Captain America #7

Ed Brubaker // Steve Epting
July 2005
****

An interlude backtracks to #3’s surprise death of Nomad. Once the 1950s Bucky, retconned into a mess, & abandoned by the mid-’90s, he’s repurposed here into a lost soul, as hard-boiled & insane as any Jim Thompson protag, haunted by the ghost of the man he once replaced—who returns to kill him!

last issue: Captain America #6
next issue: Captain America #8

also indexed for Jul. ’05
Astonishing X-Men #11
Daredevil #73
The Pulse #9
Runaways #4
Young Avengers #4

Captain America #3

Ed Brubaker // Steve Epting with Michael Lark
March 2005
*****

After mopping up an abortive terror attack, Cap & Agent 13 earn some R&R in Paris. The city elicits nostalgia from the WW2 vet, whose collab w/ the Fr. Resistance (Lark’s pencils) lets the reader into the title char’s psyche & lets Ed B snub the idiotic “A for France” line in The Ultimates.

also indexed for Mar. ’05
Astonishing X-Men #9
Daredevil #69
Fantastic Four #522
Iron Man #3
The Pulse #7

Thunderbolts #44

Fabian Nicieza // Mark Bagley
November 2000
***

Most of #44 exposits on the Avengers crossover (Count Nefaria has a classically baroque supervillain plan), while moving its various hammy subplots forward incrimentally. Fortunately, Bagley’s art looks better than ever due to new inker Adams, who emphasizes the ’90s manga-like physiques.

continued from Avengers #33
continued in Avengers #34
last issue: Thunderbolts #43
next issue: Thunderbolts #45

also indexed for Nov. ’00
Avengers #34
Maximum Security #1 of 3

Thunderbolts #43

Fabian Nicieza // Mark Bagley
October 2000
***

The Black Widow drags the T-bolts into a crossover involving organized crime, Atlas, & the Avengers. It’s rather confusing, while the mag’s secrets—Fixer-as-Ogre, Scourge a’lurking, & general self-doubt—muddle the issue even more. But new inker Greg Adams augments Bagley’s cartoon impulses nicely.

continued from Avengers #32
continued in Avengers #33
last issue: Thunderbolts #42
next issue: Thunderbolts #44

also indexed for Oct. ’00
Maximum Security: Dangerous Planet #1 of 1
Avengers #33

Thunderbolts #42

Fabian Nicieza // Mark Bagley
September 2000
**

Nicieza inches each plot forward a notch while pitching Atlas into an Avengers crossover. But his focus remains the soaping up of his cast: a rejected second chance for a butch-dyke supervillain; an internal monologue, midbrawl, for Dallas; & teasing secret IDs for Crimson Cowl & the Scourge.

continued in Avengers #32
last issue: Thunderbolts #41
next issue: Thunderbolts #43

also indexed for Sept. ’00
Avengers #32

Captain America #445

Mark Waid // Ron Garney
November 1995
****
In a nice parallel scene, an empty coffin is interred at Arlington as medtech rejuvenates the Captain. The save comes via the Red Skull (who’s body is a Cap clone, you’ll recall). The real surprise is his sidekick: the late Sharon Carter! Otherwise, it’s mostly jumpsuited thugs in secret bases.
[last issue: Captain America #444]
[next issue: Captain America #446]