Today in Comics History, September 23: Happy birthday, Anthony Mackie!

Born on this day: actor Anthony Mackie!, the MCU's Sam Wilson, the Falcon and Captain America II!



from Guidebook to the Marvel Cinematic Universe: Captain America: Civil War (March 2017)
Happy birthday, Anthony!

365 Days of Defiance, Day 211: The Rocket's Red Glare

Not only has the New Hate-Monger — I dunno, Rush Limbaugh this time, prob'bly — stolen Cap's shield and painted a nasty swastika on it, he's also plotting to destroy everything we love and hold close top our hearts with anthrax missiles! That didn't work when Zemo plotted it and it won't work now, Hatey!



Panels from Captain America (1998 series) #27 (March 2000), script by Dan Jurgens, pencils by Andy Kubert, inks by Dan Green, colors by Gregory Wright, letters by Todd Klein
Whoops, that's not good. But while the Monger (Hate) taunts Cap and Nick Fury face-palms, Steve Rogers reveals that, like Batman, he has had prep time and he always had a scheme to take down the missiles. With righteousness.



With good aim of his shield and the aid of the Falcon, Captain America does exactly that. Wrap it up for us, Cap 'n' Nick!

365 Days of Defiance, Day 175: Cap hates these guys

Huh, suddenly a 17-year old Captain America comic is as fresh as today's real-life headlines, I'm sorry to say:



Panels from Captain America (1998 series) #25 (January 2000), script by Dan Jurgens, pencils by Andy Kubert, inks by Dan Green, colors by Gregory Wright, letters by Todd Klein

366 Days with J. Jonah Jameson, Day 129: Match wits with J. Jonah Jameson, and see if you can figure out...WHODUNIT?

Dig if you will the picture...of a Falcon story that barely involves J. Jonah Jameson.


Panels from Marvel Premiere #49 (August 1979), script by Mark Evanier, pencils by Sal Buscema, inks by Dave Simons, colors by Ben Sean, letters by Jim Novak
LET'S BLAME SPIDER-MAN no wait let's have a mail-in contest.



So what do you think the mysterious dying clue is? Funny you should ask, Falcon! Oh, wait, the comic book already says that.



The Falcon finally solves it! Without JJJ's help.


Ah, so the killer was the lovable Count from comics's Sesame Street. I knew there was something sinister about that guy.


"The Count Counts" from Sesame Street #1 (August 1979); script, pencils, inks, and letters by Jay Fosgitt; colors by Dustin Evans

366 Days with J. Jonah Jameson, Day 81: Chekhov's Window

Panels from Captain America and the Falcon #6 (October 2004), script by Christopher Priest, pencils by Joe Bennett, inks by Jack Jadson, colors by Transparency Digital, letters by Dave Sharpe

365 Days of KirbyTech, Day 89: The Murder Chair of Franz Cadavus

Even Nazi supervillains like The Red Skull like to have a few pals over to shoot the breeze and watch the game! And here they are...the Exiles! Clockwise from top left: Sprawly Legsapart, Earth-3 Winston Churchill, Big Bear MacCaber, The 5,000 Hats of Jack Kirby Guy, Evil Mirror Universe Spock After a Shave, The Red Skull, and Moe "Professor H" Howard of the H-Men!


Page from Captain America (1968 series) #104 (August 1968), script by Stan Lee, pencils by Jack Kirby, inks by Dan Adkins, letters by Artie Simek

365 Days of KirbyTech, Day 18: SHIELD's "Wild Bill" Robot

Sure, I'm kinda enjoying ABC-TV's Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.*, but to be honest, it could use a little more of this:


Splash page from "Who Strikes At---SHIELD?" in Strange Tales #142 (March 1966), co-plot and script by Stan Lee, co-plot and pencils by Jack Kirby, inks by Mike Esposito, colors by Stan Goldberg, letters by Artie Simek

Comics Within Comics Month, Day 16: And there was never any urban poverty, ever again

Panels from "Twisted ToyFare Theatre: Twenty, Twenty, 24 Hours to Go" in ToyFare #70 (June 2000)



Cover of The Falcon #4 (February 1984), pencils by Mark Bright, inks by Joe Rubinstein


Why yes. Yes, it is.



Panels from The Falcon #4 (February 1984), script by Christopher Priest (as Jim Owsley), pencils by Mark Bright, inks by Mike Gustovich, colors by Steve Mellor, letters by Clem Robins

Comics News for January 2, 2013

"Batman wants ice cream" "Falcon ruins another New Year's Eve party" "Avengers Astonished to realize Bendis no longer writing them"

The Unsettling Slang of Jack Kirby's Steve Rogers

Sure, we all love Jack Kirby's wild, powerful, dynamic artwork and his way-out, mind-bending plots and stories...but even the biggest little stuffed Jack fan has to admit...sometimes his dialogue could get a little...well, far out, to put it kindly. No, I'm not necessarily talking about the "frequent" usages of quotation marks to display "emphasis"...or his grand full-page speech declarations by mighty villains declaring that they will soon rule the universe once they get their "hands" on the "Anti-Life Equation" (which they never taught me in math class, I can tell ya!). No, sometimes it's as simple as an awkward phrase or turn of the pen which has even the most unlikely characters declaring aloud something you'd not expect them to say:


All panels from Captain America and the Falcon #200 (August 1976), scripted and pencilled by Jack Kirby, inked by Frank Giacoia, colored by Don Warfield, letters by John Constanza

Whoops, no, not that one. Weird as it is. No, take a big steamin' Kirby-sized gander at this proclamation outta Cap's mouth:



Wha...what, Cap? Didja just say what I think you were saying? (Um, not that I know what it means, bein' a little six-year-old bull 'n' all). Golly. I know you hung aroudn with salty-languaged soldiers in the Big One, but this kinda Unsettling Slang out of the mouth of the Red, White, and Blue Avenger doesn't seem to be quite what I expect! Oh well, maybe he's simply referring to its basic meaning of "having a good time." Or, it's entirely possible he's been borrowing and listening to Rick Jones's LP of this classic 1970s album.

Then again, what with his many years spent chillin' among the native Inuits up North, I've always had Cap pegged as more of a fan of "The Mighty Quinn."

Say, speaking of music loves of the superheroes... Falcon: what's your favorite Elvis song?:



Huh! You, too?

Friday Night Fights: Oh, Snap!

It's been Falcon Week over at Always Bet on Bahlactus, where the Big Mister B has laying down the awesome with some of the greatest cover appearances of Sam Wilson, the wingin'-est, swingin'-est cool cat ever to strap on a set of red mechanical feathers and soar into blazin' two-fisted action! Let's salute Mister Wilson as he temporarily escapes Dennis, that pesky neighbor kid, and instead helps out his erstwhile partner and comic book co-headliner, a little mild-mannered superhero you may have heard of called Captain America. But much like America on the world stage of today, big and bold as he is, Cap can't quite cut the mustard all by his lonesome...

All panels from Captain America and the Falcon #205 (January 1977), written and penciled by Jack Kirby, inked by John Verpoorten, colored by Michele Wolfman, lettered by Jim Novak

Luckily for Steve-O, the Man in Black Red 'n' White is there to pick up the cause of justice and right!:


Like meat and potatoes, like salt and tomatoes, they make the ultimate team...yeah, you heard me, Daredevil and Black Widow!


Wak! Pow! Cap takes the low road and Falc takes the high road, and the baddie'll be in dreamland before ye!


But a fast victory a boring comic makes, and Unca Jack knows better than that! Like Elton John, the villain's still standing, and flashin' his baby blues all over the place!


It's Falcon who comes up with the plan: just like Popeye, go for the eye eye!


Mama always told me not to hit guys with glasses, but lucky that the Falcon's mama always taught him to hit hard and ask questions about ocular wear later!:


And if you think the Falcon gives up after just one punch...well, you got another think comin', pallie! Yes sir!


When the bell rings at the end of the round, you better believe you should bet on the man with the wings: the soaring strength of the mighty Falcon!


Bahlactus hits 'em high and I hit 'em low.

The Dark Lincoln Saga

Of course, once Abraham Lincoln joins the X-Men, it's only a matter of time until, possessed by the spirit of the Phoenix, he goes mad and begins destroying the Marvel Universe: