Sermon of the Straw

The Scarecrow breaks into the home of named Buckly and murders him in cold blood. When the neighbors are drawn by the sounds of his screams they are horrified when they find Buckly’s dead body being picked at by a murder of crows.

The following morning, Captain America pays a visit to the Coalition for an Upstanding America because they have been using his likeness in their advertising campaign without his permission.[1] The head of this organization, James Watson McArthur, explains that their organization wants to bring back traditional American values with a new network television channel. However, it’s quickly discovered that their publicity director — Mr. McArthur’s son, Jimmy — didn’t get the proper permission when he started their campaign. Jimmy explains that he tried to contact Captain America but went ahead anyway figuring that Cap would support their cause. Captain America, however, does not. He tells them that he supports the ideals of all Americans and wants the posters down by the end of the evening.

It’s here that one of the members of the board tearfully shows Captain America a newspaper report about his wife being murdered in Central Park by the Scarecrow. He fears that the homicidal maniac is targeting them and their cause. This horrifies Captain America who promises to hunt down the Scarecrow and bring them to justice, but this doesn’t change his position on their using his likeness.

Leaving, Captain America changes back into Steve Rogers and heads to work. He curses himself for letting the Scarecrow get away during their last encounter.[2] However, as luck would have it, his employer — advertising executive Arthur Bennett — has been trying to get Steve to do artwork for the Coalition. He decides to take the job as it will allow him to work undercover on capturing the Scarecrow. When Steve arrives at Bennett’s office, the advertising executive apologizes for the anti-semitic comments he made during their last encounter and is glad he has taken the job.[3]

That evening, at an abandoned barn in Rhinebeck, New York, the Scarecrow gleefully watches the news. It features an interview with McArthur, who has announced a fundraising marathon for his new television station. The Scarecrow loses his temper when McArthur calls him a madman on live television and takes it out on his butler, Anthony, and decides to plan his next move.

Meanwhile, Captain America finishes his patrol for the evening and is no closer to finding a lead on the Scarecrow. Returning to a rooftop near Arthur Bennett’s office to recover his art protfolio, Cap sees crows climbing into Arthur’s office window. Leaping into the office, Captain America arrives just in time to stop the Scarecrow from murdering Arthur. However, he is forced to let the Scarecrow escape because Bennett needs immediate medical attention.

Luckily, Bennett isn’t seriously injured and he and Steve attend the beginning of the telethon at the Colition’’s new television station. However, when James McArthur is supposed to be giving his opening speech it turns out to be the Scarecrow in disguise. Trotting out his butler, Anthony, Scarecrow denounces McArthur as a hypocrite and has him descended down from the scaffolding bound in chains, intending to kill him on live television. To prove his claims, the Scarecrow plays a recording he made of a private conversation at McArthur had wherein he boasts how he is just suckering people out of money to make himself rich and doesn’t give a shit about “traditional American values.”

By this time, Steve has slipped away to change into Captain America and arrives just as the Scarecrow has slipped into a deranged rant about how his own father was a hypocrite as well. Cap stops the Scarecrow before he can kill McArthur, and Anthony reveals that he is actually the Scarecrow’s brother Ralph. He explains that Scarecrow — his real name Ebenezer — went mad in prison after being placed in solitary confinement. In reality, their father was a simple farmer and not the monster he explained and that Ebenezer hated both his father and Ralph for their simple mindedness and that all of the people he murdered were due to the lie he tells himself. However, Captain America isn’t entirely sure whose lies are to blame for the carnage wrought by the Scarecrow.

Recurring Characters

Captain America, Scarecrow, Arthur Bennett

Continuity Notes

1. Here, Captain America recounts some of his recent activites:

   • How he was reunited with his childhood friend, Arnie Roth, in Captain America #270. Arnie is referred to as Cap’s childhood friend. It has been impossible for Arnie to be alive in the present day due to the Sliding Timescale and Marvel has yet to provide an explanation. In my summary in for issue #270 I propose a theory on how this could be, check it out if you feel so inclined.

   • He also recounts how his girlfriend Bernie Rosenthal recently discovered his secret identity. That happened in Captain America #275-276.

   • Lastly he mentions his battle with Baron Zemo and Primus. This took place in Captain America #275-279, this ended with the death of Arnie’s boyfriend Michael.

2. Captain America previously stopped Scarecrow from robbing a bank in Captain America Annual #6. The villain managed to get away.

3. Arthur Bennett made a negative comment about Jews in Captain America #275. This disgusted Steve enough that he refused to work for Bennett.

Topical References

• Lots of outdated technology in this story: CRT televisions, old television cameras, klieg lights, and a honking tape recorder at the climax of the story, just to tell you what decade this story was written in. Anyway, all of these depictions should be considered topical for obvious reasons.