Adventures of Captain America #2
Betrayed by Agent X
Catching crooks stealing from the motor pool at Camp Lehigh, Steve Rogers went after them in disguise. Although he got the drop on them, Steve is almost attacked by a man with an axe. Luckily, he is able to whirl around and fire his gun fast enough to shatter the axe handle. Although Steve’s body had been recently transformed into the peak of human proficiency, he is not very skilled and the goons soon pile on him all at once. Steve eventually manages to fight them off. Questioning the ring leader, Rogers learns how they are working for a German Bundt that is expecting a delivery of their stolen goods at the Woodbridge Shipyards the following evening.
With this information, Steve heads back to camp before people start waking up and notice he isn’t on base.
The following morning when the troops are dismissed, Steve rushes to the nearby payphone to check in with Lieutenant Colonel James Fletcher. Fletcher asks if Steve has seen anything out of the ordinary on base. He lies and says there’s nothing to report, even though Fletcher is reading a newspaper story about a masked man busting the smugglers the night before. Although he knows Steve isn’t telling the truth, James doesn’t let on that he knows the truth. After the call, Steve is heading back to the barracks when he spots three men giving a hard time to a young man over his inability to get some contraband smokes. When Steve interrupts, the young boy uses it as an excuse to get away by claiming that Steve is the one handling the merchandise. When they get away, the young man thanks Steve for his intervention and introduces himself as James Buchanan Barnes, or Bucky for short. When Steve asks if he’s a boy mascott for the base, James takes offense, telling him that he performs invaluable clerical services for Camp Lehigh.[1]
That evening, Steve sneaks off base in disguise again and heads down to the shipyard. When he tries to stop the Bundt from escaping with stolen military supplies, a crate of explosives is set off as the getaway truck it trying to speed off, killing the thieves in a massive explosion. The following morning, Steve is woken up by Bucky, who shows him a newspaper story about the masked vigilante. Steve is shocked that his recent escapades have made the newspaper. Racing back to the barracks to ditch his mask he is caught and cussed out by his superior officer, Sergeant Mike Duffy. Duffy also tells him that there is a car that has been sent for him. When Steve goes to see who it is, he surprised to see Cynthia Glass waiting in the back seat. She tells him that General Phillips is calling for him.
Figuring the jig is up, Steve heads into the Office of Civilian Defense to take his punishment. He finds that General Phillips, Lieutenant Colonel Fletcher, and Emil Gruber are waiting for him. They reveal that they took Steve’s sketch book for ideas. When Steve asks what they are talking about, he is given a box containing a costume patterned after the American flag.[2] Putting on the costume, Steve is told of his first official mission, preventing the assassination of a high ranking official, Captain Fein, a military prosecutor that will be dealing with the Bund members that were busted by Steve earlier.
That night, as Fein is being transported by none other than Gilmore Hodge, a rejected candidate of Project Rebirth. When the assassins make their move, Steve Rogers arrives and pummels them with his new shield. In the aftermath of the battle, Steve deduces that Gilmore was the one who tipped them off and puts him under arrest. Fein then asks for the name of the man who just saved his life. Steve says to call him Captain America! Captain America quickly becomes an overnight sensation and over the next two weeks, the media reports of his many exploits.[3]
Back in Berlin, the Red Skull receives another report from Agent X in America. Their current operation is proving successful, prompting the Skull to give the order to press forward with the plan.
Three months later, Phillips, Fletcher, and Glass are all planning on going to Project: Rebirth to see how far along their scientists are at recreating the Super Soldier Serum. They are only waiting for Steve Rogers to show up, but Cynthia tells them that Steve will meet up with them at the project. En route to the secret lab, they are ambushed by the Vernichtungs-Kommandos. The super-human assassins murder all the guards and kidnap both Fletcher and Cynthia.
When Captain America finally reports in a half hour later, General Phillips reams Cap out from getting back late from a radio show with the First Lady. Steve is quicky informed about the capture of James and Cynthia. The General says they can’t act on anything until they get word back from the Secretary of State. However, Steve can’t wait and heads out.
At that same moment, at their warehouse hideout, the Vernichtungs-Kommandos tie up Synthia and put her on a conveyer belt that will slowly pushing her toward some spinning saw blades. This is all an attempt to get Fletcher to reveal the secret of the vita-rays. It doesn’t work and they are forced to knock him out. Zahnmorder then orders his comrades to untie Cynthia.
Meanwhile, Captain America has charged off on his own. He heads down to the stock aid where Gilmore Hodge is being held ever since he was exposed as a traitor. Hodge refuses to talk under Cap bends the bars of his cell around Gilmore’s fat head.
As Cap races to the location of his friends, Fletcher wakes up to find himself tied to a chair. He is being interrogated by Agent X, the cloaked spy that has been leaking information to the Nazis. When James still refuses to talk, Agent X leaves to torture Cynthia Glass. Hearing Cynthia’s agonized screams only gives Fletcher the strength to break free from his bonds. He knocks out Blitzkrieg and races into the room where Agent X is supposedly torturing Cynthia. What he sees is a huge shock to him. However, he has no time to act as Zahnmorder and Saurespritze are charging at him. James charges at Blitzkrieger and knocks both himself and the Nazi out a nearby window.
Racing to a nearby car, Fletcher gets it started, but not before Blitzkrieger can fire one of his grappling hooks onto the rear bumper. Speeding away, James sees that the Nazi is electrifying the wire, but manages to bail out before the charge can reach and ignite the gas tank. Losing the Nazis in the woods, James comes upon a nearby diner and uses the payphone to call General Phillips back at base. Unfortunately, Fletcher only manages to pass along his current location before he is nabbed.
Recurring Characters
Captain America, Bucky, Nazis (Red Skull, Das Vernichtungs-Kommandos (Zahnmorder, Blitzkrieg, Saurespritze), Agent X), Mike Duffy, James Fletcher, Emil Gruber, Chester Phillips, Gilmore Hodge
Continuity Notes
This story presents Bucky as simply an orphan living on the camp. As first revealed in Captain America (vol. 5) #12, Bucky was a lot more, he was trained specifically to be Captain America’s “boy sidekick” as a cover for covert activities that Captain America wouldn’t be able to do. See also Captain America and Bucky #620.
Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty #6-7 adds that the design for Steve’s Captain America costume was inspired by a similar costume warn by his ancestor (also named Steve Rogers) who lived during the Revolutionary War.
The two page splash of Captain America headlines there is one article that shows a photo of Captain America beside a picture of the Sub-Mariner. One might interpret this to mean that Captain America and the Sub-Mariner fought at some point during this two week period, the two actually won’t encounter one another until after Steve receives his circular shield, as depicted in Captain America #423. The story that accompanies the photos seen here is not legible. One could assume that the article is just a general story about the various wartime super-humans as opposed to a report about Captain America fighting the Sub-Mariner.
Translations
“Jawohl” = “Yes Sir!”
“Vas is” = “What is…”
“Verflucht!” = Damn!
“Mein Herr” = “Sir”
“Roter Schädel” = “Red Skull”
“Achtung” = “Attention”
Das Vernichtungs-Kommandos = The Elimination Squad
Die Säurespritze = The Acid Syringe
Der Zahnmörder = The Tooth Killer
Der Blitzangriff = The Lightning Attack
“Nein = “No”
“Fraulein” = “Young lady”
“Schwein” = “Pig”
Story Chronology
As I stated in the entry for last issue, this story is not generally considered part of continuity. However, elements of this story have later been introduced into mainstream continuity. That said, the story can easily be added to continuity (See last issue for my justifications). Without further adue this is how I think this issue would fit in with the rest of Captain America’s continuity…
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Page 1-19
This first part of the story has Steve Rogers carrying out unauthorized mission in disguise before getting his Captain America costume. During this period, we also see Steve start his friendship with James Barnes, aka Bucky. It also establishes his antagonistic relationship with Sergeant Mike Duffy.
One could argue that Steve meets Bucky earlier in Adventures of Captain America than established continuity. However, much of the circumstances behind Steve and Bucky’s early interactions were revealed to go back much farther as per Ed Bruebake’s run on Captain America. Bucky became less a boy mascot who stumbled upon Steve’s secret identity and became a young soldier trained specifically to be Cap’s partner from the start. In fact, the whole concept of “Bucky being there to do things Captain America could not” (such as assassinations and so on) is first mentioned in Adventures of Captain America.
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Page 1-19 Chronology
Adventures of Captain America #2 (Page 1-18, Panel 4): Steve completes his first unauthorized mission. Stops some saboteurs stealing supplies from Camp Leigh. Learns that they plan on hitting the Woodbridge shipyard. Heads back to camp before sunrise. Steve meets Bucky for the first time gets him out of trouble. Steve gets shit from Sgt. Duffy before Cynthia Glass comes to pick him up for an important meeting with the brass.
Captain America #255 (Page 9, Panel 1-2)/Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty #7 (Page 11, Panel 5-6): Steve Rogers is first informed about the existence of the Red Skull.
Captain America (vol. 5) #2 (Page 10): Cap is shown film reel footage of the Red Skull’s atrocities in Germany.
Adventures of Captain America #2 (Page 18, Panel 5 -Page 21, Panel 1): Steve is given his new costume. Emil Gruber says that it was inspired by Steve’s drawings. Fletcher and Glass are present.
Captain America #255 (Page 9, Panel 3-5)/Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty #7 (Page 12): Steve Rogers changes into his Captain America costume for the first time.
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Page 20-46
This entire section deals with Steve getting his first Captain America costume and his early missions. These events can easily be slotted in with other established continuity.
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Page 20-46 Chronology
Captain America #255 (Page 10-Page 15)/Adventures of Captain America #2 (Page 21, Panel 2-Page 24): Cap’s first official mission to protect a high ranking Colonel from assassins. Smashes up a Nazi Bund in New York City. Gilmore Hodge is outed as the one who tipped the assassins off and is arrested.
Adventures of Captain America #2 (Page 25-26): Two page spread of Cap’s various exploits. Which would tie in to the following items below.
Marvel Super Heroes (vol. 2) #3 (Page 20, Panel 3-5): Captain America stops Nazi saboteurs.
Captain America #255 (Page 16): Cap stops another sabotage attempt at an aircraft plant
Tales of Suspense (vol. 2) #1 (Page 27, Panel 3): Captain America clashes with Emil Stein for the first time.
Captain America Corps #1-5: Steve is plucked out of time by the Contemplator along with other Captain Americas from across time to save a future timeline from tyrants inspired by Captain America. Steve is returned to his proper place in time afterwards with no memory of what went down.
Steve Rogers: Super Soldier #1 (Page 11, Panel 1): Steve and Cynthia Glass take some time out for romance.
Steve Rogers: Super Soldiers #3 (Page 6, Panel 5): Steve and Cynthia are photographed together.
Adventures of Captain America #2 (Page 27-46): The Red Skull gets fed up with Captain America’s interference in his plans. Sends the Killing Squad to kidnap Cynthia and Fletcher. Rogers disobeys orders to go after the, interrogates Hodge. Fletcher escapes from the Killing Squad and Agent X. Gets to a diner to call for help.