You Know Who I Miss? I Miss THIS Guy...

You know who I miss?

I miss the Falcon.

He's been largely absent ever since Marvel NOW! kicked off. Yeah, he's been in Hickman's Avengers, but for what, 2 panels?

It's not just him--despite the fact that S.H.I.E.L.D. has been all over the damn place since Marvel NOW! kicked off, as far as I can tell Sharon Carter hasn't appeared in a single story since the latest Captain America #1. I guess that's what happens when you shuttle Cap off to another dimension for a nearly year-long storyline--his supporting cast gets ignored by everyone else.

Still, I miss Sam Wilson. And yes, I know he's going to be in the forthcoming Mighty Avengers. But that's going to be as a member of a big team, and judging by past performance, Sam will get less attention than everyone else, because he's not as "cool" as Luke Cage, not as popular as Spider-Man, etc. He's just, you know, The Falcon--old school and old-fashioned.

Well, he doesn't have to be.

Did you know that next year is the 45th anniversary of his first appearance? Yes, he debuted before Cage, before John Stewart. He was the first African-American super-hero, and the first black hero not encumbered with having a name including the word "black." Doesn't this guy deserve his own series?

Falcon has been an Avenger. A Defender. A Hero-For-Hire. Don't you think there's some stories to tell about this guy?

Sam was a former social worker--at least, until Steve Englehart retconned him, revealing that had been a mobster until the Cosmic Cube altered his memories. There are stories to tell here.

Sam has been, at various times, a mutant, or not a mutant. Why were Charles Xavier and Sentinels so confused? Don't you think there's some stories there?

If you go with the various retcons, Falcon has been substantially altered, mentally and physically, by the Cosmic Cube. Don't you think there are stories to tell there, especially as Infinity approaches?

Falcon flies with Wakandan technology, partially made with vibranium. At a time when Wakanda has lost most of its vibranium, don't you think there's a story or two there (especially as Wakanda and Atlantis go to war?)?

Sam has a telepathic/empathic/gosh-knows-what link with a bird of prey, and at times has been shown able to control other birds. Folks, that's like Aquaman, but with better animals. Think about Hitchcock's The Birds for two seconds. Now try and tell me there's not some serious story possibilities here.

I miss the Falcon. Will some Marvel writer out there pick up the torch and run with it? Please?

Pin-up by Don Hudson in Captain America Annual #12 (1993)

The Living Eraser!!!

Many of you have written to me and asked, "snell,who is the best character that Marvel hasn't used in 20 years? (editor's note--no one has written him)

We here at Slay Monstrobot know that you really meant "who is the worst character that Marvel hasn't used in 20 years?"

And the answer is the greatest. most neglected Lee/Kirby creation--The Living Eraser!!

Let's start in the park, as a hot dog vendor (who would clearly be the Stan Lee cameo in Living Eraser--The Movie) gets in someone's way:

OK, you have to admit...that is AWESOME!

And...

Of course, next on his list is the redoubtable Henry Pym...

Of course, it turns out these people aren't actually being actually erased. Rather...

...they're victims of the least efficient dimensional teleportation system in the history of the multiverse. I mean, it took 4 freakin' hand-swipes, and what, 30 seconds, to teleport the hot dog vendor?

Of course, having the Living Eraser have to jump around like an alien cheerleader to transport people has a certain aesthetic value, but probably only when Kirby draws it.

And what if he stops midway? Are you only half-teleported to Dimension Z? Do you just walk around with a big portion of your torso and arm missing? Are those missing portions just hanging around in Dimension Z??

Sadly, such questions are never answered, and Pym rescues the kidnapped scientists (and Stan the hot dog vendor). And the Living Eraser was not heard of again for 13 years, until...

 Holy crap, that's a random mish-mash of concepts, isn't it?

After Benjy and Morbius un-erase themselves, the Living Eraser is gone for 16 years, until he turns up in a very silly issue of Byrne's Sensational She-Hulk in 1992.

And since than, naught.

What a terrible great concept to leave fallow for so long!

So, everybody at the NYC Con next week, please agitate Marvel to make sure that the Living Eraser gets his own Marvel NOW! title.

BONUS NOTE:

Pym takes the Eraser's "atomically-printed circuit," and uses it to get everyone home:

Which means he should still have it somewhere, and knows how to work it. So why the hell hasn't he done anything with it?

All I'm saying is, maybe the next Marvel NOW! title can be The Ant-Eraser, or Giant-Eraser, or...

Panels depicting the glory of Living Eraser's debut are from Tales To Astonish #49 (1963)

Arithmophobia

Back in April of 1987, there was a great disturbance in the Force, as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced:

What, the last issue of Betty And Veronica?? Ohs, nos, how can the Republic survive?

Unless, of course, by the "...Or Is It?" they mean...

Yup, the very next month, Betty And Veronica was reborn, with a brand new #1 issue. And the Republic survived.

I bring this up because lately I've seen much gnashing of teeth and angst over the fact that Marvel is "re-launching" a number of titles under the Marvel NOW! initiative, with lots and lots of "new" #1 issues.

Now, don't get me wrong--I think re-numbering most of your titles is silly, and annoying. But we also tend to forget--it's nothing new.

Most of our comic book issues numbers are just arbitrary, made up constructs, anyway. Remember, for example, that modern Captain America never started with a #1:

Yup, Cap started with #100, taking over the numbering from Tales Of Suspense. The Incredible Hulk? Started with number 1, cancelled after 6 issues, eventually started appearing in Tales To Astonish (#60), and took over the title with #102. Thor? Started in Journey Into Mystery #83, and just changed the title with issue #126.

So when all of those magazines celebrated huge "anniversary" numbers, it was kind of a lie, a ridiculous creative accounting trick. These guys never had originals #1s, but Marvel wanted round number anniversaries, and they were going to get them! Cap had never had 600 issues--they counted all the issues of Tales Of Suspense that came before Cap started appearing there? Ditto for Hulk #600 and Thor #600.

So the numbers folks are worried about resetting? They were never real to begin with.

There never really was a "golden age" of numbering. The fact that people were upset about the nu52 resetting Action and Detective to #1 shows that...because those were the only two titles in the industry that had never been reset. Everyone else? Long since past the point of no return.

How many volumes has Aquaman had? Green Lantern? Marvel's Heroes Reborn/Heroes Return/Heroes Warn Marvel Not To Do That Again?

Now, I'm on record that comic book issue numbers are not all that important, and in fact should be dropped. Let's face it, whatever problems the nu52 has (or Marvel NOW! will have), issue numbers as a factor are so low on the list, it's not funny.

Besides, we all need some perspective, because as I mentioned, numbering (and titles) in the industry have always been ridiculously arbitrary.

Example: in 1941, Ace Comics started Four Favorites as a super-hero title...

...before switching over to an all-humor format in 1947...

...but then for #33 they changed the name and title and format...

...but that was only for one issue, and then they sort of returned, with as new title, in #34...

...whilst Crime Must Pay The Penalty was reborn, and it's "first" issue was #2:

Trust me...that is one of the least complicated examples from the Golden Age. So the crying of Herc/Hulk or Thor/Journey Into Mystery? Brother, your great-grandparents wish they had it so good.

So a bunch of renumbering? Nothing new for the comics industry. Relax, and focus on the insides, not the numbers.