Simon and Kirby made sure that Captain America took rising anti-Semitism head-on in their series.

Despite the shield and outfit, he was just like you and me (shh, don’t think too hard about that fancy serum that made him faster, stronger, and smarter than 10 men combined). Rogers’ “gosh, shucks” attitude may strike us today as a bit corny, but back in 1941, it helped bring this larger-than-life defender of liberty down to earth and make him seem like any other normal American. The original Captain America comics are delightful to read. Rogers swears him to secrecy, and after some convincing by Barnes, takes Barnes on as his sidekick. Barnes stumbles onto the secret one night when he walks into Rogers’ tent while Rogers is dressing as Captain America. In the comics, Captain America is the man responsible for busting spy rings, rooting out fifth columnists, and thwarting Nazi attacks at home and abroad. By night, he puts on the red, white, and blue outfit and picks up the shield (originally a triple-peak wedge shape) to become Captain America. By day, Steve Rogers is a bumbling private, a gentle giant. Barnes is the local Army camp’s “mascot”, the son of an officer and only 16. In the comics, Rogers meets Bucky Barnes - his best friend and sidekick - after donning the mantle of Captain America, and Barnes is seven years Rogers’ junior. The Vita-Rays serum that transforms him from a 98-pound frail body to 240 pounds of Nazi-punching sass is administered orally instead of infused in a tank as in the film. Two key points in the plot are different, however. Rogers’ origin story in the comics mostly parallels that of his first film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe ( Captain America: The First Avenger).

All this by way of saying that if you’ve ever wanted to read comics about Captain America, but have been too overwhelmed by the sheer volume and didn’t know where to start, then you’ve come to the right place.įirst Comic: March 1941 In The Beginning. Surprise! Or, not so surprising if you’ve met me or visited my home - framed Iron Man and Winter soldier comics, boxes of vintage and rare comics, a Comixology library that literally occupies 90 percent of my iPad’s storage space, Iron Man and Captain America ornaments, and a Captain America-Winter Soldier tattoo on one wrist. It’s Marvel Week here at SB Nation, and to celebrate we asked the resident Marvel nerd on our staff to write about one of her favorite superheroes.

Captain america comixology