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Captain America #424

Feb 1994
Mark Gruenwald, Phil Gosier

Story Name:

The Last Operation


Synopsis

Captain America #424 synopsis by Peter Silvestro
Rating: 4 stars

At Avengers Mansion, Captain America and Diamondback enjoy a happy reunion—when he last saw her, she was in a coma in a hospital in Wakanda (issue #418) and he felt guilty about leaving her. She assures him she is completely healed; he informs her he is moving into his own place soon….

Meanwhile, in a hospital downtown, Seth (Sidewinder) Voelker is visiting his sick daughter, Amelia. A doctor tells him an operation can cure her recurrent seizures but it is expensive and Voelker has no insurance. He vows to find the money anyway….

As Steve is packing to move (which Black Widow tries to talk him out of) and Rachel is attempting to help Fabian Stankowicz with his equipment, Cap gets a call from Sidewinder requesting a meeting. Cap heads out, with Diamond as back-up, and meets with the former Serpent Society leader. Voelker explains that he needs money for his daughter’s operation and asks Cap for a quarter of a million dollars. Cap, not knowing whether he can trust the villain, declines. An angry Sidewinder threatens then to steal the money and it will be Cap’s fault. That night in the Bronx, Sidewinder teleports into a drug dealer’s den, overpowers the crooks and makes off with their loot. At Avengers HQ, Diamondback is unwilling to reveal too much about her former colleague in crime so she sets out on a mission of her own while Cap tries to verify Voelker’s story by checking local hospital records….

Diamondback visits Sidewinder at home and learns that his daughter is truly gravely ill; he also confesses that he is a coward—he formed the Serpent Society so that he would have others to take the risks while he planned the crimes. Diamond disapproves of his theft but promises to come to his aid if there is trouble….

Cap visits Amelia in the hospital and meets Voelker’s ex-wife; she is bitter about Seth but she also refuses to cooperate with Cap, suspecting him of trying to use her to capture him. Cap gets a call from Diamond, summoning him to Sidewinder’s aid. It seems the desperate villain had tried to rob a crackhouse but was caught and is now frantically teleporting around in a panicked attempt to dodge gunfire from the army of hoods within. Cap and Diamond arrive and mop up the thugs though Cap feels a sudden weakness in his muscles. Cap makes a deal with Sidewinder that if he surrenders to the police, Cap will see that his daughter will get the operation she needs. He agrees and is taken off to the Vault. Rachel has a confession to make to Cap: she crashed the skycycle in issue 418 because she was hallucinating about Snapdragon—whom she thinks she killed; Cap assures her he will stand by her through this ordeal.

Epilogue: Three weeks later, Amelia’s operation has proven to be a success. Cap brings a videolink so that Voelker can speak to his daughter from prison, assuring her that he loves her though he will have to pay the penalty for his crimes. She tells him he is the best daddy in the whole world.



Story #2

The Last Operation

Writer: Mark Gruenwald. Penciler: Phil Gosier. Inker: Romeo Tanghal. Colorist: George Roussos. Cover Penciler: Phil Gosier. Cover Inker: Danny Bulanadi. Cover Colorist: ?.

Synopsis

By Peter Silvestro
Rating: 4 stars

At Avengers Mansion, Captain America and Diamondback enjoy a happy reunion—when he last saw her, she was in a coma in a hospital in Wakanda (issue #418) and he felt guilty about leaving her. She assures him she is completely healed; he informs her he is moving into his own place soon….

Meanwhile, in a hospital downtown, Seth (Sidewinder) Voelker is visiting his sick daughter, Amelia. A doctor tells him an operation can cure her recurrent seizures but it is expensive and Voelker has no insurance. He vows to find the money anyway….

As Steve is packing to move (which Black Widow tries to talk him out of) and Rachel is attempting to help Fabian Stankowicz with his equipment, Cap gets a call from Sidewinder requesting a meeting. Cap heads out, with Diamond as back-up, and meets with the former Serpent Society leader. Voelker explains that he needs money for his daughter’s operation and asks Cap for a quarter of a million dollars. Cap, not knowing whether he can trust the villain, declines. An angry Sidewinder threatens then to steal the money and it will be Cap’s fault. That night in the Bronx, Sidewinder teleports into a drug dealer’s den, overpowers the crooks and makes off with their loot. At Avengers HQ, Diamondback is unwilling to reveal too much about her former colleague in crime so she sets out on a mission of her own while Cap tries to verify Voelker’s story by checking local hospital records….

Diamondback visits Sidewinder at home and learns that his daughter is truly gravely ill; he also confesses that he is a coward—he formed the Serpent Society so that he would have others to take the risks while he planned the crimes. Diamond disapproves of his theft but promises to come to his aid if there is trouble….

Cap visits Amelia in the hospital and meets Voelker’s ex-wife; she is bitter about Seth but she also refuses to cooperate with Cap, suspecting him of trying to use her to capture him. Cap gets a call from Diamond, summoning him to Sidewinder’s aid. It seems the desperate villain had tried to rob a crackhouse but was caught and is now frantically teleporting around in a panicked attempt to dodge gunfire from the army of hoods within. Cap and Diamond arrive and mop up the thugs though Cap feels a sudden weakness in his muscles. Cap makes a deal with Sidewinder that if he surrenders to the police, Cap will see that his daughter will get the operation she needs. He agrees and is taken off to the Vault. Rachel has a confession to make to Cap: she crashed the skycycle in issue 418 because she was hallucinating about Snapdragon—whom she thinks she killed; Cap assures her he will stand by her through this ordeal.

Epilogue: Three weeks later, Amelia’s operation has proven to be a success. Cap brings a videolink so that Voelker can speak to his daughter from prison, assuring her that he loves her though he will have to pay the penalty for his crimes. She tells him he is the best daddy in the whole world.  



 

Review / Commentaries


Captain America #424 Review by (January 12, 2011)
Comments: “The Patchwork Girl of Oz” is the seventh in the Oz series by L. Frank Baum. Cap experiences the muscular weakness that leads to the “Fighting Chance” story arc beginning in the next issue. Diamondback has visions of Snapdragon, the villainess she thinks she killed, which also carries over into the next several issues.


> Captain America comic book info and issue index

Elektra

Excelsioring your collection:
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Holy smokes, Batman!
(The Boy Wonder)

Phil Gosier
Romeo Tanghal
George Roussos
Phil Gosier (Cover Penciler)
Danny Bulanadi (Cover Inker)


Characters

Listed in Alphabetical Order.

Black Widow
Black Widow

(Natasha Romanoff)
Captain America
Captain America

(Steven Rogers)
Diamondback
Diamondback

(Rachel Leighton)

Plus: Fabian Stankowicz, Sidewinder.