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Captain America Comics
Captain America Comics (1941) #1
What better way to introduce a hero clad in the American flag during World War II than by showing him decking Hitler? Simple and effective, we have Joe Simon and Jack Kirby to thank for this one.
66 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 1941
50 people are currently reading
115 people want to read
About the author
Joe Simon
358 books25 followersJoseph Henry "Joe" Simon (born Hymie Simon) was an American comic book writer, artist, editor, and publisher. Simon created or co-created many important characters in the 1930s-1940s Golden Age of Comic Books and served as the first editor of Timely Comics, the company that would evolve into Marvel Comics.
With his partner, artist Jack Kirby, he co-created Captain America, one of comics' most enduring superheroes, and the team worked extensively on such features at DC Comics as the 1940s Sandman and Sandy the Golden Boy, and co-created the Newsboy Legion, the Boy Commandos, and Manhunter. Simon & Kirby creations for other comics publishers include Boys' Ranch, Fighting American and the Fly. In the late 1940s, the duo created the field of romance comics, and were among the earliest pioneers of horror comics. Simon, who went on to work in advertising and commercial art, also founded the satirical magazine Sick in 1960, remaining with it for a decade. He briefly returned to DC Comics in the 1970s.
Simon was inducted into the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame in 1999.
With his partner, artist Jack Kirby, he co-created Captain America, one of comics' most enduring superheroes, and the team worked extensively on such features at DC Comics as the 1940s Sandman and Sandy the Golden Boy, and co-created the Newsboy Legion, the Boy Commandos, and Manhunter. Simon & Kirby creations for other comics publishers include Boys' Ranch, Fighting American and the Fly. In the late 1940s, the duo created the field of romance comics, and were among the earliest pioneers of horror comics. Simon, who went on to work in advertising and commercial art, also founded the satirical magazine Sick in 1960, remaining with it for a decade. He briefly returned to DC Comics in the 1970s.
Simon was inducted into the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame in 1999.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
November 11, 2025
Pretty impressive how well this holds up. A lot of classic comics, I dread reading all the text but Simon and Kirby are good writers. It's written with a younger audience in mind but isn't insulting to adult readers.
I'm pretty convinced Kirby is the greatest... I know, hot take! But damn, writing about Captain America punching Hitler, then going himself to fight Nazis in WW2. He landed on Omaha Beach a few weeks after D-Day and worked as a scout drawing reconnaissance maps. All decades before he'd usher in the Silver Age of comics.
I'm pretty convinced Kirby is the greatest... I know, hot take! But damn, writing about Captain America punching Hitler, then going himself to fight Nazis in WW2. He landed on Omaha Beach a few weeks after D-Day and worked as a scout drawing reconnaissance maps. All decades before he'd usher in the Silver Age of comics.
May 6, 2024
Story 1-5/6
Review Coming Soon
Story 6/6
Set in 50.000BC
Tuk, a cave boy, named by a homo sapiens who found him in his land, when a couple more advanced than his tribe arrived with a child, who have been exiled from their land (and that they're actually the first of the Inhumans) so, Tuk who incidentally his given name by Ak means "Avenger" is the first Inhuman survivor; from 50,000BC and well, we're off to an ok adventure with him through the jungles, fighting and searching for Atlantis.
Review Coming Soon
Story 6/6
Set in 50.000BC
Tuk, a cave boy, named by a homo sapiens who found him in his land, when a couple more advanced than his tribe arrived with a child, who have been exiled from their land (and that they're actually the first of the Inhumans) so, Tuk who incidentally his given name by Ak means "Avenger" is the first Inhuman survivor; from 50,000BC and well, we're off to an ok adventure with him through the jungles, fighting and searching for Atlantis.
December 27, 2021
The iconic Captain America appears for the first time ever in 4 short comic tales and 1 short story, along with one comic about the Hurricane and one comic but briefly introducing Tuk, whose adventure only begins.
PROS:
1. The cover shows Captain America punching Adolf Hitler, who was at the very peak of his power when this comic was published.
2. The story about the Red Skull is quite intriguing; it kind of resembles one of the more rushed-out short stories by Agatha Christie.
3. The last story about Tuk is actually the most distinct part of the whole book, since it’s just the beginning of a more complex story that is not about superheroes but rather a fantasy.
CONS:
1. Captain America does not actually punch Adolf Hitler in this story.
2. The way a game of “chess” is depicted here makes no sense whatsoever.
3. Kind of repetitive.
PROS:
1. The cover shows Captain America punching Adolf Hitler, who was at the very peak of his power when this comic was published.
2. The story about the Red Skull is quite intriguing; it kind of resembles one of the more rushed-out short stories by Agatha Christie.
3. The last story about Tuk is actually the most distinct part of the whole book, since it’s just the beginning of a more complex story that is not about superheroes but rather a fantasy.
CONS:
1. Captain America does not actually punch Adolf Hitler in this story.
2. The way a game of “chess” is depicted here makes no sense whatsoever.
3. Kind of repetitive.
August 24, 2019
2.5 ||
i've been extremely busy with unversity and won't get to read a proper book until finals are over but i'm glad i was able to squeeze this in! it wasn't the best captain america comic in the world but it might be the most important of all. if you could get your hands on this, electronically or physically, please do! it's a little hefty but really worth it. x
i've been extremely busy with unversity and won't get to read a proper book until finals are over but i'm glad i was able to squeeze this in! it wasn't the best captain america comic in the world but it might be the most important of all. if you could get your hands on this, electronically or physically, please do! it's a little hefty but really worth it. x
April 28, 2022
Thank god they changed Bucky’s character lol old comics are wild (and sexist)
April 25, 2023
Very, very dated. Fun to see where it all started but I’ll most likely never re-read this.
March 27, 2024
I didn’t realize how politically driven this was. Read this for my senior seminar class.
January 2, 2019
Captain America's first appearance has shallow characters, flat plot and all that you expect from a superhero comic of its time. Interesting only for historical reasons.
September 1, 2022
Case 01
Shockingly to me, the very first Captain America story is pretty accurate to the origin I know from the movie. I didn't expect such a direct adaptation, honestly. The only difference is young Bucky Barnes spots Cap right away, joining his crusades right from the beginning. I also liked when the government officials were talking about the problem of fifth columnists, they sarcastically say "well what, do you want a super like the Human Torch to take care of the problem?"
Case 02
Man I kinda like these. The action is pretty compelling, and while I wasn't sure about Bucky, he already seems much less annoying than Toro.
Case 03
How did the scientist get away with injecting Steve with the hyper syrum, but at the same time, literally no one in the military knows this was done, or who Captain America even is.
Case 04
The first appearance of the Red Skull! He was pretty cool and evil, staring people to death. It turned out that it was just some schlub behind a mask, I hope when the Skull comes back it's the real big bad we all know and... well, we know him. Also, Cap just let the guy kill himself, not even reaching to stop him. Brutal guy.
Hurricane
I actually found this story really entertaining. We get a pretty solid God-fight between Pluto and our guy Hurricane. I liked that at the masquerade ball Hurricane fought Pluto wearing angel attire, while Pluto is wearing a devil costume. I'm excited to see where these adventures go. It really seems like proto-Thor with the God storyline.
Tuk the Caveboy in Stories from the Dark Ages
Tuk is a human presumably raised by a Neanderthal, when the old Neanderthal lay on his deathbed he tells the boy of his origin. That Tuks parents died, so he was adopted and raised by the old man as one of his own. When the man dies, Tuk sets off and is immediately attacked by two Goreks who want to eat his brain, when he's saved by a young man, Tanir. Tanir is taken by Tuks story and offers his bow and service to help to boy on his quest. I think this should be a fun little prehistoric story, hopefully it stays good!
Shockingly to me, the very first Captain America story is pretty accurate to the origin I know from the movie. I didn't expect such a direct adaptation, honestly. The only difference is young Bucky Barnes spots Cap right away, joining his crusades right from the beginning. I also liked when the government officials were talking about the problem of fifth columnists, they sarcastically say "well what, do you want a super like the Human Torch to take care of the problem?"
Case 02
Man I kinda like these. The action is pretty compelling, and while I wasn't sure about Bucky, he already seems much less annoying than Toro.
Case 03
How did the scientist get away with injecting Steve with the hyper syrum, but at the same time, literally no one in the military knows this was done, or who Captain America even is.
Case 04
The first appearance of the Red Skull! He was pretty cool and evil, staring people to death. It turned out that it was just some schlub behind a mask, I hope when the Skull comes back it's the real big bad we all know and... well, we know him. Also, Cap just let the guy kill himself, not even reaching to stop him. Brutal guy.
Hurricane
I actually found this story really entertaining. We get a pretty solid God-fight between Pluto and our guy Hurricane. I liked that at the masquerade ball Hurricane fought Pluto wearing angel attire, while Pluto is wearing a devil costume. I'm excited to see where these adventures go. It really seems like proto-Thor with the God storyline.
Tuk the Caveboy in Stories from the Dark Ages
Tuk is a human presumably raised by a Neanderthal, when the old Neanderthal lay on his deathbed he tells the boy of his origin. That Tuks parents died, so he was adopted and raised by the old man as one of his own. When the man dies, Tuk sets off and is immediately attacked by two Goreks who want to eat his brain, when he's saved by a young man, Tanir. Tanir is taken by Tuks story and offers his bow and service to help to boy on his quest. I think this should be a fun little prehistoric story, hopefully it stays good!
December 24, 2022
The 4 stars is mostly for the historical significance and Cap's origin story. The other stories were pretty meh.
I am extremely upset about the Hurricane story because like firstly, why did they change his name? Also, how can he be the son of Thor yet a descendant of the Greek gods. And he's cousins with Pluto? Mercury/Hermes is Pluto/Hades's nephew, not cousin. I could write a whole paper about Kirby's mythological mix-up, but idk if I'm more mad at Kirby for writing it, or Simon for publishing it.
It doesn't make sense that Hurricane even took a taxi. If he had wings with him that he could attach to the car to make it go faster and fly, why couldn't he just live up to his former/future name and put the wings on his shoes and fly.
Explanation of the name thing: in his first appearance, he goes by Mercury, in this he goes by Hurricane, and today they go by Makkari.
Yes, I am in fact so upset by the Hurricane story that it outweighs my thoughts about the first appearances of Cap and Bucky. I'm an autistic classics major, so my very strong feelings about mythology in 1940s comics is justified.
I am extremely upset about the Hurricane story because like firstly, why did they change his name? Also, how can he be the son of Thor yet a descendant of the Greek gods. And he's cousins with Pluto? Mercury/Hermes is Pluto/Hades's nephew, not cousin. I could write a whole paper about Kirby's mythological mix-up, but idk if I'm more mad at Kirby for writing it, or Simon for publishing it.
It doesn't make sense that Hurricane even took a taxi. If he had wings with him that he could attach to the car to make it go faster and fly, why couldn't he just live up to his former/future name and put the wings on his shoes and fly.
Explanation of the name thing: in his first appearance, he goes by Mercury, in this he goes by Hurricane, and today they go by Makkari.
Yes, I am in fact so upset by the Hurricane story that it outweighs my thoughts about the first appearances of Cap and Bucky. I'm an autistic classics major, so my very strong feelings about mythology in 1940s comics is justified.
May 20, 2019
This was a revolutionary comic book. The art is more visual than anything that came before it, forever changing the landscape of how Comic Books are made.
With only cross sketched lines and thinner/thicker lines, Jack Kirby is able to create the impression of bright and dark/shadows and light. It is a common practice now, but it was invented here and I frankly think used more meaningfully here than in many later comic books. He uses it to make a situation lighter or more intense like the flick of a switch, employing deeper shadows and darker colors to create an indiscernible environment that the characters must survive. It's a technique common with low budget film noirs, and it works equally well here.
With what little budget and means at their disposal, Joe Simon and Jack Kirby were able to create an engaging, genuinely suspenseful espionage thriller. That, combined with its unique visual style, is why this comic book has stood the test of time when so many others from this time have not.
With only cross sketched lines and thinner/thicker lines, Jack Kirby is able to create the impression of bright and dark/shadows and light. It is a common practice now, but it was invented here and I frankly think used more meaningfully here than in many later comic books. He uses it to make a situation lighter or more intense like the flick of a switch, employing deeper shadows and darker colors to create an indiscernible environment that the characters must survive. It's a technique common with low budget film noirs, and it works equally well here.
With what little budget and means at their disposal, Joe Simon and Jack Kirby were able to create an engaging, genuinely suspenseful espionage thriller. That, combined with its unique visual style, is why this comic book has stood the test of time when so many others from this time have not.
August 29, 2023
Pros:
-Bucky is supposed to be the reader-insert character and he very much is a kid (similar to Oswald Bastable ) and it's so fun. You really get swept into the adventure with him.
-It's also really funny because he is not at all a superhero so he keeps getting knocked out etc, but he still manages to be part of the action which is a hard balance to get.
-There are some sequences in here which really creeped me out. The first appearance of the Red Skull and especially
-Red Skull had a good buildup, too.
Cons:
-Quite a lot of the villains are disabled in some way.
-All the henchmen have strong accents.
-The way Captain America's secret identity is working is really ineffective right now .
-It got a bit repetitive at times, though it always managed to save itself before becoming boring.
2.5, would have been 3 if not for the ending comics
-Bucky is supposed to be the reader-insert character and he very much is a kid (similar to Oswald Bastable ) and it's so fun. You really get swept into the adventure with him.
-It's also really funny because he is not at all a superhero so he keeps getting knocked out etc, but he still manages to be part of the action which is a hard balance to get.
-There are some sequences in here which really creeped me out. The first appearance of the Red Skull and especially
-Red Skull had a good buildup, too.
Cons:
-Quite a lot of the villains are disabled in some way.
-All the henchmen have strong accents.
-The way Captain America's secret identity is working is really ineffective right now .
-It got a bit repetitive at times, though it always managed to save itself before becoming boring.
2.5, would have been 3 if not for the ending comics
July 24, 2025
I was curious, okay? This was exceptionally cheesy.
As a fan of Captain America’s MCU counterpart, I wanted to see how they depicted his origin in his very first appearance. I also wanted to know more about the golden age of comic books, as comics were a medium that flourished in the twentieth century and are still popular today. And I got what I asked for. This was interesting to see, as an artist. And it was interesting to see historically; this was so very 1940s. I love when art reflects its context (hint: it always does!) because we can learn history this way.
Anyways, I wasn’t super into this at first, but once I got used to the cheesiness (about by the second Captain America story) I found it quite charming. And I appreciated it for what is was (even if it was a bit hard to see Bucky as a Robin ripoff instead of Sebastian Stan haha).
Didn’t care much for Tuk or Hurricane, but I lowkey enjoyed the Captain America stories I’m not gonna lie, even though MCU Cap is better (he has actual depth). This was neat though.
As a fan of Captain America’s MCU counterpart, I wanted to see how they depicted his origin in his very first appearance. I also wanted to know more about the golden age of comic books, as comics were a medium that flourished in the twentieth century and are still popular today. And I got what I asked for. This was interesting to see, as an artist. And it was interesting to see historically; this was so very 1940s. I love when art reflects its context (hint: it always does!) because we can learn history this way.
Anyways, I wasn’t super into this at first, but once I got used to the cheesiness (about by the second Captain America story) I found it quite charming. And I appreciated it for what is was (even if it was a bit hard to see Bucky as a Robin ripoff instead of Sebastian Stan haha).
Didn’t care much for Tuk or Hurricane, but I lowkey enjoyed the Captain America stories I’m not gonna lie, even though MCU Cap is better (he has actual depth). This was neat though.
July 17, 2021
This is a great artifact of pre-war pop culture. In most of the stories, the Nazis are the clear villains and they’re drawn as apelike monstrosities. The comic was a big hit, so Americans clearly saw the Nazis as Enemy #1 even before we actually went to war with them.
There are a couple of other comix in this volume, as well. One’s about a character whose tropes will evolve into those of the modern Thor, and the other’s about the adventures of a prehistoric boy. Of note, both these characters and Captain America are drawn as blonde-haired Aryan ubermenschen. Surely, there’s been at least one dissertation written about the iconography of mid-century comix. If not, get on it!
There are a couple of other comix in this volume, as well. One’s about a character whose tropes will evolve into those of the modern Thor, and the other’s about the adventures of a prehistoric boy. Of note, both these characters and Captain America are drawn as blonde-haired Aryan ubermenschen. Surely, there’s been at least one dissertation written about the iconography of mid-century comix. If not, get on it!
October 21, 2025
A lot longer of an issue that I expected. A lot of the building blocks are here and the narrative flow is much better than some of the stuff in Marvel and Mystery, but one big annoyance is… Bucky. He is the epitome of everything people hate about child characters, especially child sidekicks.
The one that did leave me scratching my head was Red Skull, who I assume is retconned later on, because here he’s just some dude in a mask. Admittedly, he looks kind of terrifying though. Weird add on comic for Hurricane, where he is the last Greek god who is son of Thor (Norse god) and fights Pluto (Roman god). But Inkind of really enjoyed it, the flying taxi really made me smile.
The one that did leave me scratching my head was Red Skull, who I assume is retconned later on, because here he’s just some dude in a mask. Admittedly, he looks kind of terrifying though. Weird add on comic for Hurricane, where he is the last Greek god who is son of Thor (Norse god) and fights Pluto (Roman god). But Inkind of really enjoyed it, the flying taxi really made me smile.
August 9, 2022
4.5
This was long but super interesting. The American propagandizing is fantastic. Lots of espionage and hints at the coming McCarthy-ism. I wonder what life was like then and what it was like to read this book. It must have been spectacular. Three Cap Tales. And then two additional tales. One about The Hurricane, who is apparently the son of Thor, and I think may have been reconned to be the Eternal Makarri. The last is Tuk the Caveboy. Set about 50,000 years ago in prehistoric earth. Tuk apparently means Avenger. Interesting coincidence. And he is in search of Attillan and Atlantis. I love Marvel lore. I plan to read more of this old stuff... some day.
This was long but super interesting. The American propagandizing is fantastic. Lots of espionage and hints at the coming McCarthy-ism. I wonder what life was like then and what it was like to read this book. It must have been spectacular. Three Cap Tales. And then two additional tales. One about The Hurricane, who is apparently the son of Thor, and I think may have been reconned to be the Eternal Makarri. The last is Tuk the Caveboy. Set about 50,000 years ago in prehistoric earth. Tuk apparently means Avenger. Interesting coincidence. And he is in search of Attillan and Atlantis. I love Marvel lore. I plan to read more of this old stuff... some day.
June 17, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️½
A patriotic punch of a debut! The Captain America stories in this first issue are thrilling, action-packed, and bursting with Golden Age energy. Simon and Kirby’s dynamic art is the real star here—Cap’s iconic shield throws and acrobatic moves leap right off the page. Unfortunately, the backup stories featuring The Hurricane and Tuk don’t hold the same weight; they feel like filler next to the star-spangled spectacle of Cap’s Nazi-smashing adventures. Still, a historic and fun start to one of Marvel’s greatest heroes.
A patriotic punch of a debut! The Captain America stories in this first issue are thrilling, action-packed, and bursting with Golden Age energy. Simon and Kirby’s dynamic art is the real star here—Cap’s iconic shield throws and acrobatic moves leap right off the page. Unfortunately, the backup stories featuring The Hurricane and Tuk don’t hold the same weight; they feel like filler next to the star-spangled spectacle of Cap’s Nazi-smashing adventures. Still, a historic and fun start to one of Marvel’s greatest heroes.
September 10, 2022
A 3/5 rating
I often have negative opinions on comics which are straight up American propaganda but this one is actually very cool. Due to modern remakes I thought the backstory will be longer but for its times it still is great in my opinion.
I enjoyed reading the Captain America(and Hurricane) comics, especially the final story which was great.
I often have negative opinions on comics which are straight up American propaganda but this one is actually very cool. Due to modern remakes I thought the backstory will be longer but for its times it still is great in my opinion.
I enjoyed reading the Captain America(and Hurricane) comics, especially the final story which was great.
January 13, 2019
History made!
The continued adventures of Captain America. Bucky was a burden, getting caught when he took off on his own. The origin of the Red Skull is also shared. The two other stories were pretty good also.
The continued adventures of Captain America. Bucky was a burden, getting caught when he took off on his own. The origin of the Red Skull is also shared. The two other stories were pretty good also.
March 27, 2021
This is a collection of issues about Captain America fighting Hydra spies in the U.S. in the years leading up to WWII. In these early comics, I was surprised to see that Bucky is pretty much in the Robin role. But some of the ideas in here find there way into the first Captain America movie.
April 18, 2025
Well I did it, finally started reading the comics as an MCU fan…
What an interesting start. I guess there’s a lot you could analyze here from a historical/social viewpoint, but I’ll make it short: it was fun, but also pretty shallow and pure 🦅propaganda:) 2.5💫 from me!
What an interesting start. I guess there’s a lot you could analyze here from a historical/social viewpoint, but I’ll make it short: it was fun, but also pretty shallow and pure 🦅propaganda:) 2.5💫 from me!
May 21, 2025
Vintage WWII action with Captain America & Bucky Barnes
The art and story are crude, simple-but a fun read just the same.
...
Also, side stories of "Hurricane"(a flash like character) and "Tuk" (a young-boy Tarzan like character)
The art and story are crude, simple-but a fun read just the same.
...
Also, side stories of "Hurricane"(a flash like character) and "Tuk" (a young-boy Tarzan like character)
July 5, 2018
I was expecting a more dramatic beginning but hey, I love Cap.
February 17, 2020
Loved reading the original Captain America! It was fascinating to see where the character started and reflect on how he's changed
August 5, 2020
Great story
If you want to know the the story of Captain Americas origin this is a great place to start .
If you want to know the the story of Captain Americas origin this is a great place to start .
July 24, 2021
I like this so much as the storylines are classic where the character develops over the issues. I am a big fan of this.
January 25, 2022
Loved the art + it was funnier than I expected
December 30, 2022
The best of the golden age so far.
September 26, 2024
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Steve Rogers (1941 - ????)
Pai dos anabolizantes
Steve Rogers (1941 - ????)
Pai dos anabolizantes
January 14, 2025
i love that this entire thing is just nazis bad. no nuance. and who needs it. nazis ARE bad. steve rogers my best friend
Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews