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Marvel Masterworks: Golden Age Captain America #1
Marvel Masterworks: Golden Age Captain America, Vol. 1
Continuing the celebration of its 65th anniversary, Marvel Comics is proud to re-present the earliest adventures of Captain America, Sentinel of Liberty! This monumental hardcover volume re-masters and restores the first four historic issues of Captain America from 1941. Return to the Golden Age of comics as Cap and Bucky come face to face with the Red Skull, the Ringmaster of Death, Nazi minions and more!
Collects Captain America Comics #1-4
Collects Captain America Comics #1-4
264 pages, Hardcover
First published March 8, 2012
57 people are currently reading
345 people want to read
About the author
Joe Simon
359 books25 followersJoseph Henry "Joe" Simon (born Hymie Simon) was an American comic book writer, artist, editor, and publisher. Simon created or co-created many important characters in the 1930s-1940s Golden Age of Comic Books and served as the first editor of Timely Comics, the company that would evolve into Marvel Comics.
With his partner, artist Jack Kirby, he co-created Captain America, one of comics' most enduring superheroes, and the team worked extensively on such features at DC Comics as the 1940s Sandman and Sandy the Golden Boy, and co-created the Newsboy Legion, the Boy Commandos, and Manhunter. Simon & Kirby creations for other comics publishers include Boys' Ranch, Fighting American and the Fly. In the late 1940s, the duo created the field of romance comics, and were among the earliest pioneers of horror comics. Simon, who went on to work in advertising and commercial art, also founded the satirical magazine Sick in 1960, remaining with it for a decade. He briefly returned to DC Comics in the 1970s.
Simon was inducted into the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame in 1999.
With his partner, artist Jack Kirby, he co-created Captain America, one of comics' most enduring superheroes, and the team worked extensively on such features at DC Comics as the 1940s Sandman and Sandy the Golden Boy, and co-created the Newsboy Legion, the Boy Commandos, and Manhunter. Simon & Kirby creations for other comics publishers include Boys' Ranch, Fighting American and the Fly. In the late 1940s, the duo created the field of romance comics, and were among the earliest pioneers of horror comics. Simon, who went on to work in advertising and commercial art, also founded the satirical magazine Sick in 1960, remaining with it for a decade. He briefly returned to DC Comics in the 1970s.
Simon was inducted into the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame in 1999.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
February 5, 2016
Things I've learned about Captain America and 1941:
1. $0.10 can get you a lot:
A) a comic of Captain America.
B) a real official badge and membership card to Captain America's Sentinels of Liberty.
C) a picture show to see Sando and Omar Predict the Future.
2. Villains always hide at the abandoned house on Peek street.
3. Don't kill the kid sidekick wait until the much stronger superhero shows up so you can get more points for a double kill.
4. You can always spot a Nazi when he's dressed in regular clothes because they just give off that kind of vibe.
5. Captain America and Bucky somehow know where crap is hitting the fan. They bust in to the right house and save the day. Of course though it's only after one person has been killed already.
6. If he has curly hair he is not a cop, I repeat not a cop.
7. Betty Ross really wants to thank Captain America. I'm starting to question why she wants to thank him so much.
8. Captain America and Bucky make the army seem pretty easy. You can come and go and no one asks you to do anything, well you might have to peel potatoes but don't worry you can come back to them in between fighting the bad guys.
9. Why is Bucky in the army? What skills does a 12 year have that make him important to the US army?
10. And FINALLY it's always okay to let the main villain go if you have to get back to camp even if no one noticed you were gone. I guess you have to get back to be yelled out about how horrible you are to the army since that's the only interaction I've read about.
1. $0.10 can get you a lot:
A) a comic of Captain America.
B) a real official badge and membership card to Captain America's Sentinels of Liberty.
C) a picture show to see Sando and Omar Predict the Future.
2. Villains always hide at the abandoned house on Peek street.
3. Don't kill the kid sidekick wait until the much stronger superhero shows up so you can get more points for a double kill.
4. You can always spot a Nazi when he's dressed in regular clothes because they just give off that kind of vibe.
5. Captain America and Bucky somehow know where crap is hitting the fan. They bust in to the right house and save the day. Of course though it's only after one person has been killed already.
6. If he has curly hair he is not a cop, I repeat not a cop.
7. Betty Ross really wants to thank Captain America. I'm starting to question why she wants to thank him so much.
8. Captain America and Bucky make the army seem pretty easy. You can come and go and no one asks you to do anything, well you might have to peel potatoes but don't worry you can come back to them in between fighting the bad guys.
9. Why is Bucky in the army? What skills does a 12 year have that make him important to the US army?
10. And FINALLY it's always okay to let the main villain go if you have to get back to camp even if no one noticed you were gone. I guess you have to get back to be yelled out about how horrible you are to the army since that's the only interaction I've read about.
May 25, 2023
The early 1941 exploits of Captain America as written by Joe Simon and drawn by Kirby and a host of others to help him out has our hero going up against the Red Skull and a lot of Nazi foes.
With both Steve Rogers and Bucky in the army most endings involved KP duty for the two since they were missing from camp out doing heroic acts.
The Riddle of the Red Skull from Captain America #1 March 1941 was among the best of the stories since it featured Cap's main foe.
With both Steve Rogers and Bucky in the army most endings involved KP duty for the two since they were missing from camp out doing heroic acts.
The Riddle of the Red Skull from Captain America #1 March 1941 was among the best of the stories since it featured Cap's main foe.
February 14, 2014
This volume collects the first four issues of Captain America. The real, original, first Captain America from 1941 by Simon and Kirby with some two-page prose "novelettes" by Stan Lee. This isn't the Cap you're used to... heck, it probably isn't even your father's Captain America, you may have to go back another generation or two. The stories are simple, implausible, and obviously kid-targeted, the art is rougher than you might expect, and the characters are either all good or all bad with no middle ground. It's closer in feel to newspaper comic strips than modern comic books ('scuse me; graphic novels), but once you get into the spirit of the book it's a wonderful thing. It's 1941 and Cap and Bucky are fighting the Nazis -before- the U.S. entered World War Two, Jack Kirby is directing a committee of un-credited artists, and for a single thin dime you got three Cap adventures, a prose story, and two other features, Tuk the Caveboy and Hurricaine, the son of Thor(!?). Steve Rogers, who smokes a pipe is every issue, somehow is able to slip away from Camp Lehigh to defeat spies and saboteurs whenever necessary, and in the first issue's stories his shield isn't round yet. Despite the differences, though, it's remarkable how some things are still the same; the costume, the optimism, the patriotism, the positive attitude and good humor, even The Red Skull. It's a great book for fans, nostalgia buffs, and historians. Hooray for the red, white, and blue.
October 5, 2017
Bought the Kindle version when it was VERY cheap (something like $1.50), and still feel a little ripped off.
When I was a kid, I was fascinated by the few golden age reprints available (e.g. The Great Comic Book Heroes) and thought there were vast quantities of great art and stories only available to millionaires. But underneath the cream, the milk is very skim indeed.
Red Skull: Joker :: Capt. America: Batman
If early Kirby art has anything going for it, it is the grotesqueness of his villains.
When I was a kid, I was fascinated by the few golden age reprints available (e.g. The Great Comic Book Heroes) and thought there were vast quantities of great art and stories only available to millionaires. But underneath the cream, the milk is very skim indeed.
Red Skull: Joker :: Capt. America: Batman
If early Kirby art has anything going for it, it is the grotesqueness of his villains.
May 6, 2021
If you are looking to read some Golden Age Captain America, then you have come to the right place. Marvel Masterworks: Golden Age Captain America, Vol. 1 collects issues #1-4 of the original 1941 run. It collects the issues in full, which include the ads, and additional stories, and have some additional writing by Roy Thomas and Joe Simon to begin and end the book which helps to give a little context to what you're reading. It is a great way to read Captain America almost exactly as it would have been read originally, and earn a deeper understanding of those original comics, and how they wanted Cap to be perceived by his readers. You can easily jump into this collection, even if you know nothing about the characters because this is their first iterations. The stories themselves show variety. When you think of Cap, especially the original Cap, you tend to think of Red Skull, Nazi's and HYDRA, but these stories show him fighting anyone from crazy doctors to mind readers, to monsters on a movie set. While the undertone of patriotism is inevitable, and completely, expected it is very interesting to see the different ways in which it manifests itself. Overall it is a well put together and cohesive collection and a must-read for any Cap and Bucky fans.
If you want to know more about this collection, and see more of my thoughts then do check out my Twitter thread.
If you want to know more about this collection, and see more of my thoughts then do check out my Twitter thread.
November 15, 2025
The stories get a bit repetitive in here but it starts off strong. I get more and more impressed with Kirby the more I read of his.
February 10, 2014
There is something charming about the simplicity of "Golden Age" comics. There was no question these were intended for children, with simple plots and an almost total disregard for character development. It's interesting to go back to a character like Captain America and see how he got his start versus how the character is written these days. Instead of an army captain in Europe Captain America is actually a stateside private who with his kid sidekick Bucky foils saboteurs and spies like the Red Skull and occasionally some other monsters too. Those who make allusions to the relationship between Batman and Robin would get a lot out of the fact that Steve Rogers and Bucky share a tent at an army camp.
It's fun to note too that back in 1941 for 10 cents you get 3 Captain America stories, plus a short story penned by Stan Lee, plus backup stories featuring Tuk the Caveboy and Hurricane the master of speed, neither of whom survived the Golden Age apparently. Nowadays you pay $4 and get 23 lousy pages!
That is all.
It's fun to note too that back in 1941 for 10 cents you get 3 Captain America stories, plus a short story penned by Stan Lee, plus backup stories featuring Tuk the Caveboy and Hurricane the master of speed, neither of whom survived the Golden Age apparently. Nowadays you pay $4 and get 23 lousy pages!
That is all.
May 9, 2019
It's easy to see why Captain America was such a hit for Timely Comics in 1941. Many previous action comics had portrayed Hitler and Nazi Germany under safe pseudonyms. Here was a brash, explosive book which socked Hitler on the jaw on the cover of the very first issue! Don't read these stories for characterization; unlike Bill Everett's concurrent Sub-Mariner stories, there was none. Do read it for Jack Kirby's masterful, ballet-like and violent action sequences, in which he literally wrote the book on fight scenes in superhero comic books for decades to come (and on into the future). I was surprised to see the crossover influence of the shudder pulp magazines (like Timely publisher Martin Goodman's Uncanny Tales and Uncanny Stories pulps), with lots of creepy monsters and dungeons featured. Issue No. 4's "Horror Hospital" is a good example, with a Peter Lorre-like mad scientist who keeps a one-eyed, hunchbacked patient on a leash.
My favorite story in the volume was the first appearance of Hurricane. It's all Kirby (script, pencils and inks). Hurricane's an intriguing character and Kirby uses scenes and characters - a masquerade party and Pluto, ruler of the underworld - that he'll revisit decades later in series like Machine Man and Thor. Hurricane is a great character in his own right, but in 1998 was retconned (by Editor-in-Chief Bob Harras?) as an identity of the Eternal Makkari. What a gyp! Marvel, after Kirby's death, merged two of his self-created characters into one out of a misguided attempt to interlock every tiny, dark corner of the Marvel Universe into a cohesive whole.
Captain America co-creator Joe Simon writes an afterward in the paperback edition in which he tells how he, Kirby and Martin Goodman visited the offices of John Goldwater to hash out Cap's visual similarity to MLJ Comic's The Shield. It turns out Goodman and Goldwater had a shared history; they had both worked at one time for magazine publisher Hugo Gernsback!
My favorite story in the volume was the first appearance of Hurricane. It's all Kirby (script, pencils and inks). Hurricane's an intriguing character and Kirby uses scenes and characters - a masquerade party and Pluto, ruler of the underworld - that he'll revisit decades later in series like Machine Man and Thor. Hurricane is a great character in his own right, but in 1998 was retconned (by Editor-in-Chief Bob Harras?) as an identity of the Eternal Makkari. What a gyp! Marvel, after Kirby's death, merged two of his self-created characters into one out of a misguided attempt to interlock every tiny, dark corner of the Marvel Universe into a cohesive whole.
Captain America co-creator Joe Simon writes an afterward in the paperback edition in which he tells how he, Kirby and Martin Goodman visited the offices of John Goldwater to hash out Cap's visual similarity to MLJ Comic's The Shield. It turns out Goodman and Goldwater had a shared history; they had both worked at one time for magazine publisher Hugo Gernsback!
December 19, 2019
Remember when Captain America smoked, dressed in women's clothes, and was a shitty, potato-peeling private in the army? Pepperidge Farm remembers.
Yeah, these comics are pretty terrible. Red Skull is a douche bag in a rubber mask, a child is in the Army for some reason (and is the constant and only companion, or "boy pal", to a grown ass man), and all of life's problems are solved with a sock to the jaw. Bonus points for having the tired trope of Steve's love interest always moaning about "if only you were more like that handsome and brave Captain America". Silver age Thor and golden age Superman feel your pain, buddy.
If you are interested in the history of Cap, read a couple of these and move on.
Yeah, these comics are pretty terrible. Red Skull is a douche bag in a rubber mask, a child is in the Army for some reason (and is the constant and only companion, or "boy pal", to a grown ass man), and all of life's problems are solved with a sock to the jaw. Bonus points for having the tired trope of Steve's love interest always moaning about "if only you were more like that handsome and brave Captain America". Silver age Thor and golden age Superman feel your pain, buddy.
If you are interested in the history of Cap, read a couple of these and move on.
February 11, 2018
This was actually a lot of fun. This collects the first four issues of Captain America, from when it was originally published during World War II by Timely comics (a Marvel comics precursor). Of course, being written in 1941 at a time when America was actively at war with Germany and Japan, there is a lot of casual racism here, and more than a little casual sexism, as well. If you are prepared for that, though, there are some fun stories here, including a bunch of backup stories that really don't have a lot to do with Captain America, but do have some interesting nuggets that will later develop into major things at Marvel (I had no idea Attilan was so old, for one). A lot of things about Captain America were changed in later tellings, but it is interesting to see this version that is primarily stateside and has his identity a secret. This is an interesting look at comics history, but the stories are pretty interesting in their own right, as well.
December 13, 2015
Kindle version is lacking
This was the first Marvel Masterworks edition that I've purchased for the Kindle Fire, and while the art reproduction is up to snuff, it's a very staid book; if you don't have a Fire or a touchscreen device, you will be kind of screwed for seeing the detail of the artwork.
The Kindle version is also missing the book's introduction and any creators credits, which is an unforgivable omission to any golden age fan or comic historian.
I think I will stick to the print version of these books in the future.
This was the first Marvel Masterworks edition that I've purchased for the Kindle Fire, and while the art reproduction is up to snuff, it's a very staid book; if you don't have a Fire or a touchscreen device, you will be kind of screwed for seeing the detail of the artwork.
The Kindle version is also missing the book's introduction and any creators credits, which is an unforgivable omission to any golden age fan or comic historian.
I think I will stick to the print version of these books in the future.
July 2, 2017
Golden age indeed as a lifetime supply of yellow was used in these early comics.
Set in the early days of World War 2, the U.S. hasn't yet joined the fight but fear the country is simply riddled with spies. Thus Captain America was created to protect our shores from ugly men vith tick German aksents, jawohl! Joining the Captain in his fight against the Fifth Column is Child Endangerment Poster Boy a.k.a. Bucky.
When he's not the Captain, our hero is Private Steve Rogers. He must keep his hero identity a secret although I don't know why as there were all sorts of government officials present when Steve was injected with the secret serum. Bucky is still called Bucky, which may explain why the bad guys know who to kidnap. It doesn't explain why the same bad guys don't consider the big guy who is always hanging out with this boy could possibly be Captain America.
I had a laugh at one point when our heroes have to travel incognito and Bucky whines about his little lord Fauntleroy disguise making him look like a 'sissy'. Have you seen your outfit, Bucky?
Besides Captain America comics, we also get a couple of other stories in here. One is about Hurricane, the son of Thor. Did you know Thor had a son? I didn't know Thor had a son. Does Thor know he has a son? The other story is about Tuk the Caveboy and his stone age adventures along the way to the fabled city of Attilan. (Regular comic book readers may recognize the city as the place where the Inhumans call home.)
It was fun to see the kind of stories our grandparents/great grandparents/distant ancestors were reading back when they were young and sending off a dime to get a real metal Sentinel of Liberty badge.
Set in the early days of World War 2, the U.S. hasn't yet joined the fight but fear the country is simply riddled with spies. Thus Captain America was created to protect our shores from ugly men vith tick German aksents, jawohl! Joining the Captain in his fight against the Fifth Column is Child Endangerment Poster Boy a.k.a. Bucky.
When he's not the Captain, our hero is Private Steve Rogers. He must keep his hero identity a secret although I don't know why as there were all sorts of government officials present when Steve was injected with the secret serum. Bucky is still called Bucky, which may explain why the bad guys know who to kidnap. It doesn't explain why the same bad guys don't consider the big guy who is always hanging out with this boy could possibly be Captain America.
I had a laugh at one point when our heroes have to travel incognito and Bucky whines about his little lord Fauntleroy disguise making him look like a 'sissy'. Have you seen your outfit, Bucky?
Besides Captain America comics, we also get a couple of other stories in here. One is about Hurricane, the son of Thor. Did you know Thor had a son? I didn't know Thor had a son. Does Thor know he has a son? The other story is about Tuk the Caveboy and his stone age adventures along the way to the fabled city of Attilan. (Regular comic book readers may recognize the city as the place where the Inhumans call home.)
It was fun to see the kind of stories our grandparents/great grandparents/distant ancestors were reading back when they were young and sending off a dime to get a real metal Sentinel of Liberty badge.
March 7, 2021
For what it is: 1940s USA WWII propaganda for kids disguised as a superhero its actually much better than you'd expect. Yes the dialog is fairly cheesy but all cartoons and comics from that Era were. The story's move at a lightning fast pace and you see Captain America battle a lot of foes including Red Skull. Cap and Bucky are very similar to batman and Robin and ages in their dynamic here but it's goofy light hearted fun. The cover for Captain America #1 captures the tone, energy and villains for this entire volume. Goofy fun with captain America doing the impossible and beating up tons of Nazis.
February 16, 2022
Continuing my read through of all the Marvel Masterworks Volume 1s for the original line up of the Avengers. Including Cap.
This was a good, if a bit bland, intro to Cap in the Golden Age. Steve Rogers loves smoking that pipe! The separation of Cap and Steve as identities is interesting. And the girl is Betty Ross! I guess they just repurposed that name for Hulk in the 60s. You get to see Cap throw the shield for the first time here, but it’s not a regular occurrence and only happens once or twice.
Looking forward to the Silver Age Cap stories when he’s revived by Marvel for the Avengers after being frozen in ice.
This was a good, if a bit bland, intro to Cap in the Golden Age. Steve Rogers loves smoking that pipe! The separation of Cap and Steve as identities is interesting. And the girl is Betty Ross! I guess they just repurposed that name for Hulk in the 60s. You get to see Cap throw the shield for the first time here, but it’s not a regular occurrence and only happens once or twice.
Looking forward to the Silver Age Cap stories when he’s revived by Marvel for the Avengers after being frozen in ice.
June 11, 2024
"Quaint" would probably be how I'd describe it. It has that silly if you analyze boy's adventure story as well as some the campy sensational horror of precode horror. The body count was fairly impressive though.
Secret Nazis are everywhere and they know the identities of the superheroes but no one else does. Characters do things that only make sense if they're doing it for the sake of the reader and they know it. Probably the most interesting aspect is the introduction by Roy Thomas who discusses the significance of Captain America a year before America entered WWII as well as some details of his creation and his round shield.
Secret Nazis are everywhere and they know the identities of the superheroes but no one else does. Characters do things that only make sense if they're doing it for the sake of the reader and they know it. Probably the most interesting aspect is the introduction by Roy Thomas who discusses the significance of Captain America a year before America entered WWII as well as some details of his creation and his round shield.
August 12, 2019
I was interested in reading this since the Atop the Fourth Wall episode about the first appearance of Captain America. But this was a bit disappointing since the overall collection isn't very good.
The stories are good, but they meander so much that it becomes tiresome to read. There's two back up features featuring forgettable heroes who's only lasting contributions are connections to the larger Marvel Universe (Tuk the Caveboy lives in the ancient version of the Inhumans' kingdom of Atillan and Zephyr is one of the forms of Makkari, one of the Eternals).
The stories are good, but they meander so much that it becomes tiresome to read. There's two back up features featuring forgettable heroes who's only lasting contributions are connections to the larger Marvel Universe (Tuk the Caveboy lives in the ancient version of the Inhumans' kingdom of Atillan and Zephyr is one of the forms of Makkari, one of the Eternals).
July 23, 2021
This was a good deal of fun. I've always had a bit of a softspot for the Golden Age of comics, but had never picked up any of the original Captain America from that era. As to be expected, the storytelling is hardly as sophisticated as we are used to today - despite that, there is a very real charm to the stories included in this collection. Also, though Kirby is still growing as an artist during this period, one cannot help but admire the grotesques he creates as the villains. Definitely a fun and enjoyable read.
February 8, 2022
I think between a 3 and a 4 for me - not quite as good as the Silver Age one for me - possibly brought down by Tuk and the Hurricane, which I didn't enjoy so much. For Captain America, lots of good action, good humour in there at times, though no real reflection as there is in the Silver Age one. Is interesting reading though given this was written before America entered WW2, but the comics certainly took a side. Enjoyable read, but likely to return to Silver Age more than worry about continuing this run of Captain America.
October 1, 2018
A Jack Kirby extravaganza from ww 2
Funny to see all old fashioned ways of thinking. All the villains look sub human ,a real propaganda effort. The original red skull shows up and he's just a guy in a mask. Cap kills the red skull but he's so popular they bring him back. The filler stories about tuk the barbarian and hurricane the son of thor are interesting as well.
Funny to see all old fashioned ways of thinking. All the villains look sub human ,a real propaganda effort. The original red skull shows up and he's just a guy in a mask. Cap kills the red skull but he's so popular they bring him back. The filler stories about tuk the barbarian and hurricane the son of thor are interesting as well.
February 10, 2018
An interesting look back at the early Captain America. Unfortunately they descend quickly into sillyness and the racial stereotypes of the time, also Kirby and Simon's artwork is not going to be quite up to the high standard we would see later. More interesting for historical purposes.
May 2, 2021
CW: explicit on-panel death by hanging, linking of mental/physical disability and poverty to villainy.
This is where expectations created by the modern version of the character make enjoyment of the original work exteremely difficult. Read it for the camp, but not much else. Art is hit or miss.
This is where expectations created by the modern version of the character make enjoyment of the original work exteremely difficult. Read it for the camp, but not much else. Art is hit or miss.
March 1, 2022
Collection of original Captain America from 1940 in order, starting at the beginning.
January 3, 2024
About as vapid as any comic is from this era. I do always appreciate the introductions by writers and artists in these Marvel Masterworks though, which for some reason have been removed from the recently published versions of these collected works. The introduction here may have indeed been the most interesting part of this book for me in how Joe Simon relates the birth of Captain America to the threat of the third Reich and how his entrance predates Pearl Harbor and America's entrance into World War II. Another point of interest that surprised me and is worth noting is that a short story in prose is included in each issue of these early Captain America comics.
April 27, 2025
Whatever you expect to read, well, lower your expectations. It was made in the 40s.
October 24, 2023
Once...twice...three times a collection. I think that Lionel Richie sang that one but I could be mistaken. Anywho, I bought the old Captain America: The Classic Years Vols. 1 and 2 trade paperbacks a decade ago. While they collected the Captain America stories they did not include the back-up strips and the restoration left a lot to be desired. Then came Marvel Masterworks: Golden Age Captain America Vol. 1 in hardcover, which I bought and read in 2006. Then this softcover came out, boasting state-of-the-art restoration above and beyond the as-not-yet-perfected restoration found in the earliest Golden Age Masterworks. There is a Golden Age Captain America Omnibus which also boasts this new restoration job but Vols. 2 and 3 of the Masterworks are fine, so I will keep this book and my original hardcovers of those and pass on that...especially since Marvel uses thinner paper in their newer Omniboo which is not to my liking.
It is important to note that these comics were released from late 1940 through the spring of 1941, well before the United States entered the second World War. It's interesting to see how gung-ho Captain America was to battle Nazis before they were “officially” the enemy. Simon & Kirby's original Captain America is great. The back-up strips are Hurricane, a Flash rip-off of sorts and Tuk, Caveboy, one of an endless array of Tarzan rip-offs. Originality wasn't always high on the list of priorities back then. The more things change...
This book is essential to anyone interested in the history of the character, the history of Marvel Comics, or of the medium in general. It's an entertaining, quaint snapshot of this bygone era. I really like these softcover Masterworks, as they are slightly wider than a standard trade paperback and lay flat in one hand like a big fat periodical, which is wonderful.
It is important to note that these comics were released from late 1940 through the spring of 1941, well before the United States entered the second World War. It's interesting to see how gung-ho Captain America was to battle Nazis before they were “officially” the enemy. Simon & Kirby's original Captain America is great. The back-up strips are Hurricane, a Flash rip-off of sorts and Tuk, Caveboy, one of an endless array of Tarzan rip-offs. Originality wasn't always high on the list of priorities back then. The more things change...
This book is essential to anyone interested in the history of the character, the history of Marvel Comics, or of the medium in general. It's an entertaining, quaint snapshot of this bygone era. I really like these softcover Masterworks, as they are slightly wider than a standard trade paperback and lay flat in one hand like a big fat periodical, which is wonderful.
May 12, 2016
This was pretty fun and I feel like these issues mostly hold up well. Captain America #1 has a bit of a shaky start, since it has to introduce a bunch of characters and concepts fairly quickly, (and also has some problems with flow and panel placement) but once we've established who Cap and Bucky are, they're allowed to get on with one Nazi punching adventure after another. Some of them are fairly mundane, involving counterfeiters disguised as ghosts or fake beggars raising funds for Hitler. Some of them have ridiculous superscience or functionally magic comic book nonsense, which is lampshaded by Cap on occasion. I actually really liked the story about a mad doctor doing weird experiments, because it feels like a reference to the actual horrors of Nazi "doctors" as well as riffing on Frankenstein. Plus, while it takes until the second issue for Cap to actually go head to head with Hitler, the story is well worth the wait. The Red Skull is a bit weirder and a bit disappointing compared to his film incarnation, but I have to wonder how he develops over the course of later issues. There is a rather awkwardly racist story about "Oriental" giants, and I think that only gets worse when the US declared war on Japan. I will say that I liked the concept of Betty Ross, even if the execution is a bit lacking. She's sort of a proto-Peggy Carter, except she mostly exists to be rescued rather than actually defeating villains. Also, it's amazing to me that nobody figures out that Steve Rogers and Captain America are the same, considering they both hang out with a kid named Bucky. All in all, this was even more fun than expected, and I can certainly see why Captain America comics flew off the newstands in the 40s.
The backup stories are okay, more or less. Hurricane is sort of a proto-Thor. He's Thor's child and yet confusingly fights Pluto, here depicted as a Satantic figure, one of my least favorite tropes ever. The stories are okay Golden Age supers fare, but really nothing that excited me too much. Tuk the Caveboy is sort of a swords and sorcery comic that I actually kinda enjoyed, with the problem that it doesn't have much room to grow as a backup issue. Plus, I looked it up, and it got cancelled after Captain America #5, so there's no real reason to be invested in it. Still, it was cool that this collection includes all the stories from Cap's debut comic series.
The backup stories are okay, more or less. Hurricane is sort of a proto-Thor. He's Thor's child and yet confusingly fights Pluto, here depicted as a Satantic figure, one of my least favorite tropes ever. The stories are okay Golden Age supers fare, but really nothing that excited me too much. Tuk the Caveboy is sort of a swords and sorcery comic that I actually kinda enjoyed, with the problem that it doesn't have much room to grow as a backup issue. Plus, I looked it up, and it got cancelled after Captain America #5, so there's no real reason to be invested in it. Still, it was cool that this collection includes all the stories from Cap's debut comic series.
March 20, 2016
I'd call it "good old fashioned comics" but "good" doesn't really apply, and "old-fashioned" is rather a given. This Masterworks gives you the first appearances of Captain America and Bucky in the first four issues of Captain America Comics. Unlike the DC Archives books, this gives you nearly everything from the original comics (they seem to have skipped all but the in-house advertisements) in decently restored form -- warts and all, given that there's a few lettering mistakes and a few art mistakes (at one point in the second issue Cap's shield is suddenly triangular again for a panel.)
Produced at a feverish pace by write Joe Simon and artist Jack Kirby (who was supposed to only draw one story per issue, but swore up and down that he could do all of the Cap stories without breaking a sweat -- and did) the stories are simple, rather childish, screamingly inaccurate in their depictions (just look at the uniform "Private" Rogers sports for everything!) and rather goofily fun. For good measure, you also get the two-page text stories (written by Stan Lee in issues 3 and 4), and the Tuk The Caveboy and Hurricane (Son of Thor!) backup features -- the Hurricane stories are actually rather fun, in a silly exploitation movie way; Tuk, on the other hand, is serious of tone, which fits the kind of adventure that it is, but doesn't help at all with the white upon white characters of these supposed late Cro-Magnon era characters wandering somewhere in ancient Asia. It was a different time, indeed.
Produced at a feverish pace by write Joe Simon and artist Jack Kirby (who was supposed to only draw one story per issue, but swore up and down that he could do all of the Cap stories without breaking a sweat -- and did) the stories are simple, rather childish, screamingly inaccurate in their depictions (just look at the uniform "Private" Rogers sports for everything!) and rather goofily fun. For good measure, you also get the two-page text stories (written by Stan Lee in issues 3 and 4), and the Tuk The Caveboy and Hurricane (Son of Thor!) backup features -- the Hurricane stories are actually rather fun, in a silly exploitation movie way; Tuk, on the other hand, is serious of tone, which fits the kind of adventure that it is, but doesn't help at all with the white upon white characters of these supposed late Cro-Magnon era characters wandering somewhere in ancient Asia. It was a different time, indeed.
July 9, 2015
I love getting a glimpse into these golden age comics. It occurs to me that Steve Rogers is the worst soldier ever, but nobody seems to notice that he's awful until he comes back to camp from one of his Captain America adventures. And nobody notices that the same two soldiers always leave camp at the same time that two superheroes are saving folks. Ok, ok suspension of belief I guess.
There's a lovely super misogynistic edition of "The Hurricane" in this collection in which a lady scientist (what?! Ladies can't science!) gets captured. During this time, her hair gets unleashed from its uptight bun and she loses her glasses. Her male coworker notices "You're a woman! You're an attractive woman!" Subtle.
I'm so glad to get the chance to read this collection, but woof.
There's a lovely super misogynistic edition of "The Hurricane" in this collection in which a lady scientist (what?! Ladies can't science!) gets captured. During this time, her hair gets unleashed from its uptight bun and she loses her glasses. Her male coworker notices "You're a woman! You're an attractive woman!" Subtle.
I'm so glad to get the chance to read this collection, but woof.
March 28, 2014
Maybe 3 stars is a little harsh. This is comics history and you read it as such, but the reality is that Captain America was very simplistic, cartoon, US WWII propaganda.
What had made him endure are the seeds of some very interesting ideas which have grown and taken him far beyond just that.
So it's an average score because as you'd expect, the stories and art don't hold up for the modern reader, but it does make for fascinating reading, particularly some of the stories surrounding his creation.
What had made him endure are the seeds of some very interesting ideas which have grown and taken him far beyond just that.
So it's an average score because as you'd expect, the stories and art don't hold up for the modern reader, but it does make for fascinating reading, particularly some of the stories surrounding his creation.
May 7, 2015
Captain America #1-4, March through June 1941, complete including a two-page text story and shorts featuring Tuk the Cave Boy and Hurricane Son of Thor in each issue. A fascinating look back at popular culture and pre-war propaganda. The stories feature Cap and Bucky versus a typical assortment of bad guys -- couterfeiters, fake beggars, mad scientists and the like, as well as the Red Skull -- but they are all Nazis and speak with very bad accents.
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