Essential Captain America, Vol. 4 (Marvel Essentials)

usually these books in comic shops go for anywhere between 15-30 dollars but this one I got around 10 I think really cheap and also was able to get another volume like this but of the golden age from the same place so they came around the same time.If anyone ever wants to read A LOT of comics and learn about Captain America, these marvel essential books are awesome, they are the best!!!! EPISODES LITERALLY BACK TO BACK so you don't all crazy anxious about To be CONTINUED oh no what happens next, that's the main reason I started getting these, hated the to be continued and trying to find the issue how much it would be ehh forget bout that with this book. my 4th marvel essential of captain America and I love it, its awesome, actionpacked I can almost see it as a movie in my mind its that awesome.the only thing that takes getting used to is the black and white pages, color does make it a lot better, but if you can maintain a color picture and voice and see it in color in your mind you will be good, somehow I do it don't ask me how I have no idea, im not picture memory or anything like that I can just focus good sometimes.if you don't like black and white, don't get any of these marvel essentials unless its golden age or one that has in color.

Volume 4 provides the famous "Secret Empire" storyline where Cap abandoned his identity after losing faith in the American government, briefly going by "Nomad." It also chronicles the development of Falcon into a standalone hero with an upgrade to his abilities (flight!), the return of WW2's Peggy Carter, and the formation of the Serpent Society. These are excellent stories.The problem is with the printing: my copy is missing most of issue #168 and all of #169 and #170, instead replacing those pages with duplicates of #165 and #166. There's Cap, back in town after defeating the Yellow Claw and starting to investigate the mysterious "Phoenix" who's on his trail (who would turn out to be Baron Zemo)... and suddenly, we get two issues' worth of repeat pages, then picking up as Falcon returns from Wakanda with improved wings and Cap stews in prison worrying about some joker named "Moonstone" giving him a bad name. First appearance of the male Moonstone, death of the Tumbler... sure, they're not cataclysmic events, but it would've been nice to see them.

I love this period of Captain America. The return of Peggy Carter, the challenges faced by the Captain America/Falcon partnership and Captain America facing the corruption and distrust of modern life and dealing with it first by stepping down to become Nomad and eventually finding a path back to being Captain America. This volume shows the doubts and conflicts of a superhero while still embracing the idea that these characters inner strength will see them thru to find solutions.

I am a huge Captain America fan from the 60's, and this book helped fill in the gaps in my old comic book collection. The reading is fine, and while I enjoy the character, I couldn't give it five stars only because my all time favorite artist was not involved (Jack Kirby). Still, the stories were fun and the artwork really worked. If you like the Captain America mythology this is a great book to continue your run.

It is Captain America how can you go wrong with it. The Falcon goes through his biggest change. Really good writing and artwork!!!

This 4th Captain America Essential collection has it all. From Werewolves to President Nixon, Cap takes on all comers. This book also includes the Nomad saga and The Falcon is right by Cap's side throughout. I have always liked the artwork of Sal Buscema and he pulls out all the stops during this run. Lots of fun and a great buy for only $11.55.

Was a gift and it received big smiles and many thank you'd 👍🏻

Marvel Comics’ Essential Captain America, Volume 4 reprints numbers 157 to 186 of the Captain America and the Falcon comic book, issues which were originally published from January 1973 to June 1975. Almost every issue in this volume is written by Steve Englehart, who is a pretty prominent name in Marvel history. The direction he took with this title leaves a lot to be desired, however, and Volume 4 is a lot less enjoyable than Volumes 1, 2, and 3.When Steve Rogers took the super soldier serum in World War II, he was endowed with the strength and agility of a superior Olympic athlete. Early in Volume 4, however, through an accidental and mysterious fluke of chemistry, Cap suddenly gains “super strength,” a condition which persists through the end of the volume. The extent of this strength is never clarified nor investigated and barely has any bearing on any of the stories. It only comes into play once in a while when Cap needs to rip through a steel door. The primary purpose for this plot device seems to be to make the Falcon jealous of Cap’s newfound power. In Volume 3 the Falcon was an equal partner to Cap, but here he spends much of his time whining as Englehart has relegated him to a sidekick role. While initially Marvel used the Falcon to explore racial, social, and urban issues, Englehart tosses that by the wayside in favor of weird stories and compulsive retconning.A frequent villain in these issues is the Viper, a man in a snake suit with deadly venomous powers. Englehart, however, finds the most interesting aspect of the character is the fact that he used to work for an advertising agency, a detail that is repeatedly emphasized with his every appearance. Similarly, the most fascinating thing we learn about the Banshee (back when he was a villain) is that he’s a fan of American country music. Englehart resurrects the Yellow Claw, an Asian stereotype from the 1950s. Then there is the introduction of Nightshade, a teenager in a dominatrix outfit who declares herself “Queen of the Werewolves.” Cap’s status as America’s superhero is challenged by a contender who fights him for the hearts and minds of the American public, and that rather unimpressive challenger is . . . Moonstone? (The original male Moonstone). Other bad guys include Plantman, Porcupine, Solarr, Lucifer, and the Gamecock. It’s as if Englehart went out of his way to pick the oddest and least threatening villains he could think of. High points in this run are an appearance by Dr. Faustus and the early formation of the Serpent Squad. At the end of the book the Red Skull makes a triumphant return that is genuinely frightening, but Englehart uses it as an excuse to retcon the Falcon’s origin, making it even stranger than before. For good guys, there are guest appearances by the Black Panther and a few of the X-Men. This is also the period when Steve Rogers briefly gave up being Captain America and adopted the silly costume of Nomad.For most of this book, the art is handled by Sal Buscema, who epitomizes the default Marvel style of this era. For four issues at the end of the book, the art duties are taken over by Frank Robbins, who has a very weird cartoony style that calls to mind Harvey Kurtzman’s work in EC Comics. His exaggeratedly misshapen figures are a refreshing change from Buscema’s standard fare. Either way, the art is a lot better than the stories, and the faults of this volume lie almost exclusively on the shoulders of Englehart. Thankfully, Jack Kirby returns as both artist and writer in Volume 5.

Starting with the appearance of the superb looking Viper as the saga of the Cowled Commander begins and through a freak side-effect of the Viper's venom Captain America develops super-strength.Following on Cap and the Falcon face off against the re-united team of Plant-Man, Porcupine, Eel (the Viper's brother) and Scarecrow before the identity of the Cowled Commander is revealed.A few new menaces appear Solarr and Nightshade but they are the weakest part of this superb collection. The Harlem crime-lord Morgan constantly lurks in the background but the real stars are the writers and artists who in this volume weave a brilliant tapestry that combines elements from Captain America's past set against disillusionment with 1970's American politics, especially with regard to Watergate.Dr. Faustus returns as does Cap's first love Peggy Carter (Sharon's sister) as the epic starts with the appearance of the first incarnation of the Serpent Squad with Cobra and the brothers Viper and Eel.Then after a gap of two decades the real Yellow Claw re-appears and SHIELD takes a more active part in later tales as Peggy joins them. A new menace Phoenix appears but it turns out he has a connection with one of Cap's WWII foes, Baron Zemo, and is after revenge.The return of another old foe, The Tumbler, starts the arc where the Committee to Regain America's Principles (CRAP?) begins to discredit Captain America by accusing him of murder and by using an ersatz hero Moon-Stone to replace Cap in the public's minds. The Secret Empire comes to the fore as Cap struggles to prove his innocence, guest-starring the Black Panther (who fits the Falcon up with a set of glider wings), the Banshee and the X-Men. The ending is a shocker to Cap as he unmasks Number One, the head of the Secret Empire who Cap recognises as a major US political figure, but the name is never revealed, this is the start of a major arc as Cap starts to become disillusioned with the establishment, so much so that he decides to give up his role as Captain America for good.The return of another couple of old Marvel villains Lucifer and Aries as The Falcon now fights alone is Ok but pales against the other tales that surround it, there is the start of the Captain America copycats which ends rather badly for one of them.An old ally appears in the role of The Golden Archer and convinces Cap to return in the form of The Nomad, a man without a country. A new and more vicious Serpent squad appears led by Madame Hydra who kills the Viper in cold blood and assumes his identity. The Atlantean warlord Krang puts in an appearance, as does the Sub-Mariner.The last series of tales starts with the return of Cap's true nemesis The Red Skull and the brutal slaying of one of the Captain America copycats, this one was also a friend of Cap and the Falcon's. Using the dust of death which causes the victims to die whilst the skin on their faces shrivels to a grotesque parody of the Skulls own mask. The Red Skull's Nazi views of racial supremacy are offended by both SHIELD agent Gabe Jones and The Falcon with their being black and therefore inferior but he has one final trump card to play regarding The Falcon.If I had one personal grumble it would be that Frank Robbins' artwork suffers when compared to that of the Marvel great Sal Buscema but the masterful story-telling, largely by Steve Englehart shines through.I read many of these tales when they first appeared way back in the early 1970's and thanks to these Essentials' reprints I can read so many classic early Marvel story-lines. I unreservedly recommend this volume.

La collection "Essential" de la Maison des Idées offre une réédition des séries principales de l'Age d'Argent de Marvel Comics, sous forme de gros volumes pas chers, qui ressemblent à l'annuaire téléphonique pour l'épaisseur, la couleur N&B et la qualité du papier utilisé. Ce 4è volume consacré au Captain America porte sur les années 1973, 1974 et 1975 (jusqu'à juin). Ce sont, pour les Etats-Unis, des années difficiles : crise pétrolière qui mine l'économie du pays, affaire du Watergate qui plombe l'image de Washington, de la Fédération ainsi que des politiques aux yeux des citoyens, et, pour les patriotes, défaite dans la guerre du Viêt-Nam qui s'achève avec la chute de Saigon le 30 avril 1975.La fiche Amazon.fr donne pour ce volume l'ensemble des scénaristes et dessinateurs, mais ce sont essentiellement Steve Englehart et Sal Buscema que l'on voit à l'ouvrage (les couvertures sont de John Romita SR. ou bien de Gil Kane) à part quelques "fill-ins" dont les meilleurs du point de vue graphique sont ceux de Frank Robbins. Autant le dire tout de suite, le style "plan-plan" pour ne pas dire "tout-venant", de Sal "frère-de-John" Buscema ne fait pas de moi un fan de ce dessinateur. D'autant qu'à l'exception peut-être indulgente de Frank Giacoia, les encreurs peinent ici à réhausser les dessins en question.Dans ce volume, un Captain America S.D.F. (il squatte le bureau de son copain Sam) finit par perdre la foi : en son pays, en son "side-kick" le Faucon (qui n'a rien fait de particulier pour cela, au contraire), en ses super-pouvoirs. Sa vie sentimentale est écartelée entre 1944 et 1973 (les soeurs Peggy et Sharon Carter). Il est fâché avec Nick Fury et le SHIELD. Il récupère une force supplémentaire de manière fortuite et sans véritablement y prêter attention. Avec un certain succès, une campagne de communication le présente comme un "vigilante" irresponsable. Il se présente sous un nouveau nom, celui de "Nomad", pour reprendre des activités super-héroïques un peu minables. Bref, il est totalement paumé et doit pourtant s'affronter à diverses conspirations menaçant les USA et le monde entier, avant de se reprendre, face à la plus "familière" de ces menaces.Au global, les idées d'Englehart et la manière qui est la sienne de les conduire, se placent aisément sous le qualificatif de "capilotracté" et parfois même de "maladroit", mais il s'agit ici de l'appréciation d'un adulte de 2011, qui n'a pas de nostalgie ou de souvenir ému de première lecture vis-à-vis de ces comics pour ado publiés il y a plus de 35 ans.