The History of Captain America Comics: Captain America’s Publication History

Captain America by Jack Kirby
Captain America by Jack Kirby


Captain America is an icon in the Marvel Universe, and is literally one of the oldest Marvel characters both in terms of his publication history as well as in the character’s fictional world.  Here is a list of comic book titles that feature Captain America. Note that the bulk of the comic book series listed here are Cap’s own books, but he does appear as a regular character in other titles as well, in particular, he is a regular in the various Avengers titles.  Those books are mentioned here, but this list of Captain America comics focuses on his own titles.

Captain America Comics #1-74 (Timely Comics; March 1941 – September 1954)-Captain America was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby.  Joe Simon wrote issues #1 and 2, while issues #3-23, #63-64, #73-74 written by Stan Lee NOTE: Issue #74 (published in October, 1949) is titled Captain America’s Weird Tales, and features the last Captain America story published in the 1940s.  The series continues through issue #78 with this title, but the last four comics do not actually contain any Captain America stories. Captain America next appears in Young Men #24.

NOTE: The character of Captain America from the Spring of 1945 on to 1949 was retconned in the 1970s to be the second Captain America, Jeff Mace. As you know, Stan Lee retconned Steve Rogers into the ice in Avengers #4).

Captain America also appeared in these Golden Age titles:

All-Winners #4 with Captain America
All-Winners #4 with Captain America

All Winners #1-19, 21 (Summer 1941 – Winter 1946) Issues #1-3 written by Stan Lee  NOTE: Beginning in issue #17, the role of Captain America was taken on by William Naslund (per the retcons of the 1970s). Naslund was the hero called the Spirit of ‘76. After Steve Rogers and Bucky went missing over the Atlantic in 1945 (as seen in Avengers #4, President Truman asked Naslund to take over as Captain America).

All-Select Comics #1-10 (Fall 1943 – Summer 1946)

USA #4-17 (May 1942- Fall 1945)

    Young Men #24-28 (December, 1953-June, 1954) -NOTE: this Captain America was retconned in the 1970s as an imposter posing as Steve Rogers/Captain America. The imposter was William Burnside, and his sidekick, posing as Bucky Barnes, was really Jack Monroe.

Avengers #4 (March, 1964)-Captain America is found by the Avengers and is invited to join that superhero team. From this point on, Cap appears in the majority of Avengers issues. This issue marks the 1st Appearance of Captain America in Marvel’s Silver Age.

Tales of Suspense #59-99 (November 1964 – March 1968)-After issue #99, both Captain America and Iron Man debuted in their own titles.  Captain America inherited the numbering sequence from Tales of Suspense, and his first issue began with Captain America #100.-All Captain America stories in this series written by Stan Lee.

#59: Captain America stories begin appearing in the anthology book Tales of Suspense, which was now a “split book,” with Iron Man stories as the other feature in the book.

Tales of Suspense #59 Cover
Tales of Suspense #59 Cover

#63-71: Period stories set in World War Two and co-starring Captain America’s war-time sidekick Bucky. Cap’s origin is also re-told for the Silver Age in issue #63.

#66: While still set in the World War Two “Golden Age,” this issue tells the origin story of the Red Skull.

#75: 1st Appearance of Sharon Carter (known only as SHIELD Agent 13 at this point), and the 1st Appearance of the French villain Batroc

#79: 1st Silver Age (i.e. the first story set in the modern age) appearance of the Red Skull, Captain America’s old enemy from the original Captain America Comics series. Also, this issue features the 1st Appearance of the Cosmic Cube.

#94: 1st Appearance of MODOK

As mentioned above, the shared Tales of Suspense book (Cap and Iron Man each having a story in each issue), ends with issue #99.  Iron Man gets his own series, with new numbering, while Cap’s new title takes over the numbering of the Tales of Suspense series, and starts with issue #100.

Captain America #100-454 (April 1968 – August 1996)-Issues #100-109 and 112, #114-141 written by Stan Lee, #110, 111, 113 written by Jim Steranko, #142-148 written by Gary Friedrich, #149-152 written by Gary Conway, #153-186 written by Steve Englehart, #186-188 written by John Warner, #189-191 written by Tony Isabella, (#191 co-written with Bill Mantlo) #192 written by Marv Wolfman, #193-214 written by Jack Kirby, #215, 217, 423 written by Roy Thomas, #218-221 written by Don Glut, #221-223, 225 written by Steve Gerber #224 written by Peter Gillis, #226-250 written by Roger McKenzie, #251-255 written by Roger Stern, #259, 291 written by Bill Mantlo, #261-300 written by J.M. DeMatteis, #301-306 written by Michael Carlin, #307-443 written by Mark Gruenwald, #444-454 written by Mark Waid

#100: 1st Captain America comic in the modern age (NOTE: This is considered as Volume 1 of Captain America’s titles. Each time Marvel concluded a volume and re-started the series with a new #1 issue, that new comic was the first of a new volume; hence, volume 1, volume 2, etc. The current series is volume 9).

Captain America #100 Cover
Captain America #100 Cover

#103: Agent 13’s name is revealed as Sharon Carter.  Also the first incidence of romance between Steve Rogers and Sharon Carter; they go on a date.

#110: 1st Appearance of Madame Hydra (AKA Viper). Also, this is the first issue in which Rick Jones assumes the identity of Cap’s old sidekick, Bucky.

#117: 1st Appearance of the Falcon (Sam Wilson).

#133: Falcon officially becomes Cap’s partner.  Also, the Origin of MODOK.

#134: The title of the book changes to Captain America and Falcon.

#153: 1st (Actual) Appearance of William Burnside AKA The Captain America of the 1950s. Also the 1st (Actual) Appearance of Jack Monroe and his Origin story. Begins the Story of Two Caps story arc (#153-155).

#166: 1st Appearance of Helmut Zemo (AKA Phoenix and later known as Baron Zemo II)

#176: Steve Rogers quits as Captain America

#180: 1st Appearance of Nomad (Steve Rogers).  Also the 1st Appearance of Viper (AKA Madame Hydra).

#181: 1st Appearance and Origin of Roscoe Simmons as the new Captain America.

#183: Death of the new Captain America (Roscoe Simmons) at the hands of the Red Skull. Steve Rogers resumes as Captain America.

#186: Retconned (by writer Steve Englehart) origin of the Falcon.

#208: 1st Appearance of Arnim Zola.

#215: This issue reveals William Naslund as the second Captain America in the 1940s and Jeff Mace as the third Captain America of the 1940s.  This issue continues a crossover story begun in Invaders #14 and What If? #4.

#275: 1st Appearance of Helmut Zemo as Baron Zemo (Helmut is the son of the original Baron Zemo, who was killed in Avengers #15.

#282: Jack Monroe becomes Nomad.

#285: Death of Jeff Mace (Patriot and the third Captain America).

#332: Steve Rogers quits as Cap again rather than become an agent of the U.S. Government.  Also the 1st Appearance of The Commission.

Captain America Annual #1-13 (1971-1972; 1976-1977; 1981-1983; 1986; 1990-1994)

Annual #1-reprints Cap stories from Tales of Suspense (1971)

Annual #2-reprints Cap stories from Tales of Suspense and Not Brand Echh (1972)

Annual #3-Original, one-shot story and art by Jack Kirby (1976)

Annual #4-Original, one-shot story and art by Jack Kirby (1977)

Annual #5-Original, one-shot story by Dave Michelinie, and art by Gene Colan (1981)

Annual #6-Original, one-shot story by J.M. DeMatteis, and art by Ron Wilson (1982)

Annual #7-Original, one-shot story by Peter Gillis, and art by Brian Postman (1983)

Annual #8-Original, one-shot story by Mark Gruenwald, and art by Mike Zeck (1986)

Annual #9-Three-part story by by multiple writers and artists.  Continued in Iron Man Annual #11 (1990)

Annual #10-Eight separate stories by by multiple writers and artists.  (1991)

Annual #11-S (1992)

Captain America vol. 2, #1-13 (November 1996 – November 1997)-written by Rob Liefeld

Captain America vol. 3, #1-50 (January 1998 – February 2002)-Issues #1-23 written by Mark Waid, #24 written by Tom DeFalco, #25-50 written by Dan Jurgens

Captain America & Citizen V Annual #1998-written by Kurt Busiek and Barbara Kesel

Captain America Annual #1999-2001-#1999 written by Joe Casey, #2000 and 2001 written by Dan Jurgens

Captain America vol. 4, #1-32 (June 2002 – December 2004) -Issues #1-9 written by John Ney Rieber, #10-16  written by Chuck Austen, #17-20 written by Dave Gibbons, #21-28 written by Robert Morales, #29-32 written by Robert Kirkman

Captain America vol. 5, #1-50 (January 2005 – July 2009)-Written by Ed Brubaker

Story Arcs for Captain America Vol. 5

“Out of Time” (#1-6)

“Interlude: The Lonesome Death of Jack Monroe” (#7)-This is one of the best Marvel stories of the early 2000s, in our humble opinion!

“The Winter Soldier” (#8-9 & 11-14)

“House of M” (#10)

“Red is the Darkest Color” (#15)

“Collision Courses” (#16-17)

“Twenty-First Century Blitz” (#18-21)

“The Drums of War” (#22-24)

“The Death of Captain America: The Death of the Dream” (#25-30)-Marvel kills Captain America.  This story made real-world national news. This story arc basically culminates the major Marvel event called “Civil War,” which was also featured in the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies (though Cap did not die in the move version),

The Death of Captain America
The Death of Captain America

“The Death of Captain America Act Two: The Burden of Dreams” (#31-36)

“The Death of Captain America Act Three: The Man Who Bought America” (#37-42)

“Time’s Arrow” (#43-45)

“Old Friends and Enemies” (#46-48)

“The Daughter of Time” (#49)

“Days Gone By” (#50)

Captain America #600-619 (August 2009 – August 2011)-Written by Ed Brubaker

Captain America and Bucky #620-628 (September 2011 – May 2012)-Written by Ed Brubaker

Captain America and Hawkeye #629-632 (June–August 2012)-Written by Cullen Bunn

Captain America and Iron Man #633-635 (August–October 2012)-Written by Cullen Bunn

Captain America and Namor #635.1 (October 2012)-Written by Cullen Bunn

Captain America and Black Widow #636-640 (November 2012 – February 2013)-Written by Cullen Bunn

Captain America vol. 6, #1-19 (September 2011 – December 2012)-Written by Ed Brubaker

Old Man Steve Rogers Gives the Shield to Falcon in Captain America vol. 7, #25
Old Man Steve Rogers Gives the Shield to Falcon in Captain America vol. 7, #25

Captain America vol. 7, #1-25 (January 2013 – December 2014)-In this volume, Steve Rogers enters another dimension, one ruled by his old foe, Arnim Zola.  Here he adopts Zola’s son (who becomes the new Nomad back in the “real” universe), and also allies with Zola’s daughter, Jet. At the end of this volume, a villain called the Iron Nail deactivates the Super-Soldier Serum inside Cap, turning Steve Rogers into an old man.  This sets the stage for another hero to take up the mantle of being Captain America. -Written by Rick Remender

Sam Wilson as Captain America
Sam Wilson as Captain America

All-New Captain America #1-6 (January 2015 – June 2015)-Features Sam Wilson (AKA The Falcon), as the new Captain America, when Steve Rogers gives Sam his shield. (In the continuing run of Cap titles, these issues are considered #664-669)-Written by Rick Remender

All-New Captain America Special #1 (July 2015)

Captain America: Sam Wilson #1-24 (October 2015 – July 2017)- (In the continuing run of Cap titles, these issues are considered #670-693)-Written by Nick Spencer

In the Avengers-centric crossover event called “Avengers:Standoff!” Steve Rogers is restored to his younger, heroic super-soldier self by a sentient Cosmic Cube called Kobik. (Yes, that sounds confusing, but this is actually a pretty interesting storyline that evokes modern controversies such as enemy detention in Guantanamo and extraordinary rendition of terrorists. Plus, tons of old-school villains running around!)  After this, Steve Rogers is again a hero, while Sam Wilson retains the shield and title of Cap for a while longer.

Captain America: Sam Wilson #7
Captain America: Sam Wilson #7

Captain America: Steve Rogers #1-19 (May 2016 – July 2017)-Written by Nick Spencer

Captain America vol. 8, #25  (August 2017)- (In the continuing run of Cap titles, these issues is considered #694)-written by Nick Spencer

Captain America #695-704 (November 2017 – June 2018)-written by Mark Waid

Captain America vol. 9, #1- (July 2018 – Ongoing)-Written by Ta-Nehisi Coates

What do YOU think of all the wild turns that Captain America has taken in this character’s very long career? Let us know. Also, please subscribe to our social media channels:

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