Second batch of the Captain America comics that I owned before I became a regular reader, and it’s probably the worst one… at least when it comes to Cap.
Capitan America #62 (1975)
Published by: Corno
A few notes on the Italian edition.
The issue’s title translates to “The traps of glass”, which is nowhere to be seen on the original.
Cover price 300 lire, which would be about 2.06 dollars in 2024. The original Captain America comic was 0.15 dollars, or 1.35 dollars in 2024. But remember that in the Italian version you have TWO full stories: when you add those, the combined originals would be 2.63 dollars in today’s money. The Italian translation was the better deal!
And unlike the Cenisio issues for DC, this entire issue was in color!
Captain America #150 (1968)
by Gerry Conway & Sal Buscema
Despite being #150, this is not an anniversary (possibly because this series was Tales Of Suspense until #99, and Cap only arrived in #59).
And it’s also the ending of a very convoluted storyline.
I couldn’t make head or tails of who the Stranger was or why he was here.
I’ve always loved The Stranger, but not thanks to this story. Which starts off by telling us that this is not really him, just an impostor called Jakar.
Jakar is confusing to say the least. He’s an alien like the Stranger, but apparently also from a parallel dimension?
His entire world was consumed by a vaguely-defined plague, which apparently is a mind thing.
And then FOR NO REASON WHATSOEVER he gets a vision of the Stranger!
Specifically he’s having a look at Fantastic Four #116. For the record, the Italian edition DID include the footnote to the published translation.
And that’s why Jakar kidnapped a bunch of children. If I understand this correctly… big “if”… he wants to transfer their minds into the empty husks of the mind-wiped people of his planet?
Despite having PHENOMENAL COSMIC POWERS, he accomplished this by having Cap’s recurring villain Batroc Ze Leaper kidnap the kids.
Which… okay I get that you need SOME reason to involve Cap, but would this guy really need help from a mercenary to kidnap some children!?
Jakar teleports away, and while Cap and Falcon are busy fighting some random goons Batroc Ze Leaper makes a run for it.
I like Batroc, but he’s really out of place as the pawn of an interdimensional child trafficker.
He only worked for Jakar because he thought the alien wanted to ask for a ransom, not to kill the children. And since Batroc has SOME sense of honor, he decides to find the Stranger to save the kids. While being followed by Redwing, a.k.a. Falcon’s falcon.
Time for some supporting cast subplot… and this is where Conway’s run is terrible.
The subplot is about the rivalry between Cap’s girlfriend Sharon Carter and fellow S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Contessa Valentina My Name Gets Me Out Of Most Traffic Violations Allegra de Fontaine.
How does someone who wrote multiple excellent Spider-Man stories write something like this? Seriously, I’ve seen Conway write masterpieces, but this one ain’t.
Back to Batroc Ze Leaper, all he managed to do was get himself captured by Jakar.
Well that’s actually a shapeshifting Jakar. Why did he need Batroc’s help again!?
Now I know why The Stranger will be so mad at Jakar for impersonating him.
Not because of the identity theft, but because Jakar is SO BAD AT THIS!!!
Now don’t get me wrong, I like Falcon. But if you’re an interdimensional super-scientist and you can’t even trap HIM, how am I supposed to take you seriously?
Honestly at this point I’m convinced Batroc could take him.
On his own.
I’m not exaggerating for comedy: this guy really, REALLY sucks.
And then OUT OF NOWHERE Jakar’s computers zoom on his braindead wife? What?
And staring into her dead eyes convinces Jakar that what he’s doing is wrong, so he just leaves.
So, uhm, that was definitely a plot that needed to be told.
Well at least was better than the romantic subplot.
And the story ends with Scorpion and Mr. Hyde peeping into Cap’s love life.
Historical significance: 0/10
Jakar is little more than a footnote in the Stranger’s history. And it’s not like the Stranger himself is often a big deal.
Personal significance: 0/10
I didn’t find this story appealing in the slightest. Fortunately I seem to have forgotten most of it because it didn’t diminish either the Stranger or Batroc in my eyes once I read GOOD stories featuring them.
Silver Age-ness: 9/10
An all-powerful alien with PHENOMENAL COSMIC POWERS needs a mercenary who can kick really well to kidnap children.
Does it stand the test of time? 0/10
This is bad. Really, really bad. It makes little sense to have this as a Captain America story, and Jakar is profoundly uninteresting. His backstory would be worth exploring if Jakar himself had ANY sort of depth. How is it that the Stranger, whose entire deal is that we know absolutely nothing about him, is somehow a more complex character!?
The less said about the romantic subplots the better. Ugh.
Uncanny X-Men #58 (1969)
by Roy Thomas & Neal Adams
I mentioned this was the worst Captain America story of the bunch… but luckily for me, it also included a great X-Men story!
No clue why X-Men was chosen to be the backup feature, but it was consistent.
I often joke about Roy Thomas as a writer, particularly when it comes to the way he writes dialogue and to the bizarre connections he forces into the plot.
But make no mistake: when Thomas is at the top of his game, he can be PHENOMENAL.
On a Sentinel storyline with Neal Adams pencils? *chef’s kiss*
Just look at this beauty! I could stare at this two-page spread for hours.
In fact I probably HAVE stared of this for hours, since I had this book before learning to read.
The Sentinels manage to capture Iceman, who sacrificed himself to let Beast go find help.
Since this is the follow-up to the Living Monolith storyline, the rest of the X-Men are currently in Egypt.
Cyclops doesn’t have a lot of faith in Angel.
The main villain is Larry Trask, the son of the creator of the original Sentinels.
The so-called “Mark II” Sentinels really do a fantastic job at making them even a bigger threat than the original version.
So remember that the most persistent foes of the X-Men are such a looming presence thanks to the greatest evil the heroes have faced… a guy called Larry.
But I can’t hate on Larry too much, because he designed one of the most original superhero costumes ever: Havok’s classic look!!!
The helmet is a bit weird, and I don’t think we know if it does anything specific. But the cool part of Havok’s costume is that it’s a direct visual indication of his powers.
It’s a unique gimmick that I don’t think he shares with any other character.
Larry also updated the first Polaris costume. She debuts in this storyline, but she doesn’t have a codename and still goes by Lorna Dane.
Her costume blocks her magnetic powers. That’s not a Larry design, though, she had it during the Mesmero storyline.
As mentioned this is after the Living Monolith, who I guess Roy Thomas wanted to establish as a big name villain.
The Sentinels take care of him in a rather embarrassing manner.
The Sentinels are on a roll: first they capture Angel (so I guess Cyclops was right), and then attacking both Magneto and Mesmero.
Confusingly, this retcons that the Magneto who was working with Mesmero was actually a robotic copy of the real one.
The Magnetobot will get a couple of references here and there; I’m pretty sure it was revealed to be a creation from Machinesmith.
Larry managed to get some supporters, but being a complete maniac doesn’t help his case.
So the judge who’s been supporting him has had enough, knocking him out…
…which turns out to be a bad decision: losing the medallion he wore, Larry is no longer in control of the Sentinels.
And so we end the story with the revelation that he was a mutant all along.
The resolution is not part of this retrospective, but spoiler alert: the X-Men win.
Historical significance: 10/10
I would argue that this storyline is perhaps even more significant than the first Sentinel storyline for the kind of threat they signify. But add to that the influence on Havok and Polaris, who not only get their classic looks but they meet for the first time.
Personal significance: 8/10
I think this ensured my appreciation for the Sentinels in whatever form they take. This WOULD have made me into an X-Men fan… if it wasn’t the only X-Men story I read, where the X-Men themselves have a surprisingly small role.
Silver Age-ness: 6/10
On the DC scale it would be nothing, but on the Marvel scale a villain other than Doctor Doom being revealed to secretly be a robot qualifies.
Does it stand the test of time? 10/10
Uncanny. ‘Nuff Said.
Marvel Tales #126 (1954)
written by unknown
pencils by Al Eadeh
Absolutely out of nowhere, the Corno books often included as the last feature a short story from the pre-Marvel days.
This 4-page story is about a very lonely and very ugly old man.
Talk about a depressing beginning!!!
He does find a friend, though!
Who he immediately kills.
This guy might just be the most pathetic being in the history of comics.
This gets the attention of a random psychiatrist, who decides to analyze him.
If this was a Batman comic, the psychiatrist would 100% become a supervillain.
But he figures out that it’s related to something about his father…
…who was a Cyclop! So that’s the X-Men connection.
The “lonely man” is ALSO a cyclop, but he’s much more terrifying in the original version!
Yeah I have NO IDEA why they decided to translate this one while also changing the artwork.
Turns out that the look of a cyclops can kill (???), and that’s why the man is so lonely.
And so the lonely cyclops is doomed to walk the Earth in search of a friend.
Historical significance: 0/10
In my headcanon this is part of the Marvel Universe and the guy is just an unlucky mutant.
Personal significance: 3/10
I liked it fine but it didn’t leave an impression. Mostly because of the altered artwork, otherwise it would’ve given me nightmares!
Silver Age-ness: 4/10
The idea that he keeps forgetting that his eye kills people qualifies, but the story is otherwise too dark.
Does it stand the test of time? 10/10
A neat self-contained little horror story. Sometimes you need the simple stuff.