In Secret Empire, Captain America finds himself framed for murder and shunned by mainstream America as a criminal organisation known as the Secret Empire seeks to destroy his reputation. His journey to redeem his good name sees him team up with the X-Men, and leads him to a very unexpected final battle in the White House. Disgusted by what he finds, he ditches his patriotic uniform and starts going by Nomad. Beard and all.

This comic explores the tension between duty and dissent, and shows a conflicted Captain America, torn between his patriotic devotion and his own principles. Additionally, It's interesting how this comic reflects the era in which it was created. In 1974, America was gripped by the Watergate scandal, as President Richard Nixon was accused of criminal acts involving breaking-and-entering and a subsequent cover-up. With all the scandals going on in the Trump administration, this comic still remains relevant and a classic although it does read often like a product of its time and place (and has one too many Fooms! and Pows! to describe actions for my 21st taste). ( )

A resounding 'meh' all around. The story itself wasn't terribly original, the Falcon/Black Panther subplot seemed tacked on and inconsequential, Thor sounded hammier than usual, and some of these super villains were so D-list it hurt. Also, if Cap could stop leading Peggy around and just TELL HER he's seeing Sharon, that would be great. But there was some good action scenes, X-Men cameos which are always cool, and the Cap & Falcon partnership was on point. Plus, we get yet ANOTHER retelling of Cap's origins, as if we didn't have a hundred of them already. Yay, Marvel canon! You can't pick just one! ( )

I borrowed this one from the public library. The book is a compilation from the 1970s, and it reflects the issues and sensibilities of the time. The Watergate scandal has just happened, and that event, combined with the Secret Empire, drive Captain America to disillusion.

I found the comic interesting to read because of all the references to its time. The Falcon is a hero of Harlem, an African American, and he reflects the concerns of the time. Captain America, the man out of time, faces the reality that the America he knows is changing, and not for the better it seems. In the end, after defeating the conquest plans of the Secret Empire, the Captain makes a fateful decision. Overall, the comic has a fast pace and a good story.

The book features appearances by the Black Panther, and the X-Men, in an early appearance; in other words, way before the X-Men were cool. ( )

An enjoyable retro retreat to the 1970s, this series has plenty of action and raises plenty of issues we still debate today: fake news, attacking those who seek to maintain public order, the strengths and weaknesses of the judicial process are all here, plus some raw cynicism about the country that Cap usually aims to defeat. There are also some unintentionally hilarious comic-book tropes in here, e.g. bad guys capturing good guys but not killing them, characters wearing their costumes while not on duty, and a plot to steal a gizmo that, we learn, could have simply been lifted by a guy who works where it's stored. But these go against the spirit of the thing. ( )

Secret Empire is as much a period piece as any of the Sixties volumes in this series, despite there obviously having been a leap forward in storytelling from Marvel’s earliest days. Whereas those early books concerned themselves with external threats to the American Way Of Life mainly from Communists and sinister European s this volume’s from a visibly different political background. We’re clearly in the era of disillusion, of Nixon being impeached and the US not liking what it sees in the mirror. The threat here is internal, the Secret Empire being an internal conspiracy by sinister powerful figures to control the country, part of which involves attempting to disgrace Steve Rogers, the ultimate patriot by smearing his good name. The story is allowed to breather and spread across more than a couple of issues and it’s all the better for it. It’s fun to see the Falcon make an appearance alongside Cap, even though he now comes across as a well-intentioned stereotype. With the usual caveats about stories largely constructed on the hoof, great fun enlivened by some terrifically energetic art from Sal Buscema. ( )