Marvel Masterworks: Captain America, Vol. 13

Marvel Masterworks: Captain America #13

by Roger McKenzie

The Falcon has bid Cap adieu, and now the Star-Spangled Avenger must go it alone against the hate group called the National Force! But what is Sharon Carter doing among their ranks, and who's really pulling the strings of this movement? Captain America will have to go through the Grand Director to get the shocking answers! It's all-out action with Daredevil guest-starring as the story races to its thrilling climax! Then, Cap finds himself in the middle of gang wars that put his methods at odds with the brutal Punisher! And when the Sentinel of Liberty meets the grotesque monster called Adonis, well, it ain't gonna be pretty! Plus: A Falcon solo tale - and the return of 'Just a Guy Named Joe!' from AMAZING SPIDER-MAN! Collecting CAPTAIN AMERICA (1968) #231-246 and MARVEL PREMIERE #49. Rated T

Genres: Comics, Comic Book, Marvel

328 pages, Hardcover

Published July 14, 2021

About the author

Roger McKenzie was an American comic book writer best known for his work on Daredevil with Frank Miller. McKenzie has also written for a variety of independent comics publishers, such as Pacific Comics, Comico Comics, Sirius Comics, Pied Piper Comics, and Eclipse Comics.

Reviews

[Brent · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyably average run of issues with a nice variety of stories.

[Nicolas · Rating 3 out of 5]

What an odd assortment of issues. Cap feels very transient without a homebase or clear goal. Still some good action though.

[Jimbo · Rating 3 out of 5]

A blend of. one and two off stories with mobsters and villains that I am not sure show up often or ever again in Marvel comics, at least I don't remember them. Many of the stories involved Nazis. Also, I really don't recall Steve Roger's moving to Brooklyn and doing graphic design.
Interesting stories and writing that were not so superhero, but life happening, and Captain America was there by chance.

[Ross Kitson · Rating 3 out of 5]

A mixed bag of Cap stories driven along by a constantly changing set of writers and artists . Most are okay, and I think the background arc of Steve’s change in home circumstances is actually the redeeming glue here. The set up in the Brooklyn apartment, with Steve as an artist, and new supporting characters was great (and paralleled Iron Man’s similar reset in the late 70s with Michelinie and JRJ, Layton). The superhero stories were rather fascist rich, starting with neo-Nazis with mind washed recruits, then some Dr Faustus fun. Seeming tragedy pushes Steve away from Avengers and into Brooklyn and then we get a lot of one or two parters: a SHIELD mission to rescue a strong psychic in a mountain fortress; a scrap with gangsters at Coney Island; a weird two faced villain called the Manipulator; and the Punisher vs more gangsters.

The last four show more promise and I’m perhaps biased as I recall these from the time: Adonis, a grisly two parter; the Calypso Connection, which draws in Nazi Hunters to Steve’s friend; and a Guy Named Joe, who I vaguely recall from Spider-Man’s latter Ditko era. Oddly, despite overly rapid resolutions typically framed by two panel moralising, both really stood out for me.

There’s been both better and worse runs of Cap. The incoming run I recall being a good one.