"Man and Wolf" is a story arc that ran in Captain America, an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics, from July to October 1992. It was written by Mark Gruenwald and drawn by Rik Levins. The story follows Captain America as he is transformed into a werewolf while investigating the disappearance of John Jameson.
| "Man and Wolf" | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Cover of Captain America #405 | |||
| Publisher | Marvel Comics | ||
| Publication date | July – October 1992 | ||
| Genre | Superhero | ||
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| Main character(s) | Captain America | ||
| Creative team | |||
| Writer(s) | Mark Gruenwald | ||
| Penciller(s) | Rik Levins | ||
| Inker(s) |
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| Letterer(s) | Joe Rosen | ||
| Colorist(s) |
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| Editor(s) |
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Synopsis
editCaptain America teams up with Doctor Druid to investigate the disappearance of John Jameson, formerly the superhero Man-Wolf. Their investigation takes them to a town overrun by werewolves controlled by Dredmund the Druid, where Captain America skirmishes with the werewolf-hunting Moonhunter and a brainwashed Wolverine. Captain America is then captured by the supervillain Nightshade, who transforms him into a werewolf.
"Capwolf" finds that he has been captured alongside superheroes with werewolf-like powers, such as Jameson, Wolfsbane, and Werewolf By Night, and leads them to defeat Nightshade. They then face Dredmund, and destroy the magical stone that gives him his powers. Captain America is then suddenly attacked by a doppelganger of himself,[a] whom he defeats after he is given an antidote mid-battle that cures him of his lycanthropy.
Production and release
edit"Man and Wolf" ran in Captain America from issue #402 (cover dated July 1992) to #408 (October 1992).[1] It was written by Mark Gruenwald and drawn by Rik Levins.[2] A trade paperback collecting the storyline was published by Marvel on January 19, 2011.[3]
The storyline features multiple cameos by Marvel characters, such as Wolverine and Cable; it was a common publishing strategy to include characters from more popular books, such as X-Force and X-Men, in titles like Captain America that had lower sales.[4] The conclusion to "Man and Wolf", which sees Captain America fight his doppelganger, ties the story into the 1992 crossover series The Infinity War.[1]
Reception and legacy
editChris Sims of Comics Alliance described "Man and Wolf" as the "most famous oddity of Gruenwald's tenure" on Captain America and noted its reputation as "one of the most bizarre moments of the core Marvel Universe", but commended it as a "highly enjoyable, insanely over-the-top story".[5]
Capwolf has appeared in various spin-off and licensed media, including as a skin in the 2020 video game Marvel's Avengers[6] and as a Funko Pop.[7] Capwolf & The Howling Commandos, a limited series written by Stephanie Phillips and drawn by Carlos Magno, was published by Marvel in 2023.[8] A 2022 storyline in Captain America: Symbol of Truth in which Joaquin Torres (Falcon) is transformed into a life-sized bird was noted by critics as reminiscent of "Man and Wolf".[9]
Notes
edit- ^ Established in Infinity War #1 as an evil duplicate created by Magus.
References
edit- ^ a b Gaber, Nabeel (December 31, 2020). "Captain America: How Capwolf Turned the Avenger Into a Werewolf". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on July 2, 2023. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
- ^ Cronin, Brian (January 19, 2016). "I Love Ya But You're Strange - The Glorious Debut of...Capwolf!". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on July 2, 2023. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
- ^ "Captain America: Man & Wolf (Trade Paperback)". Marvel Comics. Archived from the original on November 12, 2023. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
- ^ Rizzo, Marco; Licari, Fabio (2021). Marvel's Captain America: The First 80 Years. Titan Publishing Group. p. 118. ISBN 978-1787737174.
- ^ Sims, Chris (February 10, 2010). "Number One With a Silver Bullet: The Best and Worst Comic Book Werewolves". Comics Alliance. Archived from the original on July 2, 2023. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
- ^ McDonald, Michael (October 20, 2021). "Marvel's Avengers Announces Classic Capwolf Skin". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on July 2, 2023. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
- ^ Reed, Chris (August 5, 2021). "FunKon 2021: Exclusive Funko Pops and More". IGN. Archived from the original on November 12, 2023. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
- ^ "Captain America Howls Onto The Battlefields Of World War II In 'Capwolf & The Howling Commandos'!". Marvel Comics. August 3, 2023. Archived from the original on November 11, 2023. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
- ^ Schreur, Brandon (November 30, 2022). "Marvel Just Gave Falcon His Own 'Cap-Wolf' Style Transformation". CBR. Archived from the original on July 2, 2023. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
Further reading
edit- Herman, Ben (July 28, 2022). "It Came From the 1990s: Capwolf". In My Not So Humble Opinion.