Captain America and the Falcon by Kieron Dwyer

Falcon by Mike Zeck and John Beatty

1978 - Anatomy of a Cover - Captain America #220 by Gil Kane and Klaus Janson

1981 - Anatomy of a Cover - Marvel Team-Up #114

http://www.romitaman.com/GalleryPiece.asp?Piece=17558&ArtistId=1057

Marvel Comics February 2014 Solicitations - 1980s Goodness

AVENGERS: FALCON TPB
Written by JIM OWSLEY, STAN LEE, MARK EVANIER, SCOTT EDELMAN & JM DEMATTEIS
Penciled by PAUL SMITH, MARK BRIGHT, GENE COLAN, SAL BUSCEMA, BOB BUDIANSKY & MIKE ZECK
Cover by FRANK MILLER

The Falcon is soaring into animation and film — now learn his secret origin in this comprehensive collection of his formative adventures! Witness all the action as Sam Wilson, along with his trained falcon, Redwing, battles to save his fellow Harlem from slumlords, evades a malfunctioning Sentinel and takes on the megawatt menace Electro! Plus: The Falcon teams with Captain America to defeat the Red Skull, and soon becomes Cap’s costumed partner-in-crimefighting! But though villains like Mortimer Freebish and the Silencer are relative walks in the park for the high-flying hero, will the Falcon’s own traumatic past be his deadliest foe? Collecting FALCON #1-4, MARVEL PREMIERE #49, CAPTAIN AMERICA (1968) #117-119, and material from CAPTAIN AMERICA (1968) #220 and #276-278. 216 PGS./Rated T …$24.99

AVENGERS: ABSOLUTE VISION BOOK 2 TPB
Written by ROGER STERN
Penciled by AL MILGROM, CARMINE INFANTINO, IAN AKIN, BRIAN GARVEY, BOB HALL & STEVE DITKO
Cover by BOB HALL

The Vision takes command! As many of Earth’s Mightiest are whisked away to fight in the Secret Wars, the newly assertive synthezoid seizes the chair. He has changes in store when the heroes return, not least his idea for a new team of Avengers on the West Coast. But there are Dire Wraiths and demons to deal with back East, not to mention an army of Hulks and Thanos’ monstrous minions the Blood Brothers! Hercules and Black Knight return to the fold, while Starfox discovers an uncanny connection to the Eternals just in time to face the menace of Maelstrom. But as Vision’s true plan unfolds, are even two teams of Avengers enough to handle one of their own? Collecting AVENGERS (1963) #242-254 and ANNUAL #13. 392 PGS./Rated T …$39.99

THOR BY WALTER SIMONSON VOL. 4 TPB
Written by WALTER SIMONSON
Penciled by WALTER SIMONSON & SAL BUSCEMA
Cover by WALTER SIMONSON

Few people have ever left their mark on one character quite the way Walter Simonson has. His work on the Mighty Thor swept the Norse God of Thunder to heights never before seen and rarely achieved in his wake. Spanning epic tales of heroism and treachery, love and war, Simonson’s work is often considered the definitive Thor. From the majesty and mystery of fabled Asgard to the gritty streets of New York City, Thor was never the same. That is the mark of a true visionary. This fourth volume continues the collection of Simonson’s epic run, including the unforgettable Frog Thor storyline — completely remastered from the original artwork and newly colored by Steve Oliff! Collecting THOR (1966) #364-369 and #371-374. 240 PGS./Rated T …$29.99

1983 - The Falcon

Flying solo!
Falcon (4 issue miniseries)
November 1983 – February 1984
Writer: Jim Owsley
Artists: Paul Smith/Vince Colletta, Mark Bright/Mike Gustovich

I was first attracted to this miniseries because of the wonderful Paul Smith cover. And then when I saw that he was doing the interior art as well, I was sold. Unfortunately, Smith’s art was heavily inked by Vince Colletta which smothered Smith’s great pencils.

This miniseries was written by Jim Owsley, the man who would go on to be known as (Christopher) Priest. In 1983, he was also the first published African American comic book writer.

The first issue focused on the Falcon’s alter ego, Sam Wilson, and his role as a social worker in the ghetto dealing with low-income housing and gang violence. Owsley does a solid job with the script and pulls off a relevant story that as applicable today as it was in 1983.

This story was written years before the other three issues and circulated around the Marvel Comics offices for quite some time. The first issue was then originally slated for Marvel Fanfare, but Jim Shooter wanted to push new idea of limited series, and decided that a Falcon limited series would be a perfect fit.

Since Paul Smith was already committed to the Uncanny X-Men, the other three issues’s pencils were handled by Mark Bright, Owsley’s partner-in-crime for many other future work, like Quantum and Woody and Power Man & Iron Fist.

The Falcon miniseries introduced Police Sergeant Turk who would become a popular secondary character in the Marvel Universe.


Issue #2 revealed that the Falcon is a mutant as he spends the issue fending off a Sentinel. He’s able to destroy the Sentinel, but he’s unable to stop a gang war and loses the trust of a gang leader. Both the story and art work surprisingly well in this issue. There several great action sequences juxtaposed with the gang war bubbling over. Good pacing establishes the story’s tension and really makes you feel how the Falcon is pulled in both directions.

In issue #3, the Falcon dealt with last issue’s fallout and was reminded of his days as “Snap” Wilson when he sold drugs, ran numbers, and operated ‘protection’ operations. And for the record, Snap Wilson did go on trial and was released into Captain America’s custody.

Issue #4 had the Falcon trying to rescue the President of the United States of America who’s being held hostage by a street gang and runs into Electro. The Falcon, a former Captain America sidekick, has matured as a hero able to stand on his own and he's comfortable with putting some distance between himself and Captain America. Captain America co-stars in this issue, but doesn’t take the spotlight from the Falcon. The Falcon actually comes to Captain America’s rescue and even convinces the gang leaders to release the President and start up a dialog about improving their ghetto’s conditions.

Issues #3 and #4 are bit weaker than the initial two issues. The idea that some street gang could kidnap the President of the United States didn’t sit right with me. Neither did the marshmellowy ending where Reagan sits down with the gang leaders for a chat.

The Falcon is next seen in a backup feature running through Captain America that details his run for a Congress seat.