The Falcon and Snap Wilson

[starwolf_oakley]

CAPTAIN AMERICA #276-278 contained a three part backup story called "Snapping" about Sam Wilson and his time as "Snap" Wilson. It isn't really a Falcon story, as Sam is only the Falcon in one panel. It is also by the same writer, J.M. DeMatteis, and artist, Mike Zeck, as the main story.



Sam Wilson is running for congress, but a reporter is curious about his past as "Snap" Wilson. Which causing Sam to freak out and act... different.



Next issue, Sam's sister, Sarah, goes into Sam's tragic backstory. (HULK: GAMMA CORPS says he also a brother named Gideon, who was Jim Wilson's father. Maybe the upcoming "Sam-as-Cap" run will go into detail about this.)





The mugger killed her because she didn't have ENOUGH money? Sheesh.

Since this was in 1983, does it really count as part of the "murdered family as motivation" thing that almost EVERY superhero has? But in this case, his family getting murdered was Sam's motivation to go bad and become a racketeer/pimp.



Sam is freaking out on a building roof, when Reverend Garcia (a previous supporting character from CAP #142, who was also a friend of Sam's father) shows up. Sam suddenly shouts "CALL ME SNAP OR NOTHING AT ALL!"

The final part.



Throughout the 1970s, black characters would show up and call the Falcon an "Uncle Tom." It is a bit ironic that "Snap" is now calling "Sam" an "Uncle Tom."

Sam becomes himself again and freaks out, with the whole "Which truth?" Is he really just a product of the Red Skull's warped imagination? Captain America wanting a partner? Is he just a two-bit hood? Sam tries to leave the roof, but Redwing stops him. His bird is smart.



This basically retcons Snap Wilson into a construct of Sam's mind because he was so angry at the world. The Red Skull didn't "create" Sam Wilson, but freed him. Comic book psychiatry is weird.

Sam is happy, hugs Rev. Garcia, turns into Falcon and flies off.



Rev. Garcia was never there at all? Wow.

Perhaps Snap Wilson will be mentioned again in the new "Sam as Cap" era. It is an odd character element, but hopefully it won't be totally dismissed. It seems most fans don't like it, as it turns Sam into a 1970s era blaxploitation character.

JM DeMatteis has done similar stories, including a Chameleon story in SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN and DAREDEVIL #346-350.

Comments

[silverhammerman]

A chance to write about a heroic but flawed man who deals with dark impulses and crippling daddy issues? Going by Venom, Uncanny X-Force, and bits of sorta Fear Agent, there's no way Remender's gonna pass that opportunity up.

[silicondream]

So if a mugger shoots your mom, your options are

a) Train for years all over the world and become a dark avenger of the night.

b) Become a pimp.

Bruce Wayne clearly made the wrong choice here.

[althechi]

No wonder he was so eager to beat up that pimp in Year One; he saw a reflection of what might have been and rejected it violently.

[lieut_kettch]

Well, option A requires a gazillion dollar fortune.

[donnblake]

You know, I'd read the Elseworlds where Bruce Wayne flees into the heart of Gotham after his parents dies and becomes a street tough.

[starwolf_oakley]

That was the plot of Frank Miller's YEAR ONE movie script. Of course, it also had James Gordon as suicidal and the bat coming from the T and W of Thomas Wayne's ring that Bruce wears.

[cyberghostface]

I actually heard today that they're going to be retconning the Snap backstory.

[seisachtheia]

Where did you hear that? It'd be smart, I think. Considering I remember coming across a recent-ish comic that dealt with it and it was just SO cringeworthy.

[cyberghostface]

It was mentioned on Brevoort's tumblr.

[espanolbot]

"The mugger killed her because she didn't have ENOUGH money? Sheesh."

Well it was New York in the 1980s/70s, which was widely considered to be an awful place to live, what with the drug epidemic and all. Like, the version of Gotham described in Batman: Year One and Dark Knight Returns was directly based on what New York was like at the time, to the extent that Scott Snyder recently said that growing up in New York he could recognise the things that Miller was talking about in the comics.