Partners In Peril!

OR: "Of Kicks and Kickbacks!"


The illusion of time spent in regard to the comics industry and one's enjoyment of all that comes from it is a curious thing from the reader's perspective, as entire months can go by almost unnoticed while you're enjoying the work of a creative team--one that may have only produced only a few issues of, say, three or four stories in that time before pulling up stakes and moving on. There are several examples that may come to mind for you, as they did for myself--the teaming of Steve Englehart and Frank Brunner on Doctor Strange... Roy Thomas and John Buscema on Fantastic Four... Roy Thomas and Neal Adams on X-Men... David Kraft and Keith Giffen on The Defenders... creative pairs whose work shone noticeably and then disappeared for good, just when it seemed critical acclaim of their work was spreading. One other such teaming which must be mentioned in this grouping took place during 1980-81, a period which brought us nine months of the work of writer Roger Stern and artist/co-plotter John Byrne on the Captain America title--nine months that translated to a mere nine issues and just seven stories from this team, yet nonetheless became remembered as a high point for the book.

You'll find several of those stories already covered in the PPC--but around midpoint into the Stern/Byrne run came a two-part story featuring two classic villains who some might consider also-rans, but whose scheme came close to threatening the lives of ten million people. Fortunately, both of these men were willing to deal with a special envoy of the district attorney, who at their request would deliver the ransom they'd demanded--though their interpretation of "deal with" carried more deadly implications for the man in question.

The ball gets rolling on this plot with the daring prison break of Calvin Zabo, who in his more deadly and ruthless guise as Mister Hyde resided in a drugged state in the Ryker's Island facility. Hyde had made it known that a reward of $5 million awaited anyone who could facilitate his freedom--which leads to the story's introduction of the French-born mercenary who was more than happy to claim it.

As we know, Batroc can be pragmatic when need be, and so he does indeed "throw in" with Hyde--for the time being.

Elsewhere, the hero of this book learns of the breakout at Ryker's--and as the reports begin to add up for him, he decides to pursue the matter with the District Attorney.

Byrne doesn't miss a perfect "This is a job for...!" moment for Cap--while Stern demonstrates a nice grasp of the character in terms of showing the reader why this man is able to part the waters wherever he shows up, whether it's as Cap or how he handles his affairs as Steve Rogers. Stern and later Captain America writer Mark Gruenwald essentially had the same modus operandi in how they treated the character's handling of his day-to-day affairs--but while Gruenwald often became bogged down in the tedium of putting on display Cap's every thought in relation to his observations and/or his course of action, Stern manages to make such diversions timely and interesting to the reader, rather than indulging in the constant exposition that became a hallmark of Gruenwald's handling of the character and made reading the book an exercise in the mundane.

As for Hyde and Batroc, the time-tested method of the newspaper providing super-villains with complete details of a possible heist bears fruit for them when Hyde eyes an article in the Daily Bugle--a headline story, no less--concerning a Roxxon super-tanker on the way and carrying a cargo of liquefied natural gas which could potentially make it a floating bomb. Such an opportunity has "ransom" written all over it for the men who now approach it under cover of an innocent-looking barge being pulled by a tugboat.

The threat clear and impending, Roxxon's rep Benedict gets in touch with D.A. Tower and relays the ransom demand, under terms which also make a point of including the man that Tower currently has in his office. Astonishingly, it appears that Tower and Cap plan to fully comply with Batroc and Hyde--though Cap's cooperation will only extend so far.

Aside from the obvious danger to Cap, Hyde's words imply an ominous change in plan that Hyde hasn't disclosed to his partner; regardless, the scene segues us to Part 2 of this story, where we learn that Batroc feels it necessary to take precautions as to Hyde carrying out their scheme as agreed on.

While Cap takes steps to win his freedom, Batroc's fears prove justified, as, on the bridge, Hyde begins to fume at the betrayal of his former partner, the Cobra, whom he believes is holed up somewhere in New York; and with the Cobra being the only one who knows of Hyde's identity as Zabo, Hyde decides to radically alter his plan and follow through with his threat to ram the tanker into the harbor, where the resulting explosion will become a firestorm that will destroy the entire city and thus eliminate both Cap and the Cobra at a stroke.

It's a decision that Batroc, with his peculiar code of honor, strongly objects to--and unlike his last brief clash with Hyde, this time he lashes out at him in earnest.

Meanwhile, another threat to Hyde even now makes his way stealthily back aboard--just in time to turn the tables for Batroc, and, in the process, gain an extra pair of hands (...er, feet) to hopefully take down the madman whose strength well exceeds their own.

It's a well-choreographed battle on the part of Byrne, whose panels of heroes in action always excel in grace but are often devoid of swiftness or carrying a sense of impact--a detriment for characters like Hyde, Spider-Man, Cap, the Beast, and even Batroc, who might otherwise offer scenes that would resonate right off the page (and some well-placed sound effects wouldn't hurt either, though John Costanza is regretfully no Artie Simek or Sam Rosen in that department); that said, it's all very eye-catching, regardless. But it's what catches Hyde's eye that will bring an end to the battle, albeit to his misfortune.

Unfortunately for Cap, Hyde's slippery form tumbles off deck and into the harbor, to be lost from sight despite Cap's attempts to retrieve him. We find in the meantime, however, that a mercenary never changes his stripes, as Batroc takes advantage of the diversion to quickly disembark and reboard the barge where the entirety of the ransom was relocated--appearing to make a clean escape, and a most profitable one. Fortunately, with Hyde's mini-sub within reach of Cap, Batroc hasn't quite covered all the bases.

Le fini, indeed.

Captain America #s 251-252 Script: Roger Stern Pencils: John Byrne Inks: Josef Rubinstein Letterers: Jim Novak and John Costanza