Why is no one collecting Captain America?

[@gabrielbien-willner2509]

The Mike Zeck run is one of my favorites all time. Thanks everyone for not collecting CA and giving me cheap books!

[@rebels5785]

It is really ironic that he's such a fan-favorite in the MCU movies and yet so disregarded in the Comics. You made a lot of great points.

[@captaincanada5597]

I'm Canadian and I have a very large captain america comics run from 70's, 80's and 90's.

[@MintHunterComics]

Nice!

[@anillstudios]

I'm living in Canada since 2007. I re-started my Captains collection again. Just the editions from 1968 to 1996.

[@kenfrederick6223]

Do you like Captain Canuck? I'm from the US and have the original series (more recent runs are really hard to find down here) and think he's a great character.

[@thechinchillachannel8457]

The Brubaker run, in my opinion, was one of the best, if not the best, comic book runs ever!

[@waltercahill1942]

Totally agree

[@brentandrew2419]

It's okay. He wasn't the best of the 2000s writers and his writing is often hokey and strained. The whole thing goes off the rails after the Death into a never ending saga of nonsense.

[@peterslupek6561]

It was very very very good for sure! To take such cheesy character and really make it grounded and gritty.

[@MildMisanthropeMaybeMassive]

Brubaker also had the best Catwoman run, which with Darwyn Cooke’s art gave us her modern costume with the one piece zippered catsuit, aviator cowl, goggles, and whip for a belt. He made me read Iron Fist, a character a never cared for. And his time on Batman comics alongside Greg Rucka that started post No Man’s Land and culminated in Bruce Wayne: Murderer?/Fugitive and Gotham Central was one of the best periods in Batman comics runs up there with Denny O’Neil’s and Steve Englehart’s Bronze Age tenure.

[@brentandrew2419]

@@MildMisanthropeMaybeMassive Yeah but it also gave her that butch haircut that she never grew out of to this day. It was okay, mostly the first 15 issues, but nothing special or groundbreaking.

[@thunder5x]

I'm interested in Englehart's run, Byrne's run, Brubaker's run and a couple of more.

[@michaelhughes432]

I'm also interested in the Jack Kirby, George Taska, John Romita, Sr., Joe Steranko & John Buscema's run on Captain America.

[@Crisis-Comics]

No Gruenwald run?

[@raymondsouza-zz7iv]

Captain America represents American ideals not America itself. My favorite storyline was when a Skrull replaced Nixon and for a time Steve Rogers was Nomad until he realized true American ideals of equal opportunity, anti racism, taking care of the less fortunate and all that other we hold these truths to be self evident stuff we are supposed to Believe in is important.

[@bannedfreespeech]

Republican in office us bad steve quits Nixon nomad Reagan captain Bush dead Trump hydra

[@dgenergene4418]

I'm a big Captain America as well Captain Britain fan but then I'm over 50 A life long comic reader and action figure collector.

[@maxxgunner5573]

Captain America is underrated and overshadowed by Superman. He deserves more respect as a Comic Book Patriot Superhero.

[@MintHunterComics]

Facts

[@wowadrow]

Cap and Superman represent an America most of us have never known.

[@funnymcfunfuns1455]

He represents an America that no one has ever known because he represents what the "ideal" America could/would/should look like.

[@pasalasaga]

​@@funnymcfunfuns1455 exactly.

[@Prodbass]

Now would be a GREAT time to get into Cap comics!!!

[@montylc2001]

I just recently completed the Tales of Suspense Captain America run, #58 through #99, and some were not cheap! And I'm damn proud of the collection.

[@bigoulie]

I think you’re spot on with all the reasons you mentioned. Parents today don’t teach their kids the traditional values of what it means to be kind to one another and helping others in need. Ask a public school teacher what it’s like to be a teacher nowadays. He is probably hard for kids nowadays to relate to. I’m old school, I love and collect Captain America. In a world turned upside down, he’s still all that’s right. I do wish Marvel didn’t water down his series with so many different volumes. I hope this is just a bad cycle we’re going through in US politics today and we can get past this me first attitude a lot of people are in.

[@Red-Devil884]

I’m not American and I absolutely love Cap. I’ve been trying to get his keys from before the Gruenwald era and let me tell, you that it was almost too easy. They sell for a decent $$ but nothing I can’t pay. The only big key that’s been eluding me is that issue 109 big boy you showed at the start. It has slipped from my fingers many times, still looking for a decent copy for a decent price. 😢

[@davidbemis2252]

Kovac, Attuma,Dr. Doom,Thanos orange number of high powered foes. I personally love his never say die attitude and wish more people had this type of real life ideal. I think the world would be a better place. LONG LIVE CAPTAIN AMERICA !

[@dr.decker911]

I think Cap could come back if someone writes a really good and grounded early years. Like Batman year one. He works best in a WW2 setting in my opinion. But I too like the ultimate Captain America.

[@MintHunterComics]

Ironically Cap writing is usually top notch! Brubaker and more always do great by him! I actually don’t think it’s the writing

[@whodatnation1222]

@@MintHunterComics Some may argue that the writing of Cap hasn't been good since a Brubaker

[@Markus465]

@@whodatnation1222 I think you're on to something there. There's been a lot of Cap bashing since Hydra Cap and I thought JMS would bring us a good Cap story, but it's been slow burning trash.

[@BrianCenti-j4d]

I love 100 - 181, after that it's a hit or miss..i love cap and agree with you, winter soldier was incredible.

[@tonythornhill9156]

Cap is dope. I do a cosplay as Captain America at conventions, and even won two contests . Damn right, “I can do this all day”.

[@latch78]

You must have America’s ass to boot!

[@davidbemis2252]

I am 58 yrs old and have loved Captain America 🇺🇸 since I first bought his books at my local corner shop off the spinner rack. He in my opinion represents like you said an idealized version of a Super Hero much like Superman. I was drawn to his never say die never surrender attitude. Even though he is technically not super human he always had the willingness to make you believe that even a human being (albeit enhanced) could still triumph over almost anything or anyone. This is a trait that has held true for Cap wether he was fighting

[@CryptidZeker415]

That's a proper way of illustrating who cap is XD

[@OQuinlan-nz1md]

59 here and the same for me....was so worried when cap quit over the uh Whitehouse incident..

[@davidbemis2252]

@@OQuinlan-nz1md LOL did you mean the time he became the nomad?

[@michaelvonhasseln8932]

This is an excellent point. Captain America shares ideals with Superman, but more resembles Batman. He is a regular guy (as you said, albeit enhanced), and a master tactician. Where Cap and Batman differ is in their approach; Captain America is a symbol of hope (like Superman), while Batman is a symbol of fear. I think so many writers forget that Captain America works best as an inspiration of what we could be, not as a gritty reflection of how things might be.

[@anillstudios]

My first ever super-hero comic book I read was Captain America #227 against a 100 Red Skulls.

[@Chris-ty7fw]

The Steranko run was amazing 111-113 the modern stuff ;-)

[@OQuinlan-nz1md]

Got them on my study wall .. fantastic.

[@roggoblin]

As a Huge Cap fan I mostly go for his Silver and Bronze Age books, They have gone up in recent years but I can always find some good deals on them. I think part of it, which you mentioned is he is so upstanding and not everyone likes to relate to that. For me I like him because he will fight for the underdog, and I honestly love the speeches that he gives in his book and his moral compass.

[@Matthew.E.Kelly.]

Cap's morality also shifts from one author to the next. When you've read nearly ALL of the comics you notice this, especially if you know a lot about political philosophy. Cap is at his best when he's anti-establishment, & not every writer understands this or how to utilize it properly. Mark Gruenwald did, though.

[@Boxingbear]

I sell comics out of an antique mall and have always been shocked how long some great CAP books sit. And sit, and sit..one of my favorite Cap issues is the issue with the John Byrne cover and the story is the Death of Baron Blood. Such a great book..for $9 !! It must have sat there for 3 years before someone bought it. Cap sales are slow. But not nonexistent. I find that issues with the Red Skull on the cover sell much quicker. Brubakers run on Cap with the Winter Soldier is amazing.

[@Matthew.E.Kelly.]

Captain America #254 😅 it's one of my "buy it every time I see it" books, & I do manage to move it/sell it again later most of the time. I currently only have 2 copies on hand, & one of them is my personal collection copy. Yeah, that's one of my favorite Cap issues.

[@grownassedgamergamer807]

That was one of the first Cap comics I ever read and is one that I've been on the hunt for in the wild. LOVE that book.

[@Boxingbear]

@@grownassedgamergamer807 Yeah I read it when I was really young as well and it was one of the first comics I went after when I started seriously collecting as a teenager. Two part story..one of the best imo. It isn't easy to find in the wild, which is why I was so surprised it sat for as long as it did for a mere $9 ! I refused to put the price down though because it was in nice condition, great story from a time when 'death' actually meant dead.

[@Boxingbear]

@@Matthew.E.Kelly. I have two copies of #254 as well, one in the PC and one in the inventory boxes. Childhood favorite ..great villain that should never have been brought back.

[@Matthew.E.Kelly.]

@@Boxingbearthat short-ish Byrne run is in pretty high demand among folks who collect to read, the old-school folks who don't necessarily like TPBs or Epic Collections, etc. It was the 2nd run I completed after the Kirby run.

[@theportaloftime6177]

I also want to add I was an officer in the Army I was deployed as a 2LT Infantry. The really built hardcore Cpt's were nicknamed Cpt America. We had one in our BN that could of played Steve Rodgers in a movie. It was pretty cool.

[@spencerwelchii573]

I collected Cap in the 1980's and my fav runs were his two stints as Nomad, his run as The Captain because he saw how flawed the military commanders were. Also like the Scourge Saga and Cap dealing with Flagsmasher. I see his sales parallel with other 'War/Military' books...after people realize the flaws and mistakes that every Military branch makes, people's desire to read those type of books drop.

[@bradfeaster4177]

The trick is writers missing the purpose of a paragon hero. When the hero is a paragon (perfect) the best human ideal, the story is his affect on the people and characters around him. Think “The Shawshank Redemption,”and his impact on the prison. Captain America is supposed to be the best of what America can and should be calling out where we need to improve while calling attention to where we have ground and have gained ground.

[@PetesCDVinylWorld]

My son actually bought a few during Christmas break there. We just went again this weekend and got a bunch of $1-$3 comics that were priced great worth way more

[@ryanbush6118]

Probably because he's a Golden Age hero. There's a general lack of interest in the MCU at this point too

[@MintHunterComics]

Batman and Wonder Woman (and almost every DC golden age hero) would disagree!

[@HepCatJack]

@@MintHunterComics DC printed WW at a loss for years so they wouldn't lose the right to the character.

[@robertt9342]

@@HepCatJack. And Batman? Real loss leader there.

[@dannyc8876]

Batman was created in the Golden age too.

[@coeenc123]

I tried reading a few Captain America comics but found the ww2/Nazi/red skull/hydra thing to be boring.He really is a character out of time.

[@BamfBifPow]

I do, part of the problem is the artificial inflation of the prices. I was able to get a lot of the more important bronze and after issues for literally $1-$2 about 10 years ago.

[@michaelhughes432]

@Mint-Hunter. I agree with you. The story arc that Lee & Kirby placed him in, going back to The Avengers # 4, the first series, circa 1964, in the Silver Age of Comics, where he lived with the guilt of Bucky Barnes death, and he had trouble adjusting to a era that had advanced twenty years ahead of him, and his desire to get a job doing espionage work with an organization such as SHEILD, so he wouldn't feel like The Avengers were footing all his bills, despite it made him appear grouchy, was a interesting plot line.

[@joshscomics01]

That Brubaker is one of the best runs ever. With that being said I think like Superman. Too many books to collect so everyone goes for just the keys. But we won't see Steve Rogers Cap or certain villains for a very long time so I feel like everyone brought Cap back in the early MCU days and now there is no need for them to buy. BTW I love these kinds of videos. Would love to see you talk more about other characters or teams that don't seem to get a lot of love.

[@BrokeBoyComics]

The movies made Captain America way more popular than he was before. I do like him but as far as my comic book collecting there are other series and heroes that I want to collect first. It’s a shame that he doesn’t get much love, I was there for the claim sale and it indeed was rough for cap.

[@MintHunterComics]

I agree, I love the movie Cap! And yes hahaha not a single Cap moved

[@Matthew.E.Kelly.]

That really sucks, man, I kinda wanna save up & come to the shop *specifically* to buy whatever Cap you have.

[@kapitolp7460]

I need to get up to NJ and visit your booth. I want to collect Cap, just have to consolidate some of my collection first. Maybe find someone to trade up for keys with.

[@ShogunZIlla]

2 factors I would add: A relatively weak Rogues gallery besides the Red Skull, and even the Red Skull seems kind of one note/generic and done to death at this point. The other is the team leader curse. Storm and Cyclops are super popular but their solo comics have never really caught on because it just feels like you are missing something without the rest of the x-men. A DC example might be Martian Manhunter. Even in his WW2 era stories his most fun stories were with the Invaders or howling commandos. So even though I like Captain America myself I feel like I’d probably prefer to collect the Avengers first if I was going to collect his appearances. Pairing him with Bucky or Falcon helps a little but neither can really compete with Cap with the Avengers.

[@kurumais]

you are right about his rogues gallery and it seem, even when the new writers who come up with new baddies none of them stick

[@Supremmo]

@@kurumais Agreed. They should’ve kept Iron Nail and Dr Mindbubble around. They were the last two new Cap Villains I liked!

[@brucebezold2714]

The problem is ww2 is so far in the past people can't relate to it since the nazies are over used and the word nazie is used to shut people up rather than what nazies were. Some of cap's best were dealing with nazie war criminals in the present day. This worked in the 60's to the 80's but won't work today. Trying to bring back nazies to day through suspened animation is a tired formula. The usa is a world power today. Not so in the forties where Germany was seen as a world threat. Todays problems in the us is seen as 1st world problems by the rest of the world. Stories can be done in a modern way. Example Red skull takes over Lativa (Doom home town) using Dooms own weopons to take over countries causing other countries to go after Doom (since he invented the weapons) CA is sent there to cantain the damage. Or the Red Skull rediscovers the solider surem (spelling terrible today) gives it to Junkies and gangmembers to cause problems. Thus trick the Gov to reactivate the Sentiles to take care of the threat. Red Skull controls the sentinals to take over the country while the solider secrum is laced with posion to kill the users. Red Skulls views the Senitials as the perfect solider while getting rid of the his views Dregs of society. A modern Night of the long knives. Using high tech to dominate a country. Just my two bits to tell a story.

[@WolfCop97]

I am South Afican and Captain America is my favourite hero. I am struggling to collect his comics because everything is sold out online and we don't actually have a bunch of comic shops so yeah I don't know what to tell you

[@jasonwhite9705]

I like Captain America. He represents how America was and should be now.

[@MintHunterComics]

It’s nice having one or two of the Boy Scout trope characters! We need that I think!

[@Matthew.E.Kelly.]

Cap is usually the ideal personification of _liberal idealism's_ vision of what America should be, but let's be honest here -- all of that wishy-washy stuff is nowhere near as good as Gruenwald's Cap, who was a lot less misty-eyed nostalgia & much more hands-on, gritty, & legitimately *was challenged* by the stark reality of what America actually is... Compared to the _idea_ of what it's supposed to be. That dialectical conflict/contrast is at the core of the best Cap stories. When he's *not* perfect & when he acknowledges how f*cked up this country is & the mind-blowing fact that it's THE major world power but has no business having that kind of influence & control... That's the core of the best Cap stories. Nationalism is jingoistic garbage, but a lot of people conflate nationalism with personal aspects of "identity politics." That's a... Different take, like an ahistorical one, really. But the best Captain America stories are about struggling to resist the urge to step into line, follow blindly, & become part of a swarming mass of vulgar flag-worship 🤷🏻 I dunno, my personal politics often feel reinforced/affirmed when I read a really good Cap run. The best writers knew there were limits to the power of an individual, of a symbol, & placed that struggle in the story -- in Cap's very identity -- as a result.

[@tomviencek6340]

This is spot on correct.bI couldn't have said it any better!

[@vivalarazausarmyvet4453]

So true. Cap identifies everything that the left stands for and fights everything that the right stands for.

[@Matthew.E.Kelly.]

@@vivalarazausarmyvet4453I would argue that my *favorite* Cap stories have him left-leaning, such as the majority of Gruenwald's run, but there's a lot of right-wing hegemony in American liberalism -- so much so that many writers have shown Cap supporting granular socio-economic hierarchies with actual physical violence & even defending right-wing government officials & institutes. You have to remember that two of the pillars of left-wing political philosophy that polarize us against the right-wing are 1. vertical hierarchies & 2. capitalism. Those go hand in hand in meta-analysis, as they intersect -- but some leftists (anarcho-syndicalists in particular, but other anarchist philosophies) have very specific ideas about _horizontal_ hierarchical distinctions. So it's not always a hard/fast rule. Anyway, there are an overwhelming majority of writers who are absolutely okay with socio-economic hierarchies under capitalism but think that "representation" is important, or that we need to "vote harder" to enact "progressive" policies. Generally liberals think the system is fine, it's just prone to corruption because of who's "running" the system. Leftists know the system sucks. It's not even broken, it's doing exactly what it's supposed to. It's just not a system that was designed to "work" for the majority of people -- it's mostly set up to benefit a small ruling class of capital owners. The times when Cap opposes _that_ -- as well as everything that goes along with it such as racism, classism, electoralism, bourgeoise propaganda, cultural hegemony, etc. -- is when I like the stories the most. Again, Gruenwald wrote about these things a lot with context & subtext.

[@Spidey-Mo]

As a kid, I always just liked Spider-Man, Deadpool, certain iterations of Batman, and such. But as I’ve grown up, I still love Spider-Man and Deadpool and the others… But Superman and -of course- Captain America have come to the forefront of my favorites. My top three being Cap, Supes, and Spidey in no particular order. I don’t know but I’ve just come to really love those characters that stand by their morals and face adversity by standing firm; not necessarily through adaptation. They change the system, not get changed by said system.

[@anillstudios]

Hey James, I'm an old collector of Captain America. I had a complete collection of his comics published in Brazil. I sold it all before moving to Canada. Now I'm starting to collect Captain America again here. Yes, we are rare, but we exist! And I don't just collect keys, I'm what you guys call "a filler". Collecting mainly 1968-1996 editions.

[@sixarms]

You made lots of good points in this video. I have never been interested in collecting Captain America. It's not a comic character I am interested in. I agree that Winter Soldier is an incredible movie. I like the Winter Soldier better than Captain America myself. Take care.

[@MintHunterComics]

Hahaha well said Six!

[@michaelhughes432]

The first Captain America Comic I remembering reading was Tales of Suspense # 65, which also featured the first Modern Age appearance of the Red Skull in the Marvel Age Universe. I later discovered since since Avengers # 4 that he had joined the Avengers. The next comic I saw him in was Avengers # 5, "Invasion of the Lava Men," and Avengers # 14, "Even An Avenger Can Die!" I later discovered Cap stayed with the Avengers after the original line up had changed after Issues #16 & 17. I enjoyed his appearances in the Avengers Comics from the Silver Age thru The Bronze Age. And I followed his adventures, on and off, in Tales of Suspense, until he got his own Comic Book Series in the early 1970's, where Joseph Steranko, took over the art from Jack Kirby. In the 1980's, I also enjoyed when John Bryne did the art, and Paul Neary illustrated the stories where Cap. fought the Scourge of the Underworld. Around the same time period, I again enjoyed Cap.'s appearances in The Avengers, where Roger Stern wrote the scripts, and the late John Buscema and Tom Palmer did the art. But I don't know how the current Captain America and The Avengers Comics are, because I haven't been reading them lately. Some people may think that CA makes corny speeches, but I don't! And it's sad that what Captain America stands for, going all the way back to his creation in the 1940's has practically died out, perhaps going back to the mid-1960's and the 1970's!

[@TheDukeofMadness]

I think it's like you alluded to in the video. James Bond used to be the cultural touchstone in the 60's and 70's. As it was an embodiment of the idea that Britain, or specifically England, was the centre of culture in the world. Fashion was Carnaby street, music was the Beatles (or the Stones) and movies were James Bond and other spy related films. Then the 80's and Margaret Thatcher happened. Whether you were a supporter or not she polarised people. Same has happened to America of late and any character that embodies a country that is seem to be divisive is not going to sell. The last time I saw Captain America selling well was Ed Brubaker's run and if you remember Steve Rogers was dead and gone for half of it.

[@MintHunterComics]

Well said!

[@Matthew.E.Kelly.]

Ah, yes, Margaret Thatcher -- whose tombstone is now recognized as Britain's very first official gender neutral bathroom 🥰

[@sfkeepay]

Though it was brief, I always felt the 1980’s Stern/Byrne run on Captain America was so good, just for sheer quality, that it should stand alone as highly collectable. I mean, they managed to make Baron Blood and Dragon Man into legit characters. And the Hyde/Batroc pairing was brilliant. I was sorry to hear about this lack of general lack of interest. Particularly as I have a mint silver age Cap run myself - the only one of those freakish garage sale finds that ever happened to me. I hadn’t planned on selling them anytime soon, but it would have been nice to know that I could have. Ah well…they’re great to have regardless.

[@XghostXfaceX2]

Welp, considering the people that have been writing him in recent years actively hate him. I mean turning him into an in universe Nazi and as far as I recall is still the new canon. Where current Steve is the one birthed from the cube or whatever.(Correct me if that changed.) It’s tough to come back from that.

[@Bar-Lord]

I loved the Spencer run on Cap and Sam, and of course his Secret Empire event book. Nothing else has held up when I’ve dipped my toe back in the Cap waters. I think most of the recent creative teams just haven’t had a good story to tell. They feel Cap has to be a specific thing and is boxed in. Nothing says you can’t go outside the box while keeping the core of the character intact.

[@wyldfantasies]

I focus my Cap collection on issues 100-410... i dont like to spend the money on the expensive old issues so much, but i love the old stuff, and the stuff i grew up on. I grew up in the 90s so i love all those books. Cap Wolf was cool and thats where I stop. I love the Ron Lim stuff, but that late 80s Captain America is the best. LOVED the Johnny Walker story line, evil Cap was what brought me into his books, issue 347 "VENGEANCE" where he kills the twins is legendary. Loved Flag Smasher. Loved the Blood Stone Hunt story on some Indiana Jones adventure. Loved the Mike Zeck artwork from the 80s, I need that key you have on the wall! Cool cover art shown at 11:10 love that artwork!

[@ScarecrOmega]

Cap is like plain oatmeal. Old Fashioned, good for you, but it's only exciting when you add something else to it

[@johnnydropkicks]

Oatmeal keeps me regular - which is important at my age. 😃

[@cnote729]

Lol....good analogy

[@mentalphilanthropist35]

Like Wolverine, or Spidey! Sorry, 90's kid here! 😂

[@hollyswoods]

Cap and sometimes Marvel in general seems to have specific runs that garner the most attention but with marvel for the most part keeping a single continuity their longer characters ie the golden age ones that still get runs can be daunting

[@ginoames]

Cap is my all time favorite character. I've bought probably 200 back issues in the last year. Raiding those dollar bins.

[@stampscapes]

I hadn't looked at my collection for 40 years until 2021 when I thought I should probably have a look at what I had and catalog everything. I did notice that The Cap stuff really hadn't moved much. I didn't know just how much the key book significance revolved around first appearances and wondered if that was the case with the Cap stuff. Doesn't seem like there's a handful of significant first appearances in the silver-to-present time frame? When I was collecting in the late 70's-early 80's, that wasn't a popular title then either (current issues at that time). The only issues I was collected were the ones that Byrne illustrated.

[@minnesotaislander7997]

I always liked the Bucky Barnes Cap uniform: Red, White, Blue and Black. And speaking of volumes, The Punisher has had 13 volumes, excluding the new version that was just put out.

[@MrComics89]

I’m debating on collecting Captain America but even now when I’m getting ready to ship off to basic training having joined the army I find it hard to want to collect the comics outside of the keys except for the newest run I love that volume

[@fourcolorcommentary2909]

“Streets of Poison” was one of my favorite of Cap’s storylines.

[@davidknight2423]

So many great story lines in Gruenwald's run.

[@thegrindergamerrpg5149]

Where is your claim sale would love to check it out!

[@SecretHero914]

Those people have no idea what they’re missing and I am a very big fan of Captain America who is of course Steve Rogers. And I always dress up as Captain America for the Fourth of July you know Independence Day

[@marcuswai]

Because the key first appearances are way back in the golden age, Avengers 4, or in Strange Tales. The only key first appearances of his own title are Falcon and Winter soldier Bucky’s return. The only other thing you can hang onto are the few Kirby and Steranko issues.

[@toomanyhobbies8351]

My problem with Cap is that his rogue’s gallery sucks. Arnim Zola, Red Skull, Baron Zemo, Hydra……..

[@solaire-jd8jd]

Disagree. It's all in the writing. For example, the Red Skull from Super Villain Team-Up is brilliant.

[@gregparks6897]

I love you're take on Captain America and I personally am a collector (mostly DC) I am a patriot I served in the Air Force. I totally agree with the fact that people are more into anti-heros I am a huge Punisher fan. Keep up the awesome vids.

[@stu1043]

I love Captain America, I'll be ordering every omnibus of his I can get next payday, and I also think this video nailed the reason he's not selling these days. This video was fantastic, definitely subbing to your channel now.

[@vynilrob9719]

This kinda explains why my Caps are not selling... awesome vid, sire!

[@davidknight2423]

Why are people not collecting Captain America? Because Mark Gruenwald isn't writing it anymore. RIP. I'm Canadian and I have always liked Gru's run on Captain America. Gru and Kirby's were the most consistently entertaining and thought provoking to me. Other teams in-between had some classic stories but not as consistent to me. I remember liking Cap going up against Baron Blood, in one of the paperback reprints of the '80s, thinking it was Byrne. But overall, Kirby and Gru... Some of the stuff done with the character, I think has alienated people. So many reboots, so many different teams... I find myself buying the old comics, or their reprints.

[@comicpatrol159]

I agree with the Ultimate Captain America. I liked how they did more of his Military Background...they really played to his inner strength. Physically the weakest of the Ultimates but lead them through his faith and determination!

[@Popesize]

I got som epic collections from Gruenwalds run. And i love those stories. Gonna get me that omnibus later. Started to read comics pretty late, but it was the "Doesn't matter what the press says"-speech from Spider-Man Civil War, that got me hooked on Cap. And I'm from Sweden, so it doesn't have anything to do with patriotism. I guess I have always liked that kind of idealism that Cap is.

[@davidknight2423]

Gruenwalds run! Great stuff. Him and Kirby were the best for the character.

[@kenfrederick6223]

I always liked Captain America BECAUSE his motivations are pure even though he might not always get it right.

[@jimbomba4365]

I too have always been shocked by the low value of Arnim Zola's first appearance. A NM Raw copy has been $16 for the past year or more, which is the same price as the non-key issues in the # 202 - 214 range. When it comes to Captain America's Rogues Gallery, he's portrayed as an A-Lister a notch or two below the Red Skull, but lower level Cap villains like Dr. Faustus, Flag Smasher, Sin, and even Nightshade have much higher values for their first appearances.

[@jamescole7930]

Captain America is in my top five or six favorite characters. I enjoy the comics way better than the movies, and I really enjoy the movies. So this will tell you how much I like the comics. The comics are the best way to really get a feel of the character. He is and has been one of the best written comics consistently throughout his entire comic history. If you go out and fine either the comics or tpb’s just read them you will like it. If you are a true comic fan. If you are an investor, keep steeping you are not what we need.

[@sixdollarman1362]

I loved the John Walker as Cap storyline leading up to issue 350. Still affordable, but a good story!

[@MarcSpectorComics]

I feel like most collectors want to go after the golden age cap issues and a select few of the silver aged issues. Yea there are a few mini series worth reading but the good stuff are the timely and silver aged caps

[@ajguez]

I like silver and gold age cap. There just aren’t many cap keys after that. The golden age cap is particularly collectible as war covers. There are some great silver cap and avengers books but afterwards there hasn’t been a “legendary” run or anything to increase the increase in the comic. Avengers twilight is a great series right now and maybe that will increase its profile. With that, I do agree with everything you said.

[@grownassedgamergamer807]

I'm a Cap collector and have been since I was a kid. Love the. character but REALLY became a fan after the Original Secret War when all of the heroes deffered to him as their leader. What's funny @minthunter is that I own like 80% of the comics you had on screen during this video and I'm looking for more. Cap always represented an ideal we should aspire too and he's NOT perfect but he tries to be. What's ironic to me is that you can't be more "perfect" in comics than Batman... the guy is rich and can apparently beat ANYBODY "with enough prep-time" ugh! I kid, I collect Batman too, but he's Basically emo Captain America with money lol! I'm always humting for Cap keys, particualrly books that I owned as a kid but no longer have. I recently just reacquired Cap annual 8 with that iconic Mike Zeck Wolverine cover. The next one I need to get is the other classic Mike Zeck cover where Cap goes full Rambo. Still need to check your shop out, and plan on it next time I'm in Jersey.

[@kevinhurt5331]

I literally just bought the first appearance of red skull for just over 100 bucks. I was in shock I got it that cheap at a whatnot auction. It’ll probably just go in my pc there was 200 folks in the room and just 2 of us biding on it. I think ya gotta add on not that many readers anymore either. Nice video I’ve forgotten about him myself until that auction.

[@donaldcleveland5300]

You DID NOT buy a copy of Captain America Number ONE from 1941 for 100 dollars. Youre greatly mistaken as to what you bought- and perhaps THAT is why there were only two bidders.

[@kevinhurt5331]

First appearance of red skull in the silver age what dumb ass would think it was golden age.damn guess I should’ve been exactly specific for the morons.@@donaldcleveland5300

[@raymondsouza-zz7iv]

Marvel has not known how to write Cap since the seventies. They tried to kill him off several times and turned him into a Hydra agent and put him in hand me down Iron Man armor. When Falcon was made the new Captain America they took two of my favorite characters and made one I did not like. I collected Cap from issue 100 and stopped when Marvel jerked the character so much. I stopped reading Avengers at the same time and for the last couple of decades have stopped buying Marvel comics all together.

[@davidknight2423]

I thought Gruenwald's run in the '80a was great. After that, I had no interest. And other priorities.

[@JJHall-kk5qh]

For me, I always loved seeing Cap as a leader of a team. That’s why Avengers appealed to me more than solo cap. He seems more in his element leading a group.

[@hgc7000]

Really appreciate your thoughts on Cap. I picked up various runs over the years, The Waid and Garney 90's run, the run that had Cassaday and Reiber on the book, and parts of Brubaker's run. Really clicked with Marvel's Civil War Cap. He's a tough one to write solo in a compelling manner 100%.

[@chrishmiller4534]

Great Topic. I’ve been fascinated by Cap since I became an adult and started feeling like a “man out of time.” I love how the variations tend to reflect American times.

[@stevedriskell59]

Captain America and Iron Man are my favorite heroes. Captain America stands for the principles of what's right and just. As a hero he usually makes the right decisions but in his personal life it's just like everybody else's with ups and downs.

[@robertfalcone3025]

IMO Marvel Comics DESTROYED Captain America back when Nick Spencer made him into a Hydra Agent in the Secret Empire event..& then followed that by letting ANTI America writer Tanahisi Coates take over the title directly after that. This whole trend of DECONSTRUCTING heroes in general that 1st started with Watchmen.. which was actually groundbreaking & did it well.. caused Marvel & DC to make ALL their heroes into grim & gritty ANTI heroes is what caused the down turn in sales. The BIGGEST problem is Marvel Comics deciding that it was a good idea to put writers that HATE Captain America on the book.

[@MintHunterComics]

Well articulated - I'm sure as a Cap fan that must have been disappointing

[@comiverse6230]

Wish I had known about the Cap sale. Cap got me started reading, and collecting in 1987. Working on a volume 1 run. I have a run of Cap from #262-454. He will always be my favorite Marvel hero.

[@samfq3017]

Love Cap, grew up with Byrne,Zeck, Dwyer…. Now I will start to hunt for those silver keys! Good video,Sam from 🇨🇦

[@robphoenix1182]

It's obvious. The same reason for Superman being less popular. Same reason the hobby is where it is. Morals are not "popular" anymore.

[@brucebezold2714]

I don't think Morals due to the fact none of the comics are selling. It's just the poor attitude of the writers.

[@battleframestudios8989]

Theres a reason they keep making Superman evil or mind controlled. Writers dont know how to write static main characters anymore it seems. A lot more stories are very character driven now and character driven stories favor dynamic characters that grow and change to become their best, or worst, self. The problem is once they've completed their arc there's no where to really go from there with a "character driven" mindset. You have to start focusing on different characters or even replacing your protagonist. Characters like Sherlock Holmes, Indiana Jones, and James Bond work because the appeal is less in the characters and more the overall narrative. Whether it be the thrill of solving a who dunnit, searching for a lost treasure, or uncovering a conspiracy, what they all have in common is that theyre trying to get to the bottom of something. Its the pursuit of the unknown that makes these static characters still interesting. Another type of static character is the good samaritan type where they themselves barely change but the story has them influencing everyone around them to become their best selves. By the end of Paddington he's made all the supporting characters' lives just a little bit better. Captain America being this paragon of virtue doesnt allow for a lot of growth so the James Bond method or even the Paddington Bear method would serve him well.

[@steviG63]

I’m from the UK & love Captain America, I’m in processing of collecting vol 1 and quite happy prices are low 😊

[@daghettoghost5539]

I collect captain america have since I was in elementary school ( 2012) love his stuff I got the ed brubaker run and a lot of silver and bronze age cap and 00s era stuff I love it I love the spirit of the era he was born out of the things he represents

[@markleneker9923]

Well GA Cap...but that is a diff thing. Silver Age is a good pickup, keys will always be keys for SA and beyond. Cap's no-cavities attitude has been challenged many times in his comics for some good stories. Start with Steve Engelhart's run in the '70s (several keys in that) and work your way from there.

[@MintHunterComics]

Amen!

[@TheDAExperience]

For me when it comes to Cap I really only want the classic Cap and flacon header books and the issues that had Lamar Hoskins aka Battlestar

[@lewieanderson6579]

He's better in a team atmosphere because he is a born leader. As a solo hero he's limited by his rogues gallery like red skull and crossbones

[@shanehannafey1361]

Always loved the character, but for some reason, never collected the comic. I have about 20 issues in my collection including one silver age, but that's it.

[@bunkas33]

I love Cap. At one point I'm sure it was my second most collected book. Two reasons I don't go out of my way to pick up back issues: 1) As a golden age hero, a complete run is out of reach. 2) The bronze and copper age covers are mostly cringe. I can't help but pick up cheap FF and Thor. Every cover is an absolute banger. But Cap... too many speech bubbles, too many baddies who look like clowns, and sometimes just bad art. You're probably right about MCU speculation and definitely right about volume dilution (especially the Wildstorm reboot), but I think you're wrong about the nationalism and have the politics backwards. Most western comic collectors are American or Americanophile, so I don't think the "A" is a drag on his popularity. I think his films did pretty well internationally. As far as politics go, everyone in the hobby knows Cap is nobody's nationalist. He's probably the most stridently liberal "America-hating" hero besides Green Arrow. The large contingent of collectors who gravitate toward Batman, Wolverine, Punisher and other characters known for brutalizing their enemies are probably the ones turned off by Cap's politics.

[@AOA14]

More Captain America comics for me! Stay away until I own all the issues I want for cheap.😉

[@MintHunterComics]

Hahaha

[@MtHockey]

A Captain America reboot in the MCU movie world with Cap. in an old school WWII - Hitler, Red Skull, Nazis are the bad guys would be cool. I collected Cap silver age comics as a kid because I liked Jack Kirby's rendition of action that Kirby featured in Cap comics. I also liked the old school Nazi/Red Skull black and white nature of the books. Kirby and Stan Lee (as well as my father who was a WWII vet) lived that era so they could portray it from a first-hand experience. That was the heart of Captain America books, and that is very hard to replicate in our contemporary American experience.

[@teamamericamattdamon3486]

Sadly if they renamed him comrade American probably sell better I know it's disgusting to think about😢

[@TheChadTI]

As a Cap collector most of my life, it's kind of always been this way. Bought that Bloodstone saga in real time, loved it. It got a bit off buzz in the shops too, very Indiana Jones-ish.

[@hankscorpion9939]

Great video and lots of insight! I never really felt any interest in Captain America when I was growing up. As you say, roo perfect etc. His heyday was long in the past. And he wasn't really featuring in 90s cartoons or anything. The hype is not there now. But when the nostalgia really kicks in for the MCU early phases, I imagine there will be alot of people wanting to collect the key issues. But as you say, the early ones are quite unnatainable. The other thing is that he doesn't have a rogues gallery like Spider-man, particularly in the silver age. Red Skull is golden age, and Baron Zemo is bronze age. He also doesn't have that many runs that are really considered classic, aside from Brubaker I guess. But he does have some great comics. Like the Steranko ones. I want to grab those at some point.

[@ldorr1]

I only collect two characters at this point..Superman & Captain America. The extreme "America Sucks" agenda pushed me this way. as well as the rise of boys wearing nail polish!

[@MintHunterComics]

I was following you up til that last sentence

[@Cheetowitcheese]

I thought you meant the Marvel Legends figures. But I guess this makes sense too. But like I mentioned I’ve seen Captain America Comic figures stay on store shelves for months now.

[@mburnsoh]

Loved this video. Great job!

[@michaelhughes432]

I have always been a fan of Captain America, going back to his Marvel Age/Silver Age appearances in Avengers # 4, First Series, to his more Modern/Bronze Age Appearances in his own Comic Series, as well as in the Avengers Comics, in the 1980's, especially I forget whom did the writing on the CA Comics in the 1980's, but I'm pretty sure it was Paul Neary. As i previously mentioned, I found the CA Comics with The Scourge of the Underworld plot line interesting, And as I also previously mentioned, his appearances in The Avengers Comics Series, especially, The Roger Stern/John Buscema/Tom Palmer series run.

[@mikem3543]

I’m currently building my Wonder Woman New 52 run. Thrilled that no one seems to be collecting this, cuz it’s super easy to find!!!

[@Matthew.E.Kelly.]

Eh, I dunno about you guys but every chance I get I'm getting at least a couple issues to try to complete #100-400.

[@drewgeraci8434]

I quit Cap when Brubaker & Epting/Guice/Perkins wrapped up the Winter Soldier era. But I buy occasional issues, like the Remender/JRjr run.

[@MegaFrankgarcia]

I think as an armature collector that there isn't any great cover art, most of it is Cap crouched down, shield up and a balled up fist. I believe that if they took Cpt. America and put him in the middle of some modern conspiracy stories and build an arc off of those, recreate him into more of a special agent (like he is) but I'm not a writer or editor for a comic publisher. Great Video!

[@arghsonofcliff]

Really. I happen to be putting the first vol into a collection in some long boxes upstairs together right now. And just scored 4 issues for a nice price. Silver.

[@afroscifizianzcomix7836]

Good overview. Very interesting video. I am a black British 🇬🇧 Captain America fan and the A on his head certainly didn't bother me as a kid or adult regardless of the wars America has engaged in in my lifetime. I always felt that Steve Rogers represented the best of us.He just happens to be American. The first Cap books I read were the issues leading up to issue #300. A very dark storyline by J.M DeMatteis that has Cap pushed to his limits and the (then Final) battle against the Red Skull. That storyline had a major impact on me. Cap even said that he no longer hated the Red Skull. He felt pity for him even though he was sickened by him. So it was the character of Steve Rogers drew me to him. I also loved when he travelled to the future (1990) and met Deathlok. The tie in to Secret Wars 2 when the Beyonder was observing him and could see something special about him were very memorable to me. I am currently reading J.Michael Straczinski's run. I will continue to slowly buy his entire run (from the 70's up to now) if they are not too expensive.