Captain America #223: Review

Jul 1978

Steve Gerber, Mike Esposito

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Story Name:

Call Me Animus

Review & Comments

Rating:

Captain America #223 Review by Peter Silvestro (September 19, 2011)

Review: Another issue with an exciting pair of battles with the monstrous Animus—but no new details on Cap’s past; again, Steve Gerber clearly wants to get Roy Thomas’ “Search” plot over with so he can move on to fun stuff of his own. Well, one more issue to go (#225) and then we’ll see what all the buildup has been for. Uhhhh, don’t get your hopes up.

Comments: Part nine of the ten-part story arc “The Search for Steve Rogers.” The title reverts to CAPTAIN AMERICA with this issue.

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Synopsis / Summary / Plot

Captain America #223 Synopsis by Peter Silvestro

At the Lincoln Memorial, Captain America has been attacked by the Animus, a savage brute with an oversized cranium and a very erudite vocabulary, wielding a huge crystalline club full of circuitry. The creature announces that its continued existence depends on Cap’s death, as it demonstrates it also has powerful telekinetic abilities. Cap realizes that the Animus is the one responsible for sending the Volkswagen to kill him last issue, as well as animating the Lincoln statue. And uses the impetus of the mindblast to ricochet off of a tree and slam his foe. He attempts to beat his hideous enemy but the Animus suddenly teleports away. After Cap convinces himself he did not imagine the episode, he goes back to brooding about his missing past and determines to devise a plan of attack. He heads back to his hotel room only to be met by Veda, who encourages him to rest as he politely hints that she leave. As he examines his shield he discovers to tracers planted under the rim. He flushes them down the toilet and calls Nick Fury to request information on Veda and her mother while warning him—no more tracers. As he sleeps he dreams he is in college listening to a psychology professor lecture on Jung’s theory of the animus. In the morning, he meets Veda for breakfast to tell her he is returning to New York to meet a friend who specializes in mind-science, and says farewell to her. After he leaves she contacts Kligger to inform him that Cap’s search for his past is genuine and does not concern the Corporation; she then gives the details of Steve’s train so that he can be killed….

As Steve rides the Metro seated next to a talkative fellow passenger, the train is suddenly derailed by the Animus, using its telekinetic powers to tear up the tracks. Appalled that his enemies would destroy an entire train just to get him, an enraged Steve changes into his Captain America outfit and hurls himself at his gruesome foe. The beast clobbers him with its club, then uses its mind to seize control of Cap’s shield to employ as a weapon against him. From the way it stands still to manipulate the shield, Cap suddenly realizes that the Animus cannot use its physical and psychic powers at the same time. Startling the monster with a thrown rock, he batters his foe mercilessly to keep it from gaining the advantage; the Animus pleads—in a woman’s voice—for Kligger to rescue it and the Animus is instantly teleported away. Cap stands pondering the mystery for a second then goes to the aid of the train crash victims….

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