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 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 King’s gift for drawing action sequences also remains strong. Less successful is the poorly paced conclusion, which wraps the multi-issue story up in just a few pages and the declaration that “The nation stands strong!” All told, the “Madbomb” saga (see reviews) 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.
