Captain America #1, series relaunched in 2005 (cover January 2005, on newsstands on November 17, 2004, $2.99) — “Out of Time Part 1”, Ed Brubaker on screenplay, Steve Epting on drawing, Marvel Comics. Special feature of this file: it is not the birth of a character but the return transformed of a figure created in 1941. Two prints coexist, kiosk and specialized circuit.
The question “what is his first appearance?” ” has no single answer here, and not for the usual reasons. It is neither a cameo nor a delayed revelation: it is a character who existed for more than sixty years and who returns under another identity.
Two distinct markets result, involving objects separated by six decades.
A first appearance which is a return
The problem must be stated clearly, because it determines what you buy.
The character under his original identity dates back to early 1940s. It was then a young partner, in a register very far from what he became. This appearance is from the golden age, with the prices and conservation difficulties specific to this period.
The character under his identity as an assassin is born in November 2004, in a modern series, at a cover price of $2.99. It's an entirely different item, in an entirely different market.
The catalogs list both, under separate headings. An ad that talks about “first appearance” without specifying which one leaves you with considerable ambiguity — the difference between the two objects is not measured in percentages.
Remember the wording which avoids any confusion: the 2004 fascicle contains the first appearance of the Winter Soldier. It does not contain the first appearance of the character behind this name.
Why this return mattered
A piece of context explains why this number has become a sought-after key, and it is specific to this character.
For decades, an unwritten rule circulated among readers: in this universe, the dead always come back, with one exception. This character was that exception. His disappearance served as a fixed point, a reminder that actions have consequences.
Bringing it back therefore amounted to touching one of the rare elements deemed untouchable. It was a risky editorial gamble, and the reception could have been hostile.
What defused the resistance was the treatment. The return is not presented as good news: the character returns damaged, instrumentalized, unrecognizable. The story doesn't repair anything, it adds a layer of damage.
For the collector, this success explains the solidity of demand. A failed return does not produce a key; this was considered one of the best produced by its publisher, and this reputation has not eroded.
Brubaker and Epting
Ed Brubaker signs the script, Steve Epting the drawing. The association has endured and given the series an instantly recognizable identity.
Brubaker came from a criminal narrative, and this shows in the construction: spy intrigue, chronology split between present and flashbacks, distilled revelations. The series borrows more from a thriller than a superhero story.
Epting works in dark volumes and sober compositions, with marked attention to settings and nocturnal atmospheres. The result is a series that bears little resemblance to the rest of the catalog of its time, and this graphic singularity is part of what buyers are looking for.
A useful point: this team remained in place long enough for the period to form a coherent block. This has a market consequence which we will see later.
A note on the pace of publication, useful to anyone who wants to reconstruct the sequence. The series has not always kept a strictly monthly cadence, and several weeks sometimes separate two episodes of the same arc. The release days recorded in the catalog restore the real chronology, where the cover dates alone maintain confusion.
The unfolding of the arc
The titles of stories found in the catalog make it possible to reconstruct the exact structure, which helps in choosing the numbers.
The first set, entitled “Out of Time”, opens with the number of November 17, 2004 and concludes with that of May 25, 2005. This is where the character is introduced and his identity is revealed.
The second set is explicitly named “The Winter Soldier” . It begins on August 10, 2005, goes through an episode published on October 26, 2005 , and ends on 1erFebruary 2006 on a sixth and final chapter.
This two-step organization has a practical utility. The first set contains the key in the market sense; the second contains the development, and it remains much more affordable even though it bears the name of the character.
For those who buy first to read, the complete sequence represents around fifteen issues — a perfectly put together set.
Two prints, and a reverse rarity
The 2004 booklet exists in two versions: one goes to newsstands, the other goes to specialized stores.
Of the comics of the early 1980s, the newsstand version was by far the most common. In 2004, the situation completely inverted. The specialized circuit had become the dominant channel, and the presence of comics on newsstands had been reduced to a marginal portion of the circulation.
The consequence is clear and often ignored: on a comic from this period, it is the kiosk version which constitutes the rarity, exactly the opposite of what intuition suggests.
The visual cue has not moved – still this frame located at the top left – but the issue has been reversed. Ask for a clear photo of this area, and know that what you are looking for is not what you would look for on a 1980 booklet.
A word of caution: this relative rarity is real but it does not transform an ordinary comic into an exceptional piece. It constitutes a supplement, not a change of category.
The editorial context of 2004
A calendar detail sheds light on the importance taken by this issue: it inaugurates a complete relaunch of the title.
Starting from number 1 on a historic series is never trivial. It’s a signal sent to booksellers – order, something’s happening – and an invitation to readers who had never dared to enter into a decades-old continuity.
These reminders have become frequent since then, to the point of losing part of their announcing power. In 2004, the effect was still working, and he explains that the booklet was widely ordered and then preserved.
For the collector, a practical consequence arises from this, and it is a source of confusion:several series with the same title start with a number 1. An ad mentioning “Captain America #1” without a year does not mean anything specific. Systematically require the cover date, the only information that identifies the correct series.
This, along with the question of the distribution circuit, is the main trap of this issue - and the easiest to avoid.
What to look at
The criteria for a 2004 comic are completely different from those for an old key.
Paper is no problem. It does not brown at this time scale, and the color of the pages hardly enters into the evaluation.
The framing decides. Is the blanket properly placed on the back? This adjustment comes from the printing house, and no intervention can correct it.
The angles betray the transport. Tiny friction arises from boxes and storage handling much more than from reading. They are enough to rule out the highest notes.
The back fold is controlled in grazing light. The dark covers of this series mark easily.
On this issue, the value is found in the highest grades, because correct examples abound and only impeccable examples stand out.
A word finally on the provenance, specific to recent keys. These booklets mostly come from continued collections rather than from attics, which changes the situation: the seller generally knows his object, has protected it from the time of purchase, and knows what it is worth. Good surprises are rarer than in an old comic, but so are bad ones.
Where to start
Three entries, depending on the objective.
The key. The November 2004 issue, choosing the edition and condition according to your means. This is the piece that most collectors of this character are looking for.
The eponymous arc. The six chapters which bear the name of the character, published between August 2005 and February 2006. They contain the development, are easily found and cost a fraction of the first issue.
The origins of 1941. A radically different avenue, relating to the market for pre-war publications, with its own requirements in terms of authentication and conservation. To be reserved for informed collectors.
The financial side is treated in ourdecryption of the rating, the reading side in ourrecommended runs.
Buyers' questions
The very first issue of Captain America started from scratch in 2005, cover dated January on the cover and available from November 17, 2004, for $2.99. The story is called "Out of Time Part 1", with Ed Brubaker writing the script and Steve Epting drawing. Please note: this is the first appearance of this identity, not of the character who wears it.
Because the character had already existed since the beginning of the 1940s, under the identity of a young partner very far from what he became. This appearance is part of the golden age, with its own prices and constraints. That of 2004 concerns a new identity on a modern object. The catalogs list the two separately, and the gap between them is considerable.
The newsstand version, contrary to intuition. When it came to comics in the early 1980s, the newsagent circuit largely dominated; in 2004, the situation was completely reversed and the presence on newsstands no longer represented only a marginal portion of the circulation. This extra rarity is real but remains an extra, not a change in category.
By requiring the cover date. This title has restarted from scratch several times over the decades: speaking of “Captain America #1” without further clarification therefore does not refer to any identifiable object, and prices vary enormously from one homonym to another. The one you are interested in says January 2005. Check it in the photo, never in the seller's text.
Two successive sets. "Out of Time" opens on November 17, 2004 and concludes on May 25, 2005. The arc which explicitly bears the character's name begins on August 10, 2005, goes through an episode on October 26, 2005 and ends on February 1, 2006 with a sixth chapter. Around fifteen booklets in total — a perfectly put together set.
Collections followed much more than attics, unlike old keys. The seller generally knows his item, has protected it from the time of purchase and knows what it is worth. The good surprises are therefore rarer than in a comic from the 1960s - but so are the bad ones, which makes the purchase generally safer.
Because it is not presented as good news. This character was the exception to the unwritten rule that the dead always return in this universe; bringing it back touched an element deemed untouchable. The story defuses resistance by making it return damaged and instrumentalized: it does not repair anything, it adds a layer of damage.
Not always. Several weeks sometimes separate two episodes of the same arc, so that the dates of coverage maintain confusion about the real order. The days of release recorded in the catalog restore the exact chronology - it is on them that we must rely to reconstruct the sequence without error.
Not the color of the pages, irrelevant on this time scale. The way in which the cover is placed on the back decides first: printing setting, therefore irremediable. Then come the micro-wear of the corners, which arise from transport much more than from reading, and the spine crease, to be checked in raking light on these dark covers.
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