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Cover: Gil Kane & Mike Esposito & Frank Giacoia

Captain America #180

Name: Captain America #180
Brand: Marvel
Availability: InStock

Dec 1974 · Marvel · 0.25 USD

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“The Coming of the Nomad!”

★ 1st appearance — Hugh Jones

About this Issue

Captain America #180 is the pivot point of Steve Englehart's landmark Watergate-era run: it delivers the first full appearance of Steve Rogers as Nomad, 'the man without a country,' a direct creative response to the disillusionment Americans felt in 1974 after the Secret Empire storyline — itself a thinly veiled allegory for the corruption uncovered by the Watergate scandal. The issue also doubles as the first appearance of Ophelia Sarkissian in her long-running identity as Viper, a villain who would go on to antagonize Captain America, Black Widow, and Wolverine for decades. Together, these two debuts make the issue a rare double-keystroke: the birth of one of Marvel's most enduring anti-patriotic hero concepts and one of its most durable female villains, both arriving in the same 36 pages.

In "The Coming of the Nomad!", Steve Rogers steps into a new role, embracing the identity of Nomad as he faces a shifting threat. With Madame Hydra reassembling the Serpent Squad and the mysterious Krang revealed as her ally, the stakes rise when the president of Roxxon is kidnapped. Meanwhile, the Falcon tracks down Roscoe, a young man seeking Steve’s guidance to carry on the legacy. Written by Steve Englehart and brought to life by Sal Buscema’s dynamic art, with inks by Vince Colletta and colors by Linda Lessmann, this 1974 classic features a striking cover by Gil Kane, Mike Esposito, and Frank Giacoia.

writer Steve Englehart · artist Sal Buscema · inker Vince Colletta · colorist Linda Lessmann · letterer Tom Orzechowski · cover Gil Kane, Mike Esposito, Frank Giacoia

ComicBooks.com Value

Our Model is In Beta

Raw (Fine) $38

CGC 9.8 · 27 in census $1,294

CGC 9.6 · 65 in census $478

CGC 9.4 · 89 in census $380

CGC 9.2 · 81 in census $161

CGC 9.0 · 64 in census $152

CGC 8.5 · 75 in census $110

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CGC 8.0 · 51 in census $98

CGC 7.5 · 43 in census $72

CGC 7.0 · 35 in census $72

CGC 6.5 · 28 in census $47

CGC 6.0 · 18 in census $47

CGC 5.5 · 6 in census $47*

CGC 5.0 · 11 in census $47*

CGC 4.5 · 10 in census $47*

CGC 4.0 · 5 in census $47*

CGC 3.5 · 4 in census $39*

CGC 3.0 · 1 in census $35*

CGC 2.5 · 1 in census $26*

CGC 2.0 none in existence

CGC 1.5 none in existence

CGC 1.0 none in existence

CGC 0.5 · 1 in census $20*

* estimate — limited direct-sales data at this grade

Our model’s value — refined as new sales data arrives · CGC census counts shown where available

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CGC 9.8 $1,095 1 listing

CGC 9.6 ▾ $295–$379 3 listings

CGC 9.6 $295 CGC 9.6 $329.99 CGC 9.6 $379

CGC 9.4 ▾ $250–$275 2 listings

CGC 9.4 $249.95 CGC 9.4 $275

CGC 9.2 ▾ $180–$275 3 listings

CGC 9.2 $180 CGC 9.2 $265 CGC 9.2 $275

CGC 9 $140 1 listing CGC 8.5 $200 1 listing CGC 8 $160 1 listing CGC 7.5 $140 1 listing CGC 6.5 $80.99 1 listing CGC 6 $99 1 listing CGC 4 $39.99 1 listing CBCS $275 1 listing Raw — MINT $150 1 listing

Raw — VF/NM ▾ $20–$109 3 listings

VF/NM $20 VF/NM $99 VF/NM $109

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VF $37.49 VF $60 VF $84.99 VF $89.99

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FN $23.93 FN $24.13 FN $39.95 FN $45 FN $78 FN $82 FN · Signed $89.96 FN $90

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GD $9 GD $29 GD $32

Raw / ungraded ▾ $2–$150 31 listings

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VERY GOOD $9.46 VF $42 NM- $60 VF $64.95 VF $74.99 VF/NM $79.99 Captain America issue 180 from December 1974 - Free Post $8.57 Decades: Marvel in the '50s - Captain America Strikes! Paperback $13.04

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History

Steve Englehart had taken over the Captain America title in 1972 alongside penciller Sal Buscema; editor Roy Thomas gave Englehart extraordinary latitude, reportedly only asking that he turn work in on time and make the book sell — and the run made Captain America one of Marvel's top-selling titles. Issue #180 is the direct sequel to the Secret Empire arc (Captain America #169–176), in which a high-ranking government official — heavily implied to be Richard Nixon — was unmasked as the leader of a domestic terrorist conspiracy, shattering Rogers's faith in the American government. Englehart came up with the concept of Rogers continuing his heroism under a new identity on his own, but the actual name 'Nomad' was coined by his then-girlfriend Martha Dukeshire, who received a 'special thanks' credit in the issue; Englehart confirmed this in his 2016 introduction to Marvel Masterworks: Captain America Vol. 9. The cover was pencilled by Gil Kane and inked by Mike Esposito, while the interior story was pencilled by Sal Buscema and inked by Vince Colletta, with Linda Lessmann on colors and Tom Orzechowski on letters, under editor Roy Thomas.

Trivia · 9 facts

First appearance of Nomad (Steve Rogers) — Rogers adopts a dark blue and yellow costume with no patriotic markings and the code name 'Nomad, the Man Without a Country,' directly following his disillusionment with the U.S. government at the conclusion of the Secret Empire storyline.
First appearance of Viper (Ophelia Sarkissian in this role) — the character previously known as Madame Hydra kills the existing villain named Viper (Jordan Dixon), assumes his costumed identity and code name, and takes command of the Serpent Squad; she becomes one of Marvel's most persistent villains.
First mention of the Roxxon Oil Corporation — a fictional mega-corporation whose president is kidnapped by the Serpent Squad in this issue; Roxxon would recur throughout the Marvel Universe for decades.
Creative team: script by Steve Englehart, interior pencils by Sal Buscema, inks by Vince Colletta, colors by Linda Lessmann, letters by Tom Orzechowski, cover pencils by Gil Kane, cover inks by Mike Esposito (and Frank Giacoia per some sources), edited by Roy Thomas.
Cover date is December 1974; the issue went on sale September 10, 1974.
A notable continuity/production error: the cover depicts Nomad's costume as blue and red, but the interior pages show the correct blue and yellow color scheme.
Steve Rogers officially resigns from the NYPD in this issue (a subplot that had been running since #159); he briefly returns as a police officer in Captain America #232.
The Nomad identity lasted only four issues (#180–183); Rogers reclaimed the Captain America mantle in #184 (April 1975) after realizing he could champion America's ideals without blindly serving its government.
Collected in: Captain America and the Falcon: Nomad (2006 TPB, collecting #177–186); Captain America Epic Collection Vol. 6: The Man Who Sold the United States (2024, collecting #180–200); and Marvel Masterworks: Captain America Vol. 9.