expatNERD

Tag: Captain America

  • Captain America Omnibus Vol. 3

    This week’s recommendation is Captain America Omnibus Vol. 3, the big one when Steve Englehart jumped on and redefined Captain America to basically the iteration we have now. He contributed quite a few ‘forwards’ that were first printed in the Marvel Masterworks edition. But to sum it up, the sales for Cap’s mag were low at the time and Steve was tasked by Roy Thomas to bring them up. If he didn’t, then he was fired.

    So what did he do?

    For starters, the stories in the Omnibus run between the years 1972 – 1975. Americans were very much against the Vietnam war and since Captain America symbolized America, Cap was at odds with Marvel’s readership. Then Watergate happened, which was a time of Richard Nixon who was a very aggressive President and challenged US systems of government.

    Sound familiar?

    The result was that Englehart owned the situation and decided to bring Cap directly in conflict with the government. Cap does a whole lot of soul searching, continually analyzes his relationship with both Falcon and Sharon Carter, and basically tries to figure out who he is and what place he has in the world. Which was also what the readers were doing at the time.

    The result is an incredible run that is not only thought provoking but also very relevant for today. On one hand, it’s refreshing to see the creatives grappling with something that feels very familiar, while on the other it’s very frustrating because you wonder just how far we have come since then.

    And of course what really makes this Omnibus pop is we get Sal Buscema’s art almost the entire time. He had such a good handle on Cap and this whole Omnibus just rocks. Sal could really ratch up the action but also create those quiet moments as well as portray the inner turmoil that Cap experienced throughout. The art alone is definitely worth the price of admission. As a tribute to Sal Buscema, I created the above image that is directly taken from Captain America #156 right in the art-style of expatNERD.

    Tschüss,

    Franka

  • 16 – The Bet

    16 – The Bet

    Ahh the internet. Both a blessing and a curse but in this case, definitely a blessing. I do not know why Curt likes to go against the internet. Maybe he has won before, but I seriously doubt it.

    And cleaning the store for a whole month? That is quite the bet. Thus it is understandable that Curt would hesitate and try to get out of it. But Franka is not ceding any ground and it looks like she planned for this reaction. Franka must be well schooled in international relations so it will be interesting to see how this Germany vs. USA standoff concludes.

    The highlight of this week, at least for me, will be me seeing the Thunderbolts. I have been very interested in this movie for a very long time, and really like the group Marvel has brought together for this one. Florence Pugh is always a delight and David Harbour has been severely underused so far, so I cannot wait to see him shine. I really enjoyed his performance in Black Widow so I do hope we see more of that.

    One thing I have done in 2025 is completely avoid any and all trailers for movies and shows as well as any ‘news’ or updates. Last year, I felt that a lot of those big, impactful moments were completely spoiled because I saw it coming. I think when you reach a certain age and have seen a lot of films, just getting an indication of something, whether through an image or soundbite, is enough to make your brain cells flair and know exactly what is coming.

    I have not seen the Thunderbolts trailer so I do not know its place in the grand scheme of things so far. I can only assume there will be some follow up from Bucky Barnes conversation with Captain American from Cap’s film earlier this year, and a nice update on where Yelena is at the moment. And that is enough to get me excited. Will I post a review of the movie? I do not know. This is more of a comic book website more than anything with a webcomic attached to it. Perhaps a quick strip courtesy of Franka, making fun of it, will suffice?

    We will see.

    -Marv