Obsessively putting our comics in chronological order since 1985.
| 1981-07-01 00:07:14 |
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Captain America annual #5
Issue(s): Captain America annual #5
Cover Date: 1981
Title: "Deathwatcher!"
Credits:
David Michelinie - Writer
Gene Colan - Penciler
Dave Simons - Inker
David Anthony Kraft - Editor
Review/plot:
I think of Constrictor as being a mercenary, not a character who acts for his own direct benefit. But this issue starts off with him trying his hand at full-fledged super-villainy. He's trying to ransom New York City by pointing a ship's canon at the World Trade Center, and he's even got goons in color-coordinated costumes.
This isn't a Constrictor story, though. What happens in this issue is that Captain America fails to stop Constrictor in time, and if it wasn't for outside interference, the World Trade Center would have been destroyed. The interference comes in the form of some frogmen that caused an explosion on the boat. Their boss seems almost as interested in getting a good view as anything else.
So the rest of the issue is really about figuring out who that guy is. He's also responsible for deaths among the mob gangs of Gamble and Ferrini, who are said to "control most of this city's organized crime" (which is probably news to our regular Marvel crimelords)...
The guy behind the killings turns out to be a Howard Hughes type named Samson Scythe.
So the rest of the issue is Cap trying to find and stop the killer, even if it means teaming up with the mobsters. There's potentially an interesting conflict here, with Cap's no-killing policy coming up against someone with a more Punisher style philosophy (in fact, i briefly wondered if Scythe could have been a member of the organization called The Trust that will appear in the Punisher's first mini-series)...
...but it turns out that Scythe really does these things because he's bored.
Oh well. From there we get into Scythe putting Captain America in dumb death traps and such...
...with an ending where Scythe winds up dying because he finds his own death too fascinating to reach for the fire extinguisher.
Mostly an inconsequential annual.
I thought this scene was interesting, putting Captain America in a situation often reserved for a female character (even starting with a shower scene!).
On the other hand, here's some real jerkitude, as usual necessitated by Cap's secret identity. At least he didn't give Bernie a nerve pinch.
Quality Rating: C-
Historical Significance Rating: 1
Chronological Placement Considerations: The MCP place this between Captain America #264-265 (along with a number of other appearances in other books).
References:
- Captain America first met the Constrictor in Captain America #228.
- After Steve Rogers loses the commercial artist job because he won't go out on a date with the boss, he thinks to himself that life was much simpler before he woke up from suspended animation in Avengers #4.
- Captain America is unable to use his motorcycle because it's in Brooklyn. A footnote points us to Captain America #259.
Crossover: N/A
Continuity Insert? N
My Reprint: N/A
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Comments
That scene at ad agency with Irene Clancy seems rather...I don't think 'progressive' is the right word, but I'm surprised to see a scene like that in an early 80s comic. A male character being subject to sexual harassment, including the woman editor checking out his butt, and making 'show me your stuff' innuendos? I can only imagine how a Gruenwald-era Cap would have handled such a thing.
Is it me or did the artist draw Scythe as looking older than someone who was a front line soldier 8 years ago should look?
Agreed on that sexual harassment scene. To be honest, that sort of thing should probably happen to Steve Rogers a lot. We are often reminded how blonde and good looking he is. Plus he often seems naive around women in general.
I saw the art on the constrictor and thought, this must be somebody good. Yep, Gene Colon.
