Hitting newsstands in December 1940, the first issue of Captain America Comics sold nearly a million copies.
Never one to let grass grow under his well-made shoes, publisher Martin Goodman had another new comic with “America” referenced in its name — USA Comics 1 — on newsstands four months later, in April 1941.
The issue starred virtual clones of Captain America and Bucky called the Defender and Rusty, and sported a cover by the creators of Captain America, Jack Kirby and Joe Simon.
“That’s a Simon and Kirby cover, but the interior art is certainly not by them,” Dr. Hermes observed. “The Defender is a U.S. Marine named Don Stevens, stationed at a training camp near NYC. He is accompanied everywhere by his young friend Rusty, whose presence at the camp and in uniform (!) is not explained. Steve Rogers was an Army private stationed at a training camp near NYC, accompanied everywhere by his young friend Bucky, who was at least an Army mascot (whatever unsavory role that might be) which gave him a reason to be in uniform.
“The Defender’s costume sure looks like a basic rehash of Cap’s, including the gauntlets and buccaneer boots. Rusty is wearing Bucky’s costume unchanged except for the colors being reversed, red being where blue was and blue replacing red. On page 16, the Defender snatches up a convenient barrel cover to stop a thrown knife; gosh, that could have been Cap’s shield.”
Despite their military duties, the pair “…seem to have a lot of time on their hands, running off to battle a pirate named Dame Kackle, and a guy in a suit with a fancy gas mask named the Fog, as well as some hideous monster,” observed Nauticus.
The Defender appeared in the first four issues of USA Comics. Then Captain America took over, starting in the sixth issue and continuing through the end of the title’s 17-issue run.
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