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Captain America #216: Review

Dec 1977
Roy Thomas, Dave Cockrum

Story Name:

The Human Torch Meets…Captain America!


Synopsis

Captain America #216 Synopsis by Peter Silvestro

Captain America has just reviewed his entire career along with those of his successors, but there is one incarnation of Captain America he does not know about….

Johnny Storm, the Human Torch, is speeding around the obstacle course on his front lawn when he is interrupted by his pals bringing big news. The distraction forces the Torch to swerve to miss the boys and he rams into a water barrier. The soaked teens ask Johnny if he remembers Captain America. Sister Sue, hearing this, pronounces all teen-agers nuts and storms off. The guys tell Johnny that the long-lost hero Captain America is appearing at the antique auto show in town, so they all head there, hoping to catch a glimpse of the superhero. At the show, a pair of crooks steals an antique racing car and zooms off, with Johnny in hot pursuit. Suddenly a red-white-and-blue figure leaps from the audience and lands on the hood of the racer—Captain America has arrived. The Torch melts the road to bring the car to a gooey halt but Cap does not appreciate the assist and hurls mud at the fiery teen. While Torch is shooting fireballs (little ones) back, the thieves escape—only to run right into the hands of the police. The two heroes take their separate leaves.

Later, at the home of his girlfriend Dorrie Evans, Johnny reads about the exploit in the paper—and is annoyed at the adulation Cap is getting. Dorrie thinks he’s just jealous of the attractive veteran, making Johnny so steamed that he causes her soda pop to boil and burst. Running for the kitchen, he inadvertently sets the linoleum on fire. She pauses to throw him out while ordering new linoleum over the phone.

Elsewhere, Captain America breaks the two car thieves out of jail and orders them to lead the police on a wild chase while he proceeds with phase two of his plan. The Torch spots the police pursuit and joins in, burning the tires off the car and heating the lake where the crooks try to swim away. When caught, they confess that Captain America planned the escapade to distract the police while he robbed the bank. Torch heads over to the bank in time to see Cap loading the robbery loot onto his floating sky platform. When Johnny intercepts him, Cap takes off in an escape rocket then parachutes to the ground. Cap leads the Torch into a sporting goods store where he employs a huge bow to launch a wet mop into Johnny’s face. When Johnny is dry enough to flame on again, he pursues Cap to the desert where Cap tricks him into the back of an asbestos-lined truck. Recalling his earlier experience with the soda bottle, Johnny increases his heat, causing the truck to pop apart. He then traps the bad guy and unmasks him as Carl Zante, the Acrobat, and turns him over to the cops. At home, Johnny searches his comics collection until he finds the adventures of the real Captain America and wonders whatever happened to the old-time hero….


 

Review / Commentaries

Rating:
1 stars

Captain America #216 Review by (September 7, 2011)
Review: Why? Why reprint the silliest comic story connected with Captain America as part of a review of his career? And one that features a phony Cap at that? It’s not like they were forced to do this at the last minute because of a deadline problem; this story is promised at the end of the previous issue. I cannot fathom what they were thinking.

Comments: Part two of the ten-part story arc “The Search for Steve Rogers.” Reprinted from STRANGE TALES #114 with a new splash page to tie it in to the current storyline. Cap finds out about this adventure in CAPTAIN AMERICA: SENTINEL OF LIBERTY #11. The new splash page is written by Roy Thomas, penciled by Dave Cockrum, and inked by Frank Giacoia.


> Captain America comic book info and issue index

Elektra

Excelsioring your collection:
DIAMOND SELECT TOYS Marvel Premier Collection: Avengers Endgame Captain America Statue, Multicolor
Holy smokes, Batman!
(The Boy Wonder)

Dave Cockrum
Frank Giacoia
?
Gil Kane (Cover Penciler)
Ernie Chan (Cover Inker)
? (Cover Colorist)


Characters

Listed in Alphabetical Order.

Captain America
Captain America

(Steve Rogers)
Human Torch
Human Torch

(Johnny Storm)
Invisible Woman
Invisible Woman

(Sue Storm)

Plus: Acrobat (Carl Zante), Dorrie Evans.