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Captain America #14

Feb 1999

Mark Waid, Andy Kubert

Story Name:

The Red Skull in: Turnabout

Synopsis

Captain America #14 synopsis by Peter Silvestro

Rating:

The Red Skull finds himself in a conquered Germany where he bitterly fumes against the democracy that the Americans have brought, resulting in an influx of inferior (to him) races and nationalities. He sleeps in a dumpster while doing menial work at a hotel for people he hates. He meets a girl named Eve but soon realizes she and her family are also hated foreigners, polluting Germany with the ideals of racial harmony. He determines to destroy democracy at its root: he goes to work at the hotel and enters Captain America's suite. Cap uses him as an example of how anyone, even a lowly staffer, can embrace democracy and believe in the goodness of all men. The Skull takes out a pistol and guns down Captain America....

Kang the Conqueror encounters the Red Skull; he had come to release the Skull from bondage to the Cosmic Cube but discovers the Skull has effected his own release. And Kang wonders if he has unleashed the greatest evil the world has ever known....

Review / Commentaries

Captain America #14 Review by Peter Silvestro (November 25, 2017)

Comments: The entire issue (except for the epilogue with Kang) takes place within the Red Skull's mind where the Cosmic Cube had trapped him in the climax of CAP Vol. 1 #448. Oh and Kang is revealed to be Korvac in issue #17. Though Mark Waid had written the script for this issue, Ralph Macchio rewrote the story at the request of Editor in Chief Bob Harras; Waid asked that his name be removed from the issue thus no writer is credited, though his name appears on the cover. An account of the controversy can be found at CBR: http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2007/01/18/comic-book-urban-legends-revealed-86/

Review: Unusual issue tries to get us into the head of the Red Skull and succeeds—though I'm still wondering if that was a place I wanted to go. Looks like Waid's original was sharper than this final product (see Comments for explanation) but the message still gets across. The Red Skull is so steeped in his master race outlook that he sees everyone as his enemy, being surrounded by inferiors, mongrels, and barbarians, and it's the fault of democracy and its avatar Captain America. Skull's attack on Cap is done to mimic his first meeting with Hitler. The artwork gives it a very distinct look, being a series of (mostly) full page panels, done in gray-scale with the Red Skull's head providing the only color—until the page where Cap is shot; then his uniform takes on the familiar red, white, and blue. (Kang's epilogue is in full color.) Nice attempt to do something a bit different and it succeeds better than the Skull-centric ANNUAL #13.

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Main/1st Story Full Credits

Mark Waid

Andy Kubert

Jesse Delperdang

Chris Sotomayor

Andy Kubert (Cover Penciler)
Jesse Delperdang (Cover Inker)
Unknown (Cover Colorist)

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Captain America
(Steven Rogers)

Kang
(Nathaniel Richards)

Red Skull
(Johann Shmidt)

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Captain America #14

The Red Skull in: Turnabout

Synopsis

Review / Commentaries

Main/1st Story Full Credits