Mythos: Captain America page 6 painted by Paolo Rivera (2008)

Back in July 2022, I was able to get from a fellow collector pages 5, 7 and 8 of Mythos: Captain America by the amazing Paolo Rivera! Finally, I have page 6 to complete the four sequential pages of the classic story we all know and love... a frail Steve Rogers being turned down from enlisting in the army, General Phillips who invited him to volunteer for Project Rebirth, going to the secret laboratory under the Curios shop, meeting Dr. Erskine, transforming after receiving the Super Soldier formula, and Erskine being assassinated. I finally have the missing page so I can display them all together (see the image below of them all framed).

Why did it take so long? Paolo really loved page 6 and had it framed on his wall. He spent a lot of time on it, which you can see in all the detail of the laboratory. In addition, he naturally took pride that the 2011 film, Captain America: First Avenger, took elements of the page to create the set for the lab scene in the movie. His agent had this page listed on his site over 3x the cost of the pages before and after, as Paolo really didn't want to part with it. But, fortunately, we were able to make a deal happen, with much gratitude to Paolo and Mark.

Rivera’s ability to craft a compelling story though his vision and layouts is just as masterful as his ability to bring it to life with his painting. These panels need no word balloons to convey the desperation of a frail Steve, the tired body of General Phillips who comforted him, the calm concern of a Steve taking it all in, the cautious optimism of Dr. Erskine, and the outrage of the transformed Steve as the doctor is killed.

I’m thrilled to finally own a depiction of the transformation from Steve Rogers to Captain America, but even more so by the beauty of these pages.

Pages 5, 6, 7 & 8. 11x17, Gouache on Bristol board.

20 year comic veteran Paolo Rivera joined the show in 2022 to talk about his experience painting the Mythos origin series and why it took him six months to create Mythos: Captain America! Filled with cool Easter eggs and stories behind the story, Paolo shares why he grew to love the character Captain America after doing research for the story.

🎧 Listen at: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/capcomicbookfans/episodes/104-Interview-with-painter--artist-Paolo-Rivera-e1ofk6d
or iTUNES: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/104-interview-with-painter-artist-paolo-rivera/id1546492661?i=1000581623164
or... just search Captain America Comic Book Fans in your favorite podcast provider!