A Guide to Agent Carter Comics

There was a time where Peggy Carter, a rarely seen Captain America supporting character, would have been the most unexpected Marvel player to get a television series, but here we are. Peggy Carter hasn't made that many appearances in comics over the years, but she has remained an integral part of Marvel history particularly as she pertains to Captain America. It was Sharon Carter, Peggy’s niece (and former sister, we’ll explain) who had the greatest impact on Cap’s life, but Peggy remains vitally important to the development of Steve Rogers.

Fans should be excited by the time period in which the Agent Carter TV series takes place, the Golden Age of Marvel. The era was explored to great effect in Captain America: The First Avenger, and it will be an absolute pleasure to return to those days of the Greatest Generation, to see Peggy and the Howling Commandos fighting the Nazi and HYDRA menace in the days after Steve Rogers was lost. This era is one of the richest in Marvel history with a ton of great comics to choose from when it comes to story inspiration. We look at some notable Agent Carter comics stories, as well as others that illustrate the time period the show takes place in!

Tales of Suspense #77 (1966)

By Stan Lee and Jack Kirby

In 1966, women played a rather passive role in the adventures of the male dominated world of super heroics. Even Sue Storm and Jean Grey were often secondary to the action, but not this new mystery woman introduced in Tales of Suspense. The history of Marvel’s newest TV sensation began in this issue where Captain America reminisces about a blond woman he met while attempting to free France from the Nazis. When readers first met Peggy Carter, she was the heart of the action, leading an underground movement of French resistance fighters against the Nazis, a woman who stepped up to the Nazis guns a ‘blazing and in doing so, won Captain America’s heart. She was like Marvel’s version of DC’s classic battlefront leading lady Mademoiselle Marie and when she was taken hostage by the Nazis, Cap knew he had to save her.

Yeah, she was taken captive, but listen, this was 1966, and the fact that Lee and Kirby wrote Carter as a woman who unflinchingly ran headlong into danger made her one of the more progressive females of that era of comics. When Hayley Atwell stepped onto screen as Peggy, the character was infused with the spirit and bravery introduced in this comic. Sadly, in her debut comic appearance, Peggy got hit by an explosion and lost her memory in the same issue she was introduced. Cap lost his first love before he truly knew.

Captain America #161-162 (1973)

By Steve Englehart and Sal Buscema

These issues get a bit confusing so let us help guide you through. So at this point, Cap and Agent 13 Sharon Cater were an item, in battle with Dr. Faustus (yes, the same Dr. Faustus whose machine Dr. Whitehall used to turn Agent 33 on Agents of SHIELD). When Faustus was defeated by the combined might of the Falcon, Cap, and Sharon, they discover that Peggy Carter, Sharon’s sister, was Faustus’ prisoner. Cap soon realized that Peggy was none other than that mysterious blond woman he fell in love with back in the War and now, he was in love with her sister.

Y'see, Peggy suffered brain damage after the explosion in World War II and really went off the deep end when Cap was lost. Now, she had her mind back and was on the road to recovery thanks to Cap and Sharon. Later, the much older Peggy would be retconned as Sharon’s aunt to explain the severe age deferential between the two. What strikes a modern day reader about this issue (other than the awesome Jim Starlin cover) is the dignity which Englehart infused the older Carter with even after her ordeal. It was like she instantly became the elder statesperson for Marvel's World War II generation. It was the same type of dignity we saw in her hospital scene in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. I’m sure we have some Peggy/Sharon stuff coming down the road both on television and in film and this story is where that relationship was introduced.

Captain America Vol. 6 #1 (2011)

By Ed Brubaker and Steve McNiven

After her revival, Peggy Carter stuck around as a confidant to Captain America and an agent of the modern day SHIELD. She was also a part of the Avengers’ support staff until the team was torn apart in Avengers Disassembled. This issue features the death of Peggy Carter as she was at this point suffering from dementia. During Carter’s funeral, Nick Fury, Dum Dum Dugan, Cap, and Sharon reminisce about Peggy’s life and her heroism. The issue even treats us to a flashback that saw Peggy fighting side by side with Cap and SHIELD in 1944. This issue and Brubaker’s run on Captain America in particular really set the tone for all the Captain America media that was to follow.

The Invaders (1975-1979)

By Roy Thomas, Frank Robbins, Alan Kupperberg and other Marvel legends

I planned on recommending certain arcs of Marvel’s The Invaders, but I just can’t do that in good conscience. The series was just too darn awesome to recommend it piecemeal. If a fan psyched for Agent Carter is looking for a few reads to tide him or her over till the series debuts, I can think of nothing better than doing a deep dive into this Roy Thomas Bronze Age masterpiece that set the standard for contemporary World War II super hero comics.

In The Invaders, Roy Thomas and his frequent artistic partner Frank Robbins did what they did best, deliver the Golden Age greatest in modern fashion and fleshed out the past of the Marvel Universe. The book featured World War II adventures of Marvel’s Golden Age greats, Captain America, Sub-Mariner, Bucky, Human Torch, and Toro as well as the Whizzer, Miss America, and the retconned additions of Union Jack and Spitfire. The series fleshed out the characters of Bucky, Toro, and the Torch for the first time in the modern age and also took the nearly forgotten Whizzer and Miss America and made them very important cogs in Marvel history.

The series also introduced many Axis influenced villains and I wouldn’t be shocked if some of these goose stepping heels didn’t find their way onto Agent Carter. But it was the heroes of yesterday that truly shined in this series and let’s be honest, if Union Jack doesn’t pop up somewhere on Agent Carter, part of me will be very disappointed.

Captain America: Patriot #1-4 (2010)

By Karl Kesel and Mitch Breitweiser

Set in post-WWII days, just like Agent Carter, Captain America: Patriot deals with Jeff Mace, the superhero once known as the Patriot, as he becomes the third man to become Captain America. I bet you never knew you wanted to take a deep dive into the back story of the almost forgotten Golden Age hero The Patriot, but you'll be glad you did because this mini-series was one of the best contemporary meditations on the Golden Age ethos that you will ever read.

Agent Carter will deal with the post-Captain America world of the Marvel Universe and show just how important Steve Rogers was the nation. Patriot bridged the gap between World War II and the Cold War as Mace struggles to maintain his own identity while living up to the ideals of a true America legend. Many of the themes of Agent Carter could focus on life without Cap in the pre-Cold War era and this book explored those themes to absolute perfection.

Marvel Two-In-One Annual #1 (1976), Marvel Two-In-One #20 (1976) Marvel Premiere #29-30 (1976)

By Roy Thomas, Sal Buscema, and Don Heck

These might be a bit obscure, but all four issues are a wonderful celebration of the B-List characters that made the WWII era of Marvel so great. Sure, Captain America and the Invaders get the marquee, but Marvel had a dense pantheon of Golden Age characters, and in these issues, Golden Age historian Roy Thomas takes a welcome look into some of Marvel’s lesser known stalwarts and delivers a couple of stories that are a pure celebration of the time period.

In the pages of these books, Bronze Age Marvel fans were introduced to the nearly forgotten Golden Age goodness of the Thin Man, Red Raven, Jack Frost, and the Blue Diamond, showing that there was plenty of obscure coolness in Marvel’s pantheon of yesterday. Not only were fans introduced to these characters (along with Miss America and Whizzer), but they also got to witness them team with the Thing and become a part of the ever growing tapestry of the Marvel Universe. These heroes are still obscure but they remain a testament to the vast story potential of the War era of Marvel, a potential that Agent Carter will soon be tapping into. And if we get to see the Thin Man on television, I may plotz.

Avengers 1959 (2011)

by Howard Chaykin

Agent Carter will explore that pre-Cold War era of the Marvel Universe and so did this brilliant comic by the master of that time period Howard Chaykin. This series featured a team of Avengers first introduced in the pages of New Avengers, a freewheeling team of commie busters consisting of Nick Fury, Sabretooth (!), Kraven the Hunter (!!), Blond Phantom, Ulysses Bloodstone, Namora, and Dominic Fortune. All of these members (well, except for Sabretooth and Kraven for obvious legal reasons) would make for awesome supporting characters on Agent Carter. Plus, Agent Carter the series could do worse than aping this series’ approach to that pre-Cold War post Axis busting age.

The Marvels Project (2009-2010)

By Ed Brubaker and Steve Epting

The ultimate Golden Age tribute book, The Marvels Project took everything great about the Roy Thomas era of Marvel’s Golden Age and thrust it all into a very contemporary, feverishly paced story that is a perfect companion piece to Brubaker’s legendary Winter Sodier story arc. The creation and origins of all of Marvel’s major Golden Age heroes are told in this story as well as the tales of the men behind the origins of these heroes, men like Captain America’s creator Dr. Abraham Erskine and the creator of the original Human Torch Phineas Horton. The series also features Marvel’s first costumed hero, the mustachioed non-mutant, the Angel, a character that I wouldn’t be shocked to see pop up on ABC television sooner rather than later, especially since this proto-hero was such a prominent character in this influential mini-series. The War-era paranoia of this series is palpable but so is the spirit of adventure that defines Marvel Comics. This is a very modern take on the Golden Age and a comic that will perfectly warm fans up to fans looking forward to witnessing Marvel adventures in a War era setting on Agent Carter.

Fury Max

by Garth Ennis and Gorlan Parlov

This series was more like Cold War era Marvel by way of HBO but some of the historical drama of this series could be of interest to Agent Carter fans. Seriously, this series was an underappreciated, Eisner-worthy look at Nick Fury’s life during the early days of the Cold War. The series takes place a bit later than Agent Carter will, but it is one hell of a read by the creator of Preacher. I would be willing to go out on a limb and say that this series was the best book featuring Nick Fury in the character’s rich history. The book’s realistic approach to the era might be very different than Agent Carter but if you are looking forward to a Marvel story set around the Cold War, than by God, you owe it to yourself to check out Fury Max.