A birthday tribute to one of comics’ greatest writers… — UPDATED 4/22/26: Steve Englehart turns 79! Perfect time to reprint this piece from his birthday in 2022. Dig it! — Dan — By JIM BEARD As a young comic book reader, I was fortunate to have some really great stories right off the bat, stories that have stuck with me all these years. One of those tales is the Secret Empire saga by writer Steve Englehart. How cool is it that my very first issue of Captain America plunged me into a story that not only cemented my perception of Cap as a character for all time, but also introduced me to what would become two of my most favorite Marvel heroes, the Falcon and the Black Panther? It’s Steve Englehart’s birthday (he was born 79 years ago on April 22, 1947) and I can think of no greater tribute to him today than a personal look at this saga—and a saga it is, one that stretches across the Marvel Universe, is pencilled by the great Sal Buscema, and made an 8-year-old kid believe a man could sling a shield in defense of his country and beat the baddies at every turn. Here are 13 THINGS TO LOVE ABOUT STEVE ENGLEHART’s SECRET EMPIRE SAGA: — 1. Cap. I must’ve known who Captain America was before my dad bought me my first issue, but if I didn’t, I sure did after reading the Secret Empire story. Two things really stick out in my mind: Steve Rogers’ internal struggle over fighting police officers when he’s accused of murder, and his concern over deceiving people when he later goes undercover to investigate the plot against him. Those illustrated his character to me more than anything else. — 2. Falcon. I know I didn’t know who Sam Wilson was before this story, but I fell for him hard in short order. He was as cool as Cap, but in a different way, and I love that these are the issues where he got his wings and truly began to fly as his own person. — 3. Black Panther. This is also my introduction to T’Challa and the wondrous land of Wakanda. He’s not a major player in the story, but his presence along with Falcon opened my eyes to the idea of black...