Writer: Rodney Barnes / Artist: Joshua Cassara / Marvel Comics
Issue #1 of Sam Wilson’s new solo series, Falcon, was a bit of a disappointment. The dialogue was stiff and the story didn’t match the stakes of the recent work to feature Sam. Issue #2 attempts to remedy these issues as Sam fights to restore order to a rioting Chicago. Fortunately, the dialogue runs a lot smoother in this issue—outside of an odd “redefined the word redneck” reference. There was even a reference to the Wu-Tang Clan that made me chuckle. [Although, I have to admit this reference is a bit dated given that it’s made by a teenager in 2017.]
It appears that the objective of Falcon is to bring Sam Wilson back down to earth after he spent so much time representing America, fighting wars and taking on some of the greatest villains the Marvel Universe has to offer. Putting him back into local communities is a good idea. The problem arises when the villain ultimately behind the story’s problem has nothing to do with that low-level community and has aspirations to *gasp* take over the world.
Taking the story from Chicago’s South Side to the dark realm comes off as a good excuse to show off some different backgrounds besides a city burning to the ground. (How did we get here?)
Oddly enough, these two separate stories work independently of each other. Blackheart attempting to methodically take over the world to outdo his absent father is worth exploring. Sam Wilson working to curb inner-city violence from both gangs and the police is also worth exploring. But now that it’s been broken down, does it make sense for both of these plotlines to be in one 22-page book? Please, correct me if I’m wrong here.
The work with Sam as Captain America holds a special place in my heart, so I’ll keep giving this series a shot because I sincerely want it to be good. It’s just not there yet.
Reading Falcon? Find BNP’s other reviews of the series here.
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