The new decade served up wholly new scenarios on the international front. The world was soon divided into two political and ideological blocks. On one side, the United States with its Western allies, and on the other, the Soviet Union and its Communist satellites. The Red Menace became the new enemy–especially for an all-American, red, white, and blue Super Hero. World War II had come to an end, and Nazism had been defeated. Hitler had reportedly committed suicide in his bunker (although the circumstances of his somewhat mysterious death would soon spark

the imagination of comic book authors). Even before the war was over, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, and Joseph Stalin—the victors—mapped out new balances and borders. The United States came out as the world’s strongest power, offset, however, by the Soviet giant, whose influence in Eastern Europe was officially recognized at the Yalta Conference in 1945. The Communists became the new enemies of freedom. Super Heroes no longer fought the Axis powers—they no longer bashed Hitler on the cover. What they needed were exciting new enemies to boost lagging sales—gone were the boom years of the 1940s when they would sell more than a million copies a month. But changing gears proved challenging. Captain America’s Weird Tales#75, the last issue of the series featuring the Sentinel of Liberty (cover date February 1950), is considered the final chapter of the Golden Age. Indeed, Cap does not appear in it, with that issue being comprised of horror and suspense stories and no recurrent characters. The series had become an anthology, a prelude to the hundreds that would be released over the course of the next decade. Things on the comic book horizon appeared uncertain and confused. Timely canceled Marvel Mystery Comics, the series that started it all. Beginning with issue #93 (cover date August 1949) it would be entitled Marvel Tales, an anthology featuring horror stories. Sub-Mariner Comics and Human Torch Comics were also shutdown. And Timely was renamed. Martin Goodman, who in1942 had moved operations to the fourteenth floor of the Empire State Building, where he and his company would remain until 1951, presented a new logo on his comic books, the globe of the Atlas News Company, which had been Timely’s distribution company. It was the start of a new era with Atlas Comics—which adecade later—would morph into Marvel Comics. REVIVING THE CAPTAIN Martin Goodman and his staff did not want to give up on their flagship character, Captain America, an icon who was still an iconic symbol and very much revered. But how to revive him? The opportunity came in Young Men#24 (cover date December 1953), which featured classic Timely Super Heroes that hadn’t made an appearance on newsstands in three years. The dynamic cover was by Carl Burgos, the creator of the Human Torch. Inside were three stories of special significance: The Return of the Human Torch(by Hank Chapman, Russ Heath, and Carl Burgos),The Sub-Mariner Returns(by Bill Everett), and Back from the Dead, which sees the legendary Captain America returning to action. The story was written by Don Rico, with illustrations and inking by John Romita and Mort Lawrence. Steve Rogers has, by this point, stowed away his old stars-and-stripes costume. Now he teaches at Lee High School, in Connecticut. We see him as he tells his students about the origins of the hero that brought down the Nazis in World War II. But the kids are skeptical. This irks Bucky, who wants to tell them, until he’s stopped by Steve. In the car on the way to New York, Bucky tries to convince Steve to take up his old secret identity. But Steve is adamant: Captain America’s time is over, his mission has been accomplished. For once, Cap’s intuition proves wrong because just then they hear on the radio that the Red Skull, his treacherous Nazi enemy, has joined forces with the Communists. Together they’ve attacked the United Natio0ns building and have taken the delegates hostage. Convinced that Cap is dead, the Red Skull aims to start an international crime syndicate. Bucky then tells Steve he’s got their costumes stashed in the car—just in case of emergency… Cap and Bucky then burst into the UN and make quick work of the Red Skull and his accomplices. Cap is back. He is thanked and congratulated by the UN delegates. Even the students now show their respect for the World War II hero.