The Return Of... Captain America!?

By the fall of 1964, Captain America was well on his way to becoming a legend with a new generation of comics readers, just as he had been twenty years earlier during the Golden Age of comics--resurfacing in March of that year in the pages of The Avengers, and going on to "test the waters" in Tales Of Suspense as a co-feature of that title with Iron Man. As you might imagine, his rollout in that mag was designed to garner the most attention possible for what would subsequently become Cap's first series of stories for Marvel Comics:

And as was the case a little over a year earlier in Amazing Spider-Man, the master of disguise known as the Chameleon would be the villain to usher in Cap's first appearance in a new title. I must admit to always finding it curious how an under-the-radar character like the Chameleon nevertheless received such high-profile exposure from writers, and whose duplicity could end up causing so much trouble; but that said, he can, after all, convincingly become just about anybody, even though he's far more old-school than a character like Mystique who doesn't have to rely on prosthetics and wardrobe changes.

In this case, all he needs to do is to lay his hands on a Captain America costume (presumably right down to the uniform's chain-mail) to pull one over on Cap's fellow Avenger, Iron Man, and send him after the real Cap under the belief that he would be instead facing the Chameleon who's up to no good--and voilà, you have hero vs. hero.

And yet, a reprint of a story from late 1963 suggests that Cap's first appearance in the '60s predated even the Avengers tale:

...if you don't read between the lines, that is.

The caption certainly provides decent fanfare for what's essentially reprinted material--and page one (which we'll take a look at later) weaves that reprint satisfyingly enough* into Cap's upcoming storyline which was put in place following writer/artist Jack Kirby's departure from the book. But what is the story here? Is Johnny Storm, the Human Torch, really the first Marvel character to meet (not to mention battle) Captain America?

*For now, at least--but contradicted later to a degree with the events of Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty #11.

The chain of events was tantalizing enough for young readers of Strange Tales that followed the stories of the teenage member of the Fantastic Four, who gets the scoop from his pals (to the consternation of his older sister).

And that story quickly takes off when a couple of gunsels show up at the auto show to help themselves to one of the vehicles--a heist which the Torch naturally zooms to avert, until a colorful figure explodes onto the scene like (appropriately enough in this case) gangbusters.

"Colorful" being an apt description for current-day readers who would understandably raise a suspicious eyebrow at the color of "Cap's" shorts. Yet it bears remembering that this really is the apparent first appearance of this hero in the Silver Age, and readers at the time would have no reason to think they're not seeing the real deal in action here.

That includes the Torch, who is surprised by the reception he gets from this hero whose stories he'd been hooked on as a kid.

(Yes, you too can wade through just-melted tar and not be burned in the slightest.)

While the Torch retreats and tries to make sense of this man's behavior, the reader discovers that not all is as it seems with this hero of yesteryear.

The jailbreak results in a chase by law enforcement which, as the Torch notices, appears to comprise several precincts' worth of the city's police force--quite a turnout for two small-time hoodlums, but necessary for the plot which Johnny learns Captain America has devised as a diversion for his own activities elsewhere.

Our gunsels obviously didn't stop to think what's in it for them in helping Cap carry out his plan, aside from a return to the slammer, though we've learned from these two Brainiacs that thinking things through isn't their strong suit. But let's give them the benefit of the doubt--after all, if it weren't for the Torch, they might have indeed outraced their pursuit and escaped, though what they'd have to show for their efforts is anyone's guess.

As for the Torch possibly meeting his defeat from Cap, his spry foe admittedly does a fair job of outsmarting and outfighting him, until he's eventually cornered and out of options--leaving only his true identity to be revealed.

We don't know how the Acrobat laid his hands on all the hardware he'd set up in advance in order to literally blast off and make his escape following his bank robbery--but suffice to say that if a large contingent of police couldn't catch up to his accomplices in their car, the Acrobat's rocket would have left them all in the dust if it hadn't been for the Torch.

So our mischievous caption on the cover of the reprint issue skirted the truth nicely: a first appearance for "Captain America," or rather someone bearing his likeness in costume, which led to the return of the real McCoy who soon took his place in Marvel's ranks in the Avengers tale four months later. That would be just the right amount of time for that story to have been plotted, drawn, written, lettered, and scheduled for publishing--though the closing scene of the Torch story would have its readers believe that Marvel staff were just sitting around nervously drumming their fingers on their desks, waiting for readers' letters that would hopefully give the company a mandate to bring the real Captain America back and start producing his stories.

(Sitting around daydreaming about comics could earn you another scolding from Sue, buddy.)

BONUS!

Page One of this story, by artist Dave Cockrum (who, the following month, would produce a similar page for another Captain who doesn't mind giving the locals a thrill).