Russkie-Smashers YOUNG MEN COMICS "Captain America Turns Traitor!"

Last Time, We Presented a Captain America Pastiche...

...This Time, He's the Real Deal!

(At least 1950s readers thought he was, though he was later retconned into one of several Cap replacements before the real Star-Spangled Avenger was defrosted by The Avengers!)

The Super-Soldier Serum makes Cap invulnerable to psyche-controlling drugs?

Written by Don Rico and illustrated by John Romita Sr, this tale from Atlas' Young Men Comics #26 (1954) also features Bucky killing an entire Russkie sub crew!

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Decades

Marvel in the '50s

Captain America Strikes!

(Which reprints this story)

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Countdown to Halloween 2023 AVENGERS "Night of the Collector" Conclusion

We Have Already Seen...

...The Mighty Avengers, exhausted from the epic "Avengers/Defenders War", answer a psychic summons of danger at the Rutland Halloween Parade.

While half the team falls prey to The Collector (disguised as the parade's founder/host Tom Fagan), the other half of the group is exploring the hamlet, looking for clues...

Loki eventually got his marbles (well, most of them) back and continues to bedevil the Marvel Multiverse to this day.

Who is...

...and What Part Does He Play in Our Final Rutland Halloween Parade Tale?
Find out on Monday as We Explore Another Corner of the Multiverse!
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Avengers

Epic Collection

Avengers/Defenders War

(which includes this tale!)

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Russkie-Smashers YOUNG MEN COMICS "Captain America: Back from the Dead!"

Wonder why Simon & Kirby created Fighting American?

Because Atlas (Once Timely, later Marvel) didn't ask them to handle this revival of the character they created, so they decided to show how it should be done!
Now., let's look at what inspired them to do a new patriotic superhero...

Written by Don Rico and illustrated by John Romita Sr (with a splash panel by Mort Lawrence), this story from Atlas' Young Men #24 (1953) ostensibly continued the adventures of Captain America, Bucky, and The Red Skull from the 1940s.
When Cap was revived in 1964, this (and other 1950s Atlas superhero tales) were considered apocryphal, since Stan Lee and Jack Kirby postulated the Star-Spangled Avenger had been frozen since the end of World War II until he was defrosted in Marvel's The Avengers V1N4 (1964).

But, in 1968, writer Stan Lee, pencilers Larry Lieber and John Romita Sr and inker "Mickey Demeo" (actually Mike Esposito), revealed the 1950s Red Skull was a Russkie imposter who killed CIA agents Richard and Mary Parker (Peter Parker/Spider-Man's parents) in Marvel's Amazing Spider-Man Annual #5 (1968)

Then, in 1972, writer Steve Englehart and penciler Sal Buscema revived the 1950s Cap and Bucky, showing them to be government-approved replacements for the original Cap and Bucky in Marvel's Captain America and the Falcon #153-156 (1972...

...thereby bringing their 1950s tales (and, presumably the Sub-Mariner's and Human Torch's 1950s stories) into official continuity!
It also created the concept that others filled-in for Cap and Bucky during that era.
In fact, the "1950s Cap" is actually now considered the fourth official "Captain America", after already-existing patriot-themed heroes The Patriot and Spirit of 76 filled-in in the 1940s after Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes were believed to be KIA (Killed in Action)!

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Marvel MasterWorks
Atlas-Era Heroes
Volume 1

(which features this tale)

SPIDER-MAN, STORM AND POWER MAN "vs SmokeScreen" Part 2: Where's There's Smoke...

We have Already Seen...

Luke Cage is mentoring a teen track team of kids representing every district in NYC.

He confides to photographer Peter Parker, who's covering the team for a human interest story, that one of them, Bret Jackson, isn't performing up to his previous levels.

But why?

As Spider-Man, Peter recruits the X-Men's Storm to trail a couple of suspicious fellows who are supplying cigarettes to Bret and other kids!

Though Ororo eludes detection by flying after the creeps, she's caught when entering their headquarters...

Now that the story's concluded, the comic presents the reader with a quandry...

What would you do, True Believer?

If you're still undecided, perhaps this back cover by John Romita Sr, will sway you...

And, as a final treat, here's the inside front cover with some background about the three heroes...

Penciled by Herb Trimpe and inked by Joe Giella, Marvel's Spider-Man, Storm and Power Man (1982) was commissioned by the American Cancer Society to discourage 'tween and teen smoking.

Oddly, the writer is unknown, but is suspected to be an ACS staffer.
Now here's where it gets wild...
Years later, the American Cancer Society reprinted the comic.
But, within a couple of months, it commissioned Marvel to re-do it...using the exact same script!

See the Result...

Tomorrow!

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Free Comics

Giveaways that Fought Commies, Sold Cars and Cigars, Showed How to Buy a TV and Avoid VD, and are now Saving Lives!

SPIDER-MAN, STORM AND POWER MAN "vs SmokeScreen" Part 1

Here's a hard-to-find educational giveaway comic that was both reprinted several year later...

...then re-presented that same year!
(We'll go into that tomorrow...)

Between chapters is "Window Shopping Fun"...

The Story Concludes...

TOMORROW!

Penciled by Herb Trimpe and inked by Joe Giella, Marvel's Spider-Man, Storm and Power Man (1982) was commissioned by the American Cancer Society to discourage 'tween and teen smoking.

Oddly, the writer is unknown, but is suspected to be an ACS staffer.

Please Support Hero Histories!

Visit Amazon and Order...

Free Comics

Giveaways that Fought Commies, Sold Cars and Cigars, Showed How to Buy a TV and Avoid VD, and are now Saving Lives!