Captain America #324
Speed Trap
Captain America ambushes a bunch of armed men in an abandoned warehouse. However, it turns out that they are a bunch of youths who are playing around with realistic water guns. When they beg Captain America not to kill them, Cap realizes that the news that he killed an ULTIMATUM terrorist continues to have a negative impact on his public image and wonders how long he will have to pay for this mistake.[1]
Meanwhile, at another warehouse, the villain known as Whirlwind has become tired of being a failure in his career and has sought out the Tinkerer to create new equipment for him. After seeing Whirlwind’s powers at work, he outfits the criminal with a new costume armed with buzzsaws that will make him deadlier than ever.[2]
That’s when the Trapster arrives to show off his latest addition to his arsenal. A slippery solution he calls Lubricant Z. As the Trapster has had his own string of bad luck, Whirlwind suggests that they both work together to make a name for themselves by going after Captain America.
At the same time, at yet another warehouse but in Florida, Nomad is attacking a group of drug dealers. Shrugging off their bullets, Nomad incapacitates them all with his stun discs. He keeps one of the men conscious so he can question him about his boss, the notorious drug dealer known as the Slug.[3]
Elsewhere, Captain America is back on the road in his mobile headquarters. He is once again wondering if he should have accepted SHIELD’s offer to rejoin the spy agency to get out of any potential trouble with the Swiss government over the ULTIMATUM agent’s death. However, this would force him to shut down his hotline making him unable to help the average American. This might be a moot point however, since the negative press surrounding him has reduced the number of legitimate calls for help. Still, Cap believes he did the right thing. Still, with the Super-Patriot trying to upstage him as America’s hero, Steve considers getting in touch with his old advertising contacts to try and to improve his public image.
At that same moment, Whirlwind and the Trapster — in a mobile headquarters of their own — are heading down I-74 finalizing their plans to lure Captain America into a trap. Both men are looking to retire from crime, but refuse to go out without one big win to round off their careers.
The next morning, Jack Monroe applies for a job at the Milky Way Club, a popular nightclub owned by the Slug. He passes the interview for a bartending position with flying colors, bringing him one step closer to locating the drug dealer.
Meanwhile, on a deserted stretch of highway in North Carolina, Whirlwind and the Trapster have set up a phony road repair site as part of their trap for Captain America. Using the hero’s hotline to send a fake message from Nomad, his former partner, Steve Rogers heads to a nearby diner. There he finds Whirlwind spinning around the parking lot wrecking vehicles and slips away to change into Captain America. When Whirlwind flees the scene, Captain America chases after the villain on his motorcycle. He is led right into the trap they set. Slipping on a pool of Lubricant Z, Captain America bails off his motorcycle but ends up sliding right into a puddle of his powerful adhesive.
When Whirlwind tries to attack, Captain America takes off his belt and uses it to flip his opponent over him and into the sticky paste. Then, leaping out of his boots, Cap lunges at the Trapster and overpowers him as well. With both his foes stuck in their own paste trap, Captain America uses a solvent to free his boots and shield and calls the authorities. The battle convinces Captain America that he doesn’t need to rely on public relations to fix the damage done to his reputation, believing that his future actions will win back the public trust.
Meanwhile, Jack Monroe is excelling at his job bartending at the Milky Way. Impressed with his work, Jack’s manager decides to promote him to tend are aboard the owner’s private yacht, the Nowhere Fast. Jack accepts the new position and is taken to the yacht, which is just beyond the three mile limit. There he is introduced to his boss, Ulysses X. Lugman, a morbidly obese man who is better known in the criminal underworld as the Slug.
Recurring Characters
Captain America, Nomad, Slug, Whirlwind, Trapster, Tinkerer
Continuity Notes
Captain America was forced to kill the member of ULTIMATUM in order to save the lives of hostages. Despite his good intentions the media has been having a field day with it. See Captain America #321-322.
Whirlwind makes reference to how he was recently in the employ of Baron Zemo. This was during the siege on Avengers Mansion which took place in Avengers #273-277.
Why Nomad is hunting the Slug — other than the fact that he is a drug dealer — is explained in greater detail next issue. He has promised a woman named Pricilla Lyons that he would find her brother, who is involved with the Slug’s drug operation.
