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Hello comic book aficionados, and welcome to another exciting look back at a story from the past in Ye Olde School Cafe’. With Memorial Day just past, and the Fourth of July nearly upon us, what better character to talk about than Captain America! Specifically, the TPB (trade paperback)- Captain America: War & Remembrance. This trade paperback has three parts or different stories, so that’s how I’ll be presenting it to you. It was originally published back in 1980-81, by Roger Stern (writer), and John Byrne (artist). In total, the book covers Captain America issue #’s 247- 255 over all (also, a big thanks to Jack Kirby and Joe Simon for creating Cap!).

Our story begins as many Cap stories do, with the star-spangled Avenger in New York City. He’s running across the Brooklyn Bridge to go and meet up with Nick Fury in Manhattan. Cap is surprised when he arrives at the S.H.I.E.L.D. base to hear from Dum Dum Dugan that Fury isn’t around. We soon find out that Nick is interrogating Baron Wolgang von Strucker! During the interrogation, Strucker gets the upper-hand on Fury by using a gas bomb and knocking him unconscious. While all this is going on, Cap and Dugan go to Fort Dix in New Jersey to go through Cap’s old military foot locker. Cap finds his old journal and can’t wait to read it because he’s been having flashbacks from his past but can’t piece everything together. He tells Dugan about how the military planted false memories in his mind to stop him from revealing any top secret information he knew in the event that he would be captured. Just as Cap and Dugan start to get deep into the conversation, the wall behind them explodes and Fury’s flying car starts shooting at them. They soon find out that Strucker is the one behind the controls and a huge fight breaks out! During said fight, Dugan is shot, but then Cap uses his old shield to protect him from further damage. We then see that Strucker has brought the KO’d Fury with him and he wakes up just in time to throw Cap his newer shield and then he uses it to stop Strucker. As Fury and Cap start to question him, Strucker does his Nazi salute, then explodes like a time-bomb, almost killing both men. They eventually rise to see that it was a robot and not really Strucker at all.
In the next issue, we see Fury and Cap with a S.H.I.E.L.D. scientist examining the robot. The group talks about who might be responsible, and the person is actually watching their every move through an active camera in the robots eye. It’s the Machinesmith, and he also still has an active explosive inside the robot as well! Cap sees the robot’s eye move and his intuition tells him that it might be a trap. Just as he figures this out, the Machinesmith detonates the explosive device. Cap hurls himself across the table and saves the scientist and Fury once again. As the group is trying to recuperate, a tiny sphere emerges from the robot’s remains and flies away. We see the sphere return to its master’s headquarters, and also that he has brought in another deadly weapon: Underneath a tarp, the Machinesmith has Dragon Man in some sort of hibernation…but not for long!
Next we watch Cap in his civilian clothes walking up to his apartment in Brooklyn. He is then met by two of his neighbors and they tell him they have someone they want him to meet. A girl named Bernie is sitting on the couch, and she and Steve immediately lock eyes and appear to be infatuated with each other. Meanwhile, the Machinesmith is using some device to awaken Dragon Man and send him on a mission to destroy Captain America! He does awaken the beast and uses that very sphere from the robot to hypnotize the monster into doing his will. Just as Steve and Bernie start to get to know each other better, Steve sees Dragon Man from the window flying around the city. He quickly excuses himself, then runs out of the room and suits up. Cap immediately engages Dragon Man but soon finds out his strength is no match for the monster! Cap tries to use his speed and agility but that isn’t enough to stop the rampaging animal. He then throws his shield at the beast, but Dragon Man catches the shield, then tries to eat it but can’t bite through it, so he tosses it away. Cap tries desperately get to it, but Dragon Man catches him and starts to squeeze the life out of him. At this point, Cap doesn’t realize it yet, but that glowing sphere is what’s causing Dragon Man to go berserk and attack him. With death only moments away, Cap desperately tries to think of a way out but time is running short and so is the oxygen in his lungs!
That is where we’ll leave the story for now, but definitely tune in next week to see the conclusion, plus- Captain America for President? Don’t miss that wild tale next time in Ye Olde School Cafe!
Billy Dunleavy
billy@comicattack.net