In March 1941, Captain America No. 1 hit the newsstands.  The comic and the title character were the brain-child of the young writer/artist team of Joe Simon and Jack Kirby.  The iconic cover image was of Captain America, punching the lights out of one Adolf Hitler.  With his sidekick Bucky Barnes, he kicked Nazi butt for three years before his real counterparts, the US Army finally entered the war.   

Captain America was more than just a character.  He was American idealism and scientific ingenuity personified.  He was a beacon of light and freedom to a world under the threat of the Nazi’s Thousand Year Reich.  When the war ended and the Nazi and Japanese threats to world peace were eliminated, interest in Captain America and many of the other super-heroes of the 1940’s died. 

In the early 1960’s, America was looking forward.  Post-war Americans were working; and standards of living were growing, creating a burgeoning middle class.  Money and the creation of suburbia offered a new kind of freedom to millions of Americans.  In 1960, they elected 43 year old John F. Kennedy to be president.  Out of all this hope, and dreams of a better future, a new era of super-heroes were born in what is now called The Marvel Age of Comics.  In March 1964, Captain America was revived. 

Enter 2011.  Captain America, the movie directed by Joe Johnson, (The Rocketeer), has re-introduced this 70 year-old character to a new generation; one not necessarily reared on comics, but one whose super-hero fantasies have been played out on the silver screen.  Captain America is the latest film of the new Marvel Comics Entertainment franchise, and the final installment of the series leading up to the release of The Avengers in summer 2012.  The previous films of the series include The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man Nos. 1 and 2, and Thor.   

Chris Evans, (The Losers, Push) plays Steve Rogers, aka Captain America, like he was born to the role.  His story is an origin tale that takes place in the dark days of WW2.  Professor Erskine (Stanley Tucci), a defected German scientist who has perfected a serum to create an army of super-soldiers, is working for the Americans.  Steve Rogers, a tough kid who is quite literally 98 lbs. soaking wet, wants to join the army to fight the Hun. Every time he tries to enlist, he is turned down for the job.  Erskine, seeing his honesty, grit, and raw determination chooses Rogers for a top secret program.  He is to become the world’s first successful super-soldier.  Erskine succeeds, but is immediately felled by a traitor’s bullet.  His memorized formulas die with him, and Steve Rogers becomes one of a kind. 

Before defecting to the US, Erskine was performing early versions of his experiments in Germany.  His first and not wholly successful experiment was on Johann Schmidt, played with villainous panache by Hugo Weaving (V for Vendetta).  Johann, who is a leader in the Nazi’s secret science organization, Hydra, became The Red Skull, a mad-man lusting for occult power and control of the world.  His discovery of The Cosmic Cube brings him closer to the power he needs to fulfill his mad dreams.  The only thing that stands in his way is Captain America and his team of Howling Commandos.

Captain America works on many levels.  It is a great comic book fantasy, a wonderful looking WW 2 period piece, has a great plot and a terrific villain.  It features many great supporting actor roles, and is a wonderful lead-in to next year’s film, The Avengers.  Even though it is not completely comic book canon, Captain America is so well done it is guaranteed to please old fans and create many new.  Check it out.