Rich Johnson's new book from Rizzoli's Universe Publishing imprint takes a deep dive into the phenomenon and meaning of Captain America by examining 30 different stories from throughout the character's 80-year history.

Captain America: Avenger, Hero, Icon, by comics publishing veteran Rich Johnson, will be published by Universe in June. The 224-page hardcover will have over 300 illustrations, including covers and comics excerpts that cover significant moments in the character’s history, and has an MSRP of $50. The book is structured as a series of ranks, ascending from Private to Corporal, Sergeant, and finally Captain, each one going deeper into the character and ethos of Captain America. Along the way, Johnson describes not only the origins and development of the character but also the political and cultural changes of the times figured into his story.  

The story continues to get more complex, as Marvel is about to launch two more ongoing Captain America series in May and June (see “Preview: Two New ‘Captain America’ Titles”).

Johnson is a former VP of DC Comics and Lion Forge, a co-founder of Yen Press, and the co-editor of COVID Chronicles: A Comics Anthology. He was recently hired as Vice President - Sales and Business Development by Diamond Book Distributors (see "DBD Gets Rich Johnson").