Issue(s): Captain America #422
Cover Date: Dec 93
Title: "Going ballistic"
Credits:
Mark Gruenwald - Writer
Rik Levins - Penciler
Dan Bulanadi - Inker
Joe Andreani - Assistant Editor
Mike Rockwitz - Editor

Review/plot:
The villain of this issue is Blistik, who seems to be a Punisher parody, kind of like the Punisher as written by Bill Mantlo.

Honestly, the less said about Blistik the better. But then again everything else in this issue is insane too.

Marilla is the worst mistake anyone at Marvel has ever made. Anyone casually picking up a comic book and finding her in it would just make like Grandpa Simpson and put that comic book right back down.

The above scene is meant to demonstrate that Fabian Stankowicz is not working out as the Avengers technician. The Black Widow says that while Cap is around he's fine, but otherwise he's a pain. This is the first we're hearing of this. But the negative work environment has driven Stankowicz to suicide. Cap has to go out and talk him off a bridge (dealing with the nuisance of Blistik, who wants to issue a citation for disrupting traffic, at the same time).

Cap and Fabian then decide to get a place together.

Gruenwald has his characters going "Hmmmmm" a lot lately.

Blistik may be bad, but Captain America is an old fogey too.

I'm pretty sure it's actually against the law to turn down Whoomp There It Is.

As Michael notes in the comments, Cap begins to have moments of weakness in this issue.

Can i also just say that i hate being able to see Steve Rogers' eyebrows through his mask?

Between this issue, with Captain America saying that Avengers Mansion isn't a place for him anymore, and the final, very depressing, issue of Quasar, it feels like Mark Gruenwald was in a very dark place at this point in time. It does say in the lettercol that between Cap, Quasar, Terminatrix Objective, and Starblast, Gruenwald was overcommitted (and next issue is a rare fill-in during his Cap run). But i wonder if Gruenwald was feeling like the comics market had just changed too much and that there wasn't a place for him anymore.

Quality Rating: D

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: Captain America begins having moments of weakness leading to revelation about the degradation of his super-serum in #425.

References:

• Diamondback, who has been in a hospital in Wakanda since Captain America #418, wakes up this issue.

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A

Yeah, the late Gruenwald stuff becomes on one hand kind of sad and whiny but on the other hand perhaps refreshing in a way to see chipper young cadet type of heroes like Jack Flagg and Free Spirit. Gruenwald's final Captain America issue would have been a decent way to actually kill Steve Rogers off.

"Cap and Fabian then decide to get a place together."

This sounds like the set-up for a lame sitcom.

Good analysis of Gru; though I agree with he and Steve - turn it down!

Oh boy. IIRC all of Gru's Cap output from now on is kind of difficult. We have Americop (hinted to be an ancestor of Punisher 2099), Cap's armor and death ahead of us. For all that we had bumps in the road before, it will be quite a drag reading the Free Spirit / Jack Flagg stories.

Steve has a couple of moments of weakness this issue- that's foreshadowing Fighting Chance.