Because publishers want you to buy their product every month, comics are typically serial in nature. However, occasionally (and more often nowadays than ever before) publishers launch a comic title that is only meant to last for one issue. While ongoing series often have multiple chances to hook in new readers, the comics highlighted in this ongoing investigations only had One-Shot At Greatness!
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Date: July 2000
Cover Price: $2.25
Writer: Peter David
Artist: Ron Frenz (first half); Mark Bagley (second half)
Cover Artist: John Romita, Sr.
In 2000, Marvel published a series of one-shots that revealed what Marvel Comics would be like in the Marvel Universe.
In an attempt to thwart Doctor Doom’s plan to travel back in time to eliminate all of the super-heroes, Rick Jones is stranded back in WWII. He’s saved from a squad of Nazi soldiers by Captain America and Bucky. Unfortunately, none of them can prevent Baron Zemo’s ambush that leads to Bucky’s death! With Bucky Barnes’ blessing, Rick Jones assumes the mantle of Cap’s sidekick and the pair travel to Rathskeller Castle to avenge the young hero.
At the castle, the duo is defeated by numerous robots. Our heroes are then strapped to a missile aimed at London and operated by Baron Zemo and the Red Skull. Once freed of their bonds, the new Bucky desperately tries to set the missile off course (just as it happened in the Marvel Universe we know) as Cap plummets into the ocean. However, this time around, Rick Jones’ granddaughter manages to get the time travel mechanism working again … transporting him to the White House in the year 2030 to find the President of the United States is … ?!
The concept is certainly an interesting one but because Captain America is such a public hero in the Marvel Universe, not much of his history is left up to guesswork. Sure, they’ve concoted the secret identity of Roger Stephenson and dark hair … but the true essence of the character is still intact. It was cool to see Rick Jones inserted into the famous Bucky death scene only to be snatched away at the last moment to a future world where Cap needs his help yet again to battle the Red Skull.
Peter David easily channels classic Cap comics with this story and Ron Frenz’s art captures the silver age style (utilizing an interesting mix of Kirby and Romita styles). Stepping up the intensity, Bagley’s Cap is superbly rendered and to top it off, we’ve got a Cap cover drawn by a comic legend: John Romita, Sr. But, as cool as the art is, the cliffhanger at the end isn’t really all that unbelievable and once again, our hero’s rushing off to stop the Red Skull (which we’ve only seen about a hundred times).
On Ebay: Marvels Comics | Captain America | Peter David | Ron Frenz | Mark Bagley