Marvel: Captain America

Marvel Heroes

by Roy Thomas (Editor), Stan Lee (Contributor), Jack Kirby (Contributor)

Celebrate the 80th anniversary of the first Avenger with Captain America, an exclusive Folio edition collecting classic Captain America stories by comic book legends including Stan Lee, Jack Kirby and Jim Steranko.

Commence an exclusive journey with Folio and Marvel Comics, celebrating the 80th anniversary of a truly flagship Super Hero. The first in a new series, Captain America collects ten star-spangled tales in one spectacular hardback edition. This ultimate comic-book chronicle of the Sentinel of Liberty also features a replica issue of 1941’s Captain America Comics #1. Former Marvel Editor-in-Chief Roy Thomas selects key stories from Cap’s 80-year career – from wartime battles with the Red Skull to his Reagan-era resignation – presenting the ultimate portrait of Marvel’s shield-slinging Super Hero. Award-winning Marvel illustrator Michael Cho provides inspiring cover art of Cap himself in glorious red, white and blue, as well as a sapphire slipcase design stamped with the Super Hero’s iconic shield emblem. With an authoritative introduction by Thomas, Captain America offers an unrivalled view of one of the most enduring characters in American comic books.

A PERFECT REPLICA ISSUE OF CAPTAIN AMERICA COMICS #1
Few embody the spirit of wartime Super Heroes quite like Captain America. Conceived by Jewish creators Jack Kirby and Joe Simon, the character famously punched out Hitler on the cover of Captain America Comics #1 months before America officially entered the Second World War. This iconic piece of comic book history has been reproduced in its entirety as a meticulous replica issue and is included with this edition. Every page has been painstakingly scanned from an authentic copy, including all original promos and vintage ads. The ten milestone tales collected within the hardback book itself have been carefully curated by Stan Lee’s editorial successor Roy Thomas. They showcase the galaxy of comic book talent – from writers Lee and Ed Brubaker to artists Frank Miller and Gene Colan – who chronicled Cap’s adventures throughout the modern era.

UNCOVER EIGHTY YEARS OF ADVENTURE
As Roy Thomas explains in his expert introduction, these stories reveal the evolution of one of Marvel’s longest-running characters – a weakling army recruit turned All-American Super Hero by way of Dr. Erskine’s Super-Soldier serum. You’ll discover Cap’s exuberant early battles against the nefarious Red Skull and others, aided by his faithful ally and future "Winter Soldier" Bucky Barnes. The war hero finds himself a man out of time during assignment to the Avengers in 1964, and faces even greater uncertainty in tales from the Watergate era and beyond. This collection also includes the fan-favorite 1976 story 'Screamer in the Brain!', written and drawn by Jack Kirby himself following his return to Marvel. Marvel: Captain America is the ultimate account of an American icon.

CONTENTS
"Red Skull’s Deadly Revenge!" – Captain America #16 (July 1942)

"The Hour of Doom"– Captain America #78 (September 1954)

"Captain America Joins . . . The Avengers!" – The Avengers #4 (March 1964)

"The Cosmic Cube" – Tales Of Suspense #79–81 (July–September 1966)

"No Longer Alone!" – Captain America #110 (February 1969)

"Two into One Won’t Go!" – Captain America #156 (December 1972)

"Screamer in the Brain!" – Captain America #193 (January 1976)

"The Living Legend" – Captain America #255 (March 1981)

"The Choice" – Captain America #332 (August 1987)

"Red, White and Blue-Blood" – Captain America #601 (September 2009)

PRODUCTION DETAILS
Bound in blocked cloth and paper printed with a design by Michael Cho
Prelims set in Miller with Benton Sans display
288 pages printed in 4-colour throughout
Endpapers printed with a design by Michael Cho
Cloth slipcase blocked with a design by Michael Cho
10½" x 7"
Scale replica comic 
64 pages with 4-page cover 
9½" x 7" 

Genres: Comics

352 pages, Hardcover

First published March 15, 2021

About the author

Roy Thomas was the FIRST Editor-in-Chief at Marvel--After Stan Lee stepped down from the position. Roy is a longtime comic book writer and editor. Thomas has written comics for Archie, Charlton, DC, Heroic Publishing, Marvel, and Topps over the years. Thomas currently edits the fanzine Alter Ego for Twomorrow's Publishing. He was Editor for Marvel comics from 1972-1974. He wrote for several titles at Marvel, such as Avengers, Thor, Invaders, Fantastic Four, X-Men, and notably Conan the Barbarian. Thomas is also known for his championing of Golden Age comic-book heroes — particularly the 1940s superhero team the Justice Society of America — and for lengthy writing stints on Marvel's X-Men and Avengers, and DC Comics' All-Star Squadron, among other titles.

Also a legendary creator. Creations include Wolverine, Carol Danvers, Ghost Rider, Vision, Iron Fist, Luke Cage, Valkyrie, Morbius, Doc Samson, and Ultron. Roy has also worked for Archie, Charlton, and DC among others over the years.

Reviews

[Adam Murphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marvel's Captain America first appeared in Captain America Comics #1 (March 1941), created by Joe Simon and Jack "King" Kirby for Timely Comics. (Timely would later change its name to Marvel Comics). Captain America is one of the many patriotic superheroes created during World War II to bolster morale on the home front. But none of those heroes have lasted as long, been as influential, become famous, or transcended their original time better than Captain America.

As a skinny orphan artist who grew up in The Great Depression, Steve Rogers jumped at the call,  but the US Army declared him 4-F (unfit for service). They handed him over to Operation: Rebirth, an Allied Powers project headed by Professor Erskine to create a super-soldier for the war effort. Injected with super serum and bombarded with radiation, Rogers' treatment proved a complete success, with his skinny body suddenly enhanced to the maximum human potential. Unfortunately, a Nazi spy immediately assassinated Dr Erskine at that moment, and the formula of the treatment, which was never entirely written down, was lost forever.

Deciding to make the best of their one successful subject, the US government decided to make Rogers an elite counter-intelligence agent who could also be an ideal propaganda mascot to oppose Nazi Germany's frightening head of terrorist activities, the sinister Red Skull. To that end, Rogers was appropriately trained, costumed, and given a signature shield. 

[Brett · Rating 4 out of 5]

If one is familiar with the methodology of the comic-book format, one may find the compilation approach from The Folio Society slender, maybe even sparse in focus. While this criticism holds merit given the format’s breadth, one can also see the benefit that it brings to the uninitiated, to those seeking a celebratory act, and to those who recognise and crave the romantic allure of physical books. This, compiled by Roy Thomas, has given his readers an efficient snapshot of the character’s life on the page, as it simultaneously signifies the importance and relevance that the character has upheld over his lifetime - along with the writers and artists that have brought him to life.

[Fraser McGowan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great anthology and replica of the original Captain America comic.

What really stuck out with me is how much from the 40s, the 70s and the 80s resonates with today, and how far America has moved in line with the villains from Captain America.