Issue(s): Captain America #260
Cover Date: Aug 81
Title: "Prison reform!"
Credits:
Al Milgrom - Writer
Alan Kupperberg - Penciler
Quickdraw Studios & Al Milgrom - Inker
Bob Budiansky - Assistant Editor
Jim Salicrup - Editor

Review/plot:
Another Cap fill-in story between the Stern/Byrne and DeMatteis/Zeck runs that reaches back to a Silver Age era story for its setting. This one has Cap revisiting the prison we saw back in Tales of Suspense #62 where the prison door could be opened with the password "Captain America". My problem with that story (i mean, aside from the fact that it was Silver Age insanity) was that one of the prisoners does say Captain America in front of the door and it didn't open. In this story, it turns out that one of the prisoners has mentioned Captain America in front of the door and it opened, resulting in an attempted prison break.

So the warden that installed the password door has resigned in shame, and now a new warden has asked Cap to come to the prison to see if he can break out of it. The warden wants to install some liberal reform policies at the prison, but only after he confirms that it's secure.

At least two of the prisoners, including "Thumper" Morgan and "Deacon" were prisoners back in the day and are still there now.

Cap does manage to escape, but he does it in a way that proves that the new security measures would hold up against regular people, and he also manages to convince a young prisoner, who looks about 15, that even though he's in jail he shouldn't become a hardened criminal.

Minor DC crossover here:

There's really something to be said for having a working history of Marvel comics in your head. I don't know what people who read this without having read Tales of Suspense #62 would make of it. It's a pretty boring prison story with a saccharine reformation subplot for the kid. But hanging that on the crazy Suspense story makes it a lot more fun to read.

Quality Rating: C

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: The MCP places this between Avengers #208-210.

References:

• Captain America was at this prison before, in Tales of Suspense #62.

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A