A Comic A Day: Captain America #444

Published by Marvel
Written by Mark Waid
Art by Ron Garney

After the late, great Mark Gruenwald's tenure on the title started to grow stale, Mark Waid's brief run on Captain America was a like a breath of fresh air. Joined by rising star Ron Garney, this looked to be the start of a bold new era for the Sentinel of Liberty. Alas, it would be cut short just under a year later by the now infamous Rob Liefeld "Heroes Reboorn" debacle.

As for this issue, Waid displays Cap's importance to the Marvel universe through the words and deeds of his fellow Avengers. When a technologically advanced terrorist group appears on Capitol Hill and demands to speak only to Captain America, the heroes are at a loss as to what to do. Captain America has been missing since his last big adventure, presumed dead by the world at large. Playiing another important role in this issue is Agent McElroy of the FBI, who dismisses the importance of Captain America and is really just a cynical douche all around.

And whew...what an Avengers roster we have here. In 1996, the Avengers consisted of heavy hitters like Deathcry and Hercules. Yeesh. Looking back, they needed the ol' shield slinger more than ever. Needless to say, Cap does make his big return on the last page, but he's still far from fighting fit.

Waid's brief run on the original volume of Captain America consisted mainly of two big arcs. Cap's return via the machinations of the Red Skull and the "Man Without A Country" storyline that saw Steve Rogers framed for treason and booted off of American soil by none other than President Bill Clinton. After Liefeld's little detour in '97, Waid and Garney would relaunch the title and get another shot at the flag-wearer, but most fans feel the spark was lost by then.