In this feature, I spotlight five scenes/moments from within comic book stories that fit under a specific theme (basically, stuff that happens frequently in comics). Here is an archive of all the patterns we've spotlighted so far.
This week, based on a suggestion from reader Stephane S., we take a look at five instances where Captain America's unbreakable shield was broken...
Enjoy!
First up, in Avengers #215 by Jim Shooter, Alan Weiss and Dan Green, the Avengers fight against the Molecule Man...
and he just takes away their stuff...
After he is defeated, he gives their stuff back...
Next, in Marvel Super-Heroes: Secret Wars #11 (by Shooter, Mike Zeck and John Beatty), Doctor Doom has taken the power of the Beyonder. The superheroes debate whether to attack him...
In the next issue, we open with Cap's broken shield...
However, in a clever twist, Klaw (who has a piece of the Beyonder in him) tricks Doctor Doom into, in effect, using his near-infinite power to resurrect the heroes (by playing on Dooms' doubts, he has Doom basically create a scenario that Klaw planted in his mind where the heroes all somehow survive). Here, Cap leads the heroes against Doom....
After Doom is defeated, there was some, shall we saw "miracle energy" floating around (it was almost like there was literally deus ex machina), and Cap uses said energy...
Go to the next page for the next batch of shield-breakings...
Next up is Infinity Gauntlet #4 (by Jim Starlin, Ron Lim and Joe Rubinstein), where Thanos has killed half of the universe after obtaining the aforementioned Infinity Gauntlet. The remaining heroes attack in a valiant plan where they only intend to distract Thanos long enough for the Silver Surfer to steal the Gauntlet. Cap is the last hero left...
The plan did not work and Thanos then kills Cap. However, in the final issue of the six-part mini-series, the space pirate Nebula gets the Gauntlet and she uses it to reverse the events of the past day...
which restores half the universe, including Cap (and his shield)...
In 1998's Captain America series by Mark Waid, Ron Garney and Bob Wiacek, the second issue ends with Cap losing his shield at the bottom of the ocean. Twelve issues later, Iron Man's pal James Rhodes (then working as a salvager) finds it, but there's a catch...
Later on, we discover that it all comes down to some vibranium inconsistency caused by Cap healing the shield during Secret Wars (basically, Cap couldn't put it together perfectly). So the plan is for Cap to basically sacrifice his shield to save the day (the sound villain, Klaw, is using the vibranium malfunctions to become even more powerful than normal).
So in Captain America #22 (by Waid, Andy Kubert and Jesse Delperdang), Cap is ready to give up his shield...
but Klaw destroys the machine that was going to be powered by the shield. So Cap is a sitting duck. Or is he?
Most recently, in Fear Itself #5 (by Matt Fraction, Stuart Immonen and Wade Von Grawbadger), Odin's evil brother, The Serpent, arrives on Earth ready to kick some ass...
After the battle is won, at the end of #7, Odin fixes Cap's shield and reinforces it, but it is not completely healed...
It seems like most artists have glossed over the scar when they draw it nowadays.
That's it for this edition (and remember, I understand that there are other examples out there. This list just has five of hem)! If YOU have a suggestion for a future installment of Drawing Crazy Patterns, let me know by e-mailing me at bcronin@comicbookresources.com