Issue(s): Captain America #440
Cover Date: Jun 95
Title: "Dawn's early light"
Credits:
Mark Gruenwald - Writer
Dave Hoover - Penciler
Marie Severin, Dan Bulanadi, & Don Hudson - Inker
Matt Idelson - Assistant Editor
Ralph Macchio - Editor

Review/plot:
Digital review warning.

Captain America is preparing an assault on AIM Island (Boca Caliente), and he's recruiting for the mission. He goes to the Night People to see if D-Man wants to join him.

Cap doesn't tell D-Man that he's dying because he doesn't want to guilt people into joining him. He thinks that that's the only reason that Falcon has agreed to the mission. Speaking of Falcon, he seeks out Jesse Black Crow, hoping that Crow might have some mystical healing abilities that could help Cap. But Jesse - who is wheelchair bound when not in his Black Crow super-identity - says that he can't even heal himself. There's also said to be no word from Hawkeye, so Cap's team consists of Fabian Stankowicz, Falcon, Free Spirit, and Jack Flag (with Moonhunter as pilot). They're getting some unofficial help from Nick Fury, but he can't directly/legally participate. Love to see that Fury is still keeping the dust off his wingsuit.

Meanwhile, in Boca Calienta, MODAM is getting ready for a mission too.

She's being sent into a volcano by Alessandro Brannex to repair a Cosmic Cube, and she's dismayed to learn that she's been classified as expendable.

Observing all of this are Superia and "Snapdragon" (obviously Diamondback).

Cap's team infiltrates the island...

...while Black Widow fends off questions from Quicksilver about how uncoordinated this crossover seems to be.

Jack Flagg and Free Spirit see the Red Skull on the island as well.

They then try to disguise themselves in AIM costumes, but are attacked by replicas of Rhino and Knockout.

Falcon is similarly attacked by a Killer Shrike robot. Meanwhile, Cap gets caught in another flare from the Cosmic Cube and his armor seizes up. Superia approaches him and administers the serum that we saw she finalized last issue.

Definitely feels like a "goodbye" arc, with the attempted recruitment of various characters in the beginning and a beginning of a wrap up to the longstanding AIM Island situation. But it feels like an actual story for the first time in a while, and it's nice to see three factions of villains who each have their own motivations.

References are again listed as endnotes instead of footnotes, and it seems like the extra space is used to indicate things that would not normally be given footnotes, like the last appearance of a character in this series. I do not mind!

Quality Rating: C

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: This is Taking AIM part one. Part two is in Avengers #387. Seems to take place during the Fury of SHIELD miniseries.

References:

• The Night People first appeared in Captain America #201.
  
• D-Man first appeared in Captain America #328. He joined the Night People in Captain America #410.
  
• Black Crow first appeared in Captain America #292. It's said he most recently appeared in Spectacular Spider-Man #191-193, but that misses his back-up in Spectacular Spider-Man annual #13.
  
• There are is an actual footnote to the Fury of SHIELD miniseries. Weirdly, this is not included in the endnotes, which only mention when he "last appeared in these pages".
  
• Nick Fury "last appeared in these pages" in Captain America #420.
  
• The Cosmic Cube was first seen in Tales Of Suspense #79.
  
• MODAM's history:
  • Appeared as a Maria Pym imposter in West Coast Avengers #36.
    
  • Appeared as SODAM in Solo Avengers #16.
    
  • First appeared as MODAM in Quasar #9.
    
  • Most recent appearance was in Iron Man #297.
• Alessandro Brannex also first appeared in Quasar #9 but was revealed to be the Super-Adaptoid in Captain America #413.
  
• Superia first appeared in Captain America #390.
  
• Snapdragon was seemingly killed by Diamondback in Captain America #413 (So "What's she doing here?").
  
• The Red Skull was recently seen by the Avengers in Avengers #386. His last appearance in this series was Captain America #437.
  
• It's pointed out that the villains that the Adaptoids are replicating - Rhino, Knockout, and Killer Shrike - are among those who were on AIM Island in Captain America #411-413. Among my complaints about that issue was wondering why villains like the Rhino would go there at all, but it seems like the idea is that they were lured there so that they could be analyzed for replication.

Crossover: Taking AIM

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A