Captain America #600 (spoilers)

[Doc Beechler (mod-MD)]

I don't want to trivialize real events, but it seems right that this comic should hit the stands as so many in Iran fight for their vote to be heard and respected...

Anyway, while Steve doesn't make his big return in this issue (we gotta wait two weeks for that), Brubaker, in his story about the world one year after the loss of Cap, starts to reveal clues as to how it may happen. James, Sharon, Natasha, Clint, Luke, and Sam are all front and center...the real Avengers hiding and waiting for Osborn and his crew to slip up. This is the group that HAMMER is gonna have to watch out for...with Steve back to lead them, it's over for the government sanctioned Avengers.

Then, another pleasant surprise...Roger Stern catches us up with Bernie Rosenthal (!) and the old gang from the Brooklyn Heights days. This 80s-era fanboy was very happy to see this!

Mark Waid reveals how much he loves Cap and hates bad comic book companies in his story. It has echoes back to WW II (that vet looks familiar), Steve's NYPD days (I immediately thought of the Commander), and the sometimes rough 60s and 70s America. Tony Stark's continued respect for Steve is in evidence...and in a kinda weird implant...Cap's original Avengers card was signed by William J. Clinton? Oh, that old ten year rule...of, course, if you don't look at the card too closely it works out better for the other parts of the story. And shame on Marvel Comics in the Marvel U...dropping the Captain America license when he was branded a "traitor".

Then we get a nice essay by Joe Simon and a Stan Lee/Al Avison reprint.

It's a nice value for the money...

[Doc Beechler (mod-MD)]

What did you folks think?

[Rob Staeger (Grodd Mod)]

Sounds like a nice, fat book. Makes me sorry I'm tradewaiting!

[Rich Lane]

Bernie is absolutely the best match for Steve of any of the women he's ever hooked up with. The representation of the American Dream should be with a person who is living in it. I like Sharon a lot, but she's far too larger-than-life to fit that bill.

Oh, and they got the look of an upper middle class Santa Fe neighborhood down perfectly.

[Mark Stanislawski]

Rich Lane said:

Bernie is absolutely the best match for Steve of any of the women he's ever hooked up with. The representation of the American Dream should be with a person who is living in it. I like Sharon a lot, but she's far too larger-than-life to fit that bill.

Oh, and they got the look of an upper middle class Santa Fe neighborhood down perfectly.

I always liked Bernie as a love interest for Steve and, even though I'm tradewaiting, it's nice to see her remembered.

[Doc Beechler (mod-MD)]

...and written by her creator...Stern created Bernie, didn't he?

[Doc Beechler (mod-MD)]

Yup...Captain America #248 from 1980...

[PowerBook Pete, the Mad Mod]

Yup, that was my "Golden Age of Comics," and Captain America was my favorite series at the time.

[Rich Lane]

I loved the attention to detail in that story. Bernie reminisces about a date with Steve, and the image is of them in front of a poster for Oklahoma! That was actually from a story back then where Steve got her to admit it was fun musical even though she'd rather have gone to see Oh, Calcutta. Steve said he wasn't quite ready for that.

[Rich Lane]

Oh, and did anyone else get the impression that Waid's story might have been inspired by his experiences at Crossgen?

"Isn't that the guy whose daddy bought him a comic book company?"

The solider and the cop were easy to figure out, but who is the guy who bought out the company supposed to represent?

[Alan M.]

Rich Lane said:

Oh, and did anyone else get the impression that Waid's story might have been inspired by his experiences at Crossgen?

"Isn't that the guy whose daddy bought him a comic book company?"

The solider and the cop were easy to figure out, but who is the guy who bought out the company supposed to represent?

I dunno...that was pretty subtle... [Rich, I need the eye-rolling smiley!]

[Doc Beechler (mod-MD)]

What was the Cap fan's name again? The one that bought the comic company?

On another note...while it's not my idea...I would like to see Steve as the director of SHIELD and Bucky stay on as Cap.

[Alan M.]

Doc Beechler said:

On another note...while it's not my idea...I would like to see Steve as the director of SHIELD and Bucky stay on as Cap.

I like the general idea, but I'm not sure that I can see Cap as an administrator (even if it is SHIELD-level administration)... Plus, if SHIELD gets put back in place, shouldn't Nick Fury be back in charge?