Captain America #123
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeCaptain America #123 (March 1970) marks the first appearance of Suprema (Susan Scarbo) and her brother Melvin Scarbo — two sibling criminals whose debut here as hypnosis-powered underworld usurpers quietly planted seeds for one of the more interesting long-game character payoffs in Bronze Age Marvel. Neither character was prominent in the book's own era, but writer Mark Gruenwald would excavate them nearly two decades later, transforming Suprema into the Red Skull-aligned Mother Night and Melvin into Minister Blood, giving both key roles in the Skeleton Crew storyline that ran through Captain America #350–#400. The issue also captures the late-Stan Lee SHIELD-era tone of the title at a transitional moment — Gene Colan had just taken over as regular penciler from the Steranko years, and the Sharon Carter romantic subplot threading through this issue reflects the title's ongoing attempt to ground Cap's personal life alongside its spy-thriller action.
In "Suprema, the Deadliest of the Species!", Captain America faces a new threat as the cunning criminal Suprema rises to challenge the underworld's power structure—just as he's navigating a delicate moment with Sharon Carter. Written by Stan Lee and brought to life with moody, dynamic art by Gene Colan and inks by Joe Sinnott, this 1970 issue blends espionage and personal stakes in a story where every move could cost more than just a victory. The cover, also by Colan with Sinnott’s inks, captures the tension with a striking, shadowed portrait of Suprema.
ComicBooks.com Value
Show all 14 grades ▾
This exact issue on ebay
Raw — FN ▾ $10.95–$41 12 listings
Raw / ungraded ▾ $8–$165 29 listings
More listings for this title
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 written by Stan Lee and penciled by Gene Colan, with inks by Joe Sinnott and letters by Artie Simek — the core Lee/Colan creative team that had taken over the series in the late Silver Age. Colan had become the title's regular artist after Jim Steranko's celebrated but brief run, and the Grand Comics Database notes that John Romita Sr. contributed uncredited art on at least two pages — specifically J. Jonah Jameson on page 18 and Suprema on page 20 — a not-uncommon production arrangement at Marvel of that period. The cover date is March 1970, with a release date in late 1969 per Library of Congress periodical records.
Trivia · 8 facts
- First appearance of Suprema (Susan Scarbo), a hypnotist-turned-crime-boss who later returns as Mother Night in Captain America #356 (August 1989), working as a Red Skull operative and nanny to his daughter Sinthea Schmidt (Sin).
- First appearance of Melvin Scarbo, Suprema's brother and partner, who later resurfaces as Minister Blood, a member of the Red Skull's Skeleton Crew.
- Before turning to crime, the Scarbos were a legitimate stage act billed as 'Scarbo and Sister — Hypnotists Supreme!'; their criminal hypnotic abilities were boosted by a hidden amplifier device.
- Written by Stan Lee, penciled by Gene Colan, inked by Joe Sinnott, and lettered by Artie Simek; John Romita Sr. contributed uncredited art on at least two pages per GCD research.
- Suprema's mind-control powers are reflected by Captain America's shield, leaving him unaffected — an early, clever narrative use of the shield's properties beyond combat.
- Cap's ongoing anguish over Sharon Carter's refusal to leave S.H.I.E.L.D. is a recurring emotional thread in the issue, continuing character development from surrounding issues.
- The story title is 'Suprema, the Deadliest of the Species!' — the full cast also includes Nick Fury, Dum Dum Dugan, Jasper Sitwell, J. Jonah Jameson, and Tony Stark.
- The issue has been collected in Marvel Masterworks: Captain America Vol. 4 and the Captain America Epic Collection Vol. 3: Bucky Reborn (2017).
Cast · 7 characters
Full credits
Reprints
Reprinted in Capitaine America #8 (1971), Captain America #1 (1979), Essential Captain America #2 (2002), Marvel Gold. Capitán América #2 (2012), Captain America Omnibus #2 (2016), Captain America Epic Collection #3 (2017), Capitan America #39
Key issues in Captain America
Reviews
Reader reviews
No reader reviews yet.