Recently, over in the JSA" thread, we've been discussing Golden Age stories vs. modern retellings citing Adventure Comics/Sandman Mystery Theatre and Captain America Comics/Invaders as examples of comic book stories that "really happened." In it, Captain Comics said: "Maybe some... stories just don’t fit, and have to be quietly ignored. Maybe others can be mildly amended. Maybe some stories can be considered the 'comic book version,' and the 'truth' fits better. Deciding what works and what doesn’t is part of being a comics fan." Regarding whether or not Golden Age Captain America stories specifically actually "happened," I have three main criteria:
- Being mentioned in the modern era
- Being reprinted in the modern era
- Being retold in the modern era
All of the Simon/Kirby Caps are in continuity AFAIAC just as a matter of principle, but most of them were reprinted in the '60s...
...some were retold...
...and many of them were mentioned in the "Album Issue" (when Cap was presumed dead).
For Captain America, I like to think that the Department of War had an arrangement with Timely Comics and that someone in the War department was tasked with supplying the publisher with plots for morale/propaganda purposes. Some of them were more-or-less true, some were fictionalized, while others were clearly fiction. In Invaders #10, for example, Captain America himself refers to the story "Captain America Battles the Reaper!" (Captain America Comics #22) as "a basically accurate account" of a previous case, although "some of the hard facts of that caper are still classified."
As an example of a "fictionalized" adventure, Captain America first encountered the vampire John Farnsworth (a.k.a. "Baron Blood") in 1942, but it didn't make it into print until a year later, as "The Vampire Strikes!" (Captain America Comics #24). The details surrounding that case were finally declassified in 1976.
The covers of Captain America Comics kept stateside readers appried of the missions Captain America and Bucky undertook between adventures with the Invaders, but any stories which place Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes at Camp Lehigh after the beginning of 1942 are either made-up or leftover inventory (and it goes without saying that the MU versions of Timely comics would not have revealed their secret identities).
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There was also Invaders Annual #1 (1977) which took place in 1942 that had the Human Torch and the Sub-Mariner talk about their earlier battles with the Hyena and the Shark, respectively that hadn't been published yet in the comics.
In the comics, the Hyena and the Shark didn't appear until the late 40s.
And Captain America's foe, Agent Axis was mentioned in a Tales of Suspense story but he was actually a BOY COMMANDOS villain! I guess Cap was reading DC Comics during the war!
For Captain America, I like to think that the Department of War had an arrangement with Timely Comics and that someone in the War department was tasked with supplying the publisher with plots for morale/propaganda purposes. Some of them were more-or-less true, some were fictionalized, while others were clearly fiction.
I just finished reading "The Four Trials of Justice" from All Winners Comics #12 (as reprinted in 2009's All Winners Comics #1). This one is clearly WWII-era propaganda fiction, both IRL and in the MU. It is set in the United States, in the Fall of 1944, and Pvt. Steve Rogers and mascot bucky Barnes are still statioed stateside. Plus, the Red Skull is running amok... on U.S. soil... in 1944... and his antics are clearly designed to emphasize the Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Worship, Freedom from War(Want) and Freedom from Fear. As a story it fails on all levels; it's not even very good propaganda.
ALL-WINNERS SQUAD: BAND OF HEROES:
What J. Michael Straczynski did for "The Twelve," Paul Jenkins does for a score of other obscure heroes from the Golden Age. The conceit of the series is this: the wartime super-hero comics published by Timely in the 1940s were propaganda to drive military recruitment. the heroes from their pages actually lived and fought together in the war. But in many cases, these real human beings died ingloriously on the field of battle, and their comics would be subsequently cancelled. That's why so many Timely characters had only one or two or a few appearances.
One such character is Captain Flame, a hero whose only issue was destroyed before it was released due to his death. But the Young Avenger (an actual character whose one-and-only appearance was in USA Comics #1), took the only surviving copy from the presses. In the present day, Bill Byron (formerly the Young Avenger) begins to tell his granddaughter, Alyssa, a writer, the story of the top-secret Project: Firefly. The central character is Frank Cortez (Captain Flame), but here is a list of actual Timely characters who rotate through the "Crazy Sues," the Specialized Unit Enhanced Soldiers of a specialized Ranger Unit attached to the 101st Air Assault Division, and where they first appeared:
Also mentioned but not shown:
There are a few new original characters as well, such as Transisto-Mech.
Bill Byron used to work for Timely Comics. When he gave the only existing copy of Super Hero Comics #1 to his granddaughter Alyssa, he said: "It's the only copy in existence. I stole it from the presses just before they destroyed the entire print run... [Comic books] were helpful in promoting the war effort. They were just throwaways designed to thrill--we used to call them 'pulps.' Take Captain America, for example: we used his adventures to help recruit thousands of men into the Army... Our comics were all a part of the war effort. They were commissioned by the United States Military for the most part. But ask yourself: Why did most of the Timely characters go out of print? Their books sold pretty well, after all... they were real people... real people who didn't come back: boys who went away to war and died on foreign soil. Not just for our freedom, but for the freedoms of other nations. These books went out of print because so many of those boys didn't make it home. No one wanted to read the adventures of a dead person."
Alyssa begins to delve into the story: "Y'know, I was researching that Captain Flame comic you showed me. I can't find any mention of him. And there's no record of the print run. He doesn't show up on the old Timely Comics website I found, and there's no artist or writer attributed to the book. I mean I would've thought if they had a print run then at least someone would have remembered it!"
On May 13, 1942, an Army General pays a visit to the publisher of Timely Comics: "We sincerely appreciate your service to this country, Mister Goodman. Rest assured, these comic books are a vital addition to our war effort... [But] it can't do us much good if the people at home don't support it, sir. That's why we need your continued assistance. Paid for by the United States army, of course. According to out latest returns, the adventures of Captain America are now read in more househiolds than Mickey Mouse or Tarzan. Because of this, we'd like to expand our scope of publishing. Your bullpen guys have done a fine job with these designs. In the coming months we're hoping to bring as many as fifty or sixty more characters into your lineup. Moon Man and Young Avenger also had favorable feedback. And now we're looking across the pond to see if some of our allies' better soldiers can be brought into the Crazy Sues program as well. However, for reasons of national security, we'd like to hold back on this character, Captain Flame, until the time is right... As soon as it fits our strategy to release it, you'll be the first to know, sir. In the meantime, if you could have a few copies of the new books sent over we'd appreciate it... We're all excited to see what you guys have planned. I know Cap asked me to send his personal regards. He loved the cover of himself punching Hitler in the jaw."
The Marvel Mystery Handbook: 70th Anniversary Special (2009) is a godsend for this series and The Twelve.
The Official Hanbook of the Marvel Universe: Golden Age (2004) is helpful in that respect, too.
(In fact, I think I'll switch the lead image of this thread.)
One more thing while I'm here (and thinking of it), there has always been a "fictional" version of Marvel Comics in the MU ever since Fantastic Four #10 (and probably before that). This isn't strictly on topic, but back in 2000 Marvel did a "Fifth Week" event featuring "Marvels Comics," i.e., the Marvel Comics of the MU, one of which was...
CAPTAIN AMERICA: GUARDIAN OF FREEDOM:
At this time in the Marvel Universe, Captain America was being "written" by Rick Jones (actually Peter David) and "drawn" by Steve Rogers (actually Ron Frenz and Joe Sinnott). The Joke here is that Rick and Steve have a falling out half way through the production of the issue due to the sheer ridiculousness of Rick's plot. Marvel sides with Rick and Steve walks, leaving (the MU versions of) Mark Bagley and Al Vey to finish the issue. [PAD also takes this opportunity for a good-natured (?) jab at Image Comics, and his employer Marvel Comics as well.] Apropos this discussion, Captain America's secret identity within the "Marvels" universe is Army Private Roger Stephenson.
YOUNG ALLIES COMICS:
"Golden Age Captain America Stories" also includes Bucky, and 2009's 70th anniversary Young Allies Comics reveals what really happened in Young Allies Comics #1 (1941). According to Bucky Barnes (at this point Captain America): "Of course, the Propaganda Office played up that exploit, calling us the 'Young Allies.' For a while, we even had our own comic book. The comics exaggerated the story, inventing wild fantasies about us. The was more caricature... it made us all look like twelve-year-olds. And, of course, the publisher, altered my friends' names, as well. He claimed it was for 'reasons of national security,' but but I always suspected it was so he wouldn't have to pay them."
And from Forever Allies #1: "The Propaganda Office thought the six of us were perfect for rallying youth to the war effort--even arranged to get us our own comic book. It drove us nuts, the way we were portrayed. Those comics made us look like we were the Deadend Kids vs. Hitler. Wash caught the worst of it."
The one-shot also includes a Terry Vance story, a Young Allies text story, a Captain America text story, and four vintage house ads.
I really enjoyed these "real" Young Allies stories. I would have rather seen Bucky and Toro with them than the "Kid Commandos"!
The REAL Captain America!
Which was also explained in the comic!
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