Captain America (vol. 1) #158 (Feb. 1973):
“The Crime Wave Breaks!”
by Steve Englehart, Sal Buscema, John Verpoorten

Captain America (vol. 1) #158

Title: “The Crime Wave Breaks!”

Medium: comic

Cover date: Feb. 1973

Publisher:
Written by: Steve Englehart
Art by: Sal Buscema, John Verpoorten

28 characters in this story:

Character (Click links for info about character and his/her religious practice, affiliation, etc.)	Religious Affiliation	Team(s) [Notes]	Pub.	# app.
Captain America (Steve Rogers) (lead character)	Protestant	The Avengers; The Invaders...  Secret Defenders; Redeemers; Weapon Plus; The Ultimates		5,992
Falcon (Sam Wilson)	Baptist	The Avengers; SHIELD Super-Agents...  black		531
Cowled Commander (Sgt. Brian Muldoon) (details)  Sgt. Brian Muldoon is not actually seen as the Cowled Commander in this issue, but Muldoon is featured prominently and the Commander is behind most events in plot.		NYPD; Crime Wave (leader) [Steve Rogers' superior officer in NYPD]		11
Redwing	N.A.	Pet Avengers; falcon [falcon; partner of Falcon (Sam Wilson)]		128
Viper (Jordan Dixon) (pg. 19-20)	activist; Committee To Regain America's Principles (temporary)	Secret Empire; Crime Wave...  Serpent Squad		10
Morgan		[leader of own crime organization based in Harlem]		28
Crime Wave		[created to prompt NYC into strengthening police force]		4
Billie (6-panel cameo, pg. 7-8)		black		3
Cal Trimble (6-panel cameo, pg. 18-19)	gambling	[Captain America's landlord]		4
Bim (5-panel cameo, pg. 7, 9)		black		3
Man-Mountain Quint (Quint) (4-panel cameo, pg. 7, 9)		black		4
Bob Courtney (3-panel cameo)		NYPD [Steve Rogers' police patrol partner]		8
Ellen Muldoon (2-panel cameo, pg. 5, panels 2-3)		[wife of Captain America's police sergeant]		3
Plantman (Samuel Smithers) (1-panel cameo, pg. 20, panel 3)		Crime Wave; The Thunderbolts...  Chain Gang		86
Scarecrow (Ebenezer Laughton) (1-panel cameo, pg. 20, panel 3)		Crime Wave; Thunderbolts Army...  Hood's Army; Initiative		43
Porcupine (Alex Gentry) (1-panel cameo, pg. 20, panel 3)		Maggia; Batroc's Brigade...  Crime Wave; Emissaries of Evil (Egghead)		36
The Eel (Leopold Stryke) (1-panel cameo, pg. 20, panel 3)		Crime Wave; Serpent Squad...  Emissaries of Evil (Egghead); Fellowship of Fear		30
Mona (1-panel cameo, pg. 9, panel 1)		black [Bossman Morgan's girlfriend]		2
God (mentioned, pg. 4, panel 1)  Captain America (desperately trying to administer an antidote to the Falcon, who has been poisoned): "Pray God I'm in time!"	God	[1st app: Old Testament (1402 B.C.)]	various	313
Doctor Octopus (Otto Octavius) (mentioned, pg. 9, panel 2)  Morgan: "Grow up, Falcon. Nobody takes anybody for rides any more." [meaning: to kill them]; Falcon: "No? What about that gang war between Dr. Octopus and Hammerhead? And the doper, The Pusher?" Morgan: "Those bums? They play games downtown. We're civilized in Harlem."		Thunderbolts Army; The Masters of Evil...  Sinister Six		1,006
Hammerhead (Joseph) (mentioned, pg. 9, panel 2)  Morgan: "Grow up, Falcon. Nobody takes anybody for rides any more." [meaning: to kill them]; Falcon: "No? What about that gang war between Dr. Octopus and Hammerhead? And the doper, The Pusher?" Morgan: "Those bums? They play games downtown. We're civilized in Harlem."		Maggia; Sinister Twelve		96
Grim Reaper (Eric Williams) (mentioned, pg. 18, panel 1)  Captain America: "What's going on? As the Grim Reaper said*, my life had evened out. It was moving so well... And now it's all gone sour!" This statement has a footnote to it, identifying Avengers #107 as the issue in which the Grim Reaper (a.k.a. Eric Williams) said this.		HYDRA; Maggia...  Lethal Legion		98
Sleeping Beauty (Princess Aurora) (mentioned, pg. 9, panel 1)  Morgan: "Quint, you and your Sleeping Beauty friend [referring to Bim, who was knocked out by Falcon in a previous encounter] make sure Billie hasn't boosted the silverware, and then get him out of my house!"	Christian (medieval)	[princess]		49
Commissioner Feingold (mentioned, pg. 4-5)  (pg. 4) Captain America: "This all began when the Police Commissioner asked me to investigate a Cowled Commander..." (pg. 5) Cap: "You know you're suspended only until an investigation can be made. ou were accused--" Brian Muldoon: "--by known hoods! And the Commissioner wouldn't stand behind me!"		[police commissioner]		8
The Avengers (mentioned, pg. 11, panel 3)  Captain America: "But this is the part of the "Basic Superhero Exercises" that boggles my mind! Leaping into thin air, aiming for a slim pole-- spinning on it and dropping again. I wonder if the Avengers can apply for a group-rate hospital plan?"		[1st app: The Avengers (vol. 1) #1 (Sep. 1963)]		100
Louie the Eel (Louie) (mentioned, pg. 18, panel 5)  Cal Trimble (to Steve Rogers): "You've been moonlighting, holding down a second job outside your regular police duties. The force doesn't approve of things like that, I know. And I've been losing pretty heavily in Louie the Eel's poker soiree, lately... Know what mean?"	gambling	[ran all-night poker game in Steve Rogers' building]		2
Rin Tin Tin (mentioned, pg. 6, panel 6)  Falcon: "Redwing-- somehow I had it my head you were Rin-Tin-Tin. You know: I wiggle my finger and you bring me the cavalry. I'm gonna have to teach you better than I have, Brother Bird-- --if we intend to hold up our end of the partnership, let alone our heads!"	N.A.	dog	Irving Cummings Productions	179
The Pusher (mentioned, pg. 9, panel 2)  Morgan: "Grow up, Falcon. Nobody takes anybody for rides any more." [meaning: to kill them]; Falcon: "No? What about that gang war between Dr. Octopus and Hammerhead? And the doper, The Pusher?"**; Morgan: "Those bums? They play games downtown. We're civilized in Harlem." footnote: "**Astonishing 15-16"		[drug dealer]		3

Webpage for Captain America #158 (Feb. 1973) created 1 August 2012. Last modified 26 December 2013.

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