Warning: mild spoilers for Captain America Anniversary Tribute #1!
The upcoming Captain America Anniversary Tribute #1 celebrates Steve Rogers, aka Captain America, turning 80 this year but also reimagines some of his earliest, and greatest, moments. In the style of last year's Giant-Size X-Men: Tribute To Wein & Cockrum #1, Marvel gathers amazing artists to bring new perspective to two of Captain America's classic stories while also paying tribute to the creators responsible for introducing one of Marvel Comics' oldest and most recognized characters.
Created in 1941 by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, scrawny Steve Rogers sought to overcome his physical limitations to join the fight against the Axis of Evil overseas and thus agreed to participate in a secret government experiment, turning him into the world's first Super Soldier, dubbed Captain America. While Captain America and his sidekick Bucky Barnes fought alongside other wartime heroes, Cap's popularity waned after the end of World War II. Stan Lee and Jack Kirby brought him back in 1964, explaining his absence due to a wartime mission that saw him cryogenically preserved in North Alaska until his body was discovered and revived by the Avengers. The displaced yet capable hero found new purpose as a member of the Avengers and has constantly been in publication ever since, also appearing in Marvel cartoons, live-action television, games, and movies, famously portrayed by actor Chris Evans in the MCU.
Giving fans a new way to enjoy the stories that have defined Steve Rogers, Captain America Anniversary Tribute #1 will feature the stories from Captain America Comics #1 (1941) and Avengers #4 (1964) but redrawn by a collection of 40 of Marvel's most popular and talented artists. The series will not only feature Bucky Barnes and the Avengers but also other signature moments such as Cap's first run-in with his nemesis, the Red Skull. Check out the Marvel Comics preview pages below:
Paying tribute both to the character and his creators, Captain America Anniversary Tribute #1 takes the original stories and adds new, modern art, updating them for new fans and giving old fans a fresh way to enjoy the classics. With artists like Daniel Acuna, Alex Ross, Chris Samnee, and John Cassaday on board, it's an opportunity for Marvel to couple one of its foundational characters with all the talented artists who have come since, fully expressing and celebrating how much Captain America has come to mean since his creation.
Marvel's tribute issues are an interesting experiment in giving fresh life to their most famous stories, but as a character whose time in the ice ties him even more tightly to his original stories (as opposed to a character like Hulk, whose origins have been updated to keep up with Marvel's shifting timeline), Captain America is an obvious candidate for this treatment, and fans will be excited to see new spins on the moments they know and love. The issue will be available in stores and online March 17.