Captain America: Heroes Return - The Complete Collection, Vol. 1

Captain America: Heroes Return - The Complete Collection

by Mark Waid

Captain America is back from the world of Heroes Reborn, ready to serve as the Sentinel of Liberty once again. And the world is happy to have him back! But as his popularity rises and a wave of "Capmania" reaches a dangerous fever pitch, is something sinister going on behind the scenes? Meanwhile, when Cap's shield is lost at the bottom of the ocean, he must adjust to life without his signature weapon. And he'd better do it fast because Hydra is rising - with a bizarre new leader. And the lord of the dream dimension is plotting to turn Cap's life into an American nightmare! Plus: Cap teams up with Iron Man to take on M.O.D.O.K. and crosses paths with the new Citizen V!

COLLECTING: CAPTAIN AMERICA (1998) 1-12, IRON MAN/CAPTAIN AMERICA ANNUAL '98, CAPTAIN AMERICA/CITIZEN V ANNUAL '98

Genres: Marvel, Comics, Fiction, Graphic Novels

416 pages, Paperback

Published February 16, 2021

About the author

Mark Waid is an American comic book writer widely known for shaping modern superhero storytelling through influential runs on major characters at both DC Comics and Marvel Comics. Raised in Alabama, he developed an early fascination with comic books, particularly classic stories featuring the Legion of Super-Heroes, whose imaginative scope and sense of legacy would later inform his own writing. He first entered the comics industry during the mid 1980s as an editor and writer for the fan magazine Amazing Heroes, before publishing his first professional comic story in Action Comics. Soon afterward he joined DC Comics as an editor, contributing to numerous titles and helping shape projects across the company. After leaving editorial work to focus on writing, Waid gained widespread recognition with his long run on The Flash, where he expanded the mythology of the character and co-created the youthful speedster Impulse. His reputation grew further with the celebrated graphic novel Kingdom Come, created with artist Alex Ross, which imagined a future DC Universe shaped by generational conflict among superheroes. Over the years he has written many prominent series, including Captain America, Fantastic Four, Daredevil, and Superman: Birthright, bringing a balance of optimism, character depth, and respect for comic book history to each project. Waid has also collaborated with notable artists and writers on major ensemble titles such as Justice League and Avengers, while contributing ideas that helped clarify complex continuity within shared superhero universes. Beyond mainstream superhero work, he has supported creator owned projects and experimental publishing models, including the acclaimed series Irredeemable and Incorruptible, which explored moral ambiguity within the superhero genre. He later took on editorial leadership roles at Boom Studios, guiding creative direction while continuing to write extensively. In subsequent years he expanded his involvement in publishing and digital storytelling, helping launch online comics initiatives and advocating for new distribution methods for creators. His work has earned numerous industry awards, including Eisner and Harvey honors, reflecting both critical acclaim and enduring popularity among readers. Throughout his career Waid has remained a passionate student of comic book history, drawing on decades of storytelling tradition while continually encouraging innovation within the medium. His influence extends across generations of readers and creators, and his stories continue to shape the evolving language of superhero comics around the world today through enduring characters imaginative narratives and thoughtful reinventions of familiar myths within popular culture and modern graphic storytelling traditions.

Reviews

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

Captain America returns from his one-year Banishment to Heroes Reborn and the dungeons of Rob Liefeld's inability to draw him properly.



His popularity has now reached new heights, months after being thought dead while sacrificing his life to stop Onslaught. In his return he battles Hydra, skrulls, Nightmare, MODOK and Baron Zemo. He loses his shield early on but strangely Waid doesn't make a big deal of it after the initial loss. Ron Garney, Dale Eaglesham, and Andy Kubert make the book look really good. I particularly like Kubert's work on the latter issues.

[James DeSantis · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun collection with standard Cap adventures. The first half is about Skrulls, which is kind of okay. Not my favorite part of the collection even if I like Cap. I did enjoy the second half, the Nightmare section though. Fun and goofy with heart. A 3 out of 5 for the entire collection.

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was afraid that this was going to be bad, but the cameos made this an interesting enough read.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is some really good Captain America material! Mark Waid clearly knows what makes the character tick and writes scenarios that make Cap shine. There's nothing below average included in this collection, in fact most of it is good to great, with the Skrull and Nightmare story arcs being of particular note.

The artwork is some of the best Marvel had to offer in the late '90s, with Ron Garney and Andy Kubert firing on all cylinders. Kubert's work on the Nightmare issues is simply beautiful, as he draws some genuinely dynamic action scenes and his rendition of Nightmare is cool as hell. Hell, even the color work stands out and makes every thing pop, which is surprising to see in a Marvel release from this era, and with Todd Klein on letters, the overall book exudes a high-quality, classic feel.

It really seems like this series is when Captain America started to go through his renaissance after many years of not being as popular or compelling as he once was, and I'm really looking forward to seeing what else this creative team has in store.

[Derek · Rating 4 out of 5]

In an era where Captain America was rather taken for granted, writer Mark Waid and penciler Ron Garney (and, later, Andy Kubert) worked hard to protect the shield and keep the flag raised. There's some great stuff to be found here -- classic Cap.

[Shannon McShortall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Probably the ideal Captain America story, definitely my favourite I’ve read. Given the state of American politics, this should’ve been essential reading for the voting populace.

As per usual, Mark Waid is a bright light shining through dark times. In an era of comics getting edgy and gritty, the person doing a Captain America title has a big responsibility on their hands, and you can see that internal battle play out in the pages of this book.

Great political satire and allegory works on two levels, but this is bordering on sci-fi in how it predicts the direction of the future of not only Captain America comics, but the American political landscape. Parts of this nuanced breakdown of the American ideal are relevant and almost play-by-play events of even just 2 days ago, and this was written over 20 years ago. Waid predicts the dark direction of Brubaker’s excellent Cap run with scary accuracy, even one line that I would not be shocked to discover directly inspired a certain part of the Civil War storyline. But on top of this, Waid tackles false actors, idolatry, the vagueness of the American Dream, concerns of surveillance, Cold War paranoia, commercialisation, bigotry and legacy, while even making nods to corrupt parts of the American experience, including conservative panics and the electoral college.

Waid understands Cap and is so loving towards his history and his thoughts.

It’s a truly brilliant read and just feels like one idea explored in every way it can be. Once a country loses its mask and its shield, what is left behind?

[Dean · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ups and downs but enjoyable.

[Adriano Marinho · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a solid book and Capmania still stands out almost 25 years after its release