Posted in: Comics, Marvel Comics, Review | Tagged: avengers, blade, deacon frost, falcon, fantasy, horror, Joshua Cassara, Misty Knight, patriot, Rachelle Rosenberg, rayshaun lucas, rodney barnes, Sam Wilson, superheroes, vampires

Falcon #7 Review: The Series Seems to Have Lost Its Way

The Falcon is ambushed by a horde of vampires, one of which has the Patriot's mask. In the morgue, Misty Knight is attacked by the would-be corpses located within. Thankfully, Blade arrives to save Misty. The Falcon discovers that Patriot is being held by Deacon Frost, and Misty and Blade search the hives located in the sewers.

You know, when Falcon started, I was expecting grounded and semi-relatable issues — gang violence, racism, poverty, drugs, abusive law enforcement, et cetera. Now, as I read the current issue wherein Sam Wilson uses a flamethrower in his suit to barbecue vampires, I begin to realize the series may have lost the script somewhere down the line.

That's not to say there is no version of a "Falcon fights vampires" comic that could have been good. Any excuse to bring Blade into the fold is a good one. However, this cliché-ridden, lifeless, and mindlessly violent book is far from the best version of that story idea.

I gave the Blackheart story credit, because it was generally well-written, and its connection to the complex socioeconomic causes behind gang violence kept me hopeful that the book could get back to real-world issues and the complications therein.

The first issue of 'Vampires in Brooklyn' at least gestured in the direction of real-world issues regarding poverty and the forgotten people in the streets and slums of urban centers, as Deacon Frost was noticeably targeting homeless people to convert into vampires. That seems hollow now, as this book almost revels in its shameless B-Movie violence against the vampires created by Frost.

It's like a Batman series where he only fights aliens, or a Captain America comic where sides with the Naz—never mind that last one. Point being, these threats are far from relevant to Sam Wilson as a character, and he doesn't really have much to say or consider in dealing with the threat. Again, there is a good version of this somewhere in the multiverse; this just wasn't it.

Joshua Cassara returns to turn in an absolutely gorgeous issue of the book. While the violence feels incurious, exploitative, and empty, it at least looks good. Cassara weaves a pastoral, textured, and highly detailed world for Sam, Misty, Shaun, and Blade to navigate. Rachelle Rosenberg accompanies the line work with beautifully atmospheric coloring that would work far better if this comic leaned into the noir idea instead of sprinkling demons and vampires throughout the series.

I hate turning on Falcon #7 like this. Sam Wilson is in my Marvel Top 5, and I tried to champion this series because the first six issues were generally quite good. However, I now find myself unable to wholeheartedly recommend this comic. I can tentatively, at best, say you would enjoy it if you're as devoted to Sam as I, or you just want a gorgeous and ultraviolent vampire comic with Misty Knight and/or Blade. Beyond that, I can't really recommend this one. This was a large disappointment.

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