Episode 1511 Talkback - Introducing! The Golden Age Hawkman, The Fly, and the Falcon

Adam_Murdough

Spread your wings with Introducing! This installment of our first-appearance showcase hearkens back to the maiden flights of three of comics' winged wonders: Carter Hall, the Golden Age Hawkman; Simon and Kirby's The Fly; and recent star of 'Captain America: The Winter Soldier,' The Falcon! (1:16:02)

Listen here.

nweathington

I read the Hawkman origin story as a young lad when I picked up the tabloid-sized reprint of Flash Comics #1. “Hawkman” wasn't my favorite story in the book, but he was my favorite of the characters therein. It was the costume, the ancient weapons, the reincarnation premise—it was very cool to my five-year-old self.

And the reason the artwork reminds you of Flash Gordon is that the artist, Sheldon Moldoff (better known for his ghost work on Batman), who took over from Neville with issue #4, was swiping rather blatantly from Alex Raymond’s Flash Gordon strip. I wouldn’t be surprised if Neville was, if not directly swiping as Moldoff did, at least using them as reference.

Thor_El

Great discussion, gentlemen. The only story I've read of the three was the Hawkman origin, but it was so long ago that I honestly didn't remember many of the details. Your talk was a great refresher.

And Pants...? Nice plug at the end there. It finally got me to download the App on my phone. I'll be looking forward to hearing some of this additional content of which was spoken. I gather it's all contained within the episodes proper themselves?

i_am_scifi

Listening to the talk about The Fly, all I could think of was this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64Jv8zbUsf4

i_am_scifi

And @Pants, where are the extras listed in the app? I seem to only see the regular episodes (I just had to re-download the app actually, as it wasn't loading at all for me at first).

EDIT: Never mind, found it! Good old E. :D

i_am_scifi

And by the way, there is indeed an Android app! http://www.amazon.com/Comic-Geek-Speak-Book-Podcast/dp/B004X2XF1C

TheOriginalGMan

"Diaphanous"

#thatswhatmurdsaid

Pants

I wish I was prepared enough to participate in this episode. I really like these historical discussions.

Thor_El said:

And Pants...? Nice plug at the end there. It finally got me to download the App on my phone. I'll be looking forward to hearing some of this additional content of which was spoken. I gather it's all contained within the episodes proper themselves?

i_am_scifi said:

And @Pants, where are the extras listed in the app?

EDIT: Never mind, found it! Good old E. :D

As Ian mentions, there is an 'e' in the lower right corner of the episode screen which when pressed leads you to the bonus content.

i_am_scifi said:

And by the way, there is indeed an Android app! http://www.amazon.com/Comic-Geek-Speak-Book-Podcast/dp/B004X2XF1C

Thanks for that as both Bryan and myself didn't know the app was on Android also.

Thor_El

Thanks to both @Pants and @i_am_scifi for the heads-up. Most appreciated.

TheOriginalGMan

@Pants‌

I've been going back and listening to a lot of the old "spotlight" episodes. Just completed the Superman series and am about to move on to Wonder Woman. I'm only able to find the Golden and Silver Age Spotlights though. Were there any others done beyond those 2?

Thor_El

Those Superman spotlights are great. It's really a shame the segment about the Jurgens era got lost. :-(

i_am_scifi

TheOriginalGMan said:

@Pants‌

I've been going back and listening to a lot of the old "spotlight" episodes. Just completed the Superman series and am about to move on to Wonder Woman. I'm only able to find the Golden and Silver Age Spotlights though. Were there any others done beyond those 2?

@TheOriginalGMan‌ There were only the two, yeah. That was about the time @Peter left the show as producer, so they never got a chance to get back to those in transition. Although I know there was talk about revisiting it at some point down the line. So we shall see.

TheOriginalGMan

Thanks @i_am_scifi‌. Appreciate the info.

For what it's worth, I did find one of the episodes mislabeled on the side bar. "Avengers in the Chromium Age, Part Deux" is listed as just "Spotlight."

TheOriginalGMan

Thor_El said:

Those Superman spotlights are great. It's really a shame the segment about the Jurgens era got lost. :-(

On the bright side, at least I got to hear the audio commercial they inserted there for "Mercury and the Murd"!!

Mr_Cosmic

Great episode! I hadn't read any of these origin stories before so it was a great listen.

penn2k

Another great theme episode from the CGS crew - can't wait for the Introducing! archers episode whenever you get to it.

SharkJumper

Good stuff. I got hooked on Flyman back around 1980-ish when I'd find old 60s reprints in the local comic shop on the cheap. And, to be honest, they were the later issues and Flygirl looked kind of hot to this young teen. (Anyone else buy comics when they were a young teen because the women looked alluring?). By the standard of their time, those The Fly/Flyman and Flygirl issues were pretty conservative stuff to what Marvel was doing and even DC. But there was an appeal to those Archie heroes. But when did he go from The Fly to Flyman?

I do own the first and second issue of The Adventures of the Fly from 1959. And guess where I bought them? At Lem's store at CGS 300 back in 2007. They managed to survived the rampage of Pants and others getting in to Golden Eagle early to get the discounted deals on those Marvel and DC books. I was already getting my new books from DCBS but wanted to give Lem some of my money for being a good host and because the 50% off deal was too good. And those Fly books were perfect. I love them. I think of CGS 300 and Lem when I see them.

And, of course, the Falcon's first appearance is significant. The Black Panther was Marvel's first black hero but is the Falcon the first African-American hero? I think he pre-dates the Prowler. Anyway, his Snap Wilson origin kind of tainted it later on but, for now, this was some of Colan's best work. The scene of the costume being made WAS from #117. Here is a scan of it and the cover from the interwebs....





And, as you know, no "Captain America & The Falcon" for the third movie. Civil War is going to take over, unfortunately. I'm hoping it doesn't sidetrack too much for what should be a continuation of the 2nd movie with more Sharon Carter, the Cap and Falcon relationship, as they look to find the Winter Soldier. That is the movie we SHOULD get, not Civil War. But, so far, Marvel Studios seem to know what they are doing. Unless they too are falling to the dreaded Event Disease.