Issue(s): Captain America #224
Cover Date: Aug 78
Title:
Credits:
Peter Gillis - Writer
Michael Zeck - Penciler
Mike Esposito & John Tartaglione - Inker

Review/plot:
Peter Gillis turns in a fill-in issue with a mystery/spy story. The basics are that Cap seemingly wakes up not in his own body, and eventually figures out that he had deliberately disguised himself with synthetic skin and hair dye before getting knocked out and losing his memory.

He'd been going up against Mr. Luck and the Tarantula...

...which is an interesting combo (although now that i think about it i hope there was more thought put into it than "they're both Hispanic") and they apparently managed to beat him the first time out and killed his partner.

Cap wins in the rematch of course, but the process of figuring out what was going on is what made it interesting.

Cameos by Nick Fury (at SHIELD) and Dr. Faustus (in jail) while Cap investigates the mystery.

Quality Rating: B-

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: This is a fill-in that does not take place chronologically between Cap #223 and #225. The MCP places it way back in the middle of Captain America #198 (in between pages 4 & 5), which would be two years earlier. I'm not sure why that is. Initially, Cap wonders if his change-of-face is related to his recent memory losses that were being shown in the Thomas and Gerber issues of Cap. The Wasp's costume is the same as what she's wearing during the Korvac saga, not what she was wearing two years ago. All the Avengers appearing are current team members. There must be a reason, but i don't know what it is, and until i do, i prefer to leave the issue closer to its publication date.

References:

• One of the clues Cap gets is "the last war". The Beast wonders if he means Viet Nam. Cap says that he did work in 'Nam in Captain America #125, but it was a solo job. He then makes a very illogical but nonetheless correct leap that "the last war" refers to the Madbomb War from Captain America #193-200.
  
• Senior Suerte/Mr. Luck previously appeared in Hero For Hire #10-11. But he died in that arc, and we'll learn in Power Man & Iron Fist #63 that this is really his brother, Senior Muerte/Mr. Death.

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A

my first issue of cap. For a long time after that I assumed he had dark hair.

This was actually Peter Gillis' first published story.

The reason for the MCP placement may be related to the madbomb plot, and more specifically General Argyle Fist.

It _is_ odd for Cap to just remember Fist and the Madbomb out of the blue so long after the fact. I suppose it would fit better if Fist had asked for that job earlier on.

Or maybe the madbomb plot had to be at a certain point for this story to fit? E.g., maybe it was destroyed after #198?

"my first issue of cap. For a long time after that I assumed he had dark hair."

I can totally understand that. The first issue of X-Men I ever read was #129 and I spent like a year trying to guess what powers Havok and Polaris had.

I'm puzzled about the MCP's placement as well. The whole bit about Cap knowing Al Avison from "the last war" doesn't really make sense if this is taking place DURING the Madbomb War.

I think the MCP was just being lazy in their placement. Considering it takes the entire issue for Cap to recall the madbomb war, this should take place at least a few months after that war.

The MCP got this placement from Murray Ward's Avengers Index. Does anyone know why Ward decided to place CA 224 this early?