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Captain America #263

Nov 1981
J. M. DeMatteis, Mike Zeck

Story Name:

—The Last Movie!


Synopsis

Captain America #263 synopsis by Peter Silvestro
Rating: 3.5 stars

Captain America is prisoner of the Red Skull, who engineered the entire Nomad/movie scheme to lure the hero into his clutches. The skull takes control of the Ameridroid (not killed by the ray gun blast last issue) and has the unwilling Lyle Dekker try to kill Cap. The hero appeals to the giant android to throw off the Skull’s mind control; Dekker does it, smashing his way through the glass barrier separating them from the villain. But the glass was electrified so Dekker collapses (and apparently dies for the second time in two issues). Cap hurls his shield though the broken barrier and smashes the Red Skull’s head to bits—it was a robot double. Cap heads out to find his enemy….

Elsewhere, news reporter Will Brynner is arrested by the police for his part in the Nihilist Order plot. The story makes the news and Cap is seen as a hero. Meanwhile, At Galactic Studios, producer Leonard Spellman receives the news that the big bosses are canceling the Cap movie project, to be replaced by a TV documentary. His nephew/flunky Wally Lumbego, watching the news coverage, opines that Cap will now be bigger than ever….

Back at the Democracy lot, Cap takes out a whole squadron of Nihilist Order thugs and enters to find the Red Skull inviting him on a train ride. At the end of the line, another Skull robot directs him into the main office, where he finds the (apparently) real Red Skull. There the villain informs him that with the uncovering the Nihilist Order plot to discredit him is now more popular so that everyone in the country will be watching that evening’s TV special—which will hypnotize all of the viewers, turning them into violent maniacs. Cap leaps at the Skull, knocking his head off, revealing yet another android double. Suddenly the Ameridroid bursts into the room and crashes through into the hidden control room where the real Skull was pulling the strings; the two clash and the entire room explodes….

Cap, who was knocked clear of the blast, heads to the TV station where he confiscates the deadly documentary and burns it. In the end we see, Spellman, Wally, and Jason driving Cap to the airport, and the hero is glad to see the last of Hollywood….


 

Review / Commentaries


Captain America #263 Review by (July 27, 2014)
Review: The tale wraps up in a satisfactory way. No great shakes, just a fun and entertaining story. Why don’t we have those anymore?

Comments: Part three of three parts. Easter eggs: The police detective arresting Will Brynner is named Cal Lummbo, a reference to the TV detective Columbo; he isn’t drawn to resemble Peter Falk though. On the same page we see two reporters, Joe and Billie from the Tribune; they are characters from the TV series LOU GRANT. From the size of the film reel, the documentary was only about fifteen minutes long; enough for the Red Skull’s purpose I suppose. Future comics writer Barry Dutter has a letter on the letters page.


> Captain America comic book info and issue index

Elektra

Excelsioring your collection:
DIAMOND SELECT TOYS Marvel Premier Collection: Avengers Endgame Captain America Statue, Multicolor
Holy smokes, Batman!
(The Boy Wonder)

Mike Zeck
Quickdraw
Bob Sharen
Mike Zeck (Cover Penciler)
John Beatty (Cover Inker)


Characters

Listed in Alphabetical Order.

Captain America
Captain America

(Steven Rogers)
Red Skull
Red Skull

(Johann Shmidt)

Plus: Ameridroid.