"Captain America: The Coming of... The Falcon" by Stan Lee, Roy Thomas, and Marie Severin

 

            This is a review of the Marvel graphic novel, “Captain America: The Coming of… The Falcon” written by Stan Lee, Roy Thomas and Marie Severin.

            Some of you have read this blog before and know I review graphic novels in as concise and cohesive style. I have a little trouble with this graphic novel review as there were several different stories contained in this book, so I’ll instead talk about the characters and their stories rather than as a narrative.

            Obviously this is a Captain America book, so we have Steve Rogers/Captain America. For those unfamiliar with Cap’s history (and this was NOT contained in this book, but I’m giving this anyway to clear this up for those living under a rock), Steve Rogers was a frail, sickly kid who wanted to join the army to fight in World War II, but was denied because, like I said, he was frail and sickly. He joined a super soldier program and was made into Captain America and could fight in the war. At the end of the War, Cap and his sidekick James “Bucky” Barnes were thought killed in action, but Cap was frozen in ice for twenty years, and was found by the Avengers and was revived and joined the team of costumed adventurers. Okay, we got that out of the way.

            We also had Agent 13/Sharon Carter, who in most stories is the niece of Cap’s love interest Peggy Carter during WWII, but in this original story she was described as Peggy’s sister (I honestly don’t know why they changed this, but obviously the future writers didn’t side with Stan in his own story).

            Cap’s main nemesis is the Red Skull, a Nazi remnant who is bent on world domination. He was prominent in this graphic novel, doing heinous crimes against Cap, including a body swap with the power of the Cosmic Cube, a device that does pretty much everything the holder wants, so yeah, we clearly did not want that happening… but it did.

            Another villain featured in this graphic novel is Batroc (the Leaper), but he really didn’t have all that much of a story, just was there to have Cap kick his backside in a rather gratuitous subplot.

            Another story featured T’Challa/Black Panther, again, not really there for all that much of a reason.

            We also had a teenage boy named Rick Jones who tried to be a replacement for Bucky as Cap’s sidekick, but was very easily discouraged in this role, particularly after the body switch. He even wore the same costume as Bucky from WWII, which I feel essentially painted a target on his back.

            And now, we’re going to talk (last and not least) about Sam Wilson/Falcon. Okay, if all you know of the Falcon is from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, throw that away as Falcon’s portrayal in the graphic novel is nothing like on the screen. First off, Falcon was NOT in the military. He did NOT originally have wings. He actually has the power to communicate with birds, particularly a falcon named Redwing and THAT is why he was called the Falcon originally. I said before that Cap and the Red Skull had switched bodies a few paragraphs ago, to let’s revisit that because it was the whole focus of Falcon’s storyline. Okay, well, if you go to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the Red Skull’s red skull was ACTUALLY his face. In this graphic novel, the red skull is a mask. The Red Skull really ticked off a group of who were originally his loyalists who came to be called the Exiles because Skull left them stranded on an island. Again, body switching and Cap/Red Skull was now a target of the Exiles’ rage and they wanted him dead. This island was actually the home of Sam Wilson (conveniently). Cap removed the mask, used clay to change his features, and trained Sam to become the Falcon. The two then teamed up to battle the Skull, who in Cap’s body tried to ruin Cap’s good reputation, but it was actually Advanced Idea Mechanics (A.I.M.) who were able to nullify the Cosmic Cube.

            Okay, this is actually becoming a pretty good synopsis of the book after all. There was a point where Steve wanted to cover up his identity as Captain America. The whole world knew that Steve Rogers is Captain America. Steve actually faked his own death as Steve Rogers so no one now knows Steve Rogers and Captain America are actually the same person.

            Okay, you’ve stuck with me this far, so now to the important part: my review. My regulars know how this works, but for you first-timers, I give three points: my opinion, the accessibility (what you need to know prior to the book before reading it), and of course, my number score. I actually rather enjoyed the book for what it was. Yes Stan always wrote corny stories, and yet they were actually still good stories. BUT! And there is a HUGE but here! I felt as “The Coming of… the Falcon” there was a major fail. There were twenty-five issues in this book, and yet Falcon was only in three issues. Also, the inclusion of two issues of a satire comic called “Not Brand Echh” was not needed. This actually took away just a wee bit of enjoyment out of this book.

            Okay, now for accessibility. I have very rarely said this (in fact, I’m not sure if I’ve ever actually said this), ANYONE can understand this book, even if you know nothing about Cap or have never even touched a Marvel comic book before. BUT! Another but! Knowing about Cap only from the Marvel Cinematic Universe does actually cause a minor hiccup. The history is slightly different (as I have described) and may off-put you very slightly, but just go with it, it’s easy enough to get past. Just get used to Nick Fury being white.

            Finally, the moment you have been waiting for as I drone on: my number score. It’s on a scale of one to ten. One being this book is garbage (stay away), ten being this book is awesome and I recommend it to you. As a whole, from everything I previously described, I score it an eight. BUT! As “The Coming of… the Falcon” I give it a five. If you get this book hoping for a lot of Falcon, you would be TOTALLY disappointed. If you get it as a Captain America book or as a Stan Lee book, I think you would be satisfied. Some of you may know Stan was my personal hero. I wouldn’t be the man I am if not for all he did for the world of comics, cartoons, and movies, I might not even be alive if not for him. It was on my bucket list to meet him, which I never got the chance to do, but if we meet in the afterlife, I would not leave him alone. But that has nothing to do with my point of writing this review.

            Anyway, I think I’ll sign off for now, as I have droned on incessantly. Be sure to look out for more reviews and editorials as I have PLENTY lined up. Tell your friends about me, follow me on Twitter, spread the word, and till next time, Tim Cubbin… out!