Captain America (1) #247-248 (1980)
Writer: Roger Stern
Penciler: John Byrne
Inker: Josef Rubinstein
Letterer: Jim Novak

Captain America races to S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters to seek help from Nick Fury in squaring away his recently unearthed memories. Fury is unavaliable, making a personal visit to an imprisoned Baron Von Strucker who has managed to resist two years of S.H.I.E.L.D. interogations. There to escort him to a war crimes tribunal, Von Strucker reveals a hidden weapon and escapes with Fury in his hover car to where Dum Dum and Captain America are locating Cap's old war journal. Cap, Dum Dum and Fury take on the Baron and his Satan Claw 

  • Continuity Notes
  • Rare cover appearence for Dum Dum Dugan on #247
  • Appearence by Dum Dum in #247-248, Gaffer in #248
  • This Von Strucker android was last seen in Captain America (1) #132
  • Machinesmith's androids are apparently more advanced then SHIELD's LMDs (good enough to fool MODOK into thinking he was controlling the real Von Strucker)

Review
Busy pair of issues adds a previously incongruous Von Strucker appearance into an ongoing Machinesmith story and establishes a trend of Baron androids for the 1980's. Strong showing by S.H.I.E.L.D. and its bosses, Fury and Dum Dum, with the latter getting a nice piece of the action alongside Cap. The 'autopsy' sequence opening issue 248 seems an easy inspiration for the Deltite LMD's final demise in the 1993 Fury oneshot. Cap's comments regarding S.H.I.E.L.D.'s attempt's to buy Stark International make for nice continuity with Iron Man and seems to be an attempt to downplay Fury's actions without shredding too much of his hero image. Likewise his confrontation with Baron Von Strucker plays very well and its a shame the Baron turned out to be an android as the notion of his character facing an Israeli war crime's court would have been a very interesting subplot for the book. Although its odd that this Von Strucker, orginally captured unleashing an andriod Bucky (at the suggestion of MODAK) built by Doom would later turn out to be an android built by Machinesmith. All in all, these issues are a good buy for Fury fans.

Rating