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Captain America #394: Review

Nov 1991
Mark Gruenwald, Rik Levins

Story Name:

The Crimson Crusade


Synopsis

Captain America #394 Synopsis by Peter Silvestro

Captain America and Hauptmann Deutschland have just discovered the dead body of the Red Skull, apparently murdered by the Scourge of the Underworld. A search of the area revels the bodies of Mother Night and Crossbones, similarly executed. By now, Haupt has become convinced that Cap is the real thing, not an impostor (see the previous issue). The police and FBI investigate and discover the tape from a security camera has caught Scourge's murder of Crossbones and Mother Night...

...and here we learn that the Red Skull has faked his and his servants' deaths by using bio-plastoid duplicates created by Armin Zola. The Skull has assembled all of his division chiefs for a report. His Scourge has failed to carry out orders so the villain has him killed before the group. Later, the Red Skull outlines a new mission for the Skeleton Crew: breaking Viper out of prison and bringing her here. When Crossbones balks, the Skull fires him on the spot and orders him out. After the meeting, Mother Night talks with Crossbones, sharing that she is miserable from her unrequited love for the Skull and his constant abuse of her....

Back at Avengers Mansion, Diamondback suggests to Cap she join the Avengers staff as a secretary. Later Cap is wrapping up a training exercise with Sersi and Quasar when he has a visit from Bernie Rosenthal; Bernie and Rachel size each other up immediately with Cap blissfully unaware....

At the Federal Penitentiary in Virginia, the Skeleton Crew (minus Crossbones but supplemented by men supplied by the Power Broker) bust Viper out of the place and deliver her to the Red Skull....

2. “The Face of Fear” 2.5/5

Writer: Mark Gruenwald. Pencils: Larry Alexander. Inks: Dan Panosian. Colors: Renee Witterstaetter, Marie Javins.

Synopsis: Rachel (Diamondback) Leighton is sunning herself on the patio of Avengers Mansion when she is surprised by two visitors: her friends Asp and Black Mamba of B.A.D. Girls, Inc. She updates them on her recent activities, finding refuge from recent traumatic events in the safety of the Mansion and the arms of Captain America. Suddenly Rachel sees a vision of her nemesis Snapdragon before her and panics; Black Mamba had reached into Rachel’s mind and found the image of her fear and created an illusion of it so Mamba and Asp could learn what it was. Rachel is furious at this invasion of her mind and orders them off the premises. As Asp and Mamba ponder how they can bring Snapdragon to justice and help Rachel, they head to the Bar with No Name. While sitting at the bar they are spotted by Battleaxe, Golddigger, and Steel Wind, who hope to collect the reward posted by Superia for their capture….


 

Review / Commentaries

Rating:
3 stars

Captain America #394 Review by (April 10, 2016)
Comments: Last appearance of Hauptmann Deutschland until issue #442 where he is now known as Vormund. Reporting to Red Skull are Watchdog Prime, Scourge, Crucible of the Resistants, the Power Broker, Number Seven of the Secret Empire, Taskmaster, Arnim Zola, Baron Strucker of Hydra, and Minister Blood; his daughter Sin sits among them but doesn't do much. Additional credits: Colors by Renee Witterstaetter and Marie Javins.

Review: As with the last issue, I find this story rather lackluster with the back-up story completely pointless. Viper promises a shakeup though.


> 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)

Rik Levins
Bud LaRosa
?
Rik Levins (Cover Penciler)
Bud LaRosa (Cover Inker)
? (Cover Colorist)


Characters

Listed in Alphabetical Order.

Captain America
Captain America

(Steven Rogers)
Crossbones
Crossbones

(Brock Rumlow)

Plus: Asp.