Captain America #200
Published and © by Marvel, August 1976
Title: “Dawn’s Early Light!”
Synopsis: Captain America and the Falcon lead a coordinated attack on the Elite’s compound in hopes of stopping the Madbomb!
Writer: Jack Kirby
Penciler: Kirby
Inker: Frank Giacoia
Review: Jack “King” Kirby’s first multipart epic upon returning to the House of Ideas comes to an uneven conclusion with this issue. The final chapter of the “Madbomb” saga kicks off with a well-planned, two-front assault on the Elite’s compound, and features strong pacing and an authenticity likely influenced by Kirby’s real-world military experiences. The legendary artist’s gift for drawing action sequences also remains strong. Less successful is the poorly paced conclusion, which wraps the story up in just a few pages and the declaration that “The nation stands strong!” All told, the “Madbomb” saga is a solid-but-unessential affair.
Grade: B
Second opinion: “Captain America #200 really wasn’t a memorable story.” – Michael E. Krupp, Comic Effect #28, Winter 2001 … “The climax is full of action, even if it is rather abrupt.” – William Schoell, “Superheroic: The Bronze Age of Comics Volume 2,” 2022
Cool factor: Captain America saves the U.S.A. on the Bicentennial. That’s pretty cool!
Not-so-cool factor: After eight issues … that’s it?
Collector’s note: According to the Grand Comics Database, there is a 30¢ variant and a 10p British variant of this issue. … According to MyComicShop.com, there is also a Mark Jewelers variant.
Character quotable: “You’ll never get a better chance to get your rocks off!” – Captain America (umm, maybe that meant something different back in the ’40s 😳)
Editor’s note: This review was written July 23, 2026.
