Issue(s): Super-Villain Team-Up #10, Super-Villain Team-Up #11, Super-Villain Team-Up #12
Cover Date: Feb-Jun 77
Title: "Ch.1: The sign of the Skull! / Ch.2: While Atlantis sleeps!" / Ch.3: My ally, my enemy!""
Credits:
Bill Mantlo - Writer
Bob Hall - Penciler
Don Perlin - Inker

Review/plot:
Following up on some clues he found at the end of the SVTU/Avengers crossover, Captain America fights his way into the Latverian embassy, expecting to encounter the Red Skull or Dr. Doom teamed-up with the Red Skull (possibly, because the title of this series is Super-Villain Team-Up). Instead he just finds Doom, who is furious to hear from Cap that the Red Skull has taken over Latveria.

Doom and Captain America (who is not a Super-Villain) team up and head to Latveria to fight the Skull. Meanwhile, Prince Rudolfo, in his fake Dr. Doom armor, and the Shroud, do the same, and the Red Skull's goons attack Atlantis, prompting Namor to head to Latveria as well.

The Red Skull deals with each threat in a fitting matter. He shrinks Doom and Cap the way Doom previously shrunk the Red Skull*...

...he appeals to Namor's sense of honor and tries to trick him into teaming-up, and he beats the holy crap out of the Shroud and Rudolfo.

Doom and Cap, despite being tiny, manage to make their way to the castle, and after Doom promises once again to Namor that he will help cure his people, Namor restores them to normal size and the Red Skull teleports to the moon, where he's prepared to launch some sort of obedience ray. Namor decides that he's done co-starring in this book so he leaves, and Cap remains on earth as the coordinator, leaving poor Doom with no one to team-up with except the Shroud.

Doom leaves the Shroud hanging onto a hypno-ray satellite while he challenges the Skull to a fight.

Doom whoops the Skull's ass, as it should be...

...but the Shroud screws things up trying to deactivate the satellite and nearly kills himself. Cap rescues the Shroud and brings him to a hospital. The Red Skull's lackeys immediately sign themselves over to Dr. Doom and drive him home while he naps contently.

This was a fun romp, improved somewhat by not having Namor, who i have to say is a bit of a drag, featured so prominently. However, this book was still far from reaching its potential.

The letters page for this book indicate a series that is in serious trouble. The editors are constantly acknowledging its problems and talking about how they are revamping it. It seems the most letters they received in a long while were due to the error of Namorita referring to Namor as her brother in issue #9. The editors say she meant it in a figurative sense.

*It is worth noting that in Astonishing Tales #4-5, where Doom shrunk the Red Skull and his exiles, it was actually only a hypnotic illusion. In these issues, Doom and Cap are actually shrunk although it was supposed to be the same technology. I guess Doom had made a few improvements in the intervening years.

Quality Rating: C-

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: Placing this before the second Kirby Cap trade for simplicity's sake, although it has no direct bearing on it.

References:

• The Super-Villain Team-Up/Avengers crossover concluded in Avengers #156.
  
• Atlantis was previously attacked by Doom in Super-Villain Team-Up #5.
  
• The Atlanteans were all put in a coma in Sub-Mariner #67.
  
• Namor initially thought Doom was dead because of statements made by the Shroud in Super-Villain Team-Up #7. The Shroud has been hanging around with Prince Rudolfo since that issue as well.
  
• Rudolfo first attempted to overthrow Doom in Astonishing Tales #1.
  
• Dr. Doom shrunk the Red Skull and his Exiles during the Skull's previous attempt at conquering Latveria in Astonishing Tales #5.
  
• The Shroud tries to convince Namor not to join the Red Skull by pointing out that Namor and the Skull were enemies in Invaders #4-5.
  
• As the tiny Cap and Doom work their way to Doom's castle, Doom drones on about his origins, referencing the back-up story in Fantastic Four annual #2.
  
• The Red Skull escaped from Cap and the Falcon after their battle in Captain America #184-186.

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A

Is it worth noting that although still alive when last seen in #12, the "badly hurt" Rudolfo died of his wounds, as reported by his younger brother Zorba in FANTASTIC FOUR #198?

> Doom and Captain America (who is not a Super-Villain)

Lines like that are why I enjoy this site so much. I love your deadpan.

Overall, I agree heartily with FF3. But as a huge fan of this underrated series since I stumbled on #2 (which I still consider an awesome issue) forty years ago at the age of 12, I've long since decided that it is best enjoyed while totally ignoring the title, first because Namor was by no means a "super-villain" at that stage of the game, and second because, in an issue like #12, Doom and the Skull do not "team up" by any stretch of the imagination.