This issue start mid-stream in a story that invloves S.H.I.E.L.D., Nick Fury, Sharon Carter, The Falcon, and the Grey Gargoyle.

The Grey Gargoyle has turned the Falcon to stone...but he also adminstered a potion that allowed the GG to control the Falcon through suggestion. The GG is after 'ELEMENT X', the most destructive force known to man. Supposedly the Gargoyle wants to destroy the Earth as stone is the only shield agains element x.

The Gargoyle infiltrates the S.H.I.E.L.D. Hellicarrier with the help of the stoned (*snicker*) Falcon. The Falcon eventualy regains his senses but the S.H.I.E.L.D. Hellicarrier is scrapped when Nick orders Sharon to initiate the self-destruct sequence so GG cannot use the ship for his own means.

The issue ends when the helicarrier is blown up and the Grey Gargoyle and the heroes are entering the S.H.I.E.L.D. stronghold where element x is being kept...


The issue was wel written in that classic Marvel style. Although I was rather displeased to have it end on such a cliff-hanger...especially because I didn't have the next issue to finish the story.


#M014 R The Falcon
Team: S.H.I.E.L.D.
Range: 0
Points: 50
Keywords: S.H.I.E.L.D.

10 9 17 2

10 9 16 2

10 9 16 2

9 8 16 2

9 8 15 2

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

Speed - Falcon Flight: The Falcon can use Leap/Climb and Charge. Falcon does not need to break away.

A Falcon / Cap duo with Cap getting armpitted would've been a cool clix.

love it but one question:



Why is Falcon's dial there?

Though I haven't re-read that in at least a couple decades, I remember it still. The SHIELD element reminds me that within a couple issues they debuting a SHIELD Femme Force, which didn't exactly take most of us by storm.

At that point Cap was soon to start having a creative rebirth with the arrival of new blood on the writing side as Stan finally let it go. This isn't meant to dump on Stan -- he was trying some good moves to move the character along -- but the spark wasn't there and some good opportunities were likely wasted. I console myself, though, that it may have been worse if he's ceded that one to Roy Thomas... but who'll ever know? It's the urban setting of many of those tales that makes me skittish about thinking of what Roy might have done. Some of his attempts at hippie speak were rough then and almost unreadable now.

Friedrich and Conway (who immediately followed Lee) were a bit rough, but adequate, and less than a year later Steve Englehart came along and led Cap into one of his strongest eras with Roy (steering things as editor) starting to bring in some richer history for the character along with a more successful take on a contemporary social conscience.