The Strange Death of Captain America

"The Strange Death of Captain America"
Cover of Captain America #113
Publisher	Marvel Comics
Publication date	February – May 1969
Genre	Superhero
Title(s) Captain America #110, 111, 113
Main character(s)	Captain America Madame Hydra Rick Jones
Creative team
Writer(s)	Jim Steranko
Artist(s)	Jim Steranko
Inker(s)	Joe Sinnott (#110, 111) Tom Palmer (#113)
Letterer(s)	Sam Rosen (#110, 111) Artie Simek (#113)
Editor(s)	Stan Lee

"The Strange Death of Captain America" is a 1969 story arc written and illustrated by Jim Steranko published in Captain America, an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics. The story follows the superhero Captain America as he struggles with his lack of a secret identity, while taking on Rick Jones as his new sidekick and fending off the fascistic terrorist group Hydra under its new leader Madame Hydra.

Steranko began working at Marvel in the late 1960s, having gained a profile as a popular illustrator and comic book artist on the basis of his avant-garde and surrealist art style. In developing his run on Captain America, Steranko sought to reverse what he saw as deviations from the World War II-era story formulas that had initially generated acclaim and popularity for the character. His run is distinguished by its use of a cinematically influenced aesthetic, characterized by heavy use of answering shots, pan and tracking sequences, dramatic lighting, and reaction inserts.

"The Strange Death of Captain America" has been acclaimed by comics critics and creators. Despite its short length of only three issues and the later reversal of several of the changes made by Steranko to the character's status quo, it is regarded as highly influential in the editorial history of Captain America, with scholars considering the story arc as transitional point from the character's origins as a patriotic wartime hero towards stories that were more responsive to the changing political realities of the post-war era.