Issue(s): Marvel Super Heroes #12 (Falcon)
Cover Date: Jan 93 / Winter 92
Title: "Winging it"
Credits:
Dwayne McDuffie - Script
George McNeill - Plot
Marie Severin - Penciler
Vincent Colletta & Bob Petrecca - Inker
Rob Tokar - Editor

Review/plot:
Falcon goes to visit a friend in Atlanta, Georgia. His friend is Paul Stone. Paul has a son named Doug. When he arrives, he finds that Doug's dog has gone missing. He later uncovers an illegal dog fighting ring, a source of entertainment and potentially money since most of the men in the area have lost their legitimate jobs after the local mill closed.

Falcon later thinks that Doug's dog has been used in training the fighting dogs, but he can't be sure.

Paul tells Falcon to stay out of it, since the gambling ring brings in money for the town. But Falcon returns to the ring, looking for Doug's dog. It's not clear if he gets it, and he winds up having the fighting dogs sicced on him...

...and then Paul kicks him out. Falcon tips off the police about the operation.

It's well written, and for once the Falcon is in a solo story dealing with something that isn't explicitly racial (even though he's the only black guy in a story taking place in the deep South). But ultimately it's Falcon fighting some dogs.

Quality Rating: C-

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: Should take place before Falcon gets his new costume in Captain America annual #11.

Iron Man and Doctor Strange stories from this issue are covered in separate entries.

References: N/A

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A

As always, in the early 1990s a pretty reliable indications that a story has been sitting in some file cabinet labeled "Inventory" for a while is seeing Vince Colletta credited as one of the inkers :)

Colletta had been dead over a year by the time of this issue.

Yeah, like I said, pretty good indication of an inventory story. Although I can almost imagine some pencilers having nightmares of Colletta coming back from the grave, eraser clutched in his undead hand, ready to once more ruin their work.

And to think Eddie Campbell of all artists came to Colletta's defence! (The irony being, Campbell inked by Colletta would end up looking like 'Dilbert'. But I digress...)

Perhaps the reason why Eddie Campbell was able to offer a dispassionate, objective analysis of Colletta is due to him having worked exclusively for independent publishers on creator-owned titles. It's not like Campbell was ever employed by Marvel and DC, doing an incredibly beautiful job penciling The Incredible Potato Man or whatever, and then watching in horror as some editor handed that work off to Colletta to be butchered.

I think it's very telling that, as recounted by Mark Evanier, most pencilers employed by the Big Two did not want Colletta inking their work, and those few who had enough influence made sure he didn't get near their stuff...

http://www.newsfromme.com/2007/05/05/about-vince-colletta/