Captain America #309
Nomad Madcap Cap…
Madcap is prancing around the fairgrounds at Coney Island in the middle of the night. When he is jumped by a local street gang, he gleefully allows them to beat him up since he instantly heals from any injury he sustains. This startles the youths and Madcap uses his bubble gun to make them temporarily insane. Entering his hideout, Madcap is surprised to find someone waiting for him inside.
Meanwhile, Steve Rogers finally returns home from an extended trip out of state.[1] He is eager to reunite his his fiancée, Bernie Rosenthal. Bernie tells him how she has been forced to close down her glass shop after her landlord inflated the rent and has to look for a job. This reminds Steve that his current assignment as a freelance commercial artist is past due. He quickly calls his boss, Arthur Bennett, who is angry that Steve has been out of touch and wants to talk to him in the morning. Steve is disappointed because he struggles to find a balance between his day job and his duties as Captain America. It’s then that Bernie tells him that Arnie Roth has been released from the hospital and gone to Florida to recover from his ordeals.[2] She also say she hasn’t seen Jack Monroe for a few days and how when she went to their shared apartment earlier, Jack’s things were all gone. She figures Jack has been troubled after his recent encounter with a new villain named Madcap.[3] Steve is about ready to go back out as Captain America, but Bernie demands he stay home so they can spend some much needed quality time together.
Back at Coney Island, Madcap’s visitor is Nomad himself, who has tracked him down to learn more about the villain and his philosophy. Stripping off his costume and getting a drink, Madcap is eager to tell his story and why he believes all life is pointless and why he embraces chaos. He tells Nomad that he was once devoutly religious. One day, he and his church group were going on a field trip to Bear Mountain. Along the way, their bus crashed with a truck carrying volatile chemicals. The explosion killed everyone by the man who would become Madcap, who was thrown clear of the blast and lay soaking in the slipped chemicals until rescue crews arrived. This truck was hauling chemicals for the terrorist organization known as Advanced Idea Mechanics and they dispatched a team to the site shortly after the accident. Considering it a complete loss, AIM left the man to die.
When rescue crews arrived moments later they were surprised to find the man still alive and with no apparent injuries. Coming out of his coma, the man learned that he was the only survivor and could not understand the purpose of an accident that took the lives of 42 others, but spared him. Overcome with grief, the man left the hospital and tried to end his life by throwing himself in traffic. Hit by a car, he was shocked when his injuries instantly healed, leaving his faith shattered beyond repair. The man decided that life is pointless chaos and reinvented himself as Madcap in order to spread his message. Hearing all this, Nomad then asks where he got the bubble gun that appears to cause people to go briefly insane. Madcap bought it at a department store for cheap.
Meanwhile, Sidewinder and his associates are hard at work gathering other snake-themed supervillains. Sidewinder uses his teleportation cloak to liberate Klaus Voorhees, aka the Cobra, from Ryker’s Island. In Wisconsin, Death Adder visits the Circus of Crime to deliver an invitation to Princess Python. At the Shamrock Bar in Pennsylvania, the Constrictor is delivered an his invitation by Anaconda.
Back in New York, Steve Rogers heads to the Bennett Advertising Agency to meet with his boss, Arthur Bennett. Bennett is disappointed in Steve for missing his deadline and is willing to get his chance, even though he can see Steve’s heart just isn’t in advertising. This gets Steve to realize that he cannot continue creating art for advertisers that see people as commodities and decides that rather than take this second chance he find work in a field more befitting his moral values. Steve feels great after quitting his job, but quickly runs to a nearby payphone to see if anyone has seen Jack Monroe recently. He calls both Sam Wilson — aka the Falcon — and Nick Fury, Director of SHIELD. Unfortunately, neither of them have seen Nomad recently.
At that same moment, Nomad and Madcap have just gotten out of bed and the lunatic decides to give Jack his first lesson in chaos. They go to a nearby diner and after eating a meal there, take off without paying the bill. Meanwhile, Captain America has returned to Avengers Mansion for some exercise. It’s there that Jarvis tells him that Nomad came by for advice on where to search for Madcap. Jarvis suggested that Jack check arcades and amusement parks. This gives Captain America a lead on where to find his missing partner and thanks the dutiful butler for his help.
By this time, Madcap and Nomad have returned to coney Island where Madcap begins using his bubble gun to make attendees go crazy. Nomad goes along with this until Madcap uses his weapon on a mother and her two infant children. He decides that Madcap has gone too far and wrests the bubble gun away. However, when he tries to use the weapon on Madcap, it doesn’t work. Fleeing up onto one of the roller coasters, Nomad is unaware that Captain America has arrived and decided to watch from the sidelines to see how his partner does. When Madcap catches up with him, Jack crushes the bubble gun in his hands. This upsets Madcap, but the madman reveals that it was only a distraction to get his victims to look in his eyes, the real source of his power. The villain then tries to unleash his madness on Nomad, but Jack manages to look away. Then, covering Madcap’s eyes with his cape, Nomad uses the lunatic’s own cape to tie up and arms and legs.
As Nomad climbs down from the rollercoaster with his prisoner, Captain America comes out of hiding and commends him for a job well done. Nomad thanks Cap, and tells him that while he has appreciated being Captain America’s crimefighting partner he has decided that it is time to strike out on his own. Steve completely understands and wishes Jack the best of luck in his career as Nomad.[4]
Recurring Characters
Captain America, Nomad, Madcap, Bernie Rosenthal, Cobra, Anaconda, Death Adder, Princess Python, Sidewinder, Constrictor, Arthur Bennett, Falcon, Nick Fury, Edwin Jarvis
Continuity Notes
Cap has been doing some globe trotting recently, first visiting England (Captain America #305-306) and Los Angeles (Secret Wars II #1, and last issue).
Arnie Rother was tortured by the Red Skull from Captain America #295-300. He was hospitalized until issue #306. He will remain in Florida until his return to New York in Captain America #428.
Nomad first clashed with Madcap in issue #307.
A footnote here reminds readers that Captain America and Nomad officially became partner in Captain America #295. However, they had been fighting crime together since issue #281.
Topical References
Madcap says he bought his bubble gun at Woolworth’s for $1.49. This should be considered a topical reference since there are no longer any Woolworth department stores in America. TL;DR: The company that owns the brand shut down all the department stores to focus on Footlocker. The price of the bubble gun should be considered topical as well. Adjusting for inflation his gun would cost almost $4 in 2021 money.
