Comic Browser:

#371
#372
#373
#374
#375
#376
#377
#378
#379
#380
#381
#382
#383
#384
#385
#386
#387
#388
#389
#390
#391
#392
#393
#394
Selector

Captain America #376: Review

Sep 1990
Mark Gruenwald, Ron Lim

Story Name:

Cross Purposes

Review & Comments

Rating:
4 stars

Captain America #376 Review by (July 11, 2012)
Review: See issue #372 for a full review of the “Streets of Poison” arc.

Comments: Part five of the seven-part “Streets of Poison.” Battle Star story: part five of seven. Malus’ henchmen are called Mr. Lynch and Mr. Frost; David Lynch and Mark Frost were the co-creators of the TV series TWIN PEAKS which was on TV about this time.




 

Synopsis / Summary / Plot

Captain America #376 Synopsis by Peter Silvestro

Daredevil, injured and groggy after his beating at the hands of a drug-crazed Captain America (last issue), is discovered by Crossbones. The brutish villain mocks the wounded hero then heads off to complete his assignment. Arriving at the private restaurant where the Kingpin is dining, Crossbones kills the kitchen staff, then bursts into to dining area where he takes out the two bodyguards. His attempt on the huge crimelord’s life is interrupted by the appearance of Daredevil who engages the villain in battle and only then realizes that his foe just tried to kill the Kingpin. Crossbones quickly overpowers the weakened Daredevil and rushes after the fleeing Kingpin, only to discover he has just driven away in his limo. The hulking killer returns to finish off the hero and discovers Daredevil gone as well. Meanwhile, the blind hero, sorely beaten by two powerful opponents in a short time and still recovering from the psychic damage he suffered in the demonic dimension (DAREDEVIL #280-282), decides to call it a night. Kingpin assigns Bullseye to hunt down and kill whomever Crossbones is working for, and Crossbones calls in to report his failure to his boss—the Red Skull (didn’t see that coming, did you?)….

At this time, Captain America is in an alley, going crazy from the increased adrenaline working with the drug Ice in his system. He imagines friends and enemies accusing him of wrong-doing. Elsewhere, Diamondback, having been nursed back to health by John Jameson after being shot in issue #374 heads out to look for the missing Cap. She encounters Black Widow and after they clear up the misunderstanding about their battle in issue #373, they agree to work together. A report comes in of a Cap sighting uptown and Jameson drives the heroines to the scene. They find Cap menacing two teen punks and take him on. The two women are no match for the Ice-addicted Super-Soldier and it is only when Black Widow shoots him full in the face with her sting that they take him down….

The next morning, the Red Skull demands a full debriefing from Crossbones on the failed mission…unaware that Bullseye is waiting with weapons at the ready, just outside the window….



Story #2

Stronghold of the Weak

Writer: Mark Gruenwald. Penciler: Mark Bagley. Inker: Dan Panosian. Colorist: Nel Yomtov.

Synopsis / Summary / Plot

In a secret lab in Los Angeles, Battle Star is depowered by Dr. Malus whose enhancement procedure gave the hero his strength in the first place. It is now revealed that the kidnapped wrestlers are part of an experiment to create a means whereby Power Broker Curtiss Jackson’s grotesquely muscled body can be returned to normal. Though Battle Star’s body seems healthy, Malus wants to watch for possible side effects before attempting the procedure on Jackson. Star tries to escape but his now-normal body is no match for the villain’s powerful henchmen and he is deposited in a room where the previous subjects of the experiments are recovering. All are disfigured in some way and unable to assist in any plan of action, so Lemar has to go it alone. He drags himself over to the door and hides behind it until Malus enters. Star leaps out and seizes the scientist by the neck, threatening to kill him if the henchmen do not let him leave. As he backs out slowly, he turns and sees the assembled Power Tools waiting for him—then the skylight crashes in and USAgent is on the scene….


Ron Lim
Bob Downs
Steve Buccelatto
Ron Lim (Cover Penciler)
Danny Bulanadi (Cover Inker)
? (Cover Colorist)


Characters

Listed in Alphabetical Order.

Black Widow
Black Widow

(Natasha Romanoff)
Captain America
Captain America

(Steve Rogers)
Daredevil
Daredevil

(Matt Murdock)
Diamondback
Diamondback

(Rachel Leighton)
Kingpin
Kingpin

(Wilson Fisk)
Red Skull
Red Skull

(Johann Shmidt)
U.S. Agent
U.S. Agent

(John Walker)

Plus: Battle Star, Dr Karl Malus, Jackhammer, John Jameson, Power Tools, Typhoid Mary.

> Captain America: Book info and issue index

Share This Page


Elektra