#284/5 where he has him die of cancer. Fred Davis lives on in modern Marvel as a member of the V-Battalion. And this issue gives Betsy/Betty Ross a modern connection to General Ross and his daughter Betty.




 

Synopsis / Summary / Plot

Captain America: Patriot #4 Synopsis by Peter Silvestro

June 30, 1950: Jeff Mace a/k/a Captain America, is being questioned by FBI Agent Skinner as to his background and early life….

A few months earlier, Cap and his new sidekick Golden Girl (Betsy Ross) catch a thief who steals to support a drug habit. Meeting on a roof afterwards, Cap expresses second thoughts about his decision to leave the All-Winners Squad to battle street crime in New York; he mainly wonder why he hasn’t been asked to take on organized crime nationally. Betsy informs him she will be giving up the Golden Girl identity as she is being reassigned by the FBI; she hopes his new Bureau liaison—Fred Davis, the former Bucky—will be more aggressive in pushing for better assignments for him. Soon, Jeff and Fred meet with FBI Agent Skinner and Cap finally asks why he has been sidelined. Fred explains that the involvement of Captain America will only escalate the dangers of crime in the streets and that he is better as a deterrent than as a weapon. And so Captain America finds himself giving speeches to school children about "duck and cover"…until a report comes in of a missing child. Cap heads out at night to search for young Danny Kotarski—whom witnesses claim was taken by a UFO. He contacts Agent Skinner who disapproves of the mission…until Cap mentions that a witness heard the word "Vanguard;" at this, Skinner tells Cap to make every effort to find the boy. In a nearby cemetery, Cap discovers a pair of costumed guards outside a tomb entrance. Overpowering them he enters and discovers a secret lab with a flying saucer; he rescues Danny and escapes, running into Fred Davis outside. Later, Jeff meets with Skinner and Fred who tell him that Vanguard is a secret government program—one that he does not have clearance for. Skinner makes it clear that he has never trusted Jeff, and even less now that Mary Morgan is suspected of being a Communist spy. Jeff defends her but Skinner reveals that Cap will be sent to the front lines in Korea to "inspire" the troops but more likely die in a suicide mission. Cap switches off the recorder to speak off the record: he knows that Skinner encouraged him to investigate Vanguard in hopes of creating a problem for the rival agency, so that he (Skinner) could come in and clean it up to look like a hero. Meanwhile, Cap would be shipped off to Korea and a probable quick death. Cap then reveals that he has recorded this "off-the-record" discussion and threatens to report Skinner to J. Edgar Hoover for disloyalty. Skinner asks what Cap wants for his silence….

Finally learning her whereabouts, Jeff Mace contacts Betsy Ross in her new assignment; after he resigns as Captain America, they marry and she becomes a teacher while he takes over a small-town newspaper. They live the American Dream, becoming part of a small close-knit community and looking out for their fellow-citizens. Later, as they discuss the new Commie-smashing Captain America, Jeff reveals that he chose to move on because he learned you can’t always defeat bullies with your fists, and that as a newsman, he has the opportunity to oppose Joe McCarthy and the other Red-baiters to show the hope and promise that is America. He stands up for what he believes is best for the country…and that makes him a patriot.



Mitch Breitweiser
Mitch Breitweiser
Bettie Breitweiser
Mitch Breitweiser (Cover Penciler)
Mitch Breitweiser (Cover Inker)
Bettie Breitweiser (Cover Colorist)


Characters

Listed in Alphabetical Order.

Captain America
Captain America

(Steve Rogers)

Plus: All-Winners Squad, Betsy Ross (FBI Agent), Bucky (Fred Davis), Captain America (Jeff Mace), Golden Girl (Betsy Ross), Vanguard.

> Captain America: Patriot: Book info and issue index

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