The Falcon Flies! Captain America 171

Captain America #171 (March 1974) (cover by John Romita)
"Bust-Out!"
Steve Englehart/Mike Friedrich-Sal Buscema/Vince Colletta

Doug: The plot, as they say, has thickened. When last we saw the Star-Spangled Avenger he'd been bested by some newcomer to the "hero" scene. A tough named Moonstone, possessing super strength, lasers in his fingers, and the power to disappear had whooped Cap but good. Quentin Harderman, leader of the Committee to Regain America's Principles (you know the acronym...), had been waging a smear campaign against our protagonist, with Cap definitely worse for the wear. As we open today's tale, the red, white, and blue Avenger has been in jail. In jail, until a team of commandos arrives to break him out.

Karen: Nothing quite says 'goon' like a bunch of guys dressed in white pants, yellow gloves, and plum -colored tops with attached skin-tight hoods.

Doug: The first guy, with the white stripe down the center of his headgear, looks like he's modeling a vintage football helmet!

Doug:  Well, what to do, what to do. Cap has previously thought, and actually carried out, subversion of the law already in this story. But now -- talk about a breaking and entering! If Cap stays in jail, he's at Harderman's mercy. However, if he flees, he's definitely at Harderman's mercy, and will even moreso be persona non grata among the media outlets and John Q. Publics of Manhattan. It's a decision the Captain doesn't have to make, as author Mike Friedrich gets us inside the mind of the leader of the "Sanitation Unit" -- this is all a set-up, again engineered by C.R.A.P. When the guards arrive to quell the disturbance, it all breaks loose. But as the tide seems to turn toward the mission failing, the commandos set their guns for gas and drop everyone in the cell left unprepared. Cap is then spirited away by his "rescuers".

Karen: We're given a tiny bit of hope for Cap when the guards recognize that Cap is actually fighting his would-be rescuers. Although not much seems to come of it. 

Doug: It's interesting that although there are certainly a lot of Quentin Harderman's machinations in this issue, "Q" himself does not appear.

Doug: Soon we see Cap begin to come to. But as the cobwebs clear, his ears tune in to what the Sanitation Unit is discussing amongst themselves. Talk about cat out of the bag! These dummies just run their mouths like it's their jobs, all the details of the mission flying around the darkened alley in which they've gathered. Cap becomes coherent enough to discern what he needs to know, and when the moment seems right -- SMAK! Cap fights with fury, tossing the S.U. men aside with ease. His super-strength allowed him to recover from the gas quickly, and it allows him to tear through these men without breathing hard. When he gets down to the last one, he grabs the man and begins to interrogate him; however, Cap's threats cause the guy to faint. So there Cap stands, on the run -- a fugitive with a name he seemingly cannot clear.

Karen: These really are a careless lot. You have to wonder about the quality of this CRAP organization.Cap at least gets an address out of the one guy before he passes out like a weenie. Let's face it, they'd never make it in HYDRA. 

Doug: Across the Atlantic Ocean, we find the other star of our mag -- Sam Wilson, the Falcon. If you remember, Falc and his lady, Leila, had flown to Wakanda so that the Black Panther could use his technology to grant the Falcon the enhanced abilities he so craved. However, as Leila was being a pain-in-the-butt, T'Challa had arranged for her to fly to Lagos for a big-city field trip. Leila and her Wakandan guards had run afoul of a Harlem hood name Stoneface, whose thugs ended up kidnapping the Falcon's woman. Back in the kingdom, T'Challa had gotten word of the trouble just as Sam was trying on the new wings.  So now -- time to kick some tail! The heroes arrive in Lagos, where they immediately hook up with one of T'Challa's spies. It's an uncomfortable exchange, as the spy addresses the Panther as "my Chieftain" and T'Challa replies, "my subject". Sheesh -- manorialism, feudalism, what have you? Anyway, they've got the drop on Stoneface's hideout, so the good guys rally quickly. T'Challa takes the direct approach, smashing through the door. Falc comes flying through the window, but we immediately find that the wings aren't for flying -- they're for gliding! And that means when the air currents change, so does the flight path! One superhero pile-up, coming up!

Karen: Giving the Falcon wings was a great idea -it only made sense for the character. Restricting him to gliding was however a terrible limitation which seemed to be giving with one hand and taking away with the other. It just made no sense. Why do this to the character? It was almost as if someone were pulling a joke, one that was not at all funny. "Sure, we'll let you fly like the other super-heroes Falcon, but uh, you're going to have to climb streetlamps first." It was demeaning and unnecessary. Thankfully it was abandoned at some point and the man could just fly!

Doug: I really like the Falcon's costume, and of course the wings just really make it a finished, polished look. However, I do wish they'd have kept the look of the falconry gauntlets rather than switching to just plain white gloves.

Doug: Stoneface and his goons can't believe their good fortune. In fact, they're so overwhelmed that their brains segue into "stupid super-baddie" mode. Rather than kill them on the spot, Stoneface wants to make a big production of it. So, it's hauling two 225 pound superheroes down the stairs and into the limousines, driving them to the shoreline, and pushing them to the precipice. And after a little posturing, the Panther is pushed over the edge! Seconds later, so is the Falcon. Stoneface marvels at the advantageous turn of events, and then thinks of Leila. But the Falcon has other plans. Remembering T'Challa's explanation of the working of the wings, Falc thinks that since the microcircuits in the wings are directly wired to his brain, he concentrates in a desperate effort to make himself fly. And you know what? That power of positive thinking is something else! Of course he saves his benefactor. Now it's go-time, and the heroes make pretty short work of their nemeses. Leila jumps into Falc's arms -- she tells him he wanted something to make him closer to Cap's level, and boy did he get it!

Karen: Thank goodness that's over with. Let's face it, Stoneface is a cretin and it shouldn't take the Panther and the Falcon more than a few minutes to whup his gang and send them off crying. The scene at the cliff with Falcon having his epiphany was nice. But let's get Sam back to the big city!

Doug: T'Challa sends a ship back to New York with Sam and Leila aboard. We can only speculate what happened in the backseat of that craft... Upon dropping Leila off at the apartment, Sam decides to take to the air and find Redwing. The two share a flight (wonder what the bird thought of it?), and then Sam decides to head to his social work office and see if Steve Rogers is home. Well, he's not -- but Iron Man is! The Golden Avenger relates the events of the past few days, and of the serious nature of Cap's disappearance. Falc pledges to bring Cap in -- he just needs a couple of hours. IM agrees, and with a line that further makes the Civil War debacle all the more stupid, Tony Stark thinks to himself, "...I wish you luck! This country can't afford to have a great symbol like Cap be destroyed!" Hrmph. Guess he forgot that later on.

Karen: Leila is obviously not happy that Falcon prioritizes his spending time with Cap over her.  Sal has done a nice job with her expressions on the last few pages, even if I can't stand the woman! The scene with Iron Man and Falcon is interesting. I do have to wonder why it took so  long for the Falcon to wind up in the Avengers. I wasn't a fan of the way he was brought in, but I guess that was the point. I can't recall if he had been offered membership before. Anyway, I'm getting side-tracked. Iron Man's recognition of Falc as Cap's closest friend is worth noting and I think is probably accurate for this time period.

Doug: We cut to Cap, closing in on a storefront labeled "The Quentin Co." We have it figured out, but ol' Cap's a little dense. He gets it soon enough, and upon preparing to enter the building is greeted by his partner, a step ahead. Falc asks Cap how it's going to go, and Cap greets him warmly. But Cap seems to sidestep the real issues. Falc says he knows what's gone down, and then gets a rehash of the past several days' events straight from the man. As the two plot their next move, they're interrupted by a threatening voice from above, a voice that says the conversation has been taped and that the Falcon will be proved to be an accomplice of the fugitive Captain America! It's Moonstone, and two heroes don't seem to bother him. Of course Sam cannot wait to prove himself, and rashly flies up to meet Moonstone. But the villain leaps away, gets himself into an offensive position and then uses his lasers to drop the Falcon from the sky. On the ground Cap maneuvers into position to catch is friend, but while he attempts to assess Falc's injuries Moonstone attacks from behind and grabs Cap's shoulders -- while using his laser powers in a direct hit! Lights out!

Karen: These villains just love to talk about their secret plans! How about Moonstone turning off the recorder so he can admit that he killed the Tumbler and is working with Harderman to destroy Cap? He just takes so much pleasure in that! That boy's not right in the head....

Doug: This issue was less set-up and much more "getting down to business". I really enjoyed the Falcon/Black Panther partnership and would have liked to have seen more of it. It's too bad that later on, when Henry Peter Gyrich played his Affirmative Action card on the Avengers that BP and Falc didn't end up on the roster at the same time. A few buddy stories akin to the Beast and Wonder Man might have been fun! Sal was just Sal... I know I always say that, but the man is just so darned steady! As we've now grown used to Vinnie Colletta on the inks over the past two issues, he's not really bothering me. You can look at a page and immediately know that Vinnie's on the job, but it's by no means bad work. I don't think he's necessarily a great match for Sal, but Vinnie's feathery lines do seem somewhat comfortable. Overall, the series has maintained its momentum, and I know that if I'd been reading this 40 years ago I'd have been counting those thirty days to the next issue.

Karen: This was one of the issues I missed when I was buying the series as a kid, so it was only years later that I got to see the Falcon's first flight. Still, I was able to follow the general storyline despite missing issues here or there. All in all, this issue keeps things moving but I don't feel it is as pivotal as others. But there's a lot more to come! 

Enter: Moonstone -- Captain America 170

Captain America #170 (February 1974) (cover by Gil Kane and John Romita)
"J'Accuse!"
Steve Englehart/Mike Friedrich-Sal Buscema/Vince Colletta

Doug: Welcome back to the second issue in our romp through the "Secret Empire" storyline. You know, I'm just really at home when we're here in the mid-'70s. These stories are my personal "golden age" of comics, and even though I'm reading from the trade paperback you know I'd be all over the ads, letters page, Bullpen Bulletins -- the whole ball of wax. Pardon me while I wipe a tear from my eye...  OK. Enough of that sentimentality -- let's get on with it!

Karen: Aw, don't be ashamed -I'm right there with ya, partner! Let's go!

Doug: It's not so good for Cap as we open. If you'll recall the end of last issue, the Star-Spangled Avenger had been accused of murder, as a fellow we knew to be the Tumbler died in an altercation with Cap. This seems to us to be some sort of frame-up by the Committee to Regain America's Principles (C.R.A.P. to you, friend) and its leader, Quentin Harderman. Harderman's on the scene as the Tumbler falls, and instantly thrusts an accusing finger at our hero. Cap lurches toward Harderman and grabs him by the shirt, pulling him in close in a most-threatening way. The cops nearby take note and rush to the scene.  Now Cap's faced with a decision -- fight or flight! Overwhelmed by a sense of paranoia ("...what if they, too, are part of the set-up!"), he decides that escape is his best option. But even as he runs, Cap wonders what he's doing -- is this the sort of example Captain America should set? Is this the training that Steve Rogers received? He pauses at a lamp post, distraught over the events of the past days. Suddenly, Cap's struck down to his knees by a force. Groggily, he turns to face his attacker -- a huge, burly guy who shouts out his name: Moonstone!

Karen: Cap is acting most un-Cap-like! But he's in a situation he really hasn't been in before -one where he's adrift, uncertain who he can trust. And he too has lost the public's trust. It's disconcerting to see Cap so rattled, but I think a lot of that comes from seeing him so solidly in command years later on. And how about Moonstone? I thought Sal gave the villain a unique bulky look that was a lot of fun.

Doug: We're next treated to a dozen panels of the real reason we buy comics -- to see two grown super-powered beings beat the living snot out of each other! Problem is, this one's pretty one-sided, with Moonstone holding serve due in large part to the element of surprise. But we do get to see his powerset: super-strength, quicker than average, and the ability to shoot lasers from his fingertips.  Not too shabby.  As I said, Cap's pretty much on the ropes in this fight, but I did want to note one panel that seemed silly to me, and that's when Cap is launched toward a brick wall.  He says, "Got to... get my... shield around... Cushion the impact!"  OK, so his head didn't smack the wall; nope, instead it smacked his shield which went up against the wall.  Of course, this isn't as dumb as that panel somewhere in Daredevil when DD was falling to a rooftop and put his hand to the side of his face to cushion said blow.  Duh... Moonstone shows one more power before the scene ends -- the ability to disappear and reappear.  He uses this last trick to thoroughly befuddle Cap, and it's at that point that a laser blast fells ol' Winghead.  Shortly, Harderman's back in the spotlight, hailing Moonstone as the new hero of the people. And the crowd goes wild.

 

Karen: Even though Englehart didn't script this issue, you have to feel that he must have expressed to Friedrich how Harderman should talk; saying things like "evil must be purged by time honored American competition," thinking of the crowd as "consumers," and Moonstone as "stock" really gets across the corporate baddie mindset here.

Doug: You may also remember that last issue the Falcon had asked Cap to assist him in a power upgrade.  Sam had been experiencing feelings of inferiority during this period, as Cap had attained super-strength beyond the advantages the super-soldier serum had bestowed upon him back in the War. Cap had enlisted T'Challa, the Black Panther, at Falc's request. A Wakandan airship had arrived in Harlem to pick up Falc and his lady friend, Leila. Now we see them in Africa, in one of the Panther's high-tech computer labs. Leila immediately grates on my nerves, as does the writing of her speech patterns by authors Englehart and Friedrich. Did Falc really say, "I'm sorry, T'Challa -- this fox isn't known for her tact!" Oh, my...  Blaxploitation, indeed! It only gets worse (in my opinion) when T'Challa offers Leila the companionship of one of the "court hand maidens", Tanzika, to show her around the palace grounds while the men tried to figure out how to augment the Falcon's powers. "Court hand maiden"... should I hear "concubine"? After all, this set-up in Wakanda has all the hallmarks of a feudal, even medieval, society -- perhaps even a sense of imperial China inside the Forbidden City. We've discussed before (just a few weeks past) that Wakanda seemed to be very out-of-step with contemporary governments of the West.  I know I don't have a handle on how it worked! Anyway, as this is the last Monday in February's Black History Month observance, we'd invite some further commentary from our readers in regard to the portrayal of Blacks in this story.  Are they honored, or caricatured?

Karen: A problematic scene all the way around! You also have the aspect of the men getting rid of the women so they can get down to business, although I see this as minor, since Leila actually has nothing to contribute to the Falcon's quest. But yes, why is Tanzika a "hand maiden"? Could she not just be an assistant? It's probably just a careless use of the word but it seems like so many writers did not really bother to think through the Wakandan culture, at least prior to Don McGregor's arrival as writer of the Panther's Jungle Action series. I agree with you thoroughly on Leila though: she's flat out annoying. There's a difference between being fiery and being a...well, you know. The Falcon is such a cool guy, you wonder why he would put up with her? Maybe there's a couple of answers. One, it may be purely physical. Two, she may supply him with the sort of street cred he feels he needs. And maybe I'm thinking too deeply about 70s comic characters. I don't know. But boy, is she a pain!

Doug: Back in the States, we find Captain America in jail! Captured after Moonstone had knocked him out, Cap awakes to find his foe standing alongside Harderman and having a press conference just outside his cell! One of the reporters asks if Moonstone wouldn't mind relating the origin of his powers. We get a pretty cool dual narration over the next few pages, with Moonstone holding court in the narration boxes while Sal's pictures tell just a slightly different story. It's fun, and a nice touch given that Moonstone's a thug anyway. After that interlude, Harderman reaffirms to the assembled media that Moonstone is America's new hero, and that C.R.A.P. is all over him.  You know what I'm sayin'...

Karen: You're having way too much fun with that acronym! Yes, it's a clever way to show how our chunky villain got his powers, although I can't help thinking there couldn't be too many blue moon rocks out there, and some clever reporter should be able to piece together the botched moon rock robbery and Moonstone's lie. But let it slide.

Doug: Sceneshift again to Wakanda, where T'Challa and Falc are interrupted by a spear landing in the middle of their work table! Falc recoils and whirls, to see Leila standing in a doorway. He chastises her recklessness, and her only response is that she's bored (I am serious -- I hate her character.  Hate her). Sympathetic T'Challa again steps in to try to allay her "suffering", offering to send her to a large city so that she can feel more at home. He calls for another craft, and for two of his top men as her escorts. Soon, a Wakandan ship drops down in Lagos, Nigeria so that Leila can wander the markets. Even T'Challa's men feel uncomfortable in her presence, as she exudes tension. While shopping, a large sedan suddenly pulls up and out steps Stoneface -- a tough from Harlem who the Falcon had defeated earlier. Now Stoneface has found what he wants: a hometown girl to make him feel "at home". Of course his overtures are rebuffed, which doesn't work out so well for Leila's escorts. As the Wakandans fall, Stoneface's men grab Leila and push her into the car.

Karen: You know, I sort of want her to just disappear and never come back! There really isn't anything about Leila that makes her appealing to me. She's just depicted as so superficial and selfish. 

Doug: Stoneface could have been doing Sam Wilson a favor! Back in the kingdom, one of T'Challa's intelligence officers (dressed like he stepped right out of a Johnny Weissmuller flick) becomes worried when he cannot reach the men escorting the Falcon's girlfriend. He tells his lord the news, and T'Challa orders his ship readied. As the Black Panther ponders how to tell the Falcon, we hear a voice offstage say to not worry about it. And the the Falcon steps into the light, revealing a set of wings! For our benefit, he tells that they are controlled by his mind and allow him to glide on the winds. While not allowing flight per se, they do give him a huge advantage over his formerly grounded abilities. The two men board the craft and point it toward Nigeria.

Karen: That's a really gorgeous illustration of the new and improved Falcon by Sal. Very dramatic and when I saw it, it sort of hit me, 'well of course, he's the Falcon, he should have wings!'

Doug: As we close the issue, we're taken back to Cap's jail cell. His guard tells Cap that he feels he's getting a bum rap, and to hang in there; Cap just sits with his head hung. As he tries to come up with his next move, the wall of his cell suddenly blows up! A team of commandos stands outside, saying they've come to free him from his false imprisonment. But now what should Cap do? If he stays, he's at Quentin Harderman's mercy. But if he leaves, he makes the situation infinitely worse. What should the Avenger do?

Karen: Another big moral predicament for Cap! This was part of what made reading this storyline so fun for me as a kid -it was not only action-packed, it made me really think about all of the choices he had to make. And poor Cap sure agonized over every one. 

Doug: Fun, fast-paced issue, huh? I'm really stuck on Leila as a character. She certainly fills the role of antagonist well, even though she's supposed to be somewhat of a protagonist, I guess. I think we all know certain characters were created to be that "fly in the ointment" -- Flash Thompson, Mantis, Dr. Druid to name just three others. What did you think of Vinnie's inks after seeing Frank McLaughlin last issue? I actually thought Vinnie's line was pretty normal, even heavy at times. But his signature feathering was here and there on every page if you looked. I've enjoyed the two cliffhanger endings so far in the series -- I can imagine the stress of it all if you were a kid having to wait 30 days for the next installment!