Continuing with all of the Captain America hoopla, we’re going to look at this piece by Jack Kirby. It’s the back page of Captain America’s Bicentennial Battles, which we just talked about the other day. Cap and Uncle Sam are celebrating the bicentennial with a big old cape. This is great 70s Kirby; just look at the Kirby Krackles!
Anyway, It’s record breaking hot here in New Jersey so I’m going to go back in the pool. Everyone have a good night!
So lets talk about some Jack Kirby Captain America stuff from the 1970s. Bicentennial Battles features two stories. Kirby was coming off his run on the Fourth World characters, so this is what you would expect.
The first story is reprinted from an issue of Marvel Treasury, where Cap goes on a journey through American history thanks to the enigmatic Mr. Buda. Along the way, he fights Nazis, helps save the life of a runaway slave during the Civil war, and even influences the creation of the American flag due to a run in with Benjamin Franklin and Betsy Ross. Ultimately Cap realizes that the true spirit of America was the hope for a better tomorrow.
This is pretty much a fun story involving Cap. It’s very silly and weird at times, but Kirby’s art is just superb. The second half of this TPB is issues 201-205, where Captain America and Falcon team up to stop the energy monster Agron the Unliving, as well as other weird aliens, monsters and technology. I wasn’t digging this half so much.
Anyway, the “Bicentennial Battles” story from Marvel Treasury is really good and that warrants a read.
Ridiculously Awesome 