Captain America #163: Review

Jul 1973

Steve Englehart, Sal Buscema

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Story Name:

Beware of Serpents

Review & Comments

Rating:

Captain America #163 Review by Peter Silvestro (February 15, 2010)

Additional inking by Tony Mortarello.

First appearance of the Serpent Squad.

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Synopsis / Summary / Plot

Captain America #163 Synopsis by Peter Silvestro

The Eel and the Viper escape from prison in a jailbreak engineered by the Cobra who plans for them to team up as the Serpent Squad! Meanwhile, the Carters return to their Virginia estate with Sharon and their now-cured daughter Peggy, with Captain America and the Falcon as their guests. Cap takes Peggy on a walk through the woods, hoping to help her adjust to living in a new era. On their walk they meet a neighbor, Dave Cox, a one-armed Vietnam vet who tells Cap he is a pacifist. Back in New York, Eel and Viper are plotting an advertising campaign to discredit Captain America as a glory-seeking vigilante. When they see in the news that Captain America is visiting the Carters in Virginia, they plot with the Cobra to go down and destroy him. At the Carters’ home, Falcon is taking his leave of Cap when the three villains crash through a window. The heroes battle the baddies in the living room and Cap’s hands are burned when he grabs Eel’s shoulders. Eel sets the sofa afire and the villains escape. The fire is put out and Cap’s hands are bandaged. The next morning the two heroes split up to search for their enemies and Peggy joins Cap on the way. The two come to Dave Cox’s cabin where they are attacked by the Serpent Squad wielding high-tech weaponry. The cabin is set aflame but the pacifistic Dave refuses to fight the enemy. Cap devises a scheme where he will wait in the rafters and Dave will lure the villains under him but the Cobra unexpectedly shoots Dave with a convulsive weapon. Cap drops on them anyway and quickly subdues the Viper and the Cobra then stops to put out the fire. The Eel runs—right into the Falcon who knocks him out. Peggy announces that Dave will recover from his injury and Cap praises him for his willingness to die for his beliefs.

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