J’Accuse!

Captain America has been accused of murder after one of his foes, the Tumbler, drops dead while fleeing battle. The lead accuser is Quentin Harderman who represents the Committee to Regain America’s Principals, an organization that has been slandering Captain America in the media.[1] Cap suspects some kind of set up as he was invited to a charity boxing match organization by the Committee. However, the Avenger is forced to flee when the authorities arrive to take him into custody.

While trying to figure out where to go next, he is attacked by a super-human calling himself Moonstone, who intends to bring Cap to justice. Not only does Moonstone have super-human strength, but he can also teleport and fire lasers from his hands. When Cap is felled by one of these blasts, Harderman comes out and declares Moonstone the new champion of the people.

Meanwhile, the Falcon and his girlfriend Leila arrive in the nation of Wakanda with the Black Panther.[2] They have come so T’Challa can construct a device that will help increase Falcon’s abilities.[3] There they are introduced to Tanzika, one of the Black Panther’s female assistants who agrees to show Leila around Wakanda. Unfortunately, the pair don’t mesh well together due to their very different backgrounds.

Back in America, Captain America wakes up in a jail cell while Harderman and Moonstone answer questions to the media. When asked for his origins, Moonstone tells an embellished lie about how he obtained his powers when exposed to a mysterious rock brought back from the moon. While he tells them that he was a janitor who worked at a midwestern university, in reality, he was a burglar who attempted to steal the moonrock. He was caught in the act by one of the guards who then tried to shoot the thief. The bullet struck the stone causing a reaction in which it was absorbed into the thief’s body giving him fantastic powers. The man who would become Moonstone then murdered the guards and fled the scene.[4] Through the criminal underworld, Moonstone learned about the Viper and Harderman’s attempt to use their advertising skills to discredit Captain America and asked to be part of the plan.[5] Hearing their made up story, Captain America cannot believe that the media is taking this story at face value when his protests of innocence are written off as the lies of a killer.

While in Wakanda, Leila grows bored while Black Panther and Falcon continue to work on their new invention. In order to keep her occupied, T’Challa sends her to the nearby Lagos so she can do some shopping. While she wanders the local markets she is spotted by Stoneface, who had fled to Lagos after he was ousted as the crime boss in Harlem.[5] Recognizing her as an American and homesick for his native country, Stoneface tries to convince her to come back to his hideout with him. When Leila refuses, he kills the guards the Panther sent with her and absconds with the woman. When her guards fail to report back to Wakanda, the Black Panther is informed of the situation. Both he and the Falcon decide to go to Lagos to find Leila, giving Sam the opportunity to test out their creation — a set of glider wings that will give him the ability of flight.

Meanwhile, back in New York, Captain America is still locked up in jail awaiting trial. Suddenly, a gang of armed mercenaries blow a hole in the wall of his cell in order to free him. Cap suddenly finds himself in an even bigger bind than before: He needs to be free in order to clear his name, but escaping from jail will only further convince people that he’s guilty of murder.

Recurring Characters

Captain America, Falcon, Secret Empire (Moonstone, Quentin Harderman), Black Panther, Leila Taylor, Stoneface

Continuity Notes

1. Little does anyone know that CRAP is actually a front for the Secret Empire, as revealed in Captain America #173.

2. Leila’s last name is not given here. It’s identified as Taylor in Captain America #188.

3. A footnote here states that this story takes place prior to the events of Jungle Action (vol. 2) #6-18, which saw the Black Panther return to Wakanda to defend the nation from Eric Killmonger.

4. Moonstone’s real name is not given here. Captain America #379 identifies him as Lloyd Bloch. (Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe #7 and Deluxe Edition #9 misidentifies him as Byron Becton. The Nefarius entry in Captain America: America’s Avenger #1 clarifies that the Becton name was an alias)

5. The Viper started the ball rolling on the Captain America smear campaign in Captain America #163.

6. Stoneface’s criminal empire was taken down by Captain America and the Falcon in Captain America #134. His rackets were taken over by Morgan in Captain America #152.