Captain America 1973 covers issues #157 - 168 
 
Author: Steve Englehart with Steve Gerber(#157), Roy Thomas & Tony Isabella (#168)  
Artist: Sal Buscema 
 
Overview: 
Cap and Falcon spend time trying to figure out their partnership while taking on the Serpent Society, Dr. Faustus returns along with someone from Cap's past, '50's villian Yellow Claw resurfaces to terrorize New York and Cap faces the legacy of his actions in WWII when the son of one of his greatest enemies comes looking for revenge. 
 
Highlights:  
The introduction of Helmut Zemo. 
The Faustus story arc 
 
Lowlights: 
For once this was easy. Cap fights a guy named Solarr. He absorbs sunlight because he was in the desert too long one time. So he robs a bank. As terrible as it sounds.  
Also Cap gaining Super-Strength. It just goes against everything that makes Cap great. The instant he goes from being the best of us to being just plain better he loses something as an iconic figure.
 
Major First Appearances: 
 Peggy Carter (modern age)
Helmut Zemo (as Phoenix) 
 
Writing: 
This was the weakest of the three Englehart titles that I read for 1973, but by no means terrible.  The Dr Faustus story was good. The Serpent Society was ok, a little generic, but has planted the seeds for what is developing into a really interesting subplot involving discrediting Cap. I don't know what they were thinking when they did the Solarr story. It may be the worst single issue of Captain America that I've read so far. Also, the on-again off-again partnership with the Falcon is getting tiring. It seems alot like Marvel wanted to launch him out of the book as a solo urban hero ala Luke Cage or relate the out of time Cap with the modern problems facing America. I like the Falcon character but everything about the book seems like it would be better if they stopped trying to be a duo. I do like Falcon's character arc as he struggles to keep up with Cap as a full fledged partner and not a side-kick. I'm not sure what Steve Gerber contributed to issue #157 but it shows no signs of his near-future greatness. The last issue smacks of being a fill-in, being written by the then editor in chief Roy Thomas as a one and done, but it ends up being the strongest of the year, introducing the manipulative son of Baron Zemo. 
 
Art: 
Sal Buscema turns out to be a machine, doing all 12 issues of Cap and of Defenders. What artist does 24 issues a year anymore? And they are all good. 
 
Favorite Issue: 
  This issues introduces Helmut Zemo. But what really made it great was that Cap was forced to look at the other side of the war that defined him and his actions. We get to see another side of Baron the first, a loving father and husband and how his losses impacted the people around him. It made for a far more ambigous tale than usual Cap stories from the era ending with him taking a certain amount of responsibility for Helmut's pain and misery. And then kicks him into a vat of Adhesive X. 
  
A good, not great year for Cap. I hope his super strength fades soon as it doesn't add anything to the book. I also look forward to the return of Captain America of the 1950's (which is practically his actual super-villian name) from 1972. Also, I hope we find a good reason for Cap and Falcon to be together. And on a final note, MORE NICK FURY! 
 
Next: Iron Man 1973!

Defenders 1973 covers issues #4-11 
 
Author: Steve Englehart (with some scripting by Len Wein) 
Artist: Sal Buscema 
 
Overview: Valkyrie joins the heavy hitting non-team of Dr. Strange, Namor and the Hulk after they take on the Enchantress. As usual, unlikely circumstances keep bringing these "heroes" together as they defend New York City from an invasion by Atlantis, fight another wacky wizard and compete with the Avengers for the pieces of the Evil Eye in the Avengers-Defenders War. 
 
Highlights: 
The Avengers-Defenders War 
The addition of Silver Surfer and Hawkeye to the team 
 
Lowlights: 
The attack of Cyrus Black's dream monsters. 
 
Major First Appearances: 
Valkyrie II 
 
Writing: 
It was another solid run for Englehart, who rises above the implausibility of the book's central concept of a non-team that keeps coming together despite having no desire or motivation to do so. The last half of the year is split in an epic story with the Avengers thats a fun read, and because both parts are scripted by Englehart read like a single book. It's kind of funny to see the Avengers get so completely owned. Even issue 6, which deals with Cyrus Black's revenge on Strange has some entertaining moments.  The compressed style of story-telling does not always lend itself to deep characterizations but thats more a product of the times than an issue with Englehart who is certainly capable.
 
Art: 
Sal Buscema is awesome on the Defenders. His action is kinetic and exciting, though compared to his later work in the likes of Spectacular Spider-man its a little safe. But these were the days where Marvel had a pretty clear house style. 
 
Favorite Issue:  
Issue #7 
    

Avengers 1973 covers issues #107 - 118. 
 
Author: Steve Englehart 
Artists:    Don Heck, Bob Brown, Jim Starlin, George Tuska, Dave Cockrum, Joe Sinnott 
 
Overview: This year starts with the conclusion of a story that started in #106 involving a plot by Grim Reaper to appeal to his "brother" Vision to help him destroy the Avengers. We then learn that he is working with one of the Avengers earliest adversaries, the Space Phantom!  Hawkeye leaves the group, the Avengers take on the Master of Magnetism, a Lion-God, bigotism, gain new members in Swordsman and Mantis, and have an epic battle across the planet with the super-group non-team of the Defenders.  
 All in all it was a pretty eventful year.    
 
Highlights: 
The Avengers-Defenders War 

Lowlights: 
The Lion-God story arc.  
 Hawkeye leaving. (I love Clint ) 
 
Major First Appearances: 
Mantis 
  
Writing: 
Englehart was pretty consistent throughout the year. He was writing Captain America and Defenders at the same time at all three titles were running on all cylinders for the most part. 
 
Art: 
The first couple of issues had three pencilers each and were as erratic as that sounds. Don Heck was solid once he took over for a few issues but Bob Brown (who I had never heard of before) knocked it out of the park the last half of the year. 
 
Favorite Issue: 
#113 
   "Your Men Shall Slay Visions" 
It becomes public knowledge that Scarlet Witch and the Vision have entered a relationship and not everyone is happy about it. A few zealots believe that the union of a woman (even if she is just a mutie) and a machine is sick. They feel so strongly, in fact, that they strap bombs (hilariously impractical ones) to themselves and begin a campaign of terror against the Vision, who they see as corrupting Wanda.  
 As the product of an interracial marriage myself when that sort of thing wasn't nearly as common as it is today, this story really hit home for me. It was a great allegory on race relations and futility of bigotry. It was the kind of story that managed to explore the characters involved, especially Scarlet Witch, explore social injustices and provide an action packed story all in one issue. They really don't make them like this anymore.    
 
Avengers-Defenders War: 
The last three and a half issues also included one of the first extensive crossover stories with the seven part Avengers-Defenders War. It alternated chapters with Defenders #8 - 11. The story, which involved Dormamu attempting to take over the dimension and Loki trying to play both sides of the conflict saw the Avengers fight old allies and enemies in Namor, Hulk, Valkerie and Hawkeye, and encountering Silver Surfer and Doctor Strange for the first time over a mystical object called the Evil Eye. It was enjoyable but a little silly, each chapter focusing on a one on one face off (Like Cap vs Namor, Thor vs Hulk etc) with two chapters in each issue. Eventually they see through the manipulation and take the fight to Dormamu. There is a great sequence where all of earths population begins to turn into demonic creatures as the army of heroes make an endrun toward Dormamu. Epic. 
 
This was a good year for the Avengers overall, but even the awesomeness of Avengers-Defenders War could not compare to the simply amazing Kree-Skrull War that took up almost all of 1972.  
 
Next: Defenders 1973!