We saw his last issue of Strikeforce: Morituri a bit ago, and I'm not sure I've ever forgiven him for killing off the Micronauts; but today what I think might've been a fill-in from Peter B. Gillis. From 1980, Captain America #246, "The Sins of the Fathers!" Written by Peter B. Gillis, pencils by Jerry Bingham, inks by Alan Gordon. With a cover by George Perez and Terry Austin.
This is a grim one, possibly more so since it brings back one of Stan Lee and Steve Ditko's oddest antagonists: Joe Smith, from Amazing Spider-Man #38! But while Joe appeared to be headed for a Hollywood ending after that issue, it didn't quite turn out. He had a lead role on the superhero TV show "the Crimson Bat," which was cancelled after three seasons. (Only three seasons? That sounds familiar somehow…) His son was born with severe birth defects--possibly due to his one-time super-powers--and died young, as Steve Roger's friend Josh Cooper relates to him. Distraught and enraged, and with his powers seemingly returned (if, in fact, they had ever been lost) Joe smashes up an administrator that cut his son's benefits, a Social Security office, and then goes after his son's teacher.
Cap reaches out to Joe, and while it's trite to say, tells him "These--things--happen--Joe!" None of them were to blame, not even Joe himself, who is taken into custody. It's pretty sad, but his wiki entry indicates Joe would later work to help kids with problems like his son's, so that's a slight ray of hope. That wasn't in the issue, but still.
This was the issue before Roger Stern and John Byrne started a pretty great, if too short, run. Their issues have been reprinted several times, in fact, I think I have a couple trades of it!
While what Cap said maybe true, especially in comics, I still don't think it was quite the right thing to say. I mean you have kids, would that bit of reasoning snap you out of your grief-fueled rage? Probably not. I mean Cap had a point, but still......
ReplyDelete