Captain America #224: Review

Aug 1978

Peter Gillis, Mike Zeck

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Story Name:

Saturday Night Furor!

Review & Comments

Rating:

Captain America #224 Review by Peter Silvestro (September 20, 2011)

Review: Nice though brief interlude with solid art by Mike Zeck. It also demonstrates an attempt to tie the story to the previous Kirby themes by bringing in the Madbomb and General Fist; too bad it also features Cap having memory loss and an identity crisis which only confuses the matter of the “Search for Steve Rogers.”

Comments: Fill-in issue that does not continue the “Search for Steve Rogers” story arc. “Al Avision” seems to be a play on Al Avison, Golden Age Cap artist. Senor Suerte previously appeared only in HERO FOR HIRE #10-11. Cameos by Thor, Scarlet Witch, Vision, Yellowjacket, Nick Fury, Dr. Faustus.

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Synopsis / Summary / Plot

Captain America #224 Synopsis by Peter Silvestro

Two early-morning joggers find an unconscious Captain America floating in the river. They rescue him and carry him home where he awakens. Staggering into the bathroom to examine his injuries he takes off his mask—and sees an unfamiliar face looking back at him from the mirror, dark-haired and younger. He tries to phone Avengers Mansion but discovers he cannot remember the number. He thanks the couple and heads to the Mansion, where he confesses his problems to his fellow heroes. He carries the authentic shield and has the agility of Cap so he must be real; a closer examination by Iron Man reveals that Steve is wearing a disguise made of an advanced synthetic skin. Wasp reminds him that the Avengers were out partying last night and that Cap left early with an Al Avision. Cap heads out and tries to retrace his steps but soon runs into a dead end. A pain in his arm reveals that he has been injected with spider venom which would have killed him had he not been the super-soldier. Questioning the Avengers more closely gives Cap the clue that Al Avision had worked with him on the Madbomb case (issues #193-200). Contacting General Argyle Fist, Cap learns that he and Ken Astor had been assigned to infiltrate a gang of hijackers who were planning to attack a convoy carrying Madbomb components. His lost memories come pouring back: he and Astor had disguised themselves and attended a meeting of the hijackers led by Tarantula and Senor Suerte (a/k/a Senor Muerte). The villains had been tipped off to the spies and Cap donned his costume quickly and fought and defeated Tarantula but left himself open to being electrocuted by Suerte. Cap was then poisoned with spider venom and dumped in the river, while Astor was tortured for the secret passwords to the convoy. Cap now intercepts the convoy which has already been hijacked by the villains and easily beats the two bosses. He waits for the arrival of General Fist and the clean-up crew.

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