Captain America #230
Captain America #230 is the narrative hub of the sprawling Bronze Age 'Corporation' crossover, bringing together characters from two ongoing monthly titles — Captain America and The Incredible Hulk — for a three-part story set against the iconic backdrop of Alcatraz Island. The issue delivers the first identified, named appearance of Curtiss Jackson, the Corporation's West Coast chief who would later resurface as Power Broker, a villain central to decades of Captain America continuity and eventually adapted (in spirit) for the MCU. It also marks a pivotal chapter in Wendell Vaughn's evolution from Marvel Boy to Marvel Man to the future cosmic hero Quasar, illustrating how Bronze Age Marvel used ongoing sub-plots to build long-term character arcs. The Ron Wilson/Bob Layton cover became a touchstone piece of art, directly inspiring the promotional imagery for the 2025 film Captain America: Brave New World.
Sell my copy
Have this issue — or a whole collection? Get a fair offer from us, skip the marketplace fees and the hassle.
We Buy Collections ▸History
The issue was plotted by Roger McKenzie and scripted by Roger Stern — two writers whose tenures on the Captain America title overlapped briefly during this period — with interior art breakdowns by Sal Buscema finished by Don Perlin, a common Bronze Age division-of-labor arrangement. The cover was produced separately by penciler Ron Wilson and inker Bob Layton. Roger Stern also served as editor on the issue, making him responsible for both the script and the editorial stewardship of the Corporation storyline, which ran simultaneously through The Incredible Hulk. The story's San Francisco setting and use of Alcatraz as a villain headquarters reflected the era's taste for grounded, location-specific superhero adventure.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Published February 1979 (cover date); part 2 of the 'Assault on Alcatraz!' arc, which began in The Incredible Hulk #231 and concluded in The Incredible Hulk #232.
- First identified/named appearance of Curtiss Jackson, the Corporation's West Coast manager, who would later become the villain Power Broker (that alias first used in The Thing #33, 1986). He appeared without identification in Machine Man #7 (October 1978).
- Features Wendell Vaughn under his 'Marvel Man' code name — the middle identity between his debut as 'Marvel Boy' in Captain America #217 (1978) and his later rechristening as 'Quasar.'
- Plot by Roger McKenzie, script by Roger Stern; interior art breakdowns by Sal Buscema, finishes by Don Perlin; cover by penciler Ron Wilson and inker Bob Layton.
- The Vamp (Denise Baranger) is revealed as a double agent for Kligger's faction of the Corporation, and she is transformed into the monstrous Animus during the battle at Alcatraz.
- Karla Sofen's Moonstone appears as an active antagonist, working alongside Senator Eugene 'Kligger' Stivak; Moonstone had first taken on that identity in The Incredible Hulk #228 (1978).
- The issue has been reprinted in Essential Captain America Vol. 6 (2011, black and white), Marvel Masterworks: Captain America Vol. 12 (2020), and is collected in the Incredible Hulk Epic Collection: Kill or Be Killed (2024).
- The Ron Wilson/Bob Layton cover was directly referenced in promotional art for the 2025 Marvel Studios film Captain America: Brave New World — a parallel noted publicly by Layton, though the original artists were not credited on the film's poster.