Marvel's Captain America: The First 80 Years

by Titan

A collector's edition celebrating the 80th anniversary of the first appearance of one of the most iconic characters in the Marvel universe of comic books, with Captain America Comics #1, in March 1941.

The special covers the milestones in the creation of the comic book adventures of the Super Soldier, featuring covers, comic art, behind-the-scenes facts and information about the authors and artists who brought the legend to life!

Genres: History

192 pages, Hardcover

Published July 13, 2021

Reviews

[Phillip · Rating 5 out of 5]

For a book I bought randomly at a train station W.H. Smith, this is probably the best overview of Captain America one can find. It divides the superhero's appearances into decades (1940s through the 2010s), with summaries of story, artists, writers, along with various special sections focusing on various topics in that decade. There is a selection of covers from each decade, along with some selections from the comics itself. It really does provide a general overview of a lot of content. I think even a "casual" Captain America fan can pick a decade they are familiar with, and then choose to either go backwards or forwards to "catch up" on the rest. I also think it drives one to want to start diving into the issues (I immediately bought "Truth: Red, White, and Black" for starters). There's no mention of the movies (some slight references), this is purely from the comics. A must for any Cap fan, and a recommendation for anyone trying to dive in (pick a decade and go from there!).

[Jaime Guzman · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice book about about America's greatest hero. The book touches upon Cap's greatest moments in his comic history along with some of his most significant artists and writers.
In full color with wonderful art.
Like previous reviews the type in this book seems to be offset by it's small type.
Overall it was an okay read for me.

[Ashlyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I agree with the other reviewer who states that this is almost more about the comic creators than Captain America. On another note, the typographical and grammatical errors are numerous. I did enjoy the colorful layout which allows the reader to see the evolution of the characters.

[Gene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderfully rich with information about both the comics and movies, but the print is so small and the background often is colored reducing contrast so it very hard to read.

[Chuck Ledger · Rating 3 out of 5]

I so wanted to give this one more stars, but the author spent so much time praising the artists and writers it felt more like a tour of comic book creators than a history of Captain American.

[Jacob · Rating 3 out of 5]

Public library copy

[Nigel Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another Titans book treatment of a Marvel character, this one focusing on Captain America from his creation in the 40s up until the point of publication. It follows a similar format from its previous history of Marvel Comics.

This breezy and enjoyable overview focuses on key developmental areas of Cap’s career and the crazy plot lines, particularly as Marvel created its universe and had to develop cap for the modern world.

Of particular interest is how the character changed from what was essentially a WWII propaganda hero to an abortive anti-communist fighter in the 50s, to be resurrected by Stan Lee, Kirby and others in the 60s as part of the Avengers team-representing a dream rather than a country.

It has no space to deal in any depth about the creators or the internal politics behind Marvel comics , but is non the worse for that. You’ll have to hunt out more weighty tomes for more on Jack Kirby, Joe Simon and others.

The book is well illustrated and like the Marvel book, has a useful timeline picking up key issues if you want to explore further. It’s great that you can do this now using Marvel’s excellent digital platform.

Great fun and well recommended.