“Captain America 118 p 12” (October 1969)
by Gene Colan (1926 -2011) and Joe Sinnott (1926-)
11 x 17 in., ink on paper
Coppola Collection

Forty years ago…

The Red Skull, backed by the power of the Cosmic Cube, has taken over Cap’s body.

When one of Cap’s admirers learns what room “Cap” is staying in, he leads the horde of eager fans up the stairs to meet their favorite super-hero. Using this as an opportunity to smear Captain America’s good name, the Red Skull uses the power of the Cosmic Cube to avoid his enemies fans and then runs out on them, leaving them upset that their “hero” had run out on them. While at Avengers Mansion, Rick Jones laments over being rejected by “Captain America”, little realizing it was really the Red Skull posing as his mentor. Ripping up his Bucky mask, Rick decides to leave and try to find his own way (leading to ‘the surprise of the season,’ his dramatic period of sharing space with Captain Marvel).