| Characters |
Captain America [Steve Rogers]; The Hulk [Bruce Banner]; Rick Jones; HYDRA; Madame Hydra |
| Synopsis |
Cap runs across the Hulk on a rampage in NYC. As the Army tries to stop him, Rick Jones warns him how uncontrollable he can be. The Hulk escapes, and Cap vows Rick must never put himself in danger until the monster can be tamed. Back at Avengers Mansion, Rick finds Bucky Barnes' old uniform, and rejects Cap's protests against wearing it. After putting him off for years, Cap finally accepts Rick officially as his new partner! Almost immediately, they uncover a plot by HYDRA to contaminate the city's water supply. After a series of battles, the HYDRA goons are driven off, and Cap tells Rick he survived his "baptism of fire"-- like a man! |
| Genre |
Super-hero |
| Script |
Jim Steranko |
| Pencils |
Jim Steranko |
| Inks |
Joe Sinnott |
| Colors |
Jim Steranko |
| Letters |
Sam Rosen |
| Editing |
Stan Lee (original editor) |
| Notes |
Part 1 of 3. 1st appearance of Madame Hydra. James Bond had faced a "Madame Spectra" in the 007 newspaper strip story "The Spy Who Loved Me" in THE DAILY EXPRESS (December 18, 1967-October 3, 1968); see JAMES BOND 007 #[7] (Titan Books, August 2005). Last previous appearance of HYDRA in STRANGE TALES #159 (July 1967); its subsidiary, A.I.M., had effectively split off to become a separate organization and continued to crop up in the Nick Fury, Captain America & Iron Man series. Cap had first asked Rick to be his partner back in THE AVENGERS #4 (March 1964), but kept hemming and hawing over it for almost 5 years! The sequence in the sewers is strikingly similar to the one in "Spy Ambush" in CAPTAIN AMERICA COMICS #10 (January 1942). The Spirit had also once faced a female villain who planned to poison NYC's water supply in an early story. |
| Reprinted |
from CAPTAIN AMERICA (Marvel, 1968 series) #110 (February 1969) |
| Characters |
Captain America [Steve Rogers]; HYDRA; Madame Hydra; Rick Jones; Man-Killer (HYDRA robot) |
| Synopsis |
Lured to an arcade by a faked message, Cap is ambushed by HYDRA assassins, who point out that since his identity is known, he's an easy target. After they fail to kill Cap, the one in charge of the hit is punished by Madame Hydra. Cap & Rick watch films of Cap & Bucky, then go to the gym for more training. But Rick feels overwhelmed and inadequate. Rick picks up a drugged message meant for Cap, and finds himself in a hallucinogenic landscape. Cap discovers the message, but too late to stop Rick's abduction. Cap returns to the arcade, and is attacked by the Man-Killer, HYDRA's newest robot. Rick escapes & tries to warn Cap, just as he takes out the robot, and Cap realizes Rick has what it takes. Then, abruptly, he appears to leap from a rooftop into the river, straight through a barrage of HYDRA gunfire! The police only find his costume-- and a mask with the facial features of Steve Rogers, which suggests "Rogers" was a fake identity! |
| Genre |
Super-hero |
| Script |
Jim Steranko |
| Pencils |
Jim Steranko |
| Inks |
Joe Sinnott |
| Colors |
Jim Steranko |
| Letters |
Sam Rosen |
| Editing |
Stan Lee (original editor) |
| Notes |
Part 2 of 3. Page 9 contains Steranko's 2nd tribute to Salvador Dali (following the cover of NICK FURY #7). The "Spectro-Ray", which reveals no hidden weapons on Rick, is strikingly similar to the effect used by Infinata in the 1968 ROCKET ROBIN HOOD cartoon "Revolt In The Fifth Dimension" (and its 1969 SPIDER-MAN cartoon remake). One of the kidnappers on page 11 bears a striking resemblance to Stan Lee! |
| Reprinted |
from CAPTAIN AMERICA (Marvel, 1968 series) #111 (March 1969) |
| Characters |
Madame Hydra; HYDRA; Rick Jones; Vision; Black Panther [T'Challa]; Iron Man [Tony Stark]; Hawkeye [Clint Barton]; Thor [Dr. Don Blake]; Nick Fury; Sharon Carter; Jasper Sitwell (cameo); Dum Dum Dugan (cameo); Gabe Jones (cameo); Captain America [Steve Rogers] |
| Synopsis |
While the news reports Cap's death, and that "Steve Rogers" was a fake identity, Madama Hydra has Cap's HYDRA file burned. She then thinks back on her past, and the way she bumped off several top men in the organization following the death of Baron Strucker, to become Supreme Hydra "in this sector". The Avengers, together with Nick Fury, Sharon Carter and several top SHIELD men, hold a wake, but are suddenly gassed by HYDRA agents, bent on eliminating them as well! Rick follows to the cemetary, where multiple premature burials are planned, and is almost caught himself-- when out of nowhere, Cap appears on a motorcycle, very much alive! A battle follows, ending when a set of "Hunter Missiles" miss their target and take out Madame Hydra instead! Cap reveals he faked his own death in order to create the idea that he was never "Steve Rogers"-- "and so, Captain America has a secret identity once more!" |
| Genre |
Super-hero |
| Script |
Jim Steranko |
| Pencils |
Jim Steranko |
| Inks |
Tom Palmer |
| Colors |
Jim Steranko |
| Letters |
Artie Simek |
| Editing |
Stan Lee (original editor) |
| Notes |
Part 3 of 3. The climax of this story in part pays tribute to "Spy Ambush" from CAPTAIN AMERICA COMICS #10 (January 1942). Nick Fury presumably appears between NICK FURY #11-12. HYDRA would finally return to battle SHIELD this month in NICK FURY #12 (May 1969). After all the effort to get Cap & Rick together as a regular team, it would prove short-lived, as Roy Thomas & Gil Kane wound up teaming Rick with Captain Mar-Vell in CAPTAIN MARVEL #17 (October 1969). Following the cancellation of NICK FURY, Nick, SHIELD & HYDRA became recurring elements in the CAPTAIN AMERICA series. In the wake of Baron Strucker's demise, most HYDRA stories beginning with this one involve regional factions rather than one big, centralized organization. Although she appeared to have been killed at the end of this episode, Madame Hydra would return-- renaming herself "The Viper"-- in CAPTAIN AMERICA #180 (December 1974). |
| Reprinted |
from CAPTAIN AMERICA (Marvel, 1968 series) #113 (May 1969) |