Issue(s): Captain America #421
Cover Date: Nov 93
Title: "Gantlet"
Credits:
Mark Gruenwald - Writer
Rik Levins - Penciler
Dan Bulanadi, Brian Garvey, & Dan Day - Inker
Joe Andreani - Assistant Editor
Mike Rockwitz - Editor

Review/plot:
As i noted at the end of the first chapter of The Faustus Affair, Captain America is pretty haughty and scolding about Nomad trying to kill the Slug. Granted, they've had this argument before. But in this case Captain America knows that Nomad was a prisoner of renown brainwasher Dr. Faustus, and oh by the way he's wearing a giant fucking swastika armband.

Cap's not doing very well picking up on Nomad's erratic behavior, either.

We learn via flashback that Cap has already confronted Faustus directly, who told him that he sent him after the Slug, so it's not like Cap shouldn't know better. We also learn that in Nomad #18 we were supposed to see Cap fight his way "though Nomad's accomplices and the Slug's flunkies".

That did not happen. Cap was just seen lurking at the Slug's place after Nomad broke away from the fight between the two mercenary groups.

Anyway, Cap finally gets it "through my thick skull that Faustus has manipulated Jack" and works to break him of his conditioning. Cap tells Nomad that just because his father was a Nazi doesn't meant that he has to be. After all, his own father was "an alcoholic, a wife-beater, a quitter", but that's not what Cap became. Nomad seems to shake out of it, but the Slug slips away. Cap runs out of the building after him, into the battle between the all-loser squads.

The Slug tries to escape in his VTOL Slugmobile, but he gets blasted into the water.

Cap then returns to check on Nomad, but he's gone. Cap surmises that he's gone after Dr. Faustus for revenge.

With no subplots and an issue-long fight against a brainwashed Nomad, this issue is pretty weak. I'm not saying this would be better, but it's weird that all of these second rate mercenaries were developed for them to just appear in a quick crowd scene. They could have at least provided some fodder to vary up the fight. Cap looks like a complete idiot in this issue, not just because he can't figure out that Nomad is brainwashed (and at least his thick-headedness is eventually acknowledged) but also because the story has him running between Faustus and the Slug while capturing neither. He supposedly called the local SHIELD office to pick up Faustus but nothing comes of that. And he leaves the Slug presumably floating in the water so that he can chase Nomad. Cap just comes across looking ineffective. Although part of that seems to be due to the poorly coordinated hand-offs between issues (which we'll see more of in the next chapter).

But the bigger problem is just how plain this story is.

Quality Rating: C-

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: This is part two of The Faustus Affair. Part three is in Nomad #19. Dr. Faustus only appears in a flashback portion that takes place concurrently with Nomad #18, so i haven't listed him as a Character Appearing for this entry.

References:

• Continues from Nomad #18.
  
• Cap stopped Nomad from killing the Slug in Captain America #325.
  
• Nomad thinks that Captain America is the 1950s version, who tried to kill him (while under Dr. Faustus' control) in the flashback in Captain America #236.
  
• Captain America says he hasn't seen Faustus in a few years. No footnote, but the last time was Captain America #326. Cap wasn't aware that Faustus escaped prison until Giscard Epurer told him last issue.
  
• When Cap tells Faustus that he knows that Faustus is holding his "old partner", Faustus mocks him by asking if it was Bucky Barnes (who died in flashback in Avengers #4) or Sharon Carter (who died in the same arc where 1950s arc tried to kill Nomad, see the link above).
  
• No footnote, but we learned that Captain America's father was an alcoholic in Iron Man #172 (of all places).

Crossover: The Faustus Affair

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A