Captain America Corps collects issues 1-5 of the titular series and material from Age of Heroes no. 4 with writing by Roger Stern and Elliott Kalan and art by Philippe Briones and Brendan McCarthy.

The story involves Tath Ki, an Elder of the Universe, gathering Captains America from throughout time to save the multiverse after a mysterious force begins removing Steve Rogers from various parallel universes during the period in which he was frozen in the Atlantic, thereby preventing much of the Marvel Age of Heroes. Ki gathers Steve Rogers from his earliest days as Captain America in 1941, prior even to meeting Bucky, as well as the then-current Captain America, Jim “Bucky” Barnes, who took up the shield following Rogers’ apparent death at the end of Civil War. This Bucky is from immediately prior to the events of Captain America no. 611. He also brings in John Walker, now the U.S.Agent, but once Captain America after Rogers gave up the identity due to a disagreement with the government over the types of missions on which they sent him (see Captain America no. 332-350). Walker is likewise pulled from time, circa around Captain America no. 360. Shannon Carter, known as American Dream, comes from a possible future timeline (known as the MC2, it also featured Mayday Parker as Spider-Girl). Finally, Ki brings in Kiyoshi Morales, known as Commander A, from the future United Americas in the year 2410.

Things converge on an alternate Earth where, with Steve Rogers never having joined the Avengers, the team eventually disbanded, paving the way for the rise of Americommand, composed of Ameridroid, Bright Star, Broad-Stripe, Major America, and AmeriCop-1, who lead a hyper-nationalist regime that controls the nation, imprisoning that world’s versions of heroes like Luke Cage, Sam Wilson, and Peter Parker. In a fun aside, that world’s Beast dubs the team the “Captain America Corps” as there is no longer an Avengers.

The totalitarian reign of the Americommand helps to demonstrate how an icon can be used to support stripping people of their rights. This critique of hyper-nationalism begins in the book’s first issue, where the Steve Rogers of 1941 criticizes Charles Lindbergh’s America First platform. Interestingly, Captain America Corps predates by one year Kelly Sue DeConnick’s Captain Marvel relaunch that lead to fans adopting the name Carol Corps and the spin-off title, Captain Marvel and the Carol Corps, though this book has not had the same cultural impact. That said, it’s a fun story that plays around with Cap’s history for long-time fans of the Sentinel of Liberty. ( )