It's Patriots Day. This is the day so long ago when British citizens rose up to confront the tyranny of a mad king. Today the United States of America faces a similar struggle. To fire the belly of true patriots, I offer up this gallery of Captain America comic book covers by Jack Kirby. Kirby was a rough and tough character, unafraid to go bare knuckles with a Nazi. We need as much of that spirit as we can muster.
Captain America is an icon. Since his debut in 1941 in the pages of Captain America Comics #1 by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby he and his sidekick Bucky have been part of the fabric of comic books and popular culture. Later of course Cap is defrosted and put into the middle of the Marvel Universe concocted by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby and others. He goes on to have a reliable partner in The Falcon, and he becomes the go-to leader of the Avengers. So many American symbols have been corrupted by MAGA adherents, as they create a hostile view of the United States. I want to try and help reclaim these colors as best I can. Cap's comics have been among the most dynamic in history. Here are some of those classic covers from across nearly four decades.
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The fight against tyranny continues! The protests against wannabe kings are going on in the streets today, and as many days as are required.
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Rip, like most Americans you completely misunderstand the authority of King George III at that time. He was a constitutional monarch which meant he had very little power so your phrase "tyranny of a mad king" is completely unfair. It was the British government led by the Prime-Minister Lord Frederick North who held all the power and made all the decisions regarding the American colonies but you Americans have never heard of Lord North so you blame poor old King George and call him a tyrant. In fact King George tried to help the Native Americans by preventing British colonists from expanding any further westwards but the British government ignored him so the King cared about the Native Americans and he wasn't the monster you Americans seem to imagine!
ReplyDeleteAlways ready to learn. Thanks.
DeleteHe was mad though.
DeleteGeorge III only became mad in later years and from 1811 until his death in 1820 the King's duties were carried out by his son who was appointed Prince-Regent in the King's place so George wasn't mad at the time of the American revolution.
ReplyDeleteHappy Patriots Day and Happy Easter by the way!
Thanks very much. I'm not an Easter guy, but Patriots Day is gettimg me fired up this year.
DeleteThis is so trivial, but back in the day when I first saw that issue with the Black Panther, I always thought Cap was holding onto BP's arm with his teeth, lol.
ReplyDeleteNow that you mention it, it does look like that. I love trivia like that, so don't hesitate.
DeleteLots of great covers here, but I think my favorite is Avengers #4. It's simple, non-cluttered and is a perfect example of frozen dynamic action.
ReplyDeleteGreat choice. I've always had an appreciation for that one which pits Cap against Daredevil. Both figures are so robust.
DeleteI have a soft spot for the cover to Captain America 106 I don't recall reading the Sgt Fury and Cap issue , I'm intrigued. Great covers.
ReplyDeleteMarvelmania made a poster out of issue #106. Thanks.
DeleteThe Sleepers series is one of my favorite Captain America storylines ever, more so even than the original Cosmic Cube.
ReplyDeleteI first saw both of those storylines in the classic cartoons. It was a thrill to find so much of the artwork used in those cartoons later in reprint comics.
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