Issue(s): Captain America #256
Cover Date: Apr 81
Title: "The ghosts of Greymoor Castle!"
Credits:
Bill Mantlo - Writer
Gene Colan - Penciler
Dave Simons, Al Milgrom, & Frank Giacoia - Inker
Bob Budiansky - Assistant Editor
Jim Salicrup - Editor

Review/plot:
While he's in England, Captain America decides to visit "the scene of one of Captain America and Bucky's greatest battles". The battle in question involved them encountering a British scientist who sided with the Nazis and created a shrinking ray. It was a silly story and hopefully not really what Cap considers one of his greatest battles. But he finds that the scientist, Cedric Rawling, is still living in the ruins of the castle, and afraid of ghosts.

The "ghost" turns out to be the Druid (or Demon Druid, if you prefer)...

...who is really looking for a Druidic tome said to be hidden in the castle. Captain America and the Druid fight, and the Druid falls into Rawling's shrinking ray pit.

Then Cap discovers the book the Druid was looking for, and takes it, saying he'll give it to the Scarlet Witch (which he will, but it'll be a while before she gets to it).

The Druid thinks the book will make him "the mightiest mortal on the face of the Earth", but Cap tells the Druid that the Hulk has already taken that role. I thought this might be foreshadowing, since the Hulk actually appears next issue, which also takes place in England, but it turns out to just be a stray bit of dialogue.

If you're going to have Cap explore a creepy castle, you could do a lot worse than Gene Colan.

Quality Rating: C-

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: Captain America is still in England in this issue. It's explicitly said that he couldn't leave England after fighting Baron Blood without revisiting the Greymoor Castle ruins. But that means it takes place before the brief non-flashback scene in Captain America #255, which takes place back in the US.

References:

• Captain America is visiting Greymoor Castle after fighting Baron Blood in Captain America #253-254.
  
• The story of Cedric Rawling's shrinking rays were shown in Tales of Suspense #69-71.
  
• Captain America fought the Druid in Captain America #188. Cap and the Druid have very different opinions about who won that fight.

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A

Wow, take out the narration box in that last panel and you've got yourself a rather awkward looking situation.

Should Rawlings be tagged as a recurring character, since he appears in TOS?

Yes, thanks Mike.